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And, in the inftant that I met with you,
He had of me a chain: at five o'clock,
I fhall receive the money for the fame :
· Please you but walk with me down to his houfe,
I will discharge my bond, and thank you too.

Enter Antipholis Ephefus, and Dromio Ephefus, as
from the Courtezan's.

Offi. That labour you may fave: fee, where he comes.
E. Ant. While I go to the goldfmith's house, go thou
And buy a rope's end; that will I bestow
Among my wife and her confederates,

For locking me out of my doors by day.
But, foft; I fee the goldsmith: get thee gone,
Buy thou a rope, and bring it home to me.

E. Dro. I buy a thousand pound a year! I buy a rope!

[Exit Dromio.
E. Ant. A man is well holp up, that trufts to you:
I promis'd your prefence, and the chain :
But neither chain nor goldfmith came to me:
Belike, you thought, our love would last too long
If it were chain'd together; therefore came not.

Ang. Saving your merry humour here's the note,
How much your chain weighs to the utmoft carat;
The fineness of the gold, the chargeful fashion;
Which do amount to three odd ducats more,
Than I stand debted to this gentleman;

I pray you, fee him prefently discharg'd;
For he is bound to fea, and stays but for it.

E. Ant. I am not furnish'd with the prefent money;
Befides I have fome bufinefs in the town;

he makes no innovations but ex fide codicum, has fophifticated this paffage for no reafon in the world as I apprehend. The oldeft folis, and all the other copies that I have feen, read in the fecond line;

Is growing to me by Antipholis.

So twice, afterwards, in this very play;
Adr. Bear me forthwith unto bis creditor,

And, knowing how the debt grows, I will pay

Adr. I know the man; what is the fum he owes?
Offi. Tavo hundred ducats..

Adr. Say, bow grows it due?

it.

Good

Good Signior, take the ftranger to my house,
And with you take the chain, and bid my wife
Disburse the fum on the receipt thereof;

Perchance, I will be there as foon as you.

Ant. Then you will bring the chain to her yourfelf? E.Ant.No; bear it with you, left I come not time enough. Ang. Well, Sir, I will: have you the chain about you. E. Ant. An if I have not, Sir, I hope, you have; Or else you may return without your money.

Ang. Nay, come, I pray you, Sir, give me the chain= Both wind and tide ftay for this gentleman; And I, to blame, have held him here too long.

E. Ant. Good Lord, you use this dalliance to excufe Your breach of promife to the Porcupine:

I fhould have chid you for not bringing it;
But, like a fhrew, you firft begin to brawl.

Mer. The hour fleals on; I pray you, Sir, difpatch. Ang. You hear, how he importunes me; the chain-E. Ant. Why, give it to my wife, and fetch your money. Ang. Come, come, you know, I gave it you ev'n now. Or fend the chain, or fend me by fome token.

E. Ant. Fy, now you run this humour out of breath: Come, where's the chain? I pray you, let me fee it. Mer. My bufinefs cannot brook this dalliance: Good Sir, fay, whe'r you'll answer me, or no; If not, I'll leave him to the officer.

E. Ant. I answer you? why fhould I answer you?
Ang. The money, that you owe me for the chain.
E. Ant. I owe you none, 'till I receive the chain.
Ang. You know, I gave it you half an hour fince.
E.An. You gave me none; you wrong me much to fay fo.
Ang. You wrong me more, Sir, in denying it;
Confider, how it ftands upon my credit.

Mer. Well, officer, arreft him at my fuit.
Offi. I do, and charge you in the Duke's name to obey me.
Ang. This touches me in reputation.

Either confent to pay the fum for me,

Or I attach you by this officer.

E. Ant. Confent to pay for that I never had! Arreft me, foolish fellow, if thou dar'ft.

VOL. III.

K

Ang

Ang. Here is thy fee; arreft him, officer;
I would not spare my brother in this cafe,
If he fhould fcorn me fo apparently.

Offi. I do arreft you, Sir; you hear the fuit.
E. Ant. I do obey thee, 'till I give thee bail.
But, firrah, you fhall buy this sport as dear
As all the metal in your fhop will answer.

Ang. Sir, Sir, I fhall have law in Ephesus,
Το your notorious fhame, I doubt it not.

Enter Dromio of Syracufe from the Bay.
S. Dro. Mafter, there is a bark of Epidamnum,
That stays but till her owner come aboard;
Then, Sir, fhe bears away. Our fraughtage, Sir,
I have convey'd aboard; and I have bought
The oyl, the balfamum, and aqua-vita.

The hip is in her trim; the merry wind
Blows fair from land; they ftay for nought at all,
But for their owner, master, and yourself.

E. Ant. How now! a mad man! why, thou peevish fheep. What ship of Epidamnum stays for me?

S. Dro. A fhip you fent me to, to hire waftage. E. Ant. Thou drunken flave, I fent thee for a rope; And told thee to what purpofe, and what end.

S. Dro. You fent me for a rope's-end as foon: You fent me to the bay, Sir, for a bark.

E. Ant. I will debate this matter at more leisure,
And teach your ears to lift me with more heed.
To Adriana, villain, hie thee ftrait,

Give her this key, and tell her, in the desk
That's cover'd o'er with Turkish tapestry,
There is a purfe of ducats, let her fend it:
Tell her, I am arrested in the street,

And that fhall bail me; hie thee, flave; be gone:
On, officer, to prifon 'till it come.

S. Dro. To Adriana! that is where we din'd,
Where Dowfabel did claim me for her husband;
She is too big, I hope, for me to compass.
Thither I muft, altho' against my will,
For fervants muft their masters minds fulfil.

[Exeunt.

[Exit. SCENE

SCENE changes to E. Antipholis's Houfe.

Enter Adriana and Luciana.

Adr. A Might'ft thou perceive aufterely in his eye

H, Luciana, did he tempt thee fo?

That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
Look'd he or red or pale, or fad or merrily?
What obfervation mad'st thou in this case,
Of his heart's meteors tilting in his face?

Luc. First he deny'd, you had in him no right.
Adr. He meant, he did me none; the more my fpight.
Luc. Then fwore he, that he was a ftranger here.
Adr. And true he swore, though yet forfworn he were.
Luc. Then pleaded I for you.

Adr. And what faid he?

Luc. That love I begg'd for you, he begg'd of me? Adr. With what perfuafion did he tempt thy love? Luc. With words, that in an honeft fuit might move. First, he did praife my beauty, then my speech. Adr. Did'ft fpeak him fair?

Luc. Have patience, I befeech.

Adr. I cannot, nor I will not, hold me ftill; My tongue, though not my heart, fhall have its will. He is deformed, crooked, old and fere, Ill-fac'd, worfe-body'd, fhapeless every where; Vicious, ungentle, foolish, blunt, unkind, Stigmatical in making, worse in mind.

Luc. Who would be jealous then of such a one?

No evil loft is wail'd, when it is gone.

Adr. Ah! but I think him better than I say,

And yet, would herein others eyes were worse:

Far from her neft the lapwing cries away;

My heart prays for him, tho' my tongue do curfe.
Enter Dromio of Syracufe.

S. Dro. Here, go; the desk, the purfe'; sweet now
make hafte.

Luc. How haft thou loft thy breath?

S. Dro. By running faft.

K 2

Adr.

Adr. Where is thy mafter, Dromio? is he well?

S. Dro. No, he's in Tartar Limbo, worse than hell;
A devil in an everlafting garment hath him,
One, whofe hard heart is button'd up with fteel:
A fiend, a fury, pitilefs and rough, (17)

A wolf, nay, worfe, a fellow all in buff;

A back-friend, a shoulder-clapper, one that commands
The paffages of allies, creeks, and narrow lands;
A hound that runs counter, and yet draws dry-foot well;
One, that, before the judgment carries poor fouls to hell,
Adr. Why, man, what is the matter?

S. Dro. I do not know the matter; he is arrested on the cafe.

Adr. What, is he arrefted? tell me, at whose fuit.

S. Dro. I know not at whofe fuit he is arrested, well; but he's in a fuit of buff, which 'refted him, that I can tell. Will you fend him, miftrefs redemption, the money in his desk?

Adr. Go fetch it, fifter. This I wonder at. [Exit Luc.
That he, unknown to me, should be in debt!
Tell me, was he arrested on a bond?

S. Dro. Not on a bond, but on a stronger thing,
A chain, a chain; do you not hear it ring?
Adr. What, the chain?

S. Dro. No, no; the bell; 'tis time that I were gone.
It was two ere I left him, and now the clock ftrikes one.
Adr. The hours come back! that I did never hear.
S. Dro. O yes, if any hour meet a ferjeant, a'turns
back for very fear.

(17) A Fiend, a Fairy, pitilefs and rough,] Dromio here bringing word in hafte that his mafter is arrefted, defcribes the Bailiff by names proper to raife horror and deteftation of fuch a creature, fuch as, a devil, a fiend, a wolf, &c. But how does fairy come up to thefe terrible ideas? Or with what propriety can it be used here? Does he mean, that a bailiff is like a fairy in ftealing away his mafter? The trueft believers of thofe little phantoms never pretended to think, that they ftole any thing but children. Certainly, it will fort better in fenfe with the other names annex'd, as well as the character of a catchpole, to conclude that the Poet wrote;a Fiend, a Fury, &c. made this conjecture in my SHAKESPEARE reftor'd; and Mr. Pope has thought fit to embrace it in his last edition.

Adr.