S. Dro. 'Faith, stay here this night; they will furely

do us no harm; you faw, they spake us fair, gave us gold; methinks, they are fuch 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.

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

[Exeunt.

ACT V.

SCENE

I.

Ang. I

A Street, before a priory.

Enter the Merchant, and Angelo.

Am forry, Sir, that I have hinder'd you;
But, I proteft, he had the chain of me,

Tho' most dishonestly he doth deny it.
Mer. How is the man eftcem'd here in the city?
Ang. Of very reverend reputation, Sir,

Of credit infinite, highly belov'd,
Second to none that lives here in the city;
His word might bear my wealth at any time.

Mer. Speak foftly: yonder, as I think, he walks.

Enter Antipholis and Dromio of Syracufe.

Ang. 'Tis fo; and that felf-chain about his neck, Which he forfwore most monftroufly to have. Good Sir, draw near to me, I'll speak to him. Signior Antipholis, I wonder much That you would put me to this shame and trouble; And not without fome scandal to yourself, With circumftance and oaths fo to deny This chain, which now you wear fo openly: Befides the charge, the shame, imprisonment, You have done wrong to this my honeft friend; Who, but for staying on our controverfy, Had hoisted sail, and put to fea to-day. This chain you had of me, can you deny it? S. Ant. I think I had; I never did deny it. Mer. Yes, that you did, Sir; and forfwore it too. S. Ant. Who heard me to deny it, or forswear it?

1

Mer. Thefe ears of mine, thou knowest, did hear thee:

Fie on thee, wretch! 'tis pity that thou liv'st
To walk where any honeft men refort.

S. Ant. Thou art a villain, to impeach me thus.
I'll prove mine honour and my honefty
Against thee presently, if thou dar'st stand.

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

SCENE

II.

[They draw.

Enter Adriana, Luciana, Courtezan, and others.

Adr. Hold, hurt him not, for God's fake; he is mad; Some get within him, take his fword away: Bind Dromio too, and bear them to my house.

S. Dro. Run, Master, run; for God's fake, take a

This is fome priory; in, or we are spoil'd.

[house; [Exeunt to the priory.

Enter Lady Abbefs.

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 faft,
And bear him home for his recovery.

Ang. I knew he was not in his perfect wits.
Mer. I'm forry now that I did draw on him.
Abb. How long hath this poffeffion held the man?
Adr. This week he hath been heavy four, fad,
And much much different from the man he was:
But, till this afternoon, his paffion
Ne'er brake into extremity of rage.

Abb. Hath he not lost 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 these forrows is he fubject to ?

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

Abb. Ay, but not rough enough.

1

Adr. As roughly as my modesty would let me.

Abb. Haply, in private.
Adr. And in assemblies too.

Abb. Ay, but not enough.

Adr. It was the copy * of our conference.

In bed, he slept not for my urging it;
At board, he fed not for my urging it;
Alone, it was the subject of my theme;
In company, I often glanc'd at it;

Still did I tell him it was vile and bad.

Abb. And therefore came it that the man was mad. The venom clamours of a jealous woman Poifon more deadly, than a mad dog's tooth. It seems his fleeps were hinder'd by thy railing; And thereof comes it that his head is light. Thou say'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 say'st, his sports were hinder'd by thy brawls. • Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth ensue, But moody and dull melancholy, [Kinfman to grim and comfortless despair †], • And at her heels a huge infectious troop • Of pale distemperatures, and foes to life? In food, in sport, and life-preferving rest, To be disturb'd, would mad or man or bedit: The consequence is then, thy jealous fits Have scar'd thy husband from the use of wits.

Luc. She never reprehended him but mildly, When he demean'd 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 enter in my house.
Adr. Then, let your servants bring my husband forth.
Abb. Neither; he took this place for fanctuary,

And it shall privilege him from your hands;

*

By copy here is to be understood abundance, fulness, as copis signifies in Latin.

† This line seems to be spurious.

Till I have brought him to his wits again,
Or lofe my labour in assaying 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 syrups, 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 beseem 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 Abbefs.

Adr. Come, go; I will fall proftrate at his feet,
And never rise, until my tears and prayers
Have won his Grace to come in person hither;
And take perforce my husband from the Abbess.

Mer. By this, I think, the dial points at five:

Anon, I'm fure, the Duke himself in person
Comes this way to the melancholy vale;
The place of death and forry execution,
Behind the ditches of the abbey here.
Ang. Upon what cause ?

Mer. To fee a reverend Syracufan merchant,

Who put unluckily into this bay
Against the laws and statutes of this town,
Beheaded publicly 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 headsman, and other officers.

Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publicly,

If any friend will pay the fum for him,
He shall not die, so much we tender him.
Adr. Justice, most sacred Duke, against the Abbess.
Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend lady;

It cannot be that she hath done thee wrong.
Adr. May it please your Grace, Antipholis my huf-

[band,

(Whom I made lord of me and all I had,
At your important letters), this ill day
A most outrageous fit of madness took him;
That defp'rately he hurry'd through the street,
With him his bondman all as mad as he,
Doing difpleasure to the citizens,
By rushing in their houses; bearing thence
Rings, jewels, any thing his rage did like.
Once did I get him bound, and sent 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 strong efcape,
He broke from those that had the guard of him:
And, with his mad attendant mad himfelf,
Each one with ireful paffion, with drawn fwords,
Met us again, and, madly bent on us,
Chas'd us away; till, raising of more aid,
We came again to bind them; then they fled
Into this abbey, whither we pursu'd them;
And here the Abbess shats the gates on us,
And will not fuffer us to fetch him out,
Nor fend him forth, that we may bear him hence:
Therefore, most gracious Duke, with thy command,
Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for help.

Duke. Long since thy husband serv'd me in my wars,
And I to thee engag'd a prince's word,
When thou didst make him mafter of thy bed,
To do him all the grace and good I could.
Go, some of you, knock at the abbey-gate;
And bid the Lady Abbess come to me.
I will determine this before I ftir.

SCENE IV. Enter a Messenger.

Mess. O mistress, mistress, shift and save yourself;

My master and his man are both broke loose,
Beaten the maids a-row, and bound the Doctor,