Luc. Why prate'st thou to thyself, and an

swer'st not?

Dromio, thou drone, thou snail, thou slug, thou

sot!

Dro. S. I am transformed, Master, am not I? Ant. S. I think, thou art, in mind, and so am I.

Dro. S. Nay, Master, both in mind, and in my

shape.

Ant. S. Thou hast thine own form.

Dro. S. No, I am an ape.

Luc.

If thou art chang'd to aught, 'tis to an

ass.

Dro. S. 'Tis true; she rides me, and I long for grass.

'Tis so, I am an ass; else it could never be, But I should know her as well as she knows me.

Adr. Come, come, no longer will I be a fool, To put the finger in the eye and weep,

Whilst man, and master, laugh my woes to scorn.
Come, Sir, to dinner; Dromio, keep the gate:
Husband, I'll dine above with you to-day,
And shrive you of a thousand idle pranks:
Sirrah, if any ask you for your master,

Say, he dines forth, and let no creature enter. —
Come, sister: Dromio, play the porter well.

Ant. S. Am I in earth, in heaven, or in hell?
Sleeping or waking? mad, or well-advis'd?
Known unto these, and to myself disguis'd!
I'll say as they say, and perséver so,
And in this mist at all adventures go.

Dro. S. Master, shall I be porter at the gate?
Adr. Ay; and let none enter, lest I break your

pate.

Luc. Come, come, Antipholus, we dine too late.

[Exeunt.

Vol. VII.

8

АСТ III. SCENE I.

The same.

Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus, DROMIO of Ephe. sus, ANCELO, and BALTHAZAR.

Ant. E. Good Signior Angelo, you must ex

cuse us all;

My wife is shrewish, when I keep not hours;
Say, that I linger'd with you at your shop,
To see the making of her carkanet,

And that to-morrow you will bring it home.
But here's a villain, that would face' me down
He met me on the mart: and that I beat him,
And charg'd him with a thousand marks in gold;
And that I did deny my wife and house:
Thou drunkard, thou, what didst thou mean by
this?

Dro. E. Say what you will, Sir, but I know what I know:

That you beat me at the mart, I have your hand to show:

If the skin were parchment, and the blows you gave were ink,

Your own handwriting would tell you what I think.

Ant. E. I think, thou art an ass.
Dro. E. Marry, so it doth appear

By the wrongs I suffer, and the blows I bear.

I should kick, being kick'd; and, being at that

pass,

You would keep from my heels, and beware of

an ass.

aut. E. You are sad, Signior Balthazar: 'Pray God, our cheer

May answer my good will, and your good wel come here.

Bal. I hold your dainties cheap, Sir, and your welcome dear.

Ant. E. O, Signior Balthazar, either, at flesh

or fish,

A table full of welcome makes scarce one dainty

dish.

Bal. Good meat, Sir, is common;

churl affords.

that every

Ant. E. And welcome more common; for that's nothig but words.

Bal. Small cheer, and great welcome, makes a merry feast.

Ant. E. Ay, to a niggardly host, and more sparing guest:

But though my cates be mean, take them in good

part;

Better cheer may you have, but not with better heart.

But, soft; my door is lock'd; Go bid them let

us in.

Dro. E. Maud, Bridget, Marian, Cicely, Gillian, Jen'!

Dro. S. [within] Mome, malt-horse, capon, coxcomb, idiot, patch! Either get thee from the door, or sit down at the

hatch:

Dost thou conjure for wenches, that thou call'st for such store,.

When one is one too many? Go, get thee from the door.

Dro. E. What patch is made our porter? My master stays in the street.

Dro. S. Let him walk from whence he came, lest he catch cold on's feet. Ant. E. Who talks within there? ho, open the

door.

Dro. S. Right, Sir, I'll tell you when, an you'll tell me wherefore.

Ant. E. Wherefore? for my dinner; I have not din'd to-day.

Dro. S. Nor to-day here you must not;

Ant. E.
Dro. S.

again, when you may.

come

What art thou, that keep'st me out from the house I owe? The porter for this time, Sir, and my name is Dromio.

Dro. E. O villain, thou hast stolen both mine office and my name;

The one ne'er got me credit, the other mickle blame. If thou had'st been Dromio to-day in my place, Thou would'st have chang'd thy face for a name, or thy name for an ass.

Luce. [within.] What a coil is there! Dromio, who are those at the gate?

Dro. E. Let my master in, Luce.

Luce. Faith no; he comes too late;

And so tell your master.

Have at you with a proverb. Shall I set in my

staff?

Luce. Have at you with another: that's,

When? can you tell?

Dro. S. If thy name be called Luce, Luce, thou hast answer'd him well.

Ant. E. Do you hear, you minion? you'll let us in I hope?

Luce. I thought to have ask'd you.

Dro. S.

Dro. E.

Ant. E.

And you said, no.

So, come, help; well struck; there was blow for blow.

Thou baggage, let me in.

I.uce. Can you tell for whose sake?
Dro. E. Master, knock the door hard.
I.uce. Let him knock till it ake.

Ant. E. You'll cry for this, minion, if I beat the door down.

Luce. What needs all that, and a pair of stocks in the town?

Adr. [within.] Who is that at the door, that keeps all this noise?

Dro. S. By my troth, your town is troubled

Ant. E. Are you

Adr. Your wife,

with unruly boys.

there, wife? you might have come before.

Sir kuave! go, get you from the door.

Dro. E. If you went in pain, Master, this kuave would go sore.

Ang. Here is neither cheer, Sir, nor welcome; we would fain have either.

Bal. In debating which was best, we shall part with neither.

Dro. E. They stand at the door,

Ant. E.

Master; bid them welcome hither.

There is something in the wind, that

we cannot get in.

Dro. E. You would say so, Master, if your

garments were thin.

Your cake here is warm within; you stand here

in the cold: