Dro. S. It seems, thou wantest breaking; Out upon thee, hind! Dro. E. Here's too much, out upon thee! I pray thee, let me in. Dro. S. Ay, when fowls have no feathers, and fish have no fin. Ant. E. Well, I'll break in; Go, borrow me a crow. Dro. E. A crow without a feather; master, mean you so? For a fish without a fin, there's a fowl without a feather: The unviolated honour of your wife. Once this3, - Your long experience of her wisdom, Plead on her part some cause to you unknown; And let us to the Tiger all to dinner: 4 3 Once this,] Once this, may mean, once for all, at once. the doors are made against you.] To make the door is the expression used to this day in some counties of England, instead of, to bar the door. +"of it;" MALONE. For slander lives upon succession; For ever hous'd, where it once gets possession.† For there's the house; that chain will I bestow Ang. I'll meet you at that place, some hour hence. Ant. E. Do so; This jest shall cost me some expence. [Exeunt. SCENE II. The same. Enter LUCIANA and ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse. Luc. And may it be that you have quite forgot A husband's office? shall, Antipholus †, hate, Even in the spring of love, thy love-springs rot? Shall love, in building, grow so ruinate? +" where it gets possession." MALONE. 5 And, in despight of mirth,] Though mirth has withdrawn herself from me, and seems determined to avoid me, yet in despight of her, and whether she will or not, I am resolved to be merry. +"shall, Antipholus, Even in the spring of love, thy love-springs rot? Shall love, in building, grow so ruinous ?" MALONE. If you did wed my sister for her wealth, Then, for her wealth's sake, use her with more kindness: Or, if you like elsewhere, do it by stealth; Muffle your false love with some show of blindness: Let not my sister read it in your eye; Be not thy tongue thy own shame's orator; Bear a fair presence, though your heart be tainted; Being compact of credit, that you love us; When the sweet breath of flattery conquers strife. Nor by what wonder you do hit on mine,) Less, in your knowlege, and your grace, you show not, Smother'd in errors, feeble, shallow, weak, 6 Being compact of credit,] Means, being made altogether of oredulity. 7- vain,] Is light of tongue, not veracious. JOHNSON. Against my soul's pure truth why labour you, Your weeping sister is no wife of mine, Far more, far more, to you do I decline. Spread o'er the silver waves thy golden hairs, And, in that glorious supposition, think He gains by death, that hath such means to die: --- Ant. S. As good to wink, sweet love, as look on night. Ant. S. Thy sister's sister. Luc. Ant. S. That's my sister. No It is thyself, mine own self's better part; 1 syren. 8 sweet mermaid,] Mermaid is only another name for 9 Not mad, but mated;] I suspect there is a play upon words intended here. Mated signifies not only confounded, but matched with a wife: and Antipholus, who had been challenged as a husband by Adriana, which he cannot account for, uses the word mated in both these senses. M. MASON. My sole earth's heaven, and my heaven's claim.] When he calls the girl his only heaven on the earth, he utters the common cant of Luc. All this my sister is, or else should be. Ant. S. Call thyself sister, sweet, for I aim thee: Thou hast no husband yet, nor I no wife: Luc. [Exit Luc. Enter from the House of ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus, DROMIO of Syracuse. Ant. S. Why, how now, Dromio? where run'st thou so fast? Dro. S. Do you know me, sir? am I Dromio? am I your man? am I myself? Ant. S. Thou art Dromio, thou art my man, thou art thyself. Dro. S. I am an ass, I am a woman's man, and besides myself. Ant. S. What woman's man? and how besides thyself? Dro. S. Marry, sir, besides myself, I am due to a woman; one that claims me, one that haunts me, one that will have me. Ant. S. What claim lays she to thee? Dro. S. Marry, sir, such claim as you would lay to your horse; and she would have me as a beast: not that, I being a beast, she would have me; but that she, being a very beastly creature, lays claim to me. Ant. S. What is she? Dro. S. A very reverent body; ay, such a one as a man may not speak of, without he say, sir-reverence+: I have but lean luck in the match, and yet is she a wondrous fat marriage. lovers. When he calls her his heaven's claim, I cannot understand him. Perhaps he means that which he asks of heaven. JOHNSON. Mr. Malone thinks he means "all that I claim from heaven hereafter." + rentia. sir-reverence:] a corruption of save-reverence, salva-reve |