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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, fir, 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-ftone; but she, more covetous, would have a chain. Mafter, be wife; an if you give it her, the devil will shake her chain, and fright us with it. Cour. I pray you, fir, my ring, or else the chain;

I hope, you do not mean to cheat me fo.

S. Ant. Avaunt, thou witch! come, Dromio, let us go.*

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Cour. Now, out of doubt, Antipholis is mad,

Elfe would he never fo demean himself.

A ring he hath of mine worth forty ducats,
And for the fame 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 houfe, and took perforce
My ring away. This course I fittest choose,
For forty ducats is too much to lose.

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SCENE

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Ant.

SCENE VIII.

The Street.

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

•FE

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

Enter Dromio of Ephefus with a rope's-end.

Here comes my man, I think, he brings the money.
How now, fir, have you that I fent you for?

E. Dro. Here's that I warrant you will pay them all.
E. Ant. But where's the money?

E. Dro. Why, fir, I

gave the money for the rope.
E. Ant. Five hundred ducats, villain, for a rope?
E. Dro. I'll ferve 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, fir, and to that end am I return'd.
E. Ant. And to that end, fir, I will welcome you. [beats Dro.
Offi. Good fir, be patient.

E. Dro. Nay, 'tis for me to be patient; I am in adverfity.
Offi. Good now, hold thy tongue.

E. Dro. Nay, rather perfuade him to hold his hands.

E. Ant. Thou whorfon, fenfeless villain!

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

E. Ant. Thou art fenfible in nothing but blows, and so is an afs.

E. Dro. I am an ass, indeed, you may prove it by my long ears. I have ferv'd him from the hour of my nativity to this inftant, 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 fleep, rais'd with it when I fit, 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 fhoulders, as a beggar wont her brat; and, I think, when he hath lam'd me, I fhall 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. Miftrefs, refpice finem, refpect your end, or rather prophefy like the parrot, beware the rope's-end.

E. Ant. Wilt thou ftill talk?

[beats Dro

Cour. How fay 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 fenfe again,

And I will please you in what you will demand.
Luc. Alas, how fiery and how fharp 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, fatan, hous'd within this man,
To yield poffeffion to my holy prayers,

And to thy state of darkness hie thee straight,

I conjure thee by all the faints 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,
Whilft upon me the guilty doors were fhut,

It was a word which was taught to parrots to throw out by way of abuse upon people as they

paffed along, a rope, a rope!

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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 fhame.

E. Ant. Din'd I at home? thou villain, what say'st thou?
E. Dro. Sir, footh to fay, 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 the herself revile me there?

E. Dro. Sans fable, she herself revil'd you there.

E. Ant. Did not her kitchen-maid rail, taunt, and scorn me? E. Dro. Certes, fhe 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 fince have felt the vigour of your rage.

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

E. Ant. Thou haft fuborn'd the goldsmith to arrest me.
Adr. Alas, I fent you money to redeem you,

By Dromio here, who came in hafte for it.

E. Dro. Money by me? heart and good-will you might, But, furely, 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 witnefs with her that she did.

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

Pinch. Miftrefs, both man and master are poffefs'd,

I know it by their pale and deadly looks;

They must be bound, and lay'd in some dark room.

E. Ant. Say, wherefore didft 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 confefs, fir, that we were lock'd out.

Adr.

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

To make a loathfome abject scorn of me:

But with these nails I'll pluck out those false eyes,
That would behold in me this fhameful 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 fuffer them

To make a rescue?

Offi. Mafters, let him go:

He is my prifoner, and you fhall not have him.

Pinch. Go, bind this man, for he is frantick too.
Adr. What wilt thou do, thou peevish officer?
Haft thou delight to see a wretched man
Do outrage and displeasure to himself?

Off. He is my prifoner; 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

Good mafter doctor, fee him fafe convey'd
Home to my house. O most unhappy day!

E. Ant. O moft unhappy ftrumpet!

pay it.

E. Dro. Mafter, 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 mafter, cry, the devil!

Luc. God help, poor fouls, how idly do they talk! Adr. Go, bear him hence; fifter, ftay you with me. Say now,

whose suit is he arrested at? [Exe. Pinch, Ant. and Dro.

SCENE

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