Imatges de pàgina
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Sleeping or waking? mad, or well-advis'd?
Known unto these, and to myself disguis'd?
I'll say as they say, and persever so,

And in this mist, at all adventures, go.

Dro. S. Master, shall I be porter at the gate?

Adr. Ay; and let none enter, lest I break your

pate.

Luc. Come, come, Antipholus; we dine too late. [Exeunt.

ACT III.

SCENE I. - Before the House of ANTIPHOLUS.

Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus, DROMIO of Ephesus, ANGELO, and BALTHAZAR.

G

OOD

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS.

Signior Angelo, you must excuse us all;
☑ 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 carcanet,

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?

Dro. E. Say what you will, sir, but I know what

I know.

That you beat me at the mart, I have your hand to

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If the skin were parchment, and the blows you gave

were ink,

Your own hand-writing would tell you what I think.

Ant. E. I think thou art an ass.
Dro. E.

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

ass.

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

May answer my good-will, and your good welcome here.

Bal. I hold your dainties cheap, sir, and your welcome dear.

Ant. E. O, Signior Balthazar, either at flesh or fish,

A table-full of welcome makes scarce one dainty dish. Bal. Good meat, sir, is common; that every churl

affords.

Ant. E. And welcome more common, for that's nothing but words.

Bal. Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.

Ant. E. Ay, to a niggardly host, and more sparing guest:

But though my cates be mean, take them in good part;

Better cheer may you have, but not with better heart. But soft! my door is lock'd. Go bid them let us in. Dro. E. Maud, Bridget, Marian, Cicely, Gillian,

Gin'!

Dro. S. [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.

Dro. E. What patch is made our porter ? master stays in the street.

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Dro. S. Let him walk from whence he came, lest he catch cold on 's feet.

Ant. E. Who talks within there? hoa! open the door.

Dro. S. Right, sir: I'll tell you when, an you'll tell me wherefore.

Ant. E. Wherefore? for my dinner: I have not din'd to-day.

Dro. S. Nor to-day here you must not, come again when you may.

Ant. E. What art thou, that keep'st me out from the house I owe?

Dro. S. The porter for this time, sir; and my name is Dromio.

Dro. E. O villain! thou hast stolen both mine office and my name:

The one ne'er got me credit, the other mickle blame.

If thou hadst been Dromio to-day in my place, Thou would'st have chang'd thy face for a name, or

thy name for a face.

Luce. [Within.] What a coil is there, Dromio : who are those at the gate?

Dro. E. Let my master in, Luce.

Luce.

Faith, no; he comes too late;

And so tell your master.
Dro. E.

O Lord! I must laugh: Have at you with a proverb. -- Shall I set in my

staff

Luce. Have at you with another: that's when? can you tell?

Dro. S. If thy name be called Luce, Luce, thou hast answer'd him well.

Ant. E. Do you hear, you minion? you'll let us

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Dro. E. So; come, help! well struck; there was

blow for blow.

Ant. E. Thou baggage, let me in.
Luce.

Can you tell for whose sake?

Dro. E. Master, knock the door hard.

Luce.

Let him knock till it ache.

Ant. E. You'll cry for this, minion, if I beat the

door down.

Luce. What needs all that, and a pair of stocks in the town?

Adr. [Within.] Who is that at the door, that keeps all this noise ?

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

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

Adr. Your wife, sir knave? go, get you from the door.

Dro. E. If you went in pain, master, this knave would go sore.

Ang. Here is neither cheer, sir, nor welcome: we would fain have either.

Bal. In debating which was best, we shall part with neither.

Dro. E. They stand at the door, master: bid them welcome hither.

Ant. E. There is something in the wind, that we cannot get in.

Dro. E. You would say so, master, if your garments were thin.

Your cake here is warm within; you stand here in the cold :

It would make a man mad as a buck to be so bought and sold.

Ant. E. Go, fetch me something: I'll break ope the gate.

Dro. S. Break any breaking here, and I'll break your knave's pate.

Dro. E. A man may break a word with you, sir, and words are but wind;

Ay, and break it in your face, so he break it not behind.

Dro. S. It seems, thou want'st breaking. Out upon thee, hind!

Dro. E. Here's too much out upon thee! I pray thee, let me in.

Dro. S. Ay, when fowls have no feathers, and fish have no fin.

Ant. E. Well, I'll break in. Go, borrow me a crow. Dro. E. A crow without feather? master, mean you so ?

For a fish without a fin, there's a fowl without a feather.

If a crow help us in, sirrah, we'll pluck a crow together.

Ant. E. Go, get thee gone fetch me an iron crow.
Bal. Have patience, sir; O! let it not be so:

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,

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