At eighteen years became inquifitive
After his brother; and impórtun'd me,
That his attendant, (for his cafe was like,*
Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name,)
Might bear him company in the queft of him:
Whom whilft I labour'd of a love to fee,
I hazarded the lofs of whom I lov'd.
Five fummers have I spent in furtheft Greece,
Roaming clean through the bounds of Afia,'
And, coafting homeward, came to Ephefus;
Hopeless to find, yet loth to leave unfought,
Or that, or any place that harbours men.
But here must end the story of my life;
And happy were I in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me they live.

DUKE. Haplefs Ægeon, whom the fates have mark'd

To bear the extremity of dire mifhap!
Now, truft me, were it not against our laws,
Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,

been guilty of a little forgetfulnefs. Egeon had faid, page 214, that the youngest jon was that which his wife had taken care of:

My wife, more careful for the latter-born,
"Had faften'd him unto a small spare mast."

He himself did the fame by the other; and then each, fixing their eyes on whom their care was fixed, faftened themselves at either end of the maft. M. MASON.

- for his cafe was like,] The original copy has his. The emendation was made by the editor of the fecond folio. MALONE. 3 Roaming clean through the bounds of Afia,] In the northern. parts of England this word is ftill ufed inftead of quite, fully, perfectly, completely. So, in Coriolanus:

This is clean kam."

Again, in Julius Cæfar:

Clean from the purpofe of the things themselves."

The reader will likewife find it in the 77th Pfalm. STEEVENS.

Which princes, would they, may not difannul,
My foul fhould fue as advocate for thee.
But, though thou art adjudged to the death,
And paffed fentence may not be recall'd,
But to our honour's great difparagement,
Yet will I favour thee in what I can:

4

Therefore, merchant, I'll limit thee this day,
To feek thy help by beneficial help:
Try all the friends thou haft in Ephefus;
Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the fum,
And live; if not, then thou art doom'd to die:-
Gaoler, take him to thy cuftody.

GAOL. I will, my lord.

ÆGE. Hopeless, and helpless, dothÆgeon wend," But to procraftinate his lifelefs end.

4

[Exeunt.

help] Mr. Pope and fome other modern editors read-To feek thy life, &c. But the jingle has much of Shakfpeare's manner. MALONE.

To feek thy life, can hardly be the true reading, for, in ancient language, it fignifies a bafe endeavour to take life away. Thus, Antonio fays of Shylock,

"He feeks my life."

I believe, therefore, the word-help, was accidentally repeated by the compofitor, and that our author wrote,

To feek thy help by beneficial means.

STEEVENS.

5 —if not,] Old copy-no. Corrected in the fecond folio. MALONE.

6 -wend,] i. e. go. An obfolete word. So, in A MidJummer-Night's Dream:

"And back to Athens fhall the lovers wend." STEEVENS.

SCENE II.

A publick Place.

Enter ANTIPHOLUS and DROMIO of Syracufe, and a Merchant.

MER.Therefore, give out, you are of Epidamnum, Left that your goods too foon be confifcate. This very day, a Syracufan merchant

Is apprehended for arrival here;

And, not being able to buy out his life,
According to the ftatute of the town,
Dies ere the weary fun fet in the west.
There is your money that I had to keep.

ANT. S. Go bear it to the Centaur, where we hoft, And stay there, Dromio, till I come to thee, Within this hour it will be dinnertime:

Till that, I'll view the manners of the town,
Perufe 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. S. Many a man would take you at your word, And go indeed, having fo good a mean. [Exit DRO. S.

ANT. S. A trufty villain,' fir; that very oft, When I am dull with care and melancholy, Lightens my humour with his merry jefts. What, will you walk with me about the town, And then go to my inn, and dine with me? MER. I am invited, fir, to certain merchants,

A trufy villain,] i. e. fervant. DOUCE.

8

Of whom I hope to make much benefit;
I crave your pardon. Soon, at five o'clock,
Please you, I'll meet with you upon the mart,
And afterwards confort you till bed-time;
My present business calls me from you now.
ANT. S. Farewell till then I will go lofe myself,
And wander up and down, to view the city.

MER. Sir, I commend you to your own content. [Exit Merchant.

ANT. S. He that commends me to mine own con

tent,

Commends me to the thing I cannot get.
I to the world am like a drop of water,
That in the ocean feeks another drop;
Who, falling there to find his fellow forth,
Unfeen, inquifitive, confounds himself:
So I, to find a mother, and a brother,
In queft of them, unhappy, lose myself.

Enter DROMIO of Ephefus.

Here comes the almanack of my true date.What now? How chance, thou art return'd fo foon? DRO. E. Return'd fo foon! rather approach'd

too late :

And afterwards confort you till bed-time;] We fhould read, I believe,

And afterwards confort with you till bed-time.

So, in Romeo and Juliet:

"Mercutio, thou confort'ft with Romeo." MALONE. There is no need of emendation. The old reading is fupported by the following paffage in Love's Labour's Loft, Act II. fc. i. "Sweet health and fair defires confort your grace."

Again, in Romeo and Juliet:

"Thou wretched boy, that didft confort him here—.”

The capon burns, the pig falls from the fpit;
The clock hath ftrucken twelve upon the bell,
My mistress made it one upon my cheek:
She is fo hot, becaufe 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 fast;
But we, that know what 'tis to faft and pray,
Are penitent for your default to-day.

ANT. S. Scop in your wind, fir; tell me this, I

pray;

Where have you left the money that I gave you? DRO. E. 0,-fix-pence, that I had o' Wednesday laft,

To pay the faddler for my miftrefs' crupper ;-
The faddler had it, fir, I kept it not.

ANT. S. I am not in a sportive humour now:
Tell me, and dally not, where is the money?
We being strangers here, how dar'ft thou truft
So great a charge from thine own cuftody?

DRO. E. I pray you, jeft, fir, as you fit at dinner : I from my miftrefs come to you in post;

If I return, I fhall be poft indeed;

For she will score your fault upon my pate."

I fhall be poft indeed;

For he will feare your fault upon my pate.] Perhaps before writing was a general accomplishment, a kind of rough reckoning concerning wares iffued out of a fhop, was kept by chalk or notches on a poft, till it could be entered on the books of a trader. So Kitely the merchant making his jealous enquiries concerning the familiarities ufed to his wife, Cob anfwers :

if I faw any body to be kifs'd, unless they would have kifs'd the poft in the middle of the warehouse," &c. STEEVENS. So, in Every Woman in her Humour, 1609" Hoft. Out of my doors, knave, thou enterest not my doors; I have no chalk in my houfe; my posts fhall not be guarded with a little fing-fong."

MALONE.

t