SCENE II. A public Place. Enter ANTIPHOLUS and DROMIO of Syracuse, and a Merchant. Mer. Therefore, give out, you are of Epidamnum, Is apprehended for arrival here; Ant. S. Go bear it to the Centaur, where we host, Dro.S. Many a man would take you at your word, And go indeed, having so good a mean. [Ex. DRO. S Ant.S. A trusty villain, sir; that very oft, When I am dull with care and melancholy, Lightens my humour with his merry jests. What, will you walk with me about the town, And then go to my inn, and dine with me? Mer. I am invited, sir, to certain merchants, Of whom I hope to make much benefit ; I crave your pardon. Soon, at five o'clock, Please you, I'll meet with you upon the mart, And afterwards consort you till bed-time; My present business calls me from you now. Ant. S. Farewell till then I will go lose myself, And wander up and down, to view the city. Mer. Sir, I commend you to your own content. [Exit Merchant. Ant. S. He that commends me to mine own content, Commends me to the thing I cannot get. I to the world am like a drop of water, That in the ocean seeks another drop; Who, falling there to find his fellow forth, Unseen, inquisitive, confounds himself: I, to find a mother, and a brother, VOL. I. 35* In quest of them, unhappy, lose myself. Enter DROMIO of Ephesus. Here comes the almanack of my true date. What now? How chance, thou art return'd so soon? Ant. S. Stop in your wind, sir; tell me this, I pray, Where have you left the money, that I gave you? Dro. E. O,—six-pence that I had o' Wednesday last, To pay the saddler for my mistress' crupper ;The saddler had it, sir, I kept it not. Ant.S. I am not in a sportive humour now: Tell me, and dally not, where is the money? We being strangers here, how dar'st thou trust So great a charge from thine own custody? Dro.E. I pray you, jest, sir, as you sit at dinner: I from my mistress come to you in post; If I return, I shall be post indeed; For she will score your fault upon my pate. Methinks, your maw, like mine, should be your clock, And strike you home without a messenger. Ant.S. Come, Dromio, come, these jests are out of season; Reserve them till a merrier hour than this: Dro. E. To me, sir? why you gave no gold to me. Ant. S. Now, as I am a christian, answer me, Dro.E. I have some marks of yours upon my pate, Some of my mistress' marks upon my shoulders, But not a thousand marks between you both.If I should pay your worship those again, Perchance, you will not bear them patiently. Ant. S. Thy mistress' marks! what mistress, slave, hast thou? Dro. E. Your worship's wife, my mistress at the She that doth fast, till you come home to dinner; Ant. S. What, wilt thou flout me thus unto my face, Being forbid? There, take you that, sir knave. Dro. E. What mean you, sir? for God's sake, hold your hands; Nay, an you will not, sir, I'll take my heels. [Ex.DRO.E. ACT II. [Exit. SCENE I.-A public Place. Enter ADRIANA and LUCIANA. Adriana. NEITHER my husband, nor the slave return'd, 'That in such haste I sent to seek his master! Sure, Luciana, it is two o'clock. Luc. Perhaps, some merchant hath invited him, And from the mart he's somewhere gone to dinner. Good sister, let us dine, and never fret: [1] This was the character the ancients give of Ephesus. [2] By liberties of sin, I believe, Shakspeare meant licensed offenders, such as mountebanks, fortune-tellers, &c. who cheat with impunity. WARB. STEEV. A man is master of his liberty: Time is their master; and, when they see time, Adr. Why should their liberty than ours be more? Adr. This servitude makes you to keep unwed. Adr. How if your husband start some other where? But were we burden'd with like weight of pain, Luc. Well, I will marry one day, but to try; [3] Should it not rather be leash'd, i. e. coupled like a headstrong grey. hound? It may be observed, however, that seamen still use lash in the same sense as leash. Lace was the old English word for a cord, from which verbs have been derived very differently modelled by the chances of pronunciation. When the mariner, however, lashes his gun, the sportsmar. leashes his dogs, and the female laces her clothes, they all perform one act of fas tening with a lace or cord. Of the same original is the word windlass, or more properly windlace, an engine by which a lace or cord is wound upon a barrel. To lace likewise signified to bestow correction with a cord or rope's end. STEEVENS. Enter DROMIO of Ephesus. Adr. Say, is your tardy master now at hand? Dro.E. Nay, he is at two hands with me, and that my two ears can witness. Adr. Say, didst thou speak with him? know'st thou his mind? Dro.E. Ay, ay, he told his mind upon mine ear: Beshrew his hand, I scarce could understand it. Luc. Spake he so doubtfully, thou couldst not feel his meaning? Dro.E. Nay, he struck so plainly, I could too well feel his blows; and withal so doubtfully, that I could scarce under-stand them. Adr. But say, I pr’ythee, is he coming home? It seems, he hath great care to please his wife. Dro.E. Why, mistress, sure my master is horn-mad. Adr. Horn-mad, thou villain? Dr.E.I mean not cuckold-mad; but,sure,he's stark mad: When I desir'd him home to dinner, He ask'd me for a thousand marks in gold: 'Tis dinner-time, quoth I; My gold, quoth he: Dro.E. Quoth my master: I know, quoth he, no house, no wife, no mistress ;- I thank him, I bare home upon my shoulders; For, in conclusion, he did beat me there. Adr. Go back again, thou slave, and fetch him home. For God's sake, send some other messenger. Adr. Back, slave, or I will break thy pate across. Dro.E. And he will bless that cross with other beating: Between you I shall have a holy head. Adr. Hence, prating peasant; fetch thy master home. Dro. E. Am I so round with you, as you with me, That, like a foot-ball, you do spurn me thus? You spurn me hence, and he will spurn me hither: If I last in this service, you must case me in leather. [Ex. |