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The Comedie of Errors.

oABus Trimus , Scana Trima.

Enter the Duke of Ephefus, with the (Jlferchant of Sjracufa,Iajlor, and other attendants.

C Merchant.

Roceed Salima to procure my fall,

And by the doorae of death end vvoe.'jjnd all.

<Duke. Merchant of Siracufaplezd ho more.I am notpartiail to infringe our Lawes;

The enmitie and dil’cord which of late

Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your Duke,

To merchants our well-dealing Countrimen,

Who wanting gilders to redeeme their lives,

Have feal’d his rigorous ftatutes with their blouds,Excludes all pitty from our threatening lookes :

For fincethe mortall and inteftinc iarresTwixt thy feditious Countrimen and us,

It hath in folemne Synodes beene decreed,

Both by the Siraeufant and our felves,

T‘admit no tradicke to our adverfe townes:

Nay more,if any borne at EphefiaBefeene at any Siram(mn Marts and Faires :

Againe, if any Stracnlian borneCome to the Bay of Spbefus , he dies :

His goods confificate to the Dukes ciil’pof®,

Vnlefle a thouland markes be leviedToquitthe penalty, and ranlome him :

Thyfubftance, valued at the highcft rate,

Cannot amount unto a hundred Markes,

Therefore by Law thou art condemn’d to die.cflfir.Yet this my comfort,when your words arc done,My woes end likewife with the evening Sunne.

Dnk. WellS iracttjian j fay in briefe the cauleWhy thou departed!! from thy natiue home ?

And for what caufe thou cam’ll to Ephefus?

Mer. A heavier taske could not have beene impos’d,Then I to fpeake my gi iefe unfpeakeable:

Yet that the world may witnelfe, that my endWas wrought by nature, not by vile offence,

He utter what my forrow gives me leave.

In Sjracufa was I borne,and weddeVnto a woman,happy but for me;

And by me too,had not our hap beene bad:

With her I liv’d in joy, our wealth increaftBy prosperous voyages I often madeTo Epidamium , till my faftors death:

And he great ftore of goods at randone leaving,

Drew me from kinde embracements of my fpoufc;From vvhom my abfence was not fixe moneths olde,Betoreher felfe (almoft at fainting under

Thepleafing puniftiment that women beare )

Had made provifion for her following me.

And foone, and lafe arrived where I was .*

There had flienot beene long ,but fhe became’a joylull mother of two goodly fonnes :

And, which was ilrange, the one fo like the other,

As could not be diftinguifli’d but by names.

That very howre, and in the felfelame Inne,

A poore meane woman was deliveredOf fiich a burthen,Maletwins both alike:

Thofe, for their parents were exceeding poore,

I bought,and brought up to attend my fonnes.

My wife, not meanely proud of two luch boyes,

Made daily motions for our homeretume:

Vnwilling I agreed, alas, too loone we came aboord;

A league from Epidamium had we layldBefore the alwaies winde-obeying deepe .

Gave any tragicke Inltance of our harme :

But longer did we not retaine miich hope;

For what oblcured light the heavens did grant,

Did but convay unto our f earcfull mindesA doubtfull warrant of immediate death;

Which though my feife would gladly haveimbrac’d,Yet the inceflant weeping of my wife,

Weeping before for what fhe iawmuft come,

And pitteous playnings of the prety babesThat mourn’d for faflnon, ignorant what to feare,

Forft me to feeke delayes for them and me,

And this it was : (for other meanes was none)

The Sailors fought for fafety by our boate,

And left the fhip then finking-ripe to us.

My wife, more carefull for the latter borne,

Had fattened him unto a fmall fparc Matt,

Such as fea-faring men provide for ttormes:

To him one of the other twins was bound,

Whii’ft I had beene like heedful! of the othersThe children thus difpo’d, my wife and I,

Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fixt,

Faftned our felves at eythcr end the matt,

And floating ftraight, obedient to the ftreame,

Was carried towards Corinth, as we thought.

At length the Sunne gazing upon the earth,

Difperft thofe vapours that offended us,-And by the benefit of his witti’d lightThe feas waxe calme,and we difeovered•Two fliippes ftom farre,making amaine to us:

Of Corinth that, oiEpidaurta this ;

But ere they came, oh let me lay no more,

Gather the fequelL by that went before.

Duke. Nay forward old man, doe not breake off fo,H For