But 'till this Afternoon his Paffion
Ne'er brake into extremity of Rage.
Abb. Hath he not loft much Wealth by wrack at Sea,
Bury'd fome dear Friend, hath not else his Eye
Stray'd his Affection in unlawful Love?
A Sin prevailing much in youthful Men,
Who give their Eyes the liberry of gazing.
Which of thefe Sorrows is he subject to ?
Adr. To none of thefe, except it be the laft,
Namely, fome Love that drew him oft from home.
Abb. You should for that have reprehended him.
Adr. Why fo I did.
Abb. Ay, but not rough enough.
Adr. As roughly as any Modefty would let me.
Abb. Haply in private.
Adr. And in Affemblies too.
Abb. Ay, but not enough.
Adr. It was the Copy of our Conference.
In Bed he flept not for my urging it,
At Board he fed not for my urging it;
Alone, it was the Subject of my Theam;
In Company I often glanced it;
Still did I tell him, it was vile and bad.
Abb. And therefore came it that the Man was mad. The venomous Clamours of a jealous Woman, Poisons more deadly than a mad Dog's Tooth. It seems his Sleeps were hinder'd by thy railing, And thereof comes it that his Head is light. Thou fay'ft his Meat was fauc'd with thy Upbraidings, Unquiet Meals make ill Digeftions,
Thereof the raging Fire of Fever bred,
And what's a Fever but a Fit of Madness?
Thou fay❜lt his Sports were hindred by thy Brawls.
Sweet Recreation barr'd what doth enfue,
But muddy and dull Melancholy,
Kinfman to grim and comfortless Despair,
And at her Heels a huge infectious Troop
Of pale Diftemperatures, and Foes to Life?
In Food, in Sport, and lif-preferving Reft
To be difturb'd would mad or Man or Beaft;
The Confequence is then, thy jealous Fits
Have fcar'd thy Husband from the ufe of Wits.
Luc. She never reprehended him but mildly,
When he demean'd himself rough, rude and wildly.
Why hear you thofe Rebukes, and answer not?
Adr. She did betray me to my own Reproof.
Good People enter and lay hold on him.
Abb. No, not a Creature enters in my Houfe. Adr. Then let your Servants bring my Husband forth. Abb. Neither; he took this Place for San&uary, And it fhall privilege him from your Hands,
'Till I have brought him to his Wits again,
Or lofe my Labour in affaying it.
Adr. I will attend my Husband, be his Nurse,
Diet his Sicknefs, for it is my Office,
And will have no Attorney but my felf,
And therefore let me have him home with me.
Abb. Be patient, for I will not let him ftir,
'Till I have us'd the approved Means I have,
With wholfome Syrups, Drugs, and holy Prayers
To make of him a formal Man again;
It is a Branch and Parcel of my Oath,
A charitable Duty of my Order;
Therefore depart and leave him here with me.
Adr. I will not hence, and leave my Husband here; And ill it doth befeem your Holiness
To feparate the Husband and the Wife.
Abb. Be quiet and depart, thou shalt not have him.
Luc. Complain unto the Duke of this Indignity.
Adr. Come go, I will fall proftrate at his Feet
And never rife until my Tears and Prayers
Have won his Grace to come in Perfon hither,
And take perforce my Husband from the Abbefs. [Exeunt.
Enter Merchant and Angelo
Mer. By this I think the Dial points at Five:
Anon I am fure the Duke himself in Perfon
Comes this way to the melancholy Vale;
The place of Death and forry Execution,
Behind the Ditches of the Abbey here.
Ang. Upon what Cause?
Mer. To fee a reverend Syracufian Merchant,
Who put unluckily into this Bay
Against the Laws and Statutes of this Town,
Beheaded publickly for his Offence.
Ang. See where they come, we will behold his Death.
Enter Adriana and Luciana.
Luc. Kneel to the Duke before he pass the Abbey. Enter the Duke, and Egeon bare-headed, with the Headfman, and other Officers.
Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publickly,
If any Friend will pay the Sum for him,
He fhall not die, fo much we tender him.
Adr. Juftice, moft facred Duke, against the Abbefs.
Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend Lady;
It cannot be that the hath done thee wrong.
Adr. May it please your Grace, Antipholis my Husband,
Whom I made Lord of me, and all I had,
At your all-potent Letter, this ill Day
A moft outragious Fit of Madness took him,
That defp'rately he hurry'd through the Street,
With him his Bondman, all as mad as he,
Doing difpleasure to the Citizens,
By rushing in their Houfes; bearing thence
Rings, Jewels, any thing his Rage did like.
Once did I get him bound, and fent him home,
Whilft to take Order for the Wrongs I went,
That here and there his Fury had committed:
Anon, I wot not by what strong Escape
He broke from thofe that had the Guard of him,
And with his mad Attendant and himself,
Each one with ireful Paffion, with drawn Swords
Met us again, and madly bent on us,
Chac'd us away; 'till raifing of more Aid
We came again to bind them; then they fled
Into this Abbey, whither we purfu'd them,
And here the Abbefs fhuts the Gates on us,
And will not fuffer us to fetch him out,
Nor fend him forth that we may bear him thence,
Therefore, moft gracious Duke, with thy Command,
Let him be brought forth, and born hence for help.
Duke. Long fince thy Husband ferv'd me in my Wars,
And I to thee ingag'd a Prince's Word,
When thou didst make him Master of thy Bed,
To do him all the grace and good I could.
Go fome of you knock at the Abbey Gate,
And bid the Lady Abbefs come to me;
I will determine this before I ftir.
Meff. O Mistress, Mistress, shift and fave your felf;
My Master and his Man are both broke lofe,
Beaten the Maids a row, and bound the Doctor,
Whofe Beard they have fing'd off with Brands of fire,
And ever as it blaz'd, they threw on him
Great Pails of puddled Mire to quench the Hair;
My Mafter preaches Patience to him, and the while
His Man with Ciffars nicks him like a Fool:
And fure, unless you fend fome other present help,
Between them they will kill the Conjurer.
Adr. Peace Fool, thy Mafter and his Man are here,
And that is falfe thou doft report to us.
Meff. Miftrefs, upon my Life I tell you true, I have not breath'd almost fince I did fee it. He cries for you, and vows if he can take you, To fcorch your Face, and to disfigure you. [Cry within. Hark, hark, I hear him Miftrefs; fly, be gone. Duke. Come, ftand by me, fear nothing: Guard with Halberds.
Adr. Ay me, it is my Husband; witness you,
That he is born about invifible,
Even now we hous'd him in the Abbey here.
And now he's there, paft thought of human Reafon.
Enter Antipholis and Dromio of Ephefus.
E. Ant. Juftice, moft gracious Duke, oh grant me Juftice.
Even for the Service that long fince I did thee,
When I beftrid thee in the Wars, and took
Deep Scars to fave thy Life, even for the Blood
That then I loft for thee, now grant me Juftice.
Ageon. Unless the fear of Death doth make me dote, I fee my Son Antipholis, and Dromio.
E. Ant. Juftice, fweet Prince, against that Woman there; She whom thou gav'ft to me to be my Wife;
That hath abused and difhonour'd me,
Even in the ftrength and height of Injury:
Beyond Imagination is the Wrong
That the this Day hath fhameless thrown on me.
Duke. Difcover how, and thou shalt find me juft. (me; E. Ant. This Day, great Duke, fhe fhut the Doo:s upon Whilft the with Harlots feafted in my Houfe.
Duke. A grievous Fault; fay Woman, didst thou fo? Adr. No, my good Lord: My felf, he, and my Sifter, To Day did dine together: fo befal my Soul, As this is falfe he burthens me withal,
Luc. Ne'er may I look on Day, nor fleep on Night, But he tells to your Highnefs fimple Truth.
Ang. O perjur'd Woman! they are both forfworn,
In this the Mad man juftly chargeth them.
E. Ant. My Liege, I am advifed what I fay,
Neither difturb'd with the Effect of Wine,
Nor heady-rash provok'd with raging Ire,
Albeit my Wrongs might make one wifer mad.
This Woman lock'd me out this Day from Dinner;
That Goldfmith there, were he not pack'd with her,
Could witness it; for he was with me then,
Who parted with me to go fetch a Chain,
Promifing to bring it to the Porcupine
Where Balthazar and I did dine together.
Our Dinner done, and he not coming thither,
I went to feck him; in the Street I met him,
And in his Company that Gentleman.
There did this perjur'd Goldsmith fwear me down,
That I this Day from him receiv'd the Chain,
Which God he knows, I faw not. For the which
He did arreft me with an Officer.
I did obey, and fent my P.fant home
For certain Duckets; he with none return'd.
Then fairly I befpoke the Officer
To go in Perfon with me to my House.
By th'way, we met my Wife, her Sifter, and a Rabble more
Of vil'd Confederates; along with them
They brought one Pinch, a hungry lean-fac'd Villain,
A meer Anatomy, a Mountebank,
A thread-bare Juggler, and a Fortune-teller,
A needy, hollow-ey'd, fharp-looking Wretch,
A living dead Man. This pernicious Slave
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