Beheaded publicly for his offence.

Ang. See where they come; we will behold his death.

Luc. Kneel to the Duke, before he pass the abbey.

Enter the Duke, and Ægeon bare-headed; with the
Headfman, and other Officers.

Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publicly,
If any friend will pay the fum for him,
He fhall not die, fo much we tender him.

Adr. Juftice, most facred Duke, against the Abbefs.

Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend lady;
It cannot be that fhe hath done thee wrong.
Adr. May it pleafe your Grace, Antipholis my
husband,

(Whom I made lord of me and all I had,
At your important letters), this ill day
A moft outrageous fit of madness took him;
That delp'rately he hurry'd through the street,
With him his bondman all as mad as he,
Doing difpleasure to the citizens,

By rufhing in their houfes; bearing thence
Rings, jewels, any thing his rage did like.
Once did I get him bound, and fent him home,
Whilft to take order for the wrongs I went,
That here and there his fury had committed:
Anon, I wot not by what strong escape,

He broke from those that had the guard of him:
And, with his mad attendant mad himself,
Each one with ireful paffion, with drawn fwords,
Met us again, and madly bent on us,
Chas'd us away; 'till raifing of more aid,
We came again to bind them; then they fled
Into this abbey, whither we purfu'd them;
And here the Abbefs fhuts the gates on us,
And will not fuffer us to fetch him out,

Nor fend him forth, that we may bear him hence,
Therefore, moft gracious Duke, with thy command,
Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for help.

Duke. Long fince thy husband ferv'd me in my

wars;

And I to thee engag'd a prince's word,

(When thou didft make him mafter of thy bed),
To do him all the grace and good I could.
Go, fome of you, knock at the abbey-gate;
And bid the lady Abbels come to me.
I will determine this before I ftir.

Me. O miftrefs, miftrefs, fhift and fave yourself; My mafter and his man are both broke loofe, Beaten the maids a-row, and bound the doctor, Whole beard they have fing'd off with brands of And ever as it blaz'd, they threw on him [fire; Great pails of puddled mire to quench the hair. My mafter preaches patience to him, and the while His man with fciffars nicks him like a fool: And, fure, unless you fend fome prefent help, Between them they will kill the conjurer.

Adr. Peace, fool, thy mafter and his man are here, And that is falfe thou doft report to us.

Me. Miftrefs, upon my life, I tell you true; I have not breath'd almoft, fince I did fee it. He cries for you, and vows if he can take you, To fcorch your face, and to disfigure you.

[Cry within. Hark, hark, I hear him, miftrefs; fly, be gone. Duke. Come, ftand by me, fear nothing: guard with halberds.

Adr. Ay me! it is my hufband; witness you,
That he is borne-about invifible!

Ev'n now we hous'd him in the abbey here,
And now he's there, past thought of human reafon.

SCENE V.

Enter Antipholis and Dro.nio of Ephefus.

E. Ant. Jultice, moft gracious Duke, oh, grant me justice!

Even for the fervice that long fince I did thee,
When I beftrid thee in the wars, and took
Deep fears to fave thy life; even for the blood
That then I loft for thee, now grant me juftice.
Egeon. Unless the fear of death doth make me
dote,

I fee my fon Antipholis, and Dromio.

E. Ant. Juftice, sweet prince, against that wo-
man there:

She whom thou gav'ft to me to be my wife;
That hath abufed and difhonour'd me,
Ev'n in the ftrength and height of injury.
Beyond imagination is the wrong

That the this day hath fhameless thrown on me.
Duke. Difcover how, and thou fhalt find me juft.
E. Aut This day, great Duke, fhe fhut the doors
upon me;

Whilft fhe with harlots feasted in my house.

Duke. A grievous fault; fay, woman, didst thou fo?

Adr. No, my good Lord-myself, he, and my fifter,

To-day did dine together: fo befal my foul,
As this is falfe he burdens me withal!

Luc. Ne'er may I look on day, nor fleep on night,
But fhe tells to your Highness fimple truth!
Ang. O perjur'd woman! they are both forfworn.
In this the madman justly chargeth them..
E. Ant. My liege, I am advised what I fay.
Neither difturb'd with the effect of wine,
Nor, heady-rafh, provok'd with raging ire;
Albeit my wrongs might make one wifer mad.
This woman lock'd me out this day from dinner;
That goldfmith there, were he not pack'd with her,
Could witnefs it; for he was with me then;
Who parted with me to go fetch a chain,
Promifing to bring it to the Porcupine,
Where Balthazar and I did dine together.
Our dinner done, and he not coming thither,
I went to feek him; in the ftreet I met him,
And in his company that gentleman.

There did this perjur'd goldimith fwear me down,

That I this day from him receiv'd the chain; Which, God he knows, I faw not; for the which, He did arreft me with an officer.

I did obey, and fent my peasant home

For certain ducats; he with none return'd.
Then fairly I bespoke the officer,

To go in perfon with me to my house.
By th' way we met my wife, her fifter, and
A rabble more of vile confederates;

They brought one Pinch, a hungry lean-fac'd villain,

A mere anatomy, a mountebank,

A thread-bare juggler, and a fortune-teller,
A needy, hollow-ey'd, fharp-looking wretch,
A living dead man. This pernicious flave,
Forfooth, took on him as a coujurer;
And, gazing in my eyes, feeling my pulfe,
And with no face, as it were, out-facing me,
Cries out, I was poffefs'd. Then all together
They fell upon me, bound me, bore me thence;
And in a dark and dankish vault at home
There left me and my man, both bound together;
'Till, gnawing with my teeth my bonds afunder,
I gain'd my freedom, and immediately

Ran hither to your Grace; whom I beseech
To give me ample fatisfaction

For thefe deep fhames and great indignities.

Ang. My Lord, in truth, thus far I witness with him;

That he din'd not at home, but was lock'd out. Duke. But had he fuch a chain of thee, or no? Ang. He had, my Lord; and when he ran in here, Thefe people faw the chain about his neck.

Mer. Befides, I will be fworn, thefe ears of mine Heard you confess you had the chain of him, After you first forfwore it on the mart; And thereupon I drew my fword on you; And then you fled into this abbey here, From whence, I think, you're come by miracle. E. Ant. I never came within thefe abbey-walls, Nor ever didft thou draw thy fword on me; I never faw the chain, fo help me Heav'n!

And this is falfe you burden me withal.

Duke. Why, what an intricate impeach is this? I think you all have drunk of Circe's cup :

It here you hous'd him, here he would have been; If he were mad, he would not plead fo coldly: You fay he din'd at home; the goldfmith here Denies that faying. Sirrah, what say you?

E. Dro. Sir, he din'd with her there, at the Porcupine.

Cour. He did, and from my finger fnatch'd that ring.

E. Ant. 'Tis true, my liege, this ring I had of her. Duke. Saw'st thou him enter at the abbey here? Cour. As fure, my liege, as I do fee your Grace. Duke. Why, this is ftrange; go call the Abbess hither;

I think you are all mated, or stark mad.

[Exit one to the Abbefs.

Egeon. Moft mighty Duke, vouchsafe me speak a word:

Haply I fee a friend will fave my life,
And pay the fum that may deliver me.

Duke. Speak freely, Syracufan, what thou wilt. Egeon. Is not your name, Sir, call'd Antipholis? And is not that your bondman Dromio?

E. Dro. Within this hour I was his bondman, Sir; But he, I thank him, gnaw'd ir, two my cords; Now am I Dromio, and his man unbound.

Egeon. I am fure you both of you remember me. E. Dro. Ourfelves we do remember, Sir, by you; For lately we were bound, as you are now. You are not Pinch's patient, are you, Sir?

Egeon. Why look you ftrange on me? you know me-well.

F. Ant. I never faw you in my life, 'till now. Egeon. Oh! grief hath chang'd me, fince you faw me laft;

And careful hours with time's deformed hand
Have written ftrange defeatures in my face:
But tell me yet, doft thou not know my voice?