Ant. Stop in your wind, Sir; tell me this, I pray, Ant. I am not in a fportive humour now; E. Dro. I pray you, jeft, Sir, as you fit at dinner: For fhe will score your fault upon my pate: Ant. Come, Dromio, come, these jefts are out of season; Referve them 'till a merrier hour than this: E. Dro. To me, Sir? why, you gave no gold to me. Ant. Come on, Sir knave, have done your foolish nefs; And tell me, how thou haft difpos'd thy charge? mart Home to your houfe, the Phoenix, Sir, to dinner; Ant. Now, as I am a christian, answer me, Ant. Thy mistress' marks? ̧what mistress, flave, hast thou? E. Dro. Your worship's wife, my mistress at the Phoenix She, And prays, She, that doth faft, 'till you come home to dinner, prays, that you will hie you home to dinner. Ant. What wilt thou flout me thus unto my face, Being forbid? there take you that, Sir knave. E. Dro. What mean you, Sir? for God fake hold your hands; Nay, an you will not, Sir, I'll take my heels. [Ex. Dromio. Ant. Upon my life, by fome device or other, The villain is o'er-wrought of all my mony. They fay, this town is full of couzenage; As, nimble jugglers, that deceive the eye; (4) (4) As, nimble Jugglers, that deceive the Eye; Dark-working Sorcerers, that change the Mind; Saul killing Witches, that deform the Body;] Tho' I have not dif turb'd the Text, the ingenious Conjecture, Mr. Warburton made to me upon this Paffage, has fuch an Appearance of Juftnefs and Likelihood, that I fhall fubjoin it in his own Words. "Thofe, who attentively con"fider these three Lines, muft confefs, that the Poet intended, the Epi"thet given to each of these Mifcreants fhould declare the Power by "which they perform their Feats, and which would therefore be a "juft Characteristick of each of them. Thus, by nimble Jugglers, we "are taught that they perform their Tricks by flight of hand: and by "Soul-killing Witches, we are inform'd, the Mifchief they do is by the "Affiftance of the Devil to whom they have given their Souls: But then, "by dark-working Sorcerers, we are not inftructed in the Means by "which they perform their Ends. Befides, this Epithet agrees as well to Witches, as to them; and therefore, certainly, our Author could "not defign This in their Characteristick. I am confident, we should «read; 66 Drug-working Sorcerers, that change the Mind; "And we know by the whole Hiftory of antient and modern Super"ftition, that these kind of Jugglers always pretended to work Changes "of the Mind by thefe Applications. Hence all the Superftition of "Love-potions, which in this Line is alluded to: And this Practice was "fo common amongst the Greeks, that they gave the Name of Papuanos "to this Operator: and therefore has Theocritas call'd his fecond Eidyl"lium, whofe Subject is built on this kind of Sorcery, Papuansúтeld. Mr. Warburton. Brabantio, I remember, in Othello, where he thinks his Daughter's Senfes and Inclinations must have been perverted by the Moor's Practices, fpeaks not a little in Confirmation of my Friend's Conjecture. Judge me the World, if 'tis not grofs in Senfe, Dark Dark-working forcerers, that change the mind; [Exit. ACT II. SCENE, the House of Antipholis of Ephefus, N Enter Adriana and Luciana, ADRIANA. Either my husband, nor the flave return'd, Luc. Perhaps, fome merchant hath invited him, A man is master of his liberty: Time is their master; and when they fee time, Adr. Why fhould their liberty than ours be more? Man Man, more divine, the mafter of all these, Of more preheminence than fifh and fowl, Adr. This fervitude makes you to keep unwed. Luc. Ere I learn love, I'll practife to obey. Adr. How if your husband ftart fome other where? Luc. 'Till he come home again, I would forbear. Adr. Patience unmov'd, no marvel tho' fhe pause; They can be meek, that have no other cause: A wretched foul, bruis'd with adversity, We bid be quiet, when we hear it cry; But were we burden'd with like weight of pain, As much, or more, we fhould our felves complain; So thou, that haft no unkind mate to grieve thee, With urging helplefs patience would't relieve me: But if thou live to fee like Right bereft, This fool-begg'd patience in thee will be left. Luc. Well, I will marry one day but to try; Here comes your man, now is your husband nigh. Enter Dromio Eph. Adr. Say, is your tardy mafter now at hand? E. Dro. Nay, he's at two hands with me, and that my two ears can witness. Adr. Say, did'ft thou speak with him? know'st thou his mind? E. Dro. Ay, ay, he told his mind upon mine ear, Befhrew his hand, I fcarce could under-stand it. Luc. Spake he fo doubtfully, thou could'ft not feel his meaning? E. Dro. Nay, he ftruck fo plainly, I could too well feel his blows; and withal fo doubtfully, that I could fcarce understand them. Adr. Adr. But fay, I pr'ythee, is he coming home? It seems, he hath great care to please his wife. E. Dro. Why, miftrefs, fure, my mafter is horn-mad. Adr. Horn-mad, thou villain? E. Dro. I mean not, cuckold-mad; but, fure, he's ftark mad: When I defir'd him to come home to dinner, E. Dro. Quoth my mafter: I know, quoth he, no houfe, no wife, no miftrefs; I thank him, I bare home upon my fhoulders: Adr. Go back again, thou flave, and fetch him home." E. Dro. Go back again, and be new beaten home? For God's fake, fend fome other messenger. Adr. Back, flave, or I will break thy pate across. E. Dro. And he will blefs that Cross with other beating: Between you I fhall have a holy head. Adr. Hence, prating peafant, fetch thy mafter home. E. Dro. Am I fo round with you as you with me, That like a foot-ball you do spurn me thus? You fpurn me hence, and he will spurn me hither: If I laft in this fervice, you must cafe me in leather. [Exit. Luc. Fie, how impatience lowreth in your face! Adr. His company must do his minions grace, Whilft I at home ftarve for a merry look: Hath homely age th' alluring beauty took From my poor cheek? then, he hath wasted it. Are my difcourfes dull? barren my wit? |