They draw their swords, and, at the sight, the people rush in on all sides. In the midst, we see Luciana, Lesbia, and their attendants: while Adriana calls loudly for help-exclaiming that her husband is mad, and has escaped from his keepers. Antipholus (of Syracuse) and Dromio (of Syracuse), fearing that they would be overpowered by numbers, run into the Convent, and claim there the privilege of sanctuary-that is, freedom from arrest. In the midst of the disturbance, the Lady Abbess and her Attendants

enter:

Abb. Be quiet, people. Wherefore throng you hither?

Adriana replies:

Adr. To fetch my poor distracted husband hence,

3

And bear him 'home for his recovery.

Abb. How long hath this possession held the man?
Adr. This 'week he hath been heavy, sour, and sad;

But, till this 'afternoon, his passion's strength
Ne'er brake into 'extremity of rage.

a

Abb. Hath he not lost much wealth by wreck of seab? Buried some dear friend? Hath not else his eye 'Strayed his affection in 'unlawful love?

(A sin prevailing much in 'youthful men :) 'Which of these sorrows is he subject to? Adr. To 'none of these, 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. It was the subject 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:"
Stille did I tell him it was vile' and bad.

Abb. And 'therefore came it that the man was mad.
The venom-clamours of a 'jealous 'woman
Poison more deadly than a 'mad dog's tooth.
The consequence is, then,-thy jealous fits
Have scared thy husband from the use of wits.
Luciana interposes in defence of her sister:

Luc. She never reprehended him but 'mildly,

When he demeaned himself rough, rude, and wildly.—
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.

Abb. No; not a creature enters in my house.
He took this place for lawful" sanctuary,"
And it shall privilege him from your hands
Till I have brought him to his wits again;
Therefore depart, and 'leave him here with 'me.
Adriana, unconvinced, appeals to the crowd:
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.
Luc. Complain unto the 'Duke of this indignity.
Adr. Come then: I will fall prostrate at his feet,
And never rise until my tears and prayers
Have won his Grace to come in 'person hither,
And take 'perforce my husband from the Abbess.

The Merchant says:

Mer. The Duke himself in person 'comes this way.
Ang. Upon what cause?

Mer. To see a reverent 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.
Luc. 'Kneel to the Duke before he pass the Abbey.

[Exit.

The Duke, attended by his Officers, and followed by the Headsman and a crowd of lookers-on, is now passing the Convent-gate. Old Ægeon, bare-headed, is solemnly conducted to the place of execution; having been unable to procure the sum required to save his life. Adriana stops the melancholy procession; as the good Duke-still desirous to avoid the old stranger's violent death, and attending in person that he might be present to pardon him, if any one offered to pay the ransom,-thus addresses his Officers: Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publicly

If any

friend will pay the sum for him,

He shall 'not die-so much we pity' him.

Adriana approaches:

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

It cannot be that 'she hath done thee 'wrong.
Adr. May it please your grace, Antipholus, my husband,
Such an outrageous fit of madness suffered,"

inserted word. ba sacred place of shelter. According to law, even notorious criminals were exempted from arrest when within the precincts of certain ecclesiastical edifices. CO. R go. d venerable. e sailed. fO. R tender.

O. R a most outragious fit of madnesse tooke him.

That desperately he hurried through the street,
And, with his crazed attendant, wildly fled
Into this Abbey, whither we pursued them;
And here the Abbess shuts the gates on us,
And will not suffer us to fetch him out:

Therefore, most gracious Duke, with thy command,
Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for help.
Duke. Go, some of you, knock at the Abbey-gate,
And bid the Lady Abbess come to me.

I will 'determine this, before I stir.

At this instant Luce, one of Adriana's maids, runs in: Luce. O mistress, mistress! Save, O.save yourself." My master and his man are both broke loose, Beaten the maids a-row, and bound the Doctor; And, sure, unless you send some present help, Between them they will 'kill the conjurer.

b

Adr. Peace, fool! thy master and his man are 'here,
And that is 'false thou dost report to us.

Even now we housed him in the 'Abbey here, .

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

To Adriana's amazement, her husband and his servant, who had
both got loose, hasten forward, clamorous to appeal to the Duke :
Ant. E. Justice, most gracious Duke! O, grant me justice!
Justice, sweet Prince, against that woman there,
That hath abused med and dishonoured me,
Even in the strength and height of injury!
Duke. Discover 'how, and thou shalt 'find me just.
Ant. E. This day, great Duke, she shut the doors upon me,
While she with minions feasted in my house.

That goldsmith there, were he not leagued' with her,
Could witness it, for he was with me then,
And parted with me to go fetch a chain.
Angelo advances:

Ang. My lord, in truth, thus far I witness with him,-
That he dined 'not at home, but 'was locked out.

Duke. But had he such a chain of thee, or no?
Ang. He had, my lord; and, when he ran-in here,
These people 'saw the chain about his neck.

The Merchant comes forward to corroborate:
Mer. Besides, I will be sworn, these ears of mine
Heard you 'confess you had the chain of him,

a O. R. shift and save yourselfe. dinserted word.

bone after the other. O. R. harlots.

cinstant, immediate. fO. R. pack'd.

After you first 'forswore it on the Mart,
And, thereupon, I drew my sword on you;'
And then you fled into this Abbey here,

From whence, I think, you 're come by 'miracle!
The astonished Antipholus replies :

Ant. E. I'never came within these Abbey-walls,
Nor ever didst thou draw thy sword on 'me.
I never 'saw the chain: . . . so help me Heaven
As this is 'false you burden me withal!
Duke. Why, what an intricate impeach" is this!,
I think, you all have drunk of 'Circe's' cup.
'You say, he dined at home; the 'goldsmith here
'Denies that saying.-Sirrah, what say 'you?
Dro. E. Sir, he dined with 'her there, at the "Porcupine.'
Les. He did, and from my finger 'snatched that ring.
Ant. E. 'T is 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.

Το

E. 110

[Pointing to Lesbia.

Duke. Why, this 'is 'strange!-Go call the Abbess hither.— I think you all are mated, or stark mad.

d

Exit

[Attendant.

The prisoner, old Ægeon, anxiously approaches:
Ege. Most mighty Duke, vouchsafe 'me speak a word.
Haply, I see a friend 'will save my life,
And 'pay the sum that may deliver me!—
Is not your name, sir, called Antipholus?
And is not that your bondman Dromio?

To Ant. of E.

[To

I am sure you both of you remember me. . . .
Ant. E. I never saw you in my life till now.
Ege. O, grief hath changed me, since you saw me last!
But tell me yet, dost thou not know my 'voice?
Ant. E. Neither.

Ege. Not know my voice? O, Time's extremity!
Hast thou so cracked and splitted my poor tongue
In seven short years, that here my only 'son
Knows not my feeble key of untuned cares?
But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy,
Thou know'st we parted. But, perhaps, my son,
Thou 'sham'st to acknowledge me in 'misery?
Ant. E. 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.

a impeachment, accusation.

b an ancient sorceress, whose magic potious changed men into swine.
e only.

CO. R. Porpentine.

dconfounded, puzzled.

The Duke says:

Duke. I tell thee, Syracusan, twenty years
Have I been 'patron to Antipholus;

During which time he 'ne'er saw Syracusa.

I see, thy age and dangers make thee dote."

The Abbess comes from the Convent, followed by Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse. The Abbess speaks:

Abb. Most mighty Duke, behold a man much wronged!

Adriana in amazement exclaims :

Adr. I see 'two husbands, or mine eyes deceive me!
The Duke expresses his astonishment:

Duke. One of these men is Genius" to the other;-
And so of 'these! Which is the 'natural man,
And which the 'Spirit? Who deciphers them?

These riddling errors are soon explained, and an unlooked-for joy awaits the prisoner. The Abbess says:

Abb. Speak, old Ægeon,-if thou be'st the man
That hadst a wife once called Emilia ?

O, if thou be'st the 'same Ægeon, speak!
And speak unto the same 'Emilia!

Ege. If I dream not, 'thou art Æmilia!

If thou 'art she,-tell me, where is that son
That floated with thee on the fatal raft?
Abb. By men of Epidamnum, he, and I,

And the twin Dromios, all were taken up:
But, by-and-by, rude fishermen of 'Corinth
By force took Dromio and my son from them,
And me they left with those of 'Epidamnum.
What 'then became of them, I cannot tell:
I, to this fortune that you see me in.
Duke. Why, here begins his 'morning story right.
These two Antipholuses, these two so like,
And these two Dromios, one in 'semblance,-
Besides her urging of her wreckR at sea ;-
These are the 'parents to these children,
Which accidentally are met together.-
Antipholus, thou cam'st from Corinth first?

Ant. S. No, sir, not I: I came from 'Syracuse.

Duke. Stay, stand apart: . . . I know not which is which!

arave (exhibit mental weakness).

b companion (tutelary) spirit. CO. R. Dromio. dÆgeon's first story to the Duke in the morning.

e O. R. wracke.