Dr. of Eph.

Mistress, respice finem, respect your end—or rather the prophecy, like the parrot, beware of the rope's end.

An. of Eph.
Wilt thou still prate? art thou not quieted?
Then take thou that, and that. [Beats him.

Officer.
Good sir, be patient.

Les.
How say you now? Is not your husband mad?

Ad.
His incivility confirms no less;
Good Dr. Pinch, you are a skilful man,
Establish him in his true sense again,
And I will pay you what you shall demand.

Luc.
Alas! how fiery and how fierce he looks!

Les.
Mark how he trembles in his ecstacy!

Pinch.
Give me your hand, and let me feel your pulse.

An of Eph.
There is my hand, and let it feel your ear. [Strikes.

Pinch.
I charge thee, satan, hous'd within this man,
To yield possession to my holy prayers;
And to thy state of darkness hie thee straight.

An. of Eph.
Peace, doating wizard, peace! I am not mad.

Ad
O, that thou wert not, poor distressed soul!

An. of Eph.
You minion, you, are these your customers?
Did this companion, with the saffron face,
Revel and seast it at my house to-day?
While upon me the guilty doors were shut,
And I denied to enter in my house?

Ad.
O, husband! Heaven doth know you din'd at home,
Where would you had remain'd until this time,
Free from these slanders, and this open shame.

An. of Eph.
Din'd at home!—Thou villain, what say'st thou?

Dr. of Eph.
Sir, sooth to say, you did not dine at home.

An. of Eph.
Were not my doors lock'd up, and I shut out?

Dr. of Eph.
In sooth your doors were lock'd, and you shut out.

An. of Eph.
And did not she herself revile me there?

Dr. of Eph.
Sans fable, she herself revil'd you there.

An. of Eph.
And did not I, in rage, depart from thence?

Dr. of Eph.
In verity, you did—my bones bear witness,
That since have felt the vigour of your rage.

Ad.
Is't good to sooth him in these contraries?

Pinch.
It is no shame, the fellow finds his vein,
And yielding to him, humours well his phrenzy.

An. of Eph.
Thou hast suborn'd the Goldsmith to arrest me.

Ad.
Alas! I sent you money to redeem you,
By Dromio here, who came in haste for it.

Dr. of Eph.
Money by me!—Heart and good-will you might,
But surely, master, not a doit of money.

An. of Eph.
Went'st thou not to her for a purse of ducats?

Ad.
He came to me, and I delivered it.

Luc.
And I am witness with her, that she did.

Dr. of Eph.
Heaven, and the rope-maker can bear me witness
That I was sent for nothing but a rope.

Pinch.
Mistress, both man and master are possest,
I know it by their pale and deadly looks;
They must be bound, and laid in some dark room.

An. of Eph.
Say, wherefore didst thou lock me forth to-day?
And why dost thou deny the bag of gold?

Ad
I did not, gentle husband, lock thee forth.

Dr. of Eph.
And, gentle master, I received no gold,
But I can swear, sir, that we were locked out.

Ad.
Dissembling villain, thou speak'st false in both.

An. of Eph.
Dissembling harlot, thou art false in all,
And art confederate with a damned pack,
To make a loathsome abject scorn of me.
But with these nails I'll pluck out those false eyes,
That would behold me in this shameful sort.

Ad.
O! hold him, hold him, let him not come near me. [Attendants seize him.

Pinch.
More company! the fiend is strong within him.

An. of Eph.
What, will you murder me?—Thou, jailor, thou,

I am thy prisoner; wilt thou suffer them
To make a rescue?

Officer.
Masters, let him go:
He is my prisoner, and you shall not have him.

Pinch.
Go, bind that man, for he is frantic too.

Ad.
What wilt thou do, thou peevish officer,
Hast thou delight to see a wretched man
Do outrage and displeasure to himself?

Officer.
He is my prisoner, if I let him go,
The debt he owes will be required of me.

Ad.
Good master doctor, see him safe convey'd
Home to thy house—O! most unhappy day!

An. of Eph.
O! most unhappy strumpet! [Attendants force off Antipholis of Eph. Dromio, and Pinch. Manent Adriana, Luciana, Lesbia, and Officer.

Ad.
I will discharge thee—
Bear me forthwith unto his creditor—
But say, whose suit is he arrested at?

Officer.
One Angelo, a goldsmith—do you know him?

Ad.
I know the man—what is the sum he owes?

Officer.
Two hundred ducats.

Ad.
Say, how grows it due?

Officer.
Due for a bracelet, which your husband had.

Ad.
He did bespeak't for me, but had it not.

Les.
When as your husband, all in rage, to-day
Came to my house, and took away my ring,
(The ring I saw upon his finger now)
Strait after did I meet him with the bracelet.

Ad.
It may be so, but I did never see it.
Come, jailor, bring me where the goldsmith is,
I long to know the truth hereof at large.

Luc.
Heaven, for thy mercy! they are loose again!

Ad.
And come with naked swords. Enter Antipholis of Syracuse, and Dromio of Syracuse, with drawn Swords.
Let's call more help to have 'em bound again.

Officer.

Away! they'll kill us!

Dr. of Syr.
She, that would be your wife, now ran from you.

An. of Syr.

Come to the Centaur, fetch our stuff from thence. I long that we were safe and sound aboard.

Dr. of Syr.

Faith, stay here this night—they will surely do us no harm—you saw they spake us fair, gave us gold.—Methinks they are such a gentle nation, that, but for the mountain of mad flesh, who claims marriage of me, I could find in my heart to stay here still, and turn witch myself.

An. of Syr.
I will not stay, to-night, for all the town,
So many, and such strange events pursue me,
'Tis madness all! and I begin to doubt,
That even love and beauty are but snares,
To plunge my soul in yet severer cares. [Exeunt.

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