E. Antipholis.
Good Signior Angelo, you must excuse us;
My wife is shrewish when I keep not hours;
Say, that I linger'd with you at your shop
To see the making of her † ^note carkanet,
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 charg'd him with a thousand marks in gold;
And that I did deny my wife and house:
Thou drunkard thou, what didst thou mean by this?* ^note





I think thou art an ass.

E. Dro.
Marry, so it doth appear
By the wrongs I suffer, and the blows I bear;
I should kick being kickt; and being at that pass,
You would keep from my heels, and beware of an ass.

E. Ant.
Y'are sad, Signior Balthazar. Pray God our cheer

May answer my good will, and your good welcome.* ^note











But soft; my door is lockt; go bid them let us in.

E. Dro.
Maud, Bridget, Marian, Cisly, Gillian!

S. Dro. within.
Mome, malt-horse, capon, coxcomb, idiot, patch,
Either get thee from the door, or sit down at the hatch:
Dost thou conjure for wenches, that thou call'st for such store,
When one is one too many? go, get thee from the door.* ^note

Adr. within.
Who is that at the door that keeps all this noise?

S. Dro.
By my troth, your town is troubled with unruly boys.

E. Ant.
Are you there, wife? you might have come before.

Adr.
Your wife, Sir knave! go get you from the gate.* ^note

E. Ant.
Go, get thee gone, fetch me an iron crow.

Bal.
Have patience, Sir: oh let it not be thus.
Herein you war against your Reputation,
And draw within the compass of suspect
Th' unviolated honour of your wife.
Once this; your long experience of her wisdom,
Her sober virtue, years and modesty,
Plead on her part some cause to you unknown;
And doubt not, Sir, but she will well excuse
Why at this time the doors are barr'd against you.
Be rul'd by me, depart in patience,
And let us to the Tyger all to dinner,

And about evening come your self 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 of 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 upon succession,
For ever hous'd where it once gets possession.

E. Ant.
You have prevail'd; I will depart in quiet,
And in despight of mirth mean to be merry.
I know a wench of excellent discourse,
Pretty and witty, wild, and yet too, gentle;
There will we dine: this woman that I mean,
My wife (but I protest without desert)
Hath oftentimes upbraided me withal;
To her will we to dinner. Get you home,
And fetch the chain; by this I know 'tis made;
Bring it, I pray you, to the Porcupine;
For there's the house: that chain I will bestow,
(Be it for nothing but to spight my wife,)
Upon mine hostess there. Good Sir, make haste:
Since my own doors refuse to entertain me,
I'll knock elsewhere, to see if they'll disdain me.

Ang.
I'll meet you at that place, some hour, Sir, hence.

E. Ant.
Do so; this jest shall cost me some expence. [Exe.

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