Therefore make present fatisfaction; Or I'll attach you by this Officer. Ang. Ev'n juft the fum, that I do owe to you, (16) Is growing to me by Antipholis; And, in the instant that I met with you, He had of me a Chain: at five o' clock, Please you but walk with me down to his house, Enter Antiph. Ephe. and Drom. Ephe. as from the Offi. That labour you may fave: fee, where he comes. For locking me out of my doors by day. É. Dro. I buy a thousand pound a year! I buy a rope! 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; (16) Ev'n just the Sum, that I do owe to you, Is owing to me by Antipholis.] Mr. Pope, who pretends that he makes no Innovations but ex fide Codicum, has fophifticated this Paffage for no Reafon in the World as I apprehend. The oldeft Folio, and all the other Copies that I have seen, read in the second Line; Is growing to Me by Antipholis. So twice, afterwards, in this very Play; Adr. Bear me forthwith unto his Creditor, And, knowing how the Debt grows, I will pay it. Adr. I know the Man; what is the Sum he owes? Offi. Two hundred Ducats. Adr. Say, how grows it due? D 2 Which Which do amount to three odd ducats more, E. Ant. I am not furnish'd with the present mony; Ant. Then you will bring the Chain to her your felf? 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 mony. 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. I should have chid you for not bringing it; Mer. The hour fteals on; I pray you, Sir, dispatch. mony. Ang. Come, come, you know, I gave it you ev'n now. Or fend the Chain, or fend me by fome token. E. Ant. Fie, now you run this humour out of breath: Come, where's the Chain? I pray you, let me see it, Mer. My bufiness 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 mony, 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. Ant. E. Ant. 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! Arrest me, foolish fellow, if thou dar'ft. Ang. Here is thy fee; arreft him, officer; Qffi. I do arreft you, Sir; you hear the fuit. Ang. Sir, Sir, I fhall have law in Ephesus, Enter Dromio Sira. from the Bay. S. Dro. Master, there is a bark of Epidamnum, E. Ant. How now! a mad man! why, thou peevish sheep, What ship of Epidamnum ftays 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 purpose, and what end. S. Dro. You sent 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 leifure, Give her this key, and tell her, in the desk And that shall bail me; hie thee, flave; be gone: [Exeunt. 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 mafters minds fulfil. [Exit. SCENE changes to E. Antipholis's House. Enter Adriana and Luciana. Adr. H, Luciana, did he tempt thee fo? Might'ft thou perceive aufterely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no? Luc. First he deny'd, you had in him no Right. 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. Firft, he did praise my beauty, then my speech. Adr. Did'ft fpeak him fair? Luc. Have patience, I beseech. Adr. I cannot, nor I will not, hold me ftill; My tongue, though not my heart, fhall have its will. Не He is deformed, crooked, old and fere, Luc. Who would be jealous then of fuch a one? Adr. Ah! but I think him better than I fay, 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 S. Dro. Here, go; the desk, the purfe; fweet now make hafte. Luc. How haft thou loft thy breath? S. Dro. By running faft. 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, pitiless and rough, (17) A wolf, nay, worse, a fellow all in buff; A back-friend, a fhoulder-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 'rested on the cafe. (17) A Fiend, a Fairy, pitiless and rough,] Dromio here bringing Word in hafte that his Mafter is arrefted, defcribes the Bailiff by Names proper to raise Horror and Deteftation of fuch a Creature, fuch as, a Devil, a Fiend, a Wolf, &c. But how does Fairy come up to these terrible Ideas? Or with what Propriety can it be ufed 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 Sense with the other Names annex'd, as well as the Character of a Catch-pole, to conclude that the Poet wrote ;- - a Fiend, a Fury, &c. I made this Conjecture in my SHAKESPEARE reftor'd; and Mr. Pope has thought fit to embrace it in his laft Edition. |