 | The Comedy of Errors |  |
SCENE I.
A STREET, WITH THE HOUSE OF ANTIPHOLIS OF EPHESUS.Enter Antipholis of Ephesus, Cerimon, Angelo, and Dromio of Ephesus.
Ant. of Eph.
Good Signor Angelo,
Say, that I linger'd with you, at your shop,
To see the making of her bracelet,
And that to-morrow you will bring it home.
But here's a villain, that would face me down,
He met me on the mart, and that I beat him,
And charged him with a thousand marks of gold,
And that I did deny my wife and house.
Thou drunkard thou, what didst thou mean by this?
Dr. of Eph.
Say what you will, sir, but I know what I know:
That you beat me at the mart, I have the marks to witness.
Ant. of Eph.
Silence, thou sot; or I shall sober thee.
You're sad, Signor Angelo; pray heaven, our cheer
May answer my good-will, and your good welcome.
But soft, my door is lock'd: Sirrah, ring the bell.
Dr. of Eph.
[Rings.]
O, he's a little soberer,
and he does know his own house now.
Will they not hear?
Dr. of Eph.
In good truth, I think they will not.
My mistress, sure, means to be quits with you,
master: you denied her awhile ago, and now, she's
determined to deny you.
Ant. of Eph.
Have done, thou varlet. Call to
them; bid them let us in.
Dr. of Eph.
Maud, Hermia, Marian, Cicely,
Gillian, Madge!
Dr. of Syr.
[Within.]
Mome, malt-horse, capon,
coxcomb, idiot, patch!—Dost thou conjure for
wenches, that thou call'st for such store, when one
is one too many?—Go get thee from the gate.
Dr. of Eph.
What patch is made our porter?—
My master stays in the street.
Dr. of Syr.
[Within.]
Let him walk from
whence he came; lest he catch cold in his feet.
Ant. of Eph.
Who talks within there?—Hoa,
open the door.
Dr. of Syr.
[Within.]
Right, sir:—I'll tell you
when, an you'll tell me wherefore.
Ant. of Eph.
What art thou, there, that keep'st
me from mine own house?
Dr. of Syr.
The porter, sir, and my name is
Dromio.
Dr. of Eph.
O, villain, thou hast stolen both
mine office and my name.
Hermia.
[Within.]
Why, what a coil is there?
—Dromio, who are those at the door?
Dr. of Eph.
Let my master in.
[Within.]
Peace, fool! my master's here
already.
Ant. of Eph.
Do you hear, you minion? You'll
let us in, I trow.
Her.
[Within.]
Can you tell for whose sake?
Dr. of Eph.
Master, knock at the door hard.
Dr. of Syr.
[Within.]
Let him knock till it ache.
Adriana.
[Within.]
Who is at the gate, that
keeps all this noise?
Ant. of Eph.
Are you there, wife? You might
have come before.
Adr.
[Within.]
Your wife, sir knave!—Go,
get you from the gate.
Ant of Eph.
Get from the gate! What means this saucy language?
There's something more in this.—Why Adriana!
Adr.
[Within.]
Hence, you familiar coxcomb! Cease your noise;
Or you shall dearly pay for all this outrage.—
Dromio, be sure, you keep fast the doors against 'em.
Ant. of Eph.
Why, wife, I say,—
Dr. of Syr.
[Within.]
She's gone back to dinner,
sir, to take a refreshing cup; and has no time
to answer idle questions now.
Ant. of Eph.
Now, on my soul, some strange mysterious guile
Lurks underneath this unaccustom'd usage:
Some shameful minion here is entertain'd.
Ang.
Have patience, sir: O, let it not be thus;
Herein you war against your reputation,
The inviolated honour of your wife.
Cer.
Aye, sir, your long experience of her wisdom,
Her sober virtue, years, and modesty
Plead, on her part, some cause to you unknown;
And, doubt it not, but she will well excuse
Why at this time, the doors are barred against you.
Ant. of Eph.
Shall I be thus shut forth from my own house,
While they are revelling to my dishonour?
Go, fetch an instrument: I'll break the door,
Shatter it all to pieces but I'll enter.
Go.
(To Dromio, stamping and menacing).
Dromio.
Gone!
[Exit.
Ang.
Be rul'd by me: depart in patience,
And let us to the Tiger go to dinner;
And, about evening, come yourself alone,
To know the reason of this strange restraint.
If by strong hand you offer to break in.
Now, in the stirring passage of the day,
A vulgar comment will be made on it;
And that supposed by the common rout,
Against your yet ungalled estimation,
That may with foul intrusion enter in,
And dwell upon your grave when you are dead!
For slander lives ev'n to posterity,
For ever hous'd, when once it gets possession.
Cer.
It does—it does—let him prevail my lord.
You have prevail'd: I will depart in quiet;
And, in despite of wrath, try to be merry.
I know a wench of excellent discourse,
Lesbia by name; wild, and yet right gentle;
There will we dine:—this woman that I mean,
My wife,—but I protest, without desert,—
Hath oftentimes upbraided me withal:
To Lesbia we'll to dinner. Get you home,
And fetch the jewel; by this, I guess, 'tis made:
Bring it, I pray you, to the Porcupine;
For there's the house; and there will I bestow it,
Be it for nothing but to spite my wife,
Upon this Lesbia.—Use dispatch.
Ang.
I will.—
I'll meet you at that place some hour, sir, hence,
That is, if Fate or evil spirits, say not nay.
For I know not why—
Though ne'er to superstition given,
I could believe we trod upon enchanted ground,
And elves and witches were abroad.
[Exit.
Ant. of Eph.
And I.—And now I recollect, last night
I dreamt St. Withold had the desart left,
And as the bell toll'd “one,” hover'd and shriek'd
Like the ill-omen'd bird, with fatal knell,
Around my dwelling.
DUET.—(King Lear).
St. Withold footed thrice the wold,
He met the night-mare, and her nine-fold;—
Bid her alight,
And her troth plight,
And aroint thee, witch! aroint thee, right!
[Exeunt.
| The Comedy of Errors | |