But 'till this afternoon, his paffion

Ne'er brake into extremity of rage.

Abb. Hath he not loft much wealth by wreck at fea?
Bury'd fome dear friend? hath not elfe his eye
Stray'd his affection in unlawful love ?

A fin, prevailing much in youthful men,
Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing.
Which of thefe forrows is he subject to?

Adr. To none of thefe, except it be the laft;
Namely, fome love, that drew him oft from home.
Abb. You fhould for that have reprehended him.
Adr. Why, fo I did.

Abb. Ay, but not rough enough.

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

Adr. And in affemblies too.

Abb. Ay, but not enough.

Adr. It was the copy of our conference. (20)
In bed, he flept not for my urging it;
At board, he fed not for my urging it;
Alone, it was the fubject of my theam;
In company, I often glanc'd at it;
Still did I tell him, it was vile and bad.

(20) It was the copy of our conference.] We are not to underftand this word here, as it is now ufed, in oppofition to an original; any thing done after a pattern; but we are to take it in the nearest fenfe to the Latin word copia, from which it is derived. Adriana would fay, her reproofs were the burden, the fulness of her conference, all the fubject of her talk. And in thefe acceptations the word copie was ufed by writers before our Author's time, as well as by his contemporaries. So Hall, in his reign of King Henry Vth. P. 8. fays; If you vanquish the Numidians, you shall have copie of beafts.i. e. plenty.

And fo B. Jonfon in his Every man out of his humour;

that, being a woman, she was bleft with no more copy of wit, but to ferve his humour thus.

And, again, in his Cynthia's Revels.

lours.

to be fure to have daily about him copy and variety of co

And in many other paffages of his works.

Abb

Abb. And thereof came it, that the man was mad. The venom clamours of a jealous woman Poifon more deadly, than a mad dog's tooth. It feems, his fleeps were hinder'd by thy railing; And thereof comes it, that his head is light.

Thou fay'ft, his meat was fauc'd with thy upbraidings Unquiet meals make ill digeftions;

Thereof the raging fire of fever bred;

And what's a fever, but a fit of madness?
Thou fay'ft, his fports were hinder'd by thy brawls.
Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth enfue,
But moody and dull melancholy,

Kinfman to grim and comfortless despair?
And at her heels a huge infectious troop
Of pale diftemperatures, and foes to life.
In food, in fport, and life-preferving reft,
To be difturb'd, would mad or man or beaft:
The confequence is then, thy jealous fits
Have scared thy husband from the use of wits.
Luc. She never reprehended him but mildly,
When he demeaned himself rough, rude and wildly
Why bear you these rebukes, and anfwer 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 houfe.
Adr. Then, let your fervants bring my husband forth.
Abb. Neither; he took this place for fanctuary,
And it fhall priviledge him from your hands;
"Till I have brought him to his wits again,
Or lofe my labour in affaying it.

Adr. I will attend my husband, be his nurse,
Diet his fickness, for it is my office;
And will have no attorney but myself;

And therefore let me have him home with me.
Abb. Be patient, for I will not let him ftir,
"Till I have us'd th' approved means I have,
With wholsome firups, drugs, and holy prayers
To make of him a formal man again;
It is a branch and parcel of mine 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 befeem your holiness

To feparate the husband and the wife.

Abb. Be quiet and depart, thou shalt not have him. Luc. Complain unto the Duke of this indignity. [Exit Ábbefs. Adr. Come, go; I will fall proftrate at his feet, And never rife, until my tears and prayers Have won his Grace to come in perfon hither; And take perforce my husband from the Abbefs. Mer. By this, I think, the dial points at five: Anon, I'm fure, the Duke himself in perfon Comes this way to the melancholy vale; The place of death and forry execution, (21) Behind the ditches of the abbey here. Ang. Upon what cause?

Mer. To fee a reverent Syracufan merchant,
Who put unluckily into this bay

Against the laws and ftatutes of this town,
Beheaded publickly for his offence.

Ang. See, where they come; we will behold his death. Luc. Kneel to the Duke, before he pass the abbey, Enter the Duke, and Ægeon bare-headed; with the Headf man, and other Officers.

Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publickly,
If any friend will pay the fum for him,
He fhall not die, fo much we tender him.

Adr. Juftice, moft facred Duke, against the Abbefs..
Duke. She is a virtuous and reverend Lady;

It cannot be that the hath done thee wrong.
Adr. May it please your Grace, Antipholis my husband,

(21) The place of death and forry execution.] i. e. difmal, lamen table, to be griev'd at. In the like acceptations our Poet employs it. again, where Macbeth, after the murder of Duncan, is looking on his ⚫wn bloody hands,

This is a sorry fight.

(Whom

(Whom I made Lord of me and all I had,
At your important letters) this ill day
A moft outrageous fit of madness took him;
That defp'rately he hurry'd through the street,
With him his bond-man all as mad as he,
Doing difpleasure to the citizens,

By rushing in their houfes; bearing thence
Rings, jewels, any thing his rage did like.
Once did I get him bound, and fent him home,
Whilft to take order for the wrongs, I went,
That here and there his fury had committed:
Anon, I wot not by what ftrong escape,

He broke from thofe, that had the guard of him
And, with his mad attendant and himself,
Each one with ireful paffion, with drawn swords,
Met us again, and, madly bent on us,
Chas'd us away; 'till, raifing of more aid,
We came again to hind them; then they fled
Into this abbey, whither we purfu'd them;
And here the Abbefs fhuts the gates on us,
And will not fuffer us to fetch him out,

Nor fend him forth, that we may bear him hence.
Therefore, moft gracious Duke, with thy command,
Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for help.
Duke. Long fince thy husband ferv'd me in my wars,
And I to thee engag'd a Prince's word,

(When thou didst make him master of thy bed,)
To do him all the grace and good I could.
Go, fome of you, knock at the abbey-gate;
And bid the Lady Abbefs come to me.

I will determine this, before I stir.

Enter a Megenger.

Me. O miftrefs, miftrefs, fhift and fave yourfelf; My mafter and his man are both broke loose, Beaten the maids a-row, and bound the doctor, Whose beard they have fing'd off with brands of fire; And ever as it blaz'd, they threw on him Great pails of puddled mire to quench the hairy

My

My mafter preaches patience to him, and the while
His man with fciffars nicks him like a fool:
And, fare, unless you fend fome prefent help,
Between them they will kill the conjurer.

Adr. Peace, fool, thy mafter and his man are here, And that is false, thou doft report to us.

Me. Miftrefs, upon my life, I tell you true; I have not breath'd almoft, fince I did fee it. He cries for you, and vows if he can take you, To fcorch your face, and to disfigure you. [Cry within. Hark, hark, I hear him, miftrefs; fly, be gone.

Duke. Come, ftand by me, fear nothing: guard with

halberds.

Adr. Ay me, it is my

husband; witnefs you, That he is borne about invifible!

Ev'n now we hous'd him in the abbey here,

And now he's there, paft thought of human reafon. Enter Antipholis, and Dromio of Ephefus.

E. Ant. Juftice, moft gracious Duke, oh, grant me juftice.
Even for the fervice that long fince I did thee,
When I beftrid thee in the wars, and took

Deep fcars to fave thy life, even for the blood
That then I loft for thee, now grant me justice.
Egeon. Unless the fear of death doth make me dote,
I fee my fon Antipholis, and Dromio.

E. Ant. Juftice, fweet Prince, against that woman there; She whom thou gav'ft to me to be my wife;

That hath abused and dishonour'd me,

Ev'n in the ftrength and height of injury:

Beyond imagination is the wrong,

That the this day hath fhameless thrown on me.
Duke. Difcover how, and thou fhalt find me juft.
E. Ant. This day, great Duke, she shut the doors upon
Whilft fhe with harlots feafted in my house.

[me;
Duke. A grievous fault; fay, woman, didft thou for
Adr. No, my good Lord: myself, he, and my fifter,
To-day did dine together: fo befal my foul,
As this is falfe, he burdens me withal!