230
I did obey, and sent my peasant home
For certain ducats; he with none returned.
Then fairly I bespoke the officer
To go in person with me to my house.
By th’ way, we met
235
My wife, her sister and a rabble more
Of vile confederates; along with them
They brought one Pinch, a hungry, lean-faced villain,
A mere anatomy, a mountebank,
A threadbare juggler and a fortune-teller,
240
A needy, hollow-eyed, sharp-looking wretch,
A living dead man. This pernicious slave,
Forsooth, took on him as a conjuror,
And gazing in mine eyes, feeling my pulse
And with no-face, as ’twere, out-facing me,
245
Cries out, I was ‘possessed’. Then all together
They fell upon me, bound me, bore me thence,
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,
250
I gained my freedom, and immediately
Ran hither to your grace, whom I beseech
To give me ample satisfaction
For these deep shames and great indignities.
ANGELO
My lord, in truth, thus far I witness with him:
255
That he dined not at home, but was locked out.
DUKE
But had he such a chain of thee, or no?
ANGELO
He had, my lord, and when he ran in here
These people saw the chain about his neck.
2 MERCHANT [to Antipholus]
Besides, I will be sworn these ears of mine
260
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.
265
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS
[to Second Merchant] I never came within these abbey walls,
Nor ever didst thou draw thy sword on me;
[to Angelo] I never saw the chain, so help me heaven,
[to Adriana] And this is false you burden me withal.
DUKE
Why, what an intricate impeach is this!
270
I think you all have drunk of Circe’s cup:
[to Second Merchant] If here you housed him, here he would have been;
[to Adriana] If he were mad, he would not plead so coldly;
[to Luciana] You say he dined at home; the goldsmith here
Denies that saying. [to Dromio] Sirrah, what say you?
275
DROMIO OF EPHESUS [Points to the Courtesan.]
Sir, he dined with her there, at the Porpentine.
COURTESAN
He did, and from my finger snatched that ring.
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS
’Tis true, my liege, this ring I had of her.
DUKE [to Courtesan]
Saw’st thou him enter at the abbey here?
COURTESAN
As sure, my liege, as I do see your grace.
280
DUKE
Why, this is strange: – Go call the Abbess hither.
– I think you are all mated, or stark mad. Exit one to the Abbess.
EGEON
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.
285
DUKE
Speak freely, Syracusan, what thou wilt.
EGEON [to Antipholus]
Is not your name, sir, called Antipholus?
And is not that your bondman Dromio?
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
Within this hour I was his bondman, sir,
But he, I thank him, gnawed in two my cords:
290
Now am I Dromio, and his man, unbound.
EGEON
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?
295
EGEON [to Antipholus]
Why look you strange on me? You know me well.
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS
I never saw you in my life till now.
EGEON
O, grief hath changed me since you saw me last,
And careful hours with Time’s deformed hand
Have written strange defeatures in my face.
300
But tell me yet, dost thou not know my voice?
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS
Neither.
EGEON Dromio, nor thou?
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
No, trust me, sir, nor I.
EGEON 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
305
believe him.
EGEON
Not know my voice! – O Time’s extremity,
Hast thou so cracked and splitted my poor tongue
In seven short years that here my only son
Knows not my feeble key of untuned cares?
310
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,
315
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.
EGEON
But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy,
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Thou knowst 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 Syracusa in my life.
325
DUKE
I tell thee, Syracusan, 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 [Emilia,] the ABBESS,
with ANTIPHOLUS [OF SYRACUSE, wearing the chain,]
and DROMIO [OF SYRACUSE].
ABBESS
Most mighty Duke, behold a man much wronged.
330
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.
335
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
I, sir, am Dromio; pray, let me stay.
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
Egeon, art thou not? Or else his ghost.
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE
O my old master! – Who hath bound him here?
ABBESS
Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds,
And gain a husband by his liberty.
340
[Unbinds him.]
– Speak, old Egeon, if thou be’st the man
That hadst a wife once called Emilia
That bore thee at a burden two fair sons.
O, if thou be’st the same Egeon, speak,
And speak unto the same Emilia.
345
DUKE
Why, here begins his morning story right:
These two Antipholus’, these two so like,
And these two Dromios, one in semblance –
Besides his urging of her wrack at sea –
These are the parents to these children,
350
Which accidentally are met together.
EGEON
If I dream not, thou art Emilia;
If thou art she, tell me, where is that son
That floated with thee on the fatal raft?
ABBESS
By men of Epidamium he and I
355
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 Epidamium.
What then became of them I cannot tell;
360
I, to this fortune that you see me in.
DUKE [to Antipholus of Syracuse]
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 –
365
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 today?
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
I, gentle mistress.
ADRIANA And are not you my husband?
370
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,
375
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 [to Angelo]
And you, sir, for this chain arrested me.
ANGELO
I think I did, sir; I deny it not.
380
ADRIANA [to Antipholus of Ephesus]
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 [Shows the purse to Adriana.]
This purse of ducats I received from you,
And Dromio my man did bring them me.
The Comedy of Errors Page 25