Home to my house. O most unhappy day!
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS O most unhappy strumpet!
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
Master, I am here entered in bond for you.
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS
Out on thee, villain! Wherefore dost thou mad me?
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
Will you be bound for nothing? Be mad, good master—
Cry, ‘The devil!’
LUCIANA
God help, poor souls, how idly do they talk!
ADRIANA
Go bear him hence. Sister, go you with me.
Exeunt ⌈into the Phoenix⌉, Pinch and others carrying off Antipholus of Ephesus and Dromio of Ephesus. The Officer, Adriana, Luciana, and the Courtesan remain
(To the Officer) Say now, whose suit is he arrested at?
OFFICER
One Angelo, a goldsmith. Do you know him?
ADRIANA
I know the man. What is the sum he owes?
OFFICER
Two hundred ducats.
ADRIANA
Say, how grows it due?
OFFICER
Due for a chain your husband had of him.
ADRIANA
He did bespeak a chain for me, but had it not.
COURTESAN
Whenas your husband all in rage today
Came to my house, and took away my ring—
The ring I saw upon his finger now—
Straight after did I meet him with a chain.
ADRIANA
It may be so, but I did never see it.
Come, jailer, bring me where the goldsmith is.
I long to know the truth hereof at large.
Enter Antipholus of Syracuse (wearing the chain) and Dromio of Syracuse with their rapiers drawn
LUCIANA
God, for thy mercy, they are loose again!
ADRIANA
And come with naked swords. Let’s call more help
To have them bound again.
OFFICER
Away, they’ll kill us!
All but Antipholus and Dromio run out, as fast as may be, frighted
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
I see these witches are afraid of swords.
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE
She that would be your wife now ran from you.
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
Come to the Centaur. Fetch our stuff from thence.
I long that we were safe and sound aboard.
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE Faith, stay here this night. They will surely do us no harm. You saw they speak us fair, give us gold. Methinks they are such a gentle nation that, but for the mountain of mad flesh that claims marriage of me, I could find in my heart to stay here still, and turn witch.
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
I will not stay tonight for all the town.
Therefore away, to get our stuff aboard.
Exeunt
![William Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition _66.jpg](https://litlife.club/books/248589/read/images/_66.jpg)
5.1 Enter Second Merchant and Angelo the goldsmith
ANGELO
I am sorry, sir, that I have hindered you,
But I protest he had the chain of me,
Though most dishonestly he doth deny it.
SECOND MERCHANT
How is the man esteemed here in the city?
ANGELO
Of very reverend reputation, sir,
Of credit infinite, highly beloved,
Second to none that lives here in the city.
His word might bear my wealth at any time.
SECOND MERCHANT
Speak softly. Yonder, as I think, he walks.
Enter Antipholus of Syracuse, wearing the chain, and Dromio of Syracuse again
ANGELO
‘Tis so, and that self chain about his neck
Which he forswore most monstrously to have.
Good sir, draw near to me. I’ll speak to him.—
Signor Antipholus, I wonder much
That you would put me to this shame and trouble,
And not without some scandal to yourself,
With circumstance and oaths so to deny
This chain, which now you wear so openly.
Beside the charge, the shame, imprisonment,
You have done wrong to this my honest friend,
Who, but for staying on our controversy,
Had hoisted sail and put to sea today.
This chain you had of me. Can you deny it?
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
I think I had. I never did deny it.
SECOND MERCHANT
Yes, that you did, sir, and forswore it too.
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
Who heard me to deny it or forswear it?
SECOND MERCHANT
These ears of mine, thou know‘st, did hear thee.
Fie on thee, wretch! ’Tis pity that thou liv’st
To walk where any honest men resort.
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
Thou art a villain to impeach me thus.
I’ll prove mine honour and mine honesty
Against thee presently, if thou dar’st stand.
SECOND MERCHANT
I dare, and do defy thee for a villain.
They draw. Enter Adriana, Luciana, Courtesan, and others ⌈from the Phoenix⌉
ADRIANA
Hold, hurt him not, for God’s sake; he is mad.
Some get within him, take his sword away.
Bind Dromio too, and bear them to my house.
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE
Run, master, run! For God’s sake take a house.
This is some priory—in, or we are spoiled.
Exeunt Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse to the priory
Enter ⌈from the priory⌉ the Lady Abbess
ABBESS
Be quiet, people. Wherefore throng you hither?
ADRIANA
To fetch my poor distracted husband hence.
Let us come in, that we may bind him fast,
And bear him home for his recovery.
ANGELO
I knew he was not in his perfect wits.
SECOND MERCHANT
I am sorry now that I did draw on him.
ABBESS
How long hath this possession held the man?
ADRIANA
This week he hath been heavy, sour, sad,
And much, much different from the man he was;
But till this afternoon his passion
Ne’er brake into extremity of rage.
ABBESS
Hath he not lost much wealth by wreck at sea?
Buried some dear friend?Hath not else his eye
Strayed his affection in unlawful love—
A sin prevailing much in youthful men,
Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing?
Which of these sorrows is he subject to?
ADRIANA
To none of these, except it be the last,
Namely some love that drew him oft from home.
ABBESS
You should for that have reprehended him.
ADRIANA
Why, so I did.
ABBESS Ay, but not rough enough.
ADRIANA
As roughly as my modesty would let me.
ABBESS Haply in private.