The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Part 69

SECOND MERCHANT. 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 mart; 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.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. 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!

And 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?

DROMIO OF EPHESUS. Sir, he din'd with her there, at the Porpentine.

COURTEZAN. He did; and from my finger s.n.a.t.c.h'd that ring.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. 'Tis true, my liege; this ring I had of her.

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

COURTEZAN. As sure, my liege, as I do see your Grace.

DUKE. Why, this is strange. Go call the Abbess. .h.i.ther.

I think you are all mated or stark mad.

DUKE. Speak freely, Syracusian, what thou wilt.

AEGEON. Is not your name, sir, call'd Antipholus?

And is not that your bondman Dromio?

DROMIO OF EPHESUS. 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.

AEGEON. I am sure you both of you remember me.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS. 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?

AEGEON. Why look you strange on me? You know me well.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. I never saw you in my life till now.

AEGEON. O! grief hath chang'd me since you saw me last; 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?

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. Neither.

AEGEON. Dromio, nor thou?

DROMIO OF EPHESUS. No, trust me, sir, nor I.

AEGEON. I am sure thou dost.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS. Ay, sir, but I am sure I do not; and whatsoever a man denies, you are now bound to believe him.

AEGEON. 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 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 lamps 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.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. I never saw my father in my life.

AEGEON. But seven years since, in Syracuse, boy, Thou know'st we parted; but perhaps, my son, Thou sham'st to acknowledge me in misery.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. The Duke and all that know me in the city Can witness with me that it is not so: I ne'er saw Syracuse in my life.

DUKE. I tell thee, Syracusian, twenty years Have I been patron to Antipholus, During which time he ne'er saw Syracuse.

I see thy age and dangers make thee dote.

Re-enter the ABBESS, with ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE and DROMIO OF SYRACUSE

ABBESS. Most mighty Duke, behold a man much wrong'd.

[All gather to see them]

ADRIANA. I see two husbands, or mine eyes deceive me.

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?

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE. I, sir, am Dromio; command him away.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS. I, Sir, am Dromio; pray let me stay.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE. Aegeon, art thou not? or else his DROMIO OF SYRACUSE. O, my old master! who hath bound ABBESS. Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds, And gain a husband by his liberty.

Speak, old Aegeon, if thou be'st the man That hadst a wife once call'd Aemilia, That bore thee at a burden two fair sons.

O, if thou be'st the same Aegeon, speak, And speak unto the same Aemilia!

AEGEON. If I dream not, thou art Aemilia.

If thou art she, tell me where is that son That floated with thee on the fatal raft?

ABBESS. By men of Epid.a.m.num 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 Epid.a.m.num.

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.

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, Which accidentally are met together.

Antipholus, thou cam'st from Corinth first?

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE. No, sir, not I; I came from Syracuse.

DUKE. Stay, stand apart; I know not which is which.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. I came from Corinth, my most gracious lord.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS. And I with him.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. Brought to this town by that most famous warrior, Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle.

ADRIANA. Which of you two did dine with me to-day?

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE. I, gentle mistress.

ADRIANA. And are not you my husband?

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. No; I say nay to that.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE. And so do I, yet did she call me so; And this fair gentlewoman, her sister here, Did call me brother. [To LUCIANA] What I told you then, I hope I shall have leisure to make good; If this be not a dream I see and hear.

ANGELO. That is the chain, sir, which you had of me.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE. I think it be, sir; I deny it not.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. And you, sir, for this chain arrested me.

ANGELO. I think I did, sir; I deny it not.

ADRIANA. I sent you money, sir, to be your bail, By Dromio; but I think he brought it not.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS. No, none by me.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE. 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 are arose.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. These ducats p.a.w.n I for my father here.

DUKE. It shall not need; thy father hath his life.

COURTEZAN. Sir, I must have that diamond from you.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. There, take it; and much thanks for my good cheer.

ABBESS. Renowned Duke, vouchsafe to take the pains To go with us into the abbey here, And hear at large discoursed all our fortunes; And all that are a.s.sembled in this place That by this sympathized one day's error Have suffer'd wrong, go keep us company, And we shall make full satisfaction.

Thirty-three years have I but gone in travail Of you, my sons; and till this present hour My heavy burden ne'er delivered.

The Duke, my husband, and my children both, And you the calendars of their nativity, Go to a gossips' feast, and go with me; After so long grief, such nativity!

DUKE. With all my heart, I'll gossip at this feast.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. Dromio, what stuff of mine hast thou embark'd?

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE. Your goods that lay at host, sir, in the Centaur.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE. He speaks to me. I am your master, Dromio.

Come, go with us; we'll look to that anon.

Embrace thy brother there; rejoice with him.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS. Methinks you are my gla.s.s, and not my brother; I see by you I am a sweet-fac'd youth.

Will you walk in to see their gossiping?

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE. Not I, sir; you are my elder.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS. That's a question; how shall we try it?

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE. We'll draw cuts for the senior; till then, lead thou first.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS. Nay, then, thus: We came into the world like brother and brother, And now let's go hand in hand, not one before another.

THE END