Mer. These ears of mine, thou knoweft, did hear thee; Fy on thee, wretch! 'tis pity, that thou liv'ft S. Ant. Thou art a villain, to impeach me thus. SCENE II. [They draw. Enter Adriana, Luciana, Courtezan, and others. Adr. Hold, hurt him not, for God's fake; he is mad; Some get within him, take his fword away: Bind Dromio too, and bear them to my house. S. Dro. Run, master, run; for God's fake, take a houfe. This is fome Priory-In, or we are spoil'd. [Exeunt to the Priory. Enter Lady Abbess. Abb. Be quiet, people; wherefore throng you hither? Adr. To fetch my poor diftracted husband hence, Let us come in, that we may bind him fast, And bear him home for his recovery. Ang. I knew, he was not in his perfect wits. Mer. I'm forry now, tha I did draw on him. Abb. How long hath this poffeffion held the man? Adr. This week he hath been heavy, fower, fad, And much, much different from the man he was: But, till this afternoon, his paffion Ne'er brake into extremity of rage. Abb. Hath he not loft much wealth by wreck at fea? Bury'd fome dear friend? hath not elfe his eye Stray'd his affection in unlawful love? A A fin, prevailing much in youthful men, Adr. To none of thefe, except it be the last; Namely, fome love, that drew him oft from home. Abb. You fhould for that have reprehended him. Adr. Why, fo I did. Abt. Ay, but not rough enough. Adr. As roughly, as my modefty would let me. Adr. And in affemblies too. Adr. It was the copy of our conference. Still did I tell him, it was vile and bad. Abb. And therefore came it, that the man was mad. The venom clamours of a jealous woman Poifon more deadly, than a mad dog's tooth. It feems, his fleeps were hinder'd by thy railing; And therefore comes it, that his head is light. Thou fay'ft, his meat was fauc'd with thy upbraidings; Unquiet meals make ill digeftions; 8 Therefore the raging fire of fever bred; And what's a fever, but a fit of madnefs? But moody and dull melancholy, • Kinsman to grim and comfortless defpair? * Kinfman to grim and comfortlefs defpair?] Shakespeare could never make melancholy a male in this line, and a female in the next. This was the foolish infertion of the firft Editors. I have therefore put it into hooks, as spurious. WARBURTON. Το To be disturb'd, would mad or man or beaft: Adr. I will attend my husband, be his nurse, It is a branch and parcel of mine oath, Therefore depart, and leave him here with me. Abb. Be quiet and depart, thou shalt not have him. Adr. Come, go; I will fall proftrate at his feet, And never rife, until my tears and and prayers Have won his Grace to come in perfon hither; And take perforce my husband from the Abbess. Mer. By this, I think, the dial points at five: Anon, I'm fure, the Duke himself in person Comes this way to the melancholy vale; The The place of death and forry execution, Mer. To fee a reverend Syracufan merchants Against the laws and ftatutes of this town, Ang. See, where they come; we will behold his Luc. Kneel to the Duke, before he pass the abbey. SCENE III. Enter the Duke, and Egeon bare-beaded; with the Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publickly, Adr. Juftice, moft facred Duke, against the Abbels. (Whom I made lord of me and all I had, A moft outrageous fit of madness took him; Doing displeasure to the citizens, By rufhing in their houses; bearing thence And, And, with his mad attendant mad himself, Each one with ireful paffion, with drawn fwords, Nor fend him forth, that we may bear him hence. Therefore, moft gracious Duke, with thy command, Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for help. Duke. Long fince thy husband ferv'd me in my wars. And I to thee engag'd a Prince's word, (When thou didst make him master of thy bed,) Mell. O mistress, mistress, shift and fave yourself; My master and his man are both broke loose, Beaten the maids a-row, and bound the doctor, Great pails of puddled mire to quench the hair; Adr. Peace, fool, thy mafter and his man are here, And that is falfe, thou doft report to us. |