Enter Dromio of Ephefus, with a Rope's end.

Here comes my man; I think, he brings the mony. How now, Sir, 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 mony ?

E. Dro. Why, Sir, I gave the mony for the rope. E. Ant. Five hundred ducats, villain, for a rope? E. Dro. I'll ferve you, Sir, five hundred at the rate. E. Ant. To what end did I bid thee hie thee home? E. Dro. To a rope's-end, Sir; and to that end am I return'd.

E. Ant. And to that end, Sir, I will welcome you. [Beats Dromio.

Offi. Good Sir, 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, senseless villain!

E. Dro. I would, I were fenfelefs, Sir, that I might not feel your blows.

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

E. Dro. I am an afs, 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 fervice 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, fhall beg with it from door to door.

SCENE

SCENE IX.

Enter Adriana, Luciana, Courtezan, and Pinch.
E. Ant. Come, go along; my wife is coming.
yonder.

6

E. Dro. Miftrefs, refpice finem, respect your end; or rather the prophecy, like the parrot, beware the rope's-end.

E. Ant. Wilt thou ftill talk?

[Beats Dromio. Cour. How fay you now? is not your husband mad? Adr. His incivility confirms no lefs.

Good Doctor Pinch, you are a Conjurer.
Eftablish him in his true fenfe again,

And I will please you what you will demand.
Luc. Alas, how fiery and how fharp he looks!
Cour. Mark how he trembles in his ecftacy!
Pinch. Give me your hand, and let me feel your
pulfe.

E. Ant. There is my hand, and let it feel your ear. Pinch. I charge thee, Satan, hous'd within this man, To yield poffeffion to my holy prayers;

And to thy state of darkness hie thee strait,

6 Miftrefs, refpice finem, respect your end; or rather the prophecie, Like the parrot, beware the rope's-end.] Thefe words feem to allude to a famous pamphlet of that time, wrote by Buchanan against the Lord of Liddington; which ends with thefe words, Refpice finem, refpice funem. But to what purpose, unless our Author would fhew that he could quibble as well in English, as the other in Latin, I confefs I know not. As for prophefying like the parrot, this alludes to people's teaching that bird unlucky words

T

with which, when any paffenger was offended, it was the ftanding joke of the wife owner to fay, Take heed, Sir, my parrot prophefies. To this Butler hints, where, fpeaking of Ralpho's skil! in augury, he fays,

L 4

Could tell what fubtleft parrots

I conjure thee by all the Saints in heav'n.

E. Ant. Peace, doating wizard, peace; I am not mad.

Adr. Oh, that thou wert not, poor diftreffed foul!
E. Ant. You minion, you, are these your customers?
Did this companion with the faffron face
Revel and feaft it at my houfe to day,

Whilft upon me the guilty doors were fhut,
And I deny'd to enter in my my house?

Adr. Oh, 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'ft 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 fhut out.

E. Ant. And did not fhe herself revile me there?
E. Dro. Sans fable, the herself revil'd you there.
E. Ant. Did not her kitchen-maid rail, taunt, and
fcorn' me?

E. Dro. Certes, she did, the 'kitchen-vestal scorn'd

you.

E. Aant. And did I not 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 contrariés ? 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 arreft

me.

Adr. Alas, I fent you mony to redeem you,

7 Kitchen-veftal.] Her charge being like that of the vestal virgins, to keep the fire burning.

By

By Dromio here, who came in hafte for it.

E. Dro. Mony by me? heart and good will you might,

But, furely, malter, not a rag of mony.

E. Ant. Went't thou to her for a purse of ducats?
Adr. He came to me, and I deliver'd it.

Luc. And I am witness with her, that fhe did.
E. Dro. God and the rope-maker do bear me witness,
That I was fent for nothing but a rope.

Pinch. Mistress, both man and mafter are poffeft; I know it by their pale and deadly looks;

They must be bound, and laid in fome 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 hufband, lock thee forth. E. Dro. And, gentle master, I receiv'd no gold, But I confefs, Sir, that we were lock'd out.

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 fcorn of me: But with thefe nails I'll pluck out these falfe eyes, That would behold in me this fhameful sport,

Enter three or four, and offer to bind him; he ftrives.

Adr. Oh, bind him, bind him, let him not come

near me.

Pinch. More company;

him.

the fiend is ftrong within

Luc. Ay me, poor man, how pale and wan he looks! E. Ant. What, will you murder me? thou jailor, thou,

I am thy prifoner, wilt thou fuffer them

To make a rescue?

Offi. Mafters; let him go:

He is my prifoner, and you shall 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 fee a wretched man
Do outrage and difpleafure 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 difcharge thee, ere I go from thee;
Bear me forthwith unto his creditor,

[They bind Antipholis and Dromio.
And, knowing how the debt grows, I will pay it
Good mafter Doctor, fee him fafe convey'd
Home to my houfe. Oh, moft unhappy day!
E. Ant. Oh, moft anhappy ftrumpet!

E. Dro. Master, I'm here enter'd in bond for you. E. Ant. Out on thee, villain! wherefore doft thou mad me?

E. Dro. Will you be bound for nothing? 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. [Exeunt Pinch, Antipholis and Dromio.. Say now, whofe fuit is he arrested at?

Manent Officer, Adriana, Luciana, and Courtezan.

Offi. One Angelo, a goldfmith; do you know him? Adr. I know the man; what is the fum he owes? Offi. Two hundred ducats.

Adr, Say, how grows it due?

Offi. Due for a chain, your husband had of him, Adr. He did befpeak a chain for me, but had it not, Cour. When as your husband all in rage to day Came to my houfe, and took away my ring, (The ring I faw upon his finger now) Strait after, did I meet, him with a chain. Adr. It may be fo, but I did never fee it.

Come,