And in a dark and dankish vault at home

There left me and my man, both bound together;
Till, gnawing with my teeth my bonds in sunder,
I gain'd my freedom, and immediately

Ran hither to your grace; whom I beseech
To give me ample satisfaction

For these deep shames and great indignities.

Ang. My lord, in truth, thus far I witness with him,

That he din'd not at home, but was lock'd out.

Duke. But had he such a chain of thee, or no? Ang. He had, my lord; and when he ran in here, These people saw the chain about his neck.

Mer. Besides, I will be sworn, these ears of mine
Heard you confess you had the chain of him,
After you first forswore it on the inart,
And, thereupon, I drew my sword on you;
And then you fled into this abbey here,

From whence, I think, you are come by miracle.
Ant. E. I never came within these abbey walls;
Nor ever didst thou draw thy sword on me;
I never saw the chain: So help me Heaven,
As this is false, you burden me withal!

Duke. Why, what an intricate impeach is this! I think you all have drunk of Circe's cup.

If here you hous'd him, here he would have been; If he were mad, he would not plead so coldly: You say he din'd at home; the goldsmith here Denies that saying. - Sirrah, what say you?

Dro. E. Sir, he din'd with her there, at the Por pentine.

Cour. He did, and from my finger snatch'd that ring.

Ant. E. 'Tis true, my liege, this ring I had of

her.

Duke. Saw'st thou him enter at the abbey here?

Cour. As sure, my liege, as I do see your grace. Duke. Why, this is strange: — Go call the abbess

hither:

14

I think you are all mated," or stark mad.

[Exit an Attendant.

Ege. Most mighty duke, vouchsafe me speak a word:

Haply I see a friend will save my life,

And pay the sum that may deliver me.

Duke. Speak freely, Syracusian, what thou wilt. Æge. Is not your name, sir, call'd Antipholus ? And is not that your bondman Dromio?

Dro. E. Within this hour I was his bondman,

sir;

But he, I thank him, gnaw'd in two my cords:
Now am I Dromio, and his man, unbound.

Ege. I am sure, you both of you remember me.
Dro. E. Ourselves we do remember, sir, by you;
For lately we were bound, as you are now.
You are not Pinch's patient, are you, sir?
Ege. Why look you strange on me? you know
me well.

Ant. E. I never saw you in my life, till now. Æge. O grief hath chang'd me, since you saw

me last;

16

15

And careful hours, with time's deformed hand
Have written strange defeatures in my face:
But tell me yet, dost thou not know my voice?
Ant. E. Neither.

Ege. Dromio, nor thou?

Dro. E. No, trust me, sir, nor I.

Ege. I am sure thou dost.

Dro. E. Ay, sir? but I am sure, I do not; and

14 Mated is confounded. See note on Macbeth, Act v. sc. 1.

Deformed for deforming.

18 See Act ii. se. 1. note 9.

whatsoever a man denies, you are now bound to believe him."7

18

Ege. Not know my voice! O, time's extremity! Hast thou so crack'd and splitted my poor tongue, In seven short years, that here my only son Knows not my feeble key of untun'd cares? Though now this grained 1 face of mine be hid In sap-consuming winter's drizzled snow, And all the conduits of my blood froze up, Yet hath my night of life some memory, My wasting lamp some fading glimmer left, My dull deaf ears a little use to hear: All these old witnesses (I cannot err) Tell me thou art my son Antipholus.

Ant. E. I never saw my father in my life. Ege. But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy, Thou know'st we parted: but, perhaps, my son, Thou sham'st to acknowledge me in misery.

Ant. E. The duke, and all that know me in the

city,

Can witness with me that it is not so:

I ne'er saw Syracusa in my life.

Duke. I tell thee, Syracusian, twenty years Have I been patron to Antipholus,

During which time he ne'er saw Syracusa :

I see, thy age and dangers make thee dote.

Enter the Abbess, with ANTIPHOLUS Syracusian, and DROMIO Syracusian.

1

Abb. Most mighty duke, behold a man much [All gather to see them. Adr. I see two husbands, or mine eyes deceive

wrong'd.

me.

Dromio delights in a quibble, and the word bound has before been the subject of his mirth.

18 Furrowed, lined.

Duke. One of these men is Genius to the other; And so of these: Which is the natural man,

And which the spirit?

Who deciphers them? Dro. S. I, sir, am Dromio: command him away Dro. E. I, sir, am Dromio: pray let me stay.

Ant. S. Ægeon, art thou not? or else his ghost? Dro. S. O, my old master! who hath bound him

here?

Abb. Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds, And gain a husband by his liberty.—

Speak, old Ægeon, if thou be'st the man
That hadst a wife once, call'd Æmilia,
That bore thee at a burden two fair sons:
O! if thou be'st the same Ægeon, speak,
And speak unto the same Emilia !

Æge. If I dream not, thou art Æmilia:
If thou art she, tell me, where is that son
That floated with thee on the fatal raft?

19

Abb. By men of Epidamnum, he, and I,
And the twin Dromio, all were taken up;
But, by and by, rude fishermen of Corinth
By force took Dromio and my son from them,
And me they left with those of Epidamnum:
What then became of them, I cannot tell;

I, to this fortune that you see me in.

Duke. Why, here begins his morning story right.20

These two Antipholus', these two so like,
And these two Dromios, one in semblance,
Besides her urging of her wreck at sea;-
These are the parents to these children,

19 In the old copy this speech of Ægeon, and the subsequent one of the abbess, follow the speech of the Duke. It is evident that they were transposed by mistake.

20 The morning story is what Ægeon tells the Duke in the first scene of this play.

Which accidentally are met together.

Antipholus, thou cam'st from Corinth first.

Ant. S. No, sir, not I: I came from Syracuse. Duke. Stay, stand apart: I know not which is which.

Ant. E. I came from Corinth, my most gracious lord.

Dro. E. And I with him.

Ant. E. Brought to this town with that most famous warrior,

Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle.

Adr. Which of you two did dine with me to-day. Ant. S. I, gentle mistress.

Adr. And are not you my husband?

Ant. E. No; I say nay to that.

Ant. S. And so do I, yet did she call me so;

And this fair gentlewoman, her sister here,
Did call me brother. - What I told you then,

I hope I shall have leisure to make good,

If this be not a dream I see and hear.

Ang. That is the chain, sir, which you had of me. Ant. S. I think it be, sir; I deny it not. Ant. E. And you, sir, for this chain arrested me. Ang. I think I did, sir; I deny it not. Adr. I sent you money, sir, to be your bail, By Dromio; but I think he brought it not.

Dro. E. No, none by me.

Ant. S. This purse of ducats I receiv'd from you, And Dromio my man did bring them me : I see, we still did meet each other's man, And I was ta'en for him, and he for me, And thereupon these Errors all arose.

Ant. E. These ducats pawn I for my father here. Duke. It shall not need: thy father hath his life Cour. Sir, I must have that diamond from you.