To quit the penalty, and ransom him.
Thy substance, valu'd at the highest rate,
Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;
Therefore by law thou art condemn'd to die.
Ægeon. Yet 'tis my comfort, when your words are done, My woes end likewife with the evening fun.
Duke. Well, Syracufan, say in brief the cause,
Why thou departed'st from thy native home ;
And for what cause thou cam'st to Ephefus.
Ægeon. A heavier task could not have been impos'd,
Than I to speak my grief unspeakable :
Yet that the world may witness that my end
Was wrought by nature *, not by vile offence,
I'll utter what my forrow gives me leave.
In Syracufa was I born, and wed
Unto a woman, happy but for me,
And by me too, had not our hap been bad:
With her I liv'd in joy, our wealth increas'd
By profperous voyages I often made
To Epidamnum, 'till my factor's death;
And he great store of goods at random leaving,
Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse;
From whom my absence was not fix months old,
Before her felf (almost at fainting under
The pleasing punishment that women bear)
Had made provision for her following me,
And foon and safe arrived where I was.
There she had not been long, but the became
A joyful mother of two goodly fons;
And, which was strange, the one so like the other,
As could not be distinguish'd but by names.
That very hour, and in the self-fame inn,
A poor mean woman was delivered
Of such a burthen, male-twins both alike:
Those (for their parents were exceeding poor)
I bought, and brought up to attend my fons.
My wife, not meanly proud of two fuch boys,
Made daily motions for our home return:
Unwilling I agreed; alas, too soon!
That is, by a natural event, by the course of providence.
A league from Epidamnum had we fail'd,
Before the always-wind-obeying deep
Gave any tragick instance of our harm;
But longer did we not retain much hope:
For what obfcured light the heav'ns did grant,
Did but convey unto our fearful minds
A doubtful warrant of immediate death;
Which tho' my felf would gladly have embrac'd,
Yet the inceffant weeping of my wife,
Weeping before for what she saw must come,
And piteous plainings of the pretty babes
That mourn'd for fashion, ignorant what to fear,
Forc'd me to feek delays for them and me:
And this it was; (for other means were none.)
The failors fought for fafety by our boat,
And left the ship then finking-ripe to us;
My wife, more careful for the elder born,
Had fasten'd him unto a small spare mast,
Such as fea-faring men provide for storms;
To him one of the other twins was bound,
Whilst I had been like heedful of the other.
The children thus dispos'd, my wife and I,
Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fixt,
Fasten'd our selves at th' end of either maft,
And floating straight, obedient to the stream,
Were carry'd towards Corinth, as we thought.
At length the fun gazing upon the earth
Disperst those vapours that offended us;
And by the benefit of his wifh'd light
The seas wax'd calm, and we discovered
Two ships from får making amain to us,
Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this;
But ere they came oh, let me say no more;
Gather the sequel by that went before.
Duke. Nay, forward, old man, do not break off fo;
For we may pity, tho' not pardon thee.
Ageon. Oh, had the Gods done so, I had not now
Werthily team'd them merciless to us;
For ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues,
VOL. II.
We were encountred by a mighty rock;
Which being violently born upon,
Our helpless ship was splitted in the midst:
So that in this unjust divorce of us
Fortune had left to both of us alike
What to delight in, what to forrow for.
Her part, poor foul! seeming as burdened
With leffer weight, but not with leffer wo,
Was carry'd with more speed before the wind,
And in our fight they three were taken up
By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.
At length the other ship had feiz'd on us;
And knowing whom it was their hap to fave,
Gave helpful welcome to their shipwreck'd guests,
And would have 'reft the fishers of their prey,
Had not their bark been very flow of fail;
And therefore homeward did they bend their course.
Thus have you heard me fever'd from my bliss,
Thus by misfortunes was my life prolong'd,
To tell fad stories of my own mishaps.
Duke. And for the fakes of them thou forrow'st for,
Do me the favour to dilate at full
What hath befall'n of them and thee 'till now.
Ageon. My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care,
At eighteen years became inquifitive
After his brother, and importun'd me,
That his attendant, (for his cafe was like,
'Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name,)
Might bear him company in quest of him:
Whom whilst I labour'd of a love to fee,
Ihazarded the lofs of whom I lov'd.
Five fummers have I fpent in farthest Greece,
Roaming clean through the bounds of Afia,
And coafting homeward, came to Ephesus:
Hopeless to find, yet loth to leave unfought
Or that, or any place that harbours men.
But here muft end the story of my life;
And happy were I in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me they live.
Duke, Hapless Ægeon, whom the fates have markt
To bear th' extremity of dire mishap;
Now truft me, were it not againft our laws,
Which Princes, would they, may not disannul,
Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,
My foul should fue as advocate for thee.
But tho' thou art adjudged to the death,
And passed sentence may not be recall'd,
But to our honour's great difparagement,
Yet will I favour thee in what I can ;
I therefore, merchant, limit thee this day
To feek thy life by beneficial help:
Try all the friends thou hast in Ephesus,
Beg thou, or borrow to make up the fum,
And live; if not, then thou art doom'd to die:
Jailor, now take him to thy custody.
Jail. I will, my lord.
Ageon. Hopeless and helpless doth Ægeon wend,
But to procraftinate his liveless end.
SCENE II. The Street.
Enter Antipholis of Syracuse, a Merchant, and Dromio
Mer. Therefore give out, you are of Epidamnum,
Left that your goods too foon be confiscate.
This very day a Syracufan merchant
Is apprehended for arrival here;
And not being able to buy out his life,
According to the statute of the town,
Dies ere the weary fun fet in the west:
There is your mony that I had to keep.
Ant. Go bear it to the Centaur, where we hoft,
And stay there, Dromio, 'till I come to thee :
Within this hour it will be dinner-time,
'Till that I'll view the manners of the town,
Peruse the traders, gaze upon the buildings,
And then return and fleep within mine inn;
For with long travel I am stiff and weary.
Get thee away.
Dro. Many a man would take you at your word,
And go indeed, having so good a means.
Ant. A trusty villain, Sir, that very oft, When I am dull with care and melancholy,
Lightens my humour with his merry jests.
What, will you walk with me about the town,
And then go to the inn and dine with me?
Mer. I'am invited, Sir, to certain merchants,
Of whom I hope to make much benefit :
I crave your pardon. Scon at five a clock,
Please you, I'll meet with you upon the mart,
And afterward confort with you 'till bed-time:
My present business calls me from you now.
Ant. Farewel 'till then; I will go lose my self,
And wander up and down to view the city.
Mer. Sir, I commend you to your own content. [Ex. Mer.
Ant. He that commends me to my own content,
Commends me to the thing I cannot get.
I to the world am like a drop of water,
That in the ocean seeks another drop,
Who falling there to find his fellow forth,
Unseen, inquifitive, confounds himself:
So I, to find a mother and a brother,.
In quest of them, unhappy, lose my self.
Enter Dromio of Ephefus.
Here comes the almanack of my true date.
What now? how chance thou art return'd so soon ?
E. Dro. Return'd so soon! rather approach'd too late :
The capon burns, the pig falls from the spit,
The clock has strucken twelve upon the bell;
My mistress made it one upon my cheek;
She is so hot because the meat is cold;
The meat is cold because you come not home;
You come not home because you have no ftomach;
You have no ftomach having broke your faft:
But we that know what 'tis to faft and pray,
Are penitent for your default to-day.
Atn. Stop in your wind, Sir; tell me this, I pray,
Where you have left the mony that I gave you ?
E. Dro. Oh, fix pence that I had a Wednesday last,
To pay the sadler for my mistress' crupper ?
The fadler had it, Sir; I kept it not.
Ant. I am not in a sportive hunsour now;
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