Dramatis Perfonæ.

SALINUS, Duke of Ephefus.
Ægeon, a Merchant of Syracuse.

Antipholis of Ephefus, Twin-Brothers, and Sons to

Antipholis of Syracufe,

Egeon and Emilia, but

unknown to each other.

Dromio of Ephefus, Tavin-Brothers, and Slaves to the

Balthazar, a Merchant.

Angelo, a Goldsmith.

A Merchant, a Friend to Antipholis of Syracufe.
Dr. Pinch, a School-mafter and a Conjurer.

Emilia, Wife to Egeon, an Abbels at Ephefus.
Adriana, Wife to Antipholis af Ephesus.
Luciana, Sifter to Adriana.

Luce, Servant to Adriana.

Failer, Officers, and other Attendants.

SCENE, Ephefus.

This Play is taken from the Menæchmi of Plautus.

THE

THE

COMEDY of ERRORS.

ACT I.

SCENE I.

The Duke's Palace.

Enter the Duke of Ephefus, Egeon, Failor, and other Attendants.

P

ÆGEON.

ROCEED, Salinus, to procure my fall,
And by the doom of death end woes and all.
Duke. Merchant of Syracula, plead no more;
I am not partial to infringe our laws:

The enmity, and difcord, which of late
Sprung from the ranc'rous outrage of your Duke,
To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen,
(Who, wanting gilders to redeem their lives,
Have feal'd his rigorous ftatutes with their bloods)
Excludes all pity from our threatning looks.
For, fince the mortal and inteftine jars
"Twixt thy feditious countrymen and us,
It hath in folemn fynods been decreed,
Both by the Syracufans and ourfelves,
T'admit no traffick to our adverse towns.

Nay, more; if any born at Ephesus
Be feen at Syracufan marts and fairs,
Again, if any Syracufan born

Come to the bay of Ephefus, he dies:
His goods confifcate to the Duke's difpofe,
Unless a thousand marks be levied
To quit the penalty, and ranfom him.

Thy

Thy fubftance, valu'd at the highest rate,
Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;
Therefore, by law thou art condemn'd to die.
Egeon. Yet this my comfort, when your words are
done,

My woes end likewife with the evening fun.

Duke. Well, Syracufan, fay, in brief, the caufe,
Why thou departedft from thy native home
And for what cause thou cam'ft to Ephesis?

;

Egeon. A heavier talk could not have been impos'd, Than I to speak my grief unfpeakable:

Yet that the world may witnefs, that my end
Was wrought by nature, (1) not by vile offence,
I'll utter what my forrow gives me leave.
In Syracufa was I born, and wed

Unto a woman, happy, but for me;
And by me too, had not our hap been bad:
With her I liv'd in joy, our wealth increas'd,
By profperous voyages I often made

To Epidamnum; 'till my factor's death;

And the great care of goods at random left,!A

Drew me from kind embracements of my fpoufe;
From whom my abfence was not fix months old,
Before herself, almoft at fainting under,
The pleafing punishment that women bear,
Had made provifion for her following me,

And foon, and fafe, arrived where I was.patow ‚odW7)

There fhe had not been long, but she became

A joyful mother of two goodly fons;

And, which was ftrange, the one fo like the other, oʻI As could not be diftinguish'd but by names

(1) Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence,] All his hearers understood that the punishment he was about to undergo was in confequence of no private crime, but of the public enmity between two states, to one of which he belonged: But it was a ge neral fuperftition amongft, the ancients, that every great and fuds den misfortune was the vengeance of heaven parfuing, men for their fecret offences. Hence the fentiment here put into the mouth of the speaker was proper. By my paft life (fays he) which I am going to relate, the world may understand that my prefent death is according to the ordinary courfe of providence, [wrought by nature] and not the effects of divine vengeance for my crimes [not by vile offence.]

me

WARBURTON.

That