2

Cour. Give me the ring of mine you had at dinner,
Or for my diamond the chain you promis’d,
And I'll be gone, sir, and not trouble you.

S. Dro. Some devils ask but the parings of one's nail, a rush, a hair, a drop of blood, a pin, a nut, a cherry-stone; but she, more covetous, would have a chain. Master, be wise; an if you give it her, the devil will shake her chain, and fright us with it.

Cour. I pray you, sir, my ring, or else the chain ;
I hope, you do not mean to cheat me so.
S. Ant. Avaunt, thou witch! come, Dromio, let us go.

[Exeunt.
SCENE VII.
Cour. Now, out of doubt, Antipholis is mad,
Else would he never so demean himself.
A ring he hath of mine worth forty ducats,
And for the same he promis’d me a chain;
Both one and other he denies me now.
The reason that I gather he is mad,
(Besides this present instance of his rage)
Is a mad tale he told to-day at dinner,
Of his own doors being shut against his entrance.
Belike, his wife acquainted with his fits
On purpose shut the doors against his way.
My way is now to hie home to his house,
And tell his wife that, being lunatick,
He rush'd into my house, and took perforce
My ring away. This course I fittest choose,
For forty ducats is too much to lose.

[Exit.

F

Enter Antipholis of Ephesus with a jailer.
Ant. EAR me not, man; I will not break away;

I'll give thee, ere I leave thee, so much money, ,
To warrant thee, as I am 'rested for.
My wife is in a wayward mood to-day,
And will not lightly trust the messenger.
That I should be attach'd in Ephesus,
I tell you, 'twill found harshly in her ears.

Enter Dromio of Ephesus with a rope’s-end.
Here comes my man, I think, he brings the money.
How now, sir, have you that I sent

you

for?
E. Dro. Here's that I warrant you will pay them all.
E. Ant. But where's the money?
E. Dro. Why, sir, I gave the money for the rope.
E. Ant. Five hundred ducats, villain, for a rope ?
E. Dro. I'll serve you, fir, five hundred at the rate.
E. Ant. To what end did I bid thee hie thee home?
E. Dro. To a rope's-end, sir, and to that end am I return’d.
E. Ant. And to that end, sir, I will welcome you. [beats Dro.
Ofi. Good fir, be patient.
Ě. Dro. Nay, 'tis for me to be patient; I am in adversity.
Ofi. Good now, hold thy tongue.
E. Dro. Nay, rather persuade him to hold his hands.
E. Ant. Thou whorson, senseless villain !

E. Dro. I would, I were senseless, sir, that I might not feel
your

blows.
E. Ant. Thou art sensible in nothing but blows, and fo is an
ass.

E. Dro. I am an afs, indeed, you may prove it by my long ears,
I have serv'd him from the hour of my nativity to this instant, and

have nothing at his hands for my service but blows. When I am cold, he heats me with beating; when I am warm, he cools me with beating; I am wak’d with it when I seep, rais’d with it when I sit, driven out of doors with it when I go from home, welcom’d home with it when I return; nay, I bear it on my shoulders, as a beggar wont her brat; and, I think, when he hath lam'd me, I shall beg with it from door to door.

SCENE IX.
Enter Adriana, Luciana, Courtezan, and Pinch.
E. Ant. Come, go along; my wife is coming yonder.

E. Dro. Mistress, respice finem, respect your end, or rather prophesy like the parrot", beware the rope's-end. Ē. Ant. Wilt thou still talk?

[beats Dron Cour. How say you now?' is not your husband mad?

Adr. His incivility confirms no less.
Good doctor Pinch, you are a conjurer,
Establish him in his true sense again,
And I will please you in what you will demand.

Luc. Alas, how fiery and how sharp he looks!
Cour. Mark, how he trembles in his ecstasy!
Pinch. Give me your hand, and let me feel your pulse.
E. Ant There is my hand, and let it feel your ear.

Pinch. I charge thee, satan, hous’d within this man,
To yield possession to my holy prayers,
And to thy state of darkness hie thee straight,
I conjure thee by all the saints of heav'n.

E. Ant. Peace, doting wizard, peace, I am not mad.
Adr. O, that thou wert not, poor distressed foul !

E. Ant. You minion you, are these your customers ?
Did this companion with the faffron face
Revel and feast it at my house to-day,
Whilst upon me the guilty doors were shut,

* It was a word which was taught to parrots to throw out by way of abuse upon people as they passed along, a rope, a rope !

And

Ggg 2

And I deny’d to enter in my

house?
Adr. O husband, god doth know you din’d at home,
Where 'would you had remain’d until this time,
Free from these flanders and this open shame.

E. Ant. Din'd I at home? thou villain, what say'st thou?
E. Dro. Sir, sooth to say, you did not dine at home.
E. Ant. Were not my doors lock'd up, and I shut out?
E. Dro. Perdie, your doors were lock'd, and you shut out.
E. Ant. And did not she herself revile me there?
E. Dro. Sans fable, she herself revild you there.
E. Ant. Did not her kitchen-maid rail, taunt, and scorn me?
E. Dro. Certes, she did, the kitchen-vestal scorn'd

you.
E. Ant. And did not I in rage depart from thence ?
E. Dro. In verity you did, my bones bear witness,
That since have felt the vigour of your rage.

Adr. Is’t good to footh him in these contraries ?
Pinch. It is no shame; the fellow finds his vein,
And, yielding to him, humours well his frenzy.

E. Ant. Thou hast suborn’d the goldsmith to arrest me.

Adr. Alas, I sent you money to redeem you, By Dromio here, who came in haste for it.

E. Dro. Money by me? heart and good will you might, But, surely, master, not a rag of money.

E. Ant. Went'st not thou to her for a purse of ducats ?
Adr. He came to me, and I deliver'd it.
Luc. And I am witness with her that she did.

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

Pinch. Mistress, both man and master are poffess’d,
I know it by their pale and deadly looks;
They must be bound, and lay'd in some dark room.

Ē. Ant. Say, wherefore didst thou lock me forth to-day, And why doft thou deny the bag of gold ?

Adr. I did not, gentle husband, lock thee forth.

E. Dro. And, gentle master, I receiv'd no gold, But I confess, fir, that we were lock'd out.

Adr.

Adr. Dissembling villain, thou speak'st false in both.

E. Ant. 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.

Enter three or four, and offer to bind him: he strives. Adr. O, bind him, bind him, let him not come near me. Pinch. More company; the fiend is strong within him. Luc. Ay me, poor man, how pale and wan he looks!

E. Ant. What, will you murther me? thou jailer thou,
I am thy prisoner, wilt thou suffer them
To make a rescue?
Ofi. Masters, let him

go:
He is my prisoner, and you shall not have him.

Pinch. Go, bind this man, for he is frantick too.

Adr. What wilt thou do, thou peevish officer ?
Hast thou delight to see a wretched man
Do outrage and displeasure to himself?

Offi. He is my prisoner; if I let him go,
The debt he owes will be requir’d of me.

Adr. I will discharge thee, ere I go from thee; · Bear me forthwith unto his creditor, [They bind Ant. and Dro. 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!

E. Ant. O most unhappy strumpet!
E. Dro. Master, I'm here enter'd in bond for

you. E. Ant. Out on thee, villian! wherefore doft thou mad me?

E. Dro. Will you be bound for nothing thus ? be mad, Good master, cry, the devil !

Luc. God help, poor souls, how idly do they talk !

Adr. Go, bear him hence; sister, stay you with me. Say now, whose suit is he arrested at? [Exe. Pinch, Ant. and Dro.

SCENE