I bought, and brought up to attend my fons.
My wife, not meanly proud of two such boys,
Made daily motions for our home-return :
Unwilling, I agreed; alas, too foon! i
We came aboard.
A league from Epidamnum had we fail'd,
Before the always-wind-obeying deep
Gave any tragic inftance of our harm;
But longer did we not retain much hope:
For what obfcured light the heav'ns did grant,
Did but convey unto our fearful minds
A doubtful warrant of immediate death;
Which, tho' myself would gladly have embrac'd,
Yet the inceffant weeping of my wife,
(Weeping before, for what the faw must come;)
And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,
That mourn'd for fashion, ignorant what to fear,
Forc'd me to feek delays for them and me:
And this it was; (for other means were none.)
The failors fought for fafety by our boat,
And left the fhip, then finking-ripe, to us;
My wife, more careful for the elder born,'
Had faften'd him unto a small spare maft,
Such as fea-faring men provide for ftorms;
To him one of the other twins was bound,
Whilft I had been like heedful of the other.'
The children thus difpos'd, my wife and I,
Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fixt,
Faften'd ourfelves at either end the maft;
And floating ftraight, obedient to the ftream,
Were carry'd towards Corinth, as we thought.
At length the fun, gazing upon the earth,
Difpers'd thofe vapours that offended us;
And, by the benefit of his wifh'd light,
The feas waxt calm; and we discovered
Two fhips from far making amain to us,
Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this;
But ere they came-oh, let me fay no more!
Gather the fequel by that went before.
Duke. Nay, forward, old man, do not break off so; For we may pity, tho' not pardon thee.
Egeon. Oh, had the Gods done fo, I had not now Worthily term'd them merciless to us;
For ere the fhips could meet by twice five leagues,
We were encountered by a mighty rock;
Which being violently borne upon,
Our helpless ship was splitted in the midst :
So that, in this unjust divorce of us,
Fortune had left to both of us alike
What to delight in, what to forrow for.
Her part, poor foul! feeming as burdened
With leffer weight, but not with leffer woe,
Was carry'd with more speed before the wind, -
And in our fight they three were taken up
By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.
At length, another fhip had feiz'd on us;
And knowing whom it was their hap to fave,
Gave helpful welcome to their fhipwreckt guests;
And would have reft the fishers of their prey,
Had not their bark been very flow of fail;
And therefore homeward did they bend their course.-
Thus have you heard me sever'd from my blifs;
That by misfortunes was my life prolong'd,
To tell fad ftories of my own mishaps.
Duke. And, for the fakes of them thou forrow'ft for Do me the favour to dilate at full
What hath befall'n of them, and thee, 'till now.
Egeon. My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care,
At eighteen years became inquifitive
After his brother; and importun'd me,
That his attendant, (for his cafe was like,
Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name,)
Might bear him company in queft of him
Whom whilft I labour'd of a love to fee,
I hazarded the lofs of whom I lov'd.
Five fummers have I spent in fartheft Greece,
Roaming clean through the bounds of Afia,
And coafting homeward, came to Ephefus:
Hopeless to find, yet loth to leave unsought,
Or that, or any place that harbours men.
But here muft end the ftory of my life;
And happy were I in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me they live.
Duke. Haplefs Ageon, whom the fates have markt To bear th'extremity of dire mishap;
Now, truft me, were it not against our laws,
(Which Princes, would they, may not difannul;)
Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,
My foul should sue as advocate for thee.
But, tho' thou art adjudged to the death,
And paffed fentence may not be recall'd,
But to our honour's great difparagement;
Yet will I favour thee in what I can;
I therefore, merchant, limit thee this day,
To feek thy life by beneficial help :
Try all the friends thou haft in Ephefus,
Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the fum,
And live; if not, then thou art doom'd to die.
Jailor, take him to thy cuftody.
Egeon. Hopeless and helpless doth Ægeon wend, But to procrastinate his lifeless end.
[Exeunt Egeon, and Jailor.
Enter Antipholis of Syracufe, a Merchant, and Dromio.
This very day, a Syracufan merchant
Is apprehended for arrival here;
And, not being able to buy out his life,
According to the ftatute of the town,
Dies ere the weary fun fet in the weft:
There is your money, that I had to keep.
Ant. Go bear it to the Centaur, where we host,
And stay there, Dromio, 'till I come to thee:
Within this hour it will be dinner time;
'Till that I'll view the manners of the town,
Perufe the traders, gaze upon the buildings,
And then return and fleep within mine inn;
For with long travel I am stiff and weary.
Get thee away.
Dro. Many a man would take you at your word, And go indeed, having fo good a means.
[Exit Dromio. Ant. A trufty villain, Sir, that very oft, When I am dull with care and melancholy, Lightens my humour with his merry jefts. What, will you walk with me about the town, And then go to the 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 afterward confort you 'till bed-time: My prefent business calls me from you now. Ant. Farewel 'till then; I will go lofe myself, And wander up and down to view the city. Mer. Sir, I commend you to your own content. [Exit Merchant. III.
E that commends me to my own content,
Commends me to the thing I cannot get.
I to the world am like a drop of water,
That in the ocean feeks another drop,
Who falling there to find his fellow forth,
Unfeen inquifitive, confounds himself:
So I, to find a mother and a brother,
In queft of them, unhappy, lofe myself.
Enter Dromio of Ephefus.
Here comes the almanack of my true date.
What now? how chance, thou art return'd fo foon? E. Dro. Return'd fo foon! rather approach'd too
The capon burns, the pig falls from the fpit,
The clock has ftrucken twelve upon the bell;
My mistress made it one upon my cheek;
She is fo hot, because the meat is cold;
The meat is cold, because you come not home;
You come not home, becaufe you have no ftomach;
You have no ftomach, having broke your faft:
But we, that know what 'tis to fast and pray,
Are penitent for your default to day.
Ant. Stop in your wind, Sir; tell me this, I pray,
Where you have left the money that I gave you?
E. Dro. Oh,-fix-pence, that I had a Wednesday last,
Το pay the fadler for my miftrefs' crupper ?
The fadler had it, Sir; I kept it not.
Ant. I am not in a sportive humour now; Tell me and dally not, where is the money We being ftrangers here, how dar'ft thou truft great a charge from thine own cuftody?
E. Dro. I pray you, jeft, Sir, as you fit at dinner: I from my miftrefs come to you in poft;
If I return, I fhall be poft indeed;
For fhe will score your fault upon my pate: Methinks, your maw, like mine, fhould be your clock; And ftrike you home without a meffenger.
Ant. Come, Dronio, come, thefe jefts are out of
season ;
Referve them 'till a merrier hour than this:
Where is the gold I gave in charge to thee?
|