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A Public Place. | |
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Enter Second Merchant, ANGELO, and an Officer. | |
| Mer. You know since Pentecost the sum is due, | |
| And since I have not much importun’d you; | |
| Nor now I had not, but that I am bound | 5 |
| To Persia, and want guilders for my voyage: | |
| Therefore make present satisfaction, | |
| Or I’ll attach you by this officer. | |
| Ang. Even just the sum that I do owe to you | |
| Is growing to me by Antipholus; | 10 |
| And in the instant that I met with you | |
| He had of me a chain: at five o’clock | |
| I shall receive the money for the same. | |
| Pleaseth you walk with me down to his house, | |
| I will discharge my bond, and thank you too. | 15 |
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Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus and DROMIO of Ephesus from the Courtezan’s. | |
| Off. That labour may you save: see where he comes. | |
| Ant. E. While I go to the goldsmith’s house, go thou | |
| And buy a rope’s end, that I will bestow | |
| Among my wife and her confederates, | 20 |
| For locking me out of my doors by day. | |
| But soft! I see the goldsmith. Get thee gone; | |
| Buy thou a rope, and bring it home to me. | |
| Dro. E. I buy a thousand pound a year: I buy a rope! [Exit. | |
| Ant. E. A man is well holp up that trusts to you: | 25 |
| I promised your presence and the chain; | |
| But neither chain nor goldsmith 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 | 30 |
| How much your chain weighs to the utmost carat. | |
| The fineness of the gold, and chargeful fashion, | |
| Which doth amount to three odd ducats more | |
| Than I stand debted to this gentleman: | |
| I pray you see him presently discharg’d, | 35 |
| For he is bound to sea and stays but for it. | |
| Ant. E. I am not furnish’d with the present money; | |
| Besides, I have some business in the town. | |
| Good signior, take the stranger to my house, | |
| And with you take the chain, and bid my wife | 40 |
| Disburse the sum on the receipt thereof: | |
| Perchance I will be there as soon as you. | |
| Ang. Then, you will bring the chain to her yourself? | |
| Ant. E. No; bear it with you, lest I come not time enough. | |
| Ang. Well, sir, I will. Have you the chain about you? | 45 |
| Ant. E. An if I have not, sir, I hope you have, | |
| Or else you may return without your money. | |
| Ang. Nay, come, I pray you, sir, give me the chain: | |
| Both wind and tide stays for this gentleman, | |
| And I, to blame, have held him here too long. | 50 |
| Ant. E. Good Lord! you use this dalliance to excuse | |
| Your breach of promise to the Propentine. | |
| I should have chid you for not bringing it, | |
| But, like a shrew, you first begin to brawl. | |
| Mer. The hour steals on; I pray you, sir, dispatch. | 55 |
| Ang. You hear how he importunes me: the chain! | |
| Ant. E. Why, give it to my wife and fetch your money. | |
| Ang. Come, come; you know I gave it you even now. | |
| Either send the chain or send by me some token. | |
| Ant. E. Fie! now you run this humour out of breath. | 60 |
| Come, where’s the chain? I pray you, let me see it. | |
| Mer. My business cannot brook this dalliance. | |
| Good sir, say whe’r you’ll answer me or no: | |
| If not, I’ll leave him to the officer. | |
| Ant. E. I answer you! what should I answer you? | 65 |
| 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 since. | |
| Ant. E. You gave me none: you wrong me much to say so. | |
| Ang. You wrong me more, sir, in denying it: | 70 |
| Consider how it stands upon my credit. | |
| Mer. Well, officer, arrest him at my suit. | |
| Off. I do; | |
| And charge you in the duke’s name to obey me. | |
| Ang. This touches me in reputation. | 75 |
| Either consent to pay this sum for me, | |
| Or I attach you by this officer. | |
| Ant. E. Consent to pay thee that I never had! | |
| Arrest me, foolish fellow, if thou dar’st. | |
| Ang. Here is thy fee: arrest him, officer. | 80 |
| I would not spare my brother in this case, | |
| If he should scorn me so apparently. | |
| Off. I do arrest you, sir: you hear the suit. | |
| Ant. E. I do obey thee till I give thee bail. | |
| But, sirrah, you shall buy this sport as dear | 85 |
| As all the metal in your shop will answer. | |
| Ang. Sir, sir, I shall have law in Ephesus, | |
| To your notorious shame, I doubt it not. | |
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Enter DROMIO of Syracuse. | |
| Dro. S. Master, there is a bark of Epidamnum | 90 |
| That stays but till her owner comes aboard, | |
| And then she bears away. Our fraughtage, sir, | |
| I have convey’d aboard, and I have bought | |
| The oil, the balsamum, and aqua-vitæ. | |
| The ship is in her trim; the merry wind | 95 |
| 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 sheep, | |
| What ship of Epidamnum stays for me? | |
| Dro. S. A ship you sent me to, to hire waftage. | 100 |
| Ant. E. Thou drunken slave, I sent thee for a rope; | |
| And told thee to what purpose, and what end. | |
| Dro. S. You sent me for a rope’s end as soon: | |
| You sent me to the bay, sir, for a bark. | |
| Ant. E. I will debate this matter at more leisure, | 105 |
| And teach your ears to list me with more heed. | |
| To Adriana, villain, hie thee straight; | |
| Give her this key, and tell her, in the desk | |
| That’s cover’d o’er with Turkish tapestry, | |
| There is a purse of ducats: let her send it. | 110 |
| Tell her I am arrested in the street, | |
| And that shall bail me. Hie thee, slave, be gone! | |
| On, officer, to prison till it come. [Exeunt Merchant, ANGELO, Officer, and ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus. | |
| Dro. S. To Adriana! that is where we din’d, | |
| Where Dowsabel did claim me for her husband: | 115 |
| She is too big, I hope, for me to compass. | |
| Thither I must, although against my will, | |
| For servants must their masters’ minds fulfil. [Exit. | |
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