Dro. E. God and the rope-maker now bear me witness That I was sent for nothing but a rope!

Pinch. Mistress, both man and master is possess'd;

I know it by their pale and deadly looks:

They must be bound, and laid in some dark room.

Ant. E. Say, wherefore didst thou lock me forth to-day?

And why dost thou deny the bag of gold?

Adr. I did not, gentle husband, lock thee forth. Dro. E. And, gentle master, I received no gold; But I confess, sir, that we were lock'd out.

Adr. Dissembling villain, thou speak'st false in both. Ant. E. Dissembling harlot, thou art false in all; And art confederate with a damned pack

To make a loathsome abject scorn of me :

But with these nails I'll pluck out those false eyes,
That would behold in me this shameful sport.

Adr. O, bind him, bind him! let him not come near me.
Pinch. More company !—The fiend is strong within him.
Luc. Ah me, poor man, how pale and wan he looks!

Enter three or four, who assist PINCH in binding them.

Ant. E. What, will you murder me?-Thou jailer, thou, I am thy prisoner: wilt thou suffer them

To make a rescue?

Off.

Masters, let him go :

He is my prisoner, and you shall not have him.
Pinch. Go bind this man, for he is frantic too.
Adr. What wilt thou do, thou peevish officer?
Hast thou delight to see a wretched man
Do outrage and displeasure to himself?

Off. He is my prisoner: if I let him go,

The debt he owes will be required of me.
Adr. I will discharge thee ere I go from thee:
Bear me forthwith unto his creditor,

And, knowing how the debt grows, I will pay it. —
Good master doctor, see him safe convey'd

Home to my house. O most unhappy day!

Ant. E. O most unhappy 9 strumpet!

Dro. E. Master, I'm here enter'd in bond for you.

Ant. E. Out on thee, villain! wherefore dost thou mad me?

Dro. E. Will you be bound for nothing? be mad, good master; cry, The Devil!

Luc. God help, poor souls, how idly do they talk !
Adr. Go bear him hence.

Sister, go you with me.

[Exeunt PINCH and Assistants with ANT. E. and DRO. E.

Say now whose suit is he arrested at?

Off. One Angelo, a goldsmith: do you know him?

Adr. I know the man.

Off. Two hundred ducats.

Adr.

What is the sum he owes?

Say, how grows it due?

Off. Due for a chain your husband had of him.

Adr. He did bespeak a chain for me, but had it not.
Cour. Whenas your husband, all in rage, to-day

Came to my house, and took away my ring,

The ring I saw upon his finger now,

Straight after did I meet him with a chain.

Adr. It may be so, but I did never see it. Come, jailer, bring me where the goldsmith is: I long to know the truth hereof at large.

Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse and DROMIO of Syracuse with their rapiers drawn.

Luc. God, for Thy mercy! they are loose again.
Adr. And come with naked swords. Let's call more

help,

9 Unhappy here is mischievous, that which causes ill hap; like the Latin infelix. The Poet has it repeatedly so.

To have them bound again.

Off.

Away! they'll kill us.

[Exeunt ADRIANA, LUCIANA, the Courtezan, and Officer. Ant. S. I see these witches are afraid of swords.

Dro. S. She that would be your wife now ran from you. Ant. S. Come to the Centaur; fetch our stuff 10 from thence :

I long that we were safe and sound aboard.

Dro. S. Faith, stay here this night; they will surely do us no harm you see they speak us fair, give us gold: methinks they are such a gentle nation, that, but for the mountain of mad flesh that claims marriage of me, I could find in my heart to stay here still, and turn witch.

Ant. S. I will not stay to-night for all the town; Therefore away, to get our stuff aboard.

[Exeunt.

ACT V.

SCENE I. Before an Abbey.

Enter Second Merchant and ANGELO.

Ang. I'm sorry, sir, that I have hinder'd you ; But, I protest, he had the chain of me,

Though most dishonestly he doth deny it.

2 Mer. How is the man esteem'd here in the city? Ang. Of very reverend reputation, sir,

Of credit infinite, highly beloved,

Second to none that lives here in the city:

His word might bear my wealth at any time.

10 Stuff here means luggage or movables. So in St. Luke, xvii. 31: “In that day, he which shall be upon the house-top, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away."

2 Mer. Speak softly: yonder, as I think, he walks.

Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse and DROMIO of Syracuse.

Ang. 'Tis so; and that self chain about his neck,
Which he forswore most monstrously to have.
Good sir, draw near with me, I'll speak to him.
Signior Antipholus, I wonder much

That you would put me to this shame and trouble;
And, not without some scandal to yourself,
With circumstance and oaths so to deny
This chain, which now you wear so openly:
Besides the charge, the shame, imprisonment,
You have done wrong to this my honest friend;
Who, but for staying on our controversy,
Had hoisted sail and put to sea to-day :
This chain you had of me; can you deny it?
Ant. S. I think I had; I never did deny it.

2 Mer. Yes, that you did, sir, and forswore it too.
Ant. S. Who heard me to deny it or forswear it?

2 Mer. These ears of mine, thou know'st, did hear thee: Fie on thee, wretch! 'tis pity that thou livest

To walk where any honest men resort.

Ant. S. Thou art a villain to impeach me thus:
I'll prove mine honour and mine honesty
Against thee presently, if thou darest stand.

2 Mer. I dare, and do defy thee for a villain.

[They draw.

Enter ADRIANA, LUCIANA, the Courtezan, and others.

Adr. Hold, hurt him not, for God's sake! he is mad. Some get within him,1 take his sword away:

Bind Dromio too, and bear them to my house.

1 Get inside of his blows; that is, grapple with him.

Dro. S. Run, master, run; for God's sake, take a house! 2 This is some priory: in, or we are spoil'd.

[Exeunt ANT. S. and DRO. S. into the abbey.

Enter the Abbess.

Abb. Be quiet, people. Wherefore throng you hither?
Adr. To fetch my poor distracted husband hence.
Let us come in, that we may bind him fast,

And bear him home for his recovery.

Ang. I knew he was not in his perfect wits.

2 Mer. I'm sorry now that I did draw on him.
Abb. How long hath this possession held the man?
Adr. This week he hath been heavy, sour,3 sad,
And too much different from the man he was;
But till this afternoon his passion

Ne'er brake into extremity of rage.

Abb. Hath he not lost much wealth by wreck of sea?
Buried some dear friend? Hath not else his eye
Stray'd his affection in unlawful love,
A sin prevailing much in youthful men,
Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing?
Which of these sorrows is he subject to?

Adr. To none of these, except it be the last;
Namely, some love that drew him oft from home.
Abb. You should for that have reprehended him.
Adr. Why, so I did.

Abb.

Ay, but not rough enough. Adr. As roughly as my modesty would let me. Abb. Haply, in private.

Adr.

And in assemblies too.

2 As we still say take refuge, and take sanctuary.

3 Sour is here a dissyllable, as hour and hire before.

4 Stray'd is here a causative verb, meaning misled, or made to stray; a singular use of the word.