ANG. Even juft the fum, that I do owe to you, Is growing to me by Antipholus: And, in the instant that I met with you, He had of me again; at five o'clock, I fhall receive the money for the fame: Pleaseth you walk with me down to his house, I will difcharge my bond, and thank you too.

Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Ephefus, and DROMIO of Ephesus.

OFF. That labour may you fave; fee where he

comes.

ANT. E. While I go to the goldfmith's houfe, go

thou

And buy a rope's end; that will I bestow
Among my wife and her confederates,3
For locking me out of my doors by day.-
But foft, I see the goldfmith:-get thee gone;
Buy thou a rope, and bring it home to me.

DRO. E. I buy a thoufand pound a year! I buy a rope! [Exit DROMIO. ANT. E. A man is well holp up, that trufts to you: I promised your prefence, and the chain;

But neither chain, nor goldfmith, came to me: Belike, you thought our love would last too long, If it were chain'd together; and therefore came not.

ANG. Saving your merry humour, here's the note, How much your chain weighs to the utmost carrat; The fineness of the gold, and chargeful fashion;

3

Is growing to me-] i. e. accruing to me. STEEVENS. —and her confederates,] The old copy has—their confederates. The emendation was made by Mr. Rowe. MALONE.

Which doth amount to three odd ducats more
Than I ftand debted to this gentleman:

I pray you, fee him presently discharg'd,
For he is bound to fea, and ftays but for it.

ANT. E. I am not furnish'd with the prefent

money;

Befides, I have some business in the town:
Good fignior, take the stranger to my house,
And with you take the chain, and bid my wife
Disburse the fum on the receipt thereof;
Perchance, I will be there as foon as you.4

ANG. Then you will bring the chain to her your-
felf?

ANT. E. No; bear't with you, left I come not time enough.

ANG. Well, fir, I will: Have you the chain about you?

ANT. E. An if I have not, fir, I hope you have; Or else you may return without your money.

ANG. Nay, come, I pray you, fir, give me the
chain;

Both wind and tide stays for this gentleman,
And I, to blame, have held him here too long.
ANT. E. Good lord, you use this dalliance, to
excufe

Your breach of promife to the Porcupine:
I should have chid you for not bringing it,
But, like a fhrew, you first begin to brawl.

MER.The hour steals on; I pray you, fir, despatch. ANG. You hear, how he impórtunes me; the chain

4 Perchance, I will be there as foon as you.] I will, instead of I Ball, is a Scoticism. DOUCE.

And an Irifhifm too. REED.

ANT. E. Why, give it to my wife, and fetch your money.

ANG. Come, come, you know, I gave it you even

now;

Either fend the chain, or fend me by fome token. ANT. E. Fie! now you run this humour out of

breath:

Come, where's the chain? I pray you, let me fee it.
MER. My business cannot brook this dalliance:
Good fir, fay, whe'r you'll answer me, or no;
If not, I'll leave him to the officer.

ANT.E. I anfwer you! What should I answer you?
ANG. The money, that you owe me for the chain.
ANT. E. I owe you none, till I receive the chain.
ANG. You know, I gave it you half an hour fince.
ANT. E. You gave me none; you wrong me much
to fay fo.

ANG. You wrong me more, fir, in denying it: Confider, how it ftands upon my credit.

MER. Well officer, arreft him at my fuit.

OFF. I do; and charge you, in the duke's name, to obey me.

ANG. This touches me in reputation:--
Either confent to pay this fum for me,
Or I attach you by this officer.

ANT. E. Confent to pay thee that I never had! Arreft me, foolish fellow, if thou dar'st.

ANG. Here is thy fee; arreft him officer;-
I would not spare my brother in this case,
If he should fcorn me fo apparently.

OFF. I do arreft you, fir; you hear the fuit.
ANT. E. I do obey thee, till I give thee bail :-

But, firrah, you fhall buy this fport as dear
As all the metal in your shop will answer.

ANG. Sir, fir, I fhall have law in Ephefus,
To your notorious fhame, I doubt it not.

Enter DROMIO of Syracufe.

DRO. S. Mafter, there is a bark of Epidamnum, That stays but till her owner comes aboard, And then, fir, bears away: our fraughtage, fir, I have convey'd aboard; and I have bought The oil, the balfamum, and aqua-vitæ. The ship is in her trim; the merry wind Blows fair from land: they stay for nought at all, But for their owner, master, and yourself.

ANT.E. How now! a madman! Why thou peevish fheep,'

What ship of Epidamnum ftays for me?

DRO. S. A fhip you fent me to, to hire waftage. ANT. E.Thou drunken flave, I fent thee for a rope; And told thee to what purpose, and what end.

DRO. S. You fent me, fir, for a rope's-end as foon: "

And then, fir, bears away:] The old copy redundantly reads-
And then, fir, she bears away: STEEVENS,

- thou peevish beep,] Peevifh is filly. So, in Cymbeline :
"Defire my man's abode where I did leave him:
"He's ftrange and peevish."

See a note on Act I. fc. vii. STEEVENS.

6 You fent me, fir, for a ropes-end as foon:] Mr. Malone fays that Ropes is here a diffyllable; the Saxon genitive cafe; but a Saxon genitive cafe accords better with one of Puck's lyrical effufions, [See Vol. V. p. 29.] than with the vulgar pronunciation of Dromio.-I fuppofe, a word has been cafually omitted in the old copy, and that we should read as I have printed. So, above, the fame fpeaker says—

And then, fir, bears away: our fraughtage, fir-."

You fent me to the bay, fir, for a bark.

ANT. E. I will debate this matter at more leifure, And teach your ears to liften with more heed. To Adriana, villain, hie thee ftraight; Give her this key, and tell her, in the desk That's cover'd o'er with Turkish tapestry, There is a purfe of ducats; let her fend it; Tell her, I am arrested in the street, And that fhall bail me: hie thee, flave; be gone. On, officer, to prifon till it come.

[Exeunt Merchant, ANGELO, Officer, and ANT. E. DRO. S. To Adriana! that is where we din'd, Where Dowfabel' did claim me for her husband: She is too big, I hope, for me to compass. Thither I muft, although against my will, For fervants muft their masters' minds fulfil. [Exit.

SCENE II.

The fame.

Enter ADRIANA and LUCIANA.

ADR. Ah, Luciana, did he tempt thee so? Might'ft thou perceive aufterely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?

Look'd he or red, or pale; or fad, or merrily? What observation mad'ft thou in this cafe, Of his heart's meteors tilting in his face?

↑ Where Dowfabel

Paftorals:

-] This name occurs in one of Drayton's

"He had, as antique ftories tell,

"A daughter cleaped Dowfabel," &c. STEEVENS.

meteors tilting in his face?] Alluding to those meteors in

the sky, which have the appearance of lines of armies meeting in