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Stray'd his affection in unlawful love?
A sin, prevailing much in youthful men
Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing!
Which of these sorrows is he subject to ?

Adr. To none of them, except it be the last,
Namely, some love, that drew him oft from home.
Abb. You should for that have reprehended him.
Adr. Why, so I did.

Abb. Ay, but not rough enough.

Adr. As roughly as my modesty would let me.
Abb. Haply, in private.

Adr. And in assemblies too.

Abb. Ay, but not enough.

Adr. It was the copy of our conference-
In bed, he slept not for my urging it;
At board, he fed not for my urging it;
Alone, it was the subject of my theme;
In company, I often glanced at it;
Still did I tell him, it was vile and base.

Abb. And therefore came it that the man was mad.
The venom'd clamours of a jealous woman

Poison more deadly than a mad dog's tooth!

Thou say'st, his sports were hinder'd with thy brawls;
Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth ensue
But moody, mopish, and dull melancholy,
Kinsman to grim and comfortless despair?
And at her heels, a huge, infectious troop
Of pale distemperatures, and foes to life?
The consequence is, then, thy jealousies
Have scared thy husband from his better sense.
Luc. She never reprehended him but gently,
When he demeau'd himself rough, rude, and wild.
Why bear you these rebukes, and answer not?.
Adr. She did betray me to my own reproof.
Good people, enter, and lay hold on him.

[Servants are about to enter D. F.

Abb. No, not a creature enters in my house.

Adr. Then let your servants bring my husband forth. Abb. Neither he took this place for sanctuary;

And it shall privilege him from your hands,

Till I have brought him to his wits again,

Or lose my labour in essaying it.

Adr. I will attend my husband; be his nurse;

Diet his sickness; for it is my office;

And therefore let me have him home with me

Abb. Be patient, for I will not let him stir
Till I have used th' approved means I know,
With wholesome syrups, drugs, and holy prayers,
To bring him to his former state again.

It is a branch and parcel of my oath,

A charitable duty of my order;

Therefore depart, and leave him here with me.
Adr. I will not hence and leave my husband here.
And ill it doth beseem your holiness

To separate the husband and the wife

Abb. Be quiet, and depart-thou shalt not have him. [Exeunt Abbess and Sisters to the Priory, C. D. F. Luc. Complain unto the Duke of this indignity. Adr. Come, then, I will fall prostrate at his feet, And never rise until my prayers and tears

[Crosses to Lesbia. Have won his grace to come in person hither, And take, perforce, my husband from this Abbess. Cha. By this I think the dial points at five. Anon, I'm sure the Duke himself, in person, Comes this way to the melancholy vale; The place of death, and sorry exccution, Behind the ditches of the abbey here. Ang. Upon what cause?

Cha. To see a reverend Syracusan merchant,

Who put unluckily into this bay,

Against the laws and statutes of this town,

Beheaded publicly for his offence.

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

[Lesbia crosses behind to Chares. Luc. Kneel to the Duke, before he pass the abbey.

Enter DUKE, ÆGEON, EXECUTIONER, OFFICERS, and GUARDS, L.

Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publicly,

If any friend will pay the sum for him,

He shall not die; so much we tender him.

Adr. Justice, most sacred Duke, against the Abbess!
Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend lady!

It cannot be that she has done thee wrong,

Adr. May it please your grace, Antipholis, my husband, Whom I made lord of me, and all I had,

At your important letters, this ill day,

A most outrageous fit of madness seized him ;
That desperately he hurried through the street:

With him his bondman, all as mad as he,
Doing displeasure to the citizens,

By rushing in their houses, bearing thence
Rings, jewels, any thing his rage did like.
Once did I get him bound, and sent him home,
Whilst, to take order for the wrongs, I went,
Which here and there his fury had committed.
Anon (I wot not by what strong escape)
He broke from those who had the guard of him,
And, with his mad attendant, with drawn swords,
Met us again, and, madly bent on us,

Chased us away; till, raising of more aid,
We came again to bind them-then they fled
Into this abbey, whither we pursued them;
But here the abbess shuts the gates on us,
And will not suffer us to fetch him out,

Nor send him forth, that we may bear him hence.
Therefore, most gracious Duke, with thy command,
Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for help.
Duke. Long since, thy husband served me in my wars,
And I to thee engaged a prince's word,

When thou didst make him master of thy bed,
To do him all the good and grace I could.
Go, some of ye, knock at the abbey gate,

And bid the lady abbess come to me.

I will determine this before I stir. [Exit a Gentleman, C.D.F.

Enter BRIDGEt, l.

Brid. Oh, mistress, mistress! haste and save yourself! My master and his man are both broke loose!

Adr. Peace, fool! thy master and his man are here,

And that is false thou dost report to us.

Brid. Mistress, upon my life I tell you true,

I. have not breathed almost since I did see them. [Noise, L. Hark! hark! I hear them, mistress-fly! begone!

[Crossses, R., exit Bridget, R.

Witness all

Duke. Fear nothing! I'll protect you.

Adr. Ah, me! it my husband!

That he is borne about invisible !

Even now we housed him in the abbey there,

And now he's here, past thought of human reason.

Enter ANTIPHOLIS OF EPHESUS and DROMIO OF EPHE

SUS, L.

Ant. of Eph. Justice, most gracious duke! Oh, grant me justice!

Even for the service, that, long since, I did thee,
When I bestrode thee in the wars, and took
Deep scars to save thy life; even for the blood,
Which then I lost for thee, now grant me justice.

Egeon. Unless the fear of death doth make me dote, I see my son Antipholis and Dromio.

Ant. of Eph. Justice, sweet prince, against that woman there,

She, whom thou gavest to me to be my wife,

She hath abused and dishonoured me,

Even in the strength and height of injury.

Duke. Discover how, and thou shalt find me just.

Ant. of Eph. This day, great Duke, she shut the doors

upon me,

While she within was feasting with her minions.

Duke. (c.) A grievous fault! Say, woman, did'st thou

so?

Adr. (R. c.) No, my good lord; myself, he, and my sister,

To-day did dine together-so befall my soul,

As that is false, he burdens me withal.

Luc. (R. C.) Ne'er may I look on day, nor sleep on night,

But she doth tell your highness simple truth!

Ang. (R.) O perjured woman! they are both forsworn: In this the madman justly chargeth them.

My lord, in truth, thus far I witness with him,
That he dined not at home, but was locked out.
Duke. Why, what an intricate impeach is this!

I think you all have drank of Circe's cup.

If here you housed him, here he would have been.
You say he dined at home; the goldsmith here
Denies that saying-Sirrah, what say you?

Dro. of Eph. Sir, he dined with her there, at the Porcupine.

Les. He did, and from my finger snatch'd that ring.
Ant. of Eph. 'Tis true, my liege, this ring I had of her.
Duke. Saw'st thou him enter at the abbey here?
Les. As sure, my liege, as I do see your grace.

Duke. This is most strange! Go, call the abbess hither.
[Exit Gentleman, L. D. F.
Egeon. [Crosses to Duke.] Most mighty Duke, vouch-
safe me speak a word!

Haply I see a friend will save my life,
And pay the sum that may deliver me.

Duke. Speak freely, Syracusan, what thou wilt. Egeon. Is not your name, sir, called Antipholis ? And is not that, your bondman, Dromic ?

Ant. of Eph. True, reverend hapless man, we are so call'd.

Egeon. I am sure that both of ye remember me.
Ant. of Eph. Remember you!

Egeon. Why look you strange on me? you know me well.

Ant. of Eph. I never saw you in my life till now. Egeon. Oh, grief hath changed me since you saw me last!

And careful hours, with Time's deforming hand,

Have written strange defeatures in my face.
But tell me yet-dost thou not know my voice?
Ant. of Eph. Neither.

Egeon. Not know my voice? Oh, time's extremity !
Hast thou so crack'd and splitted my poor tongue
In seven short years, that here my only son
Knows not my feeble key of untuned cares?
Though now this grained face of mine be hid
In sap-consuming winter's drizzled snow,
And all the conduits of my blood froze up,
Yet hath my night of life some memory,
My wasting lamp, some fading glimmer left;
All these old witnesses-I cannot err-
Tell me, thou art my son, Antipholis.

Ant. of Eph. I never saw my father in my life.
Egeon. But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy,,
Thou know'st we parted-but perhaps, my son,

Thou sham'st t' acknowledge me in misery?

Ant. of Eph. The Duke, and all that know me in the city,

Can witness with me that it is not so.

I ne'er saw Syracusa in my life.

Duke. I tell thee, Syracusan, twenty years

Have I been patron to Antipholis,

During which time, he ne'er saw Syracusa.

I see thy age and dangers make thee dote.

Enter GENTLEMEN, and ABBESS, with ANTIPHOLIS OF SYRACUSE, and DROMIO OF SYRACUSE, from the Priory, C. D. F.

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Abb. (c.) Most mighty Duke, behold a man much wrong'd!

dr. I see two husbands, or my eyes deceive me.

B

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