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If voluble and sharp discourse be marr'd,
Unkindness blunts it, more than marble hard.
Do their gay veftments his affections bait?
That's not my fault: he's mafter of my state.
What ruins are in me, that can be found
By him not ruin'd? then, is he the ground
Of my defeatures. My decayed Fair
A funny look of his would foon repair.
But, too unruly Deer, he breaks the pale,
And feeds from home; poor I am but his Stale.
Luc. Self-harming jealoufie!- fie, beat it hence.
Adr. Unfeeling fools can with fuch wrongs dispense:
I know, his eye doth homage other-where;
Or else what lets it, but he would be here?
Sifter, you know, he promis'd me a Chain;
Would that alone, alone, he would detain,
So he would keep fair quarter with his bed.
I fee, the jewel, beft enameled, (5)

Will lose his beauty; and the gold bides ftill,
That others touch: yet often touching will
Wear Gold: and fo no Man, that hath a Name,
But Falfhood, and Corruption, doth it fhame.
Since that my beauty cannot please his eye,
I'll weep what's left away, and weeping die.
Luc. How many fond fools ferve mad jealoufie!
[Exeunt.

(5) I fee the Jewel beft enameled

Will lofe his Beauty; yet the gold bides fill
That others touch, and often touching will:
Where gold and no Man that hath a Name,

}

By Falfhood and Corruption doth it Shame.] In this miferably mangled Condition is this Paffage exhibited in the firft Folio. All the Editions fince have left out the laft Couplet of it; I prefume, as too hard for them. Mr. Pope, who pretends to have collated the first Folio, fhould have fpard us the Lines, at least, in their Corruption. I communicated my Doubts upon this Paffage to my Friend Mr. Warburton; and to his Sagacity. I owe, in good part, the Correction of it. The Sense of the whole is now very pertinent; which, without the two Lines from the 1ft Folio, was very imperfect; not to fay, ridiculous. The Comparifon is fully clofed." Gold, indeed, bides handling well; but, for all "that, often Touching will wear even Gold: So, no Man of a great "Character, even as pure as Gold, but may in Time lofe it by Falfhood "and Corruption. SCENE

Ant.

SCENE changes to the Street.

TH

Enter Antipholis of Syracufe.

'H E gold I gave to Dromio is laid up
Safe at the Centaur; and the heedful flave
Is wander'd forth in care to feek me out.
By computation, and mine Hoft's report,
I could not fpeak with Dromie, fince at first
I fent him from the mart. See, here he comes.
Enter Dromio of Syracufe.

How now, Sir? is your merry humour alter'd?
As you love ftroaks, fo jeft with me again.
You know no Centaur? you receiv'd no gold?
Your mistress sent to have me home to dinner?
My house was at the Phenix? wast thou mad,
That thus fo madly thou didst answer me?

S. Dro. What answer, Sir? when spake I such a word?

Ant. Even now, even here, not half an hour fince. S. Dro. I did not fee you fince you fent me hence Home to the Centaur, with the gold you gave me. Ant. Villain, thou didst deny the gold's receipts And told'ft me of a mistress, and a dinner; For which, I hope, thou felt'ft I was difpleas'd.

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S. Dro. I'm glad to fee you in this merry vein: What means this jeft, I pray you, mafter, tell me? Ant. Yea, doft thou jeer and flout me in the teeth? Think'ft thou, I jeft? hold, take thou that, and that. [Beats Dro.

S. Dro. Hold, Sir, for God's fake, now your jeft is

earnest;

Upon what bargain do you give it me?

Ant. Because that I familiarly fometimes
Do ufe you for my fool, and chat with you,
Your fawcinefs will jeft upon my love,
And make a common of my serious hours.
When the Sun fhines, let foolish gnats make sport;

But

But creep in crannies, when he hides his beams:
If you will jeft with me, know my aspect,
And fashion your demeanour to my looks;
Or I will beat this method in your fconce.

S. Dro. Sconce, call you it? fo you would leave battering, I had rather have it a head; an you use these blows long, I must get a fconce for my head, and infconce it too, or elfe I fhall feek my wit in, my fhoulders: but, I pray, Sir, why am I beaten? Ant. Doft thou not know?

S. Dro. Nothing, Sir, but that I am beaten.
Ant. Shall I tell you why?

S. Dro. Ay, Sir, and wherefore; for they fay, every why hath a wherefore.

Ant. Why, firft, for flouting me; and then wherefore, for urging it the fecond time to me.

S. Dro. Was there ever any man thus beaten out of season,

When, in the why, and wherefore, is neither rhime nor reafon?

Well, Sir, I thank you.

Ant. Thank me, Sir, for what?

S. Dro. Marry, Sir, for this fomething that you gave me for nothing.

Ant. I'll make you amends next, to give you nothing for fomething. But fay, Sir, is it dinner-time? S. Dro. No, Sir, I think, the meat wants that I have. Ant. In good time, Sir; what's that?

S. Dro. Bafting.

Ant. Well, Sir, then 'twill be dry.

S. Dro. If it be, Sir, I pray you eat none of it.
Ant. Your reason?

S. Dro. Left it make you cholerick, and purchase me another dry-basting.

Ant. Well, Sir, learn to jeft in good time; there's a time for all things.

S. Dro. I durft have deny'd that, before you were so cholerick.

Ant. By what rule, Sir?

VOL. III.

C

S. Dro.

S. Dro. Marry, Sir, by a rule as plain as the plain bald pate of father Time himself.

Ant. Let's hear it.

S. Dro. There's no time for a man to recover his hair, that grows bald by nature.

Ant. May he not do it by fine and recovery?

S. Dro. Yes, to pay a fine for a peruke, and recover the loft hair of another man.

(6) Ant. Why is Time fuch a niggard of hair, being, as it is, fo plentiful an excrement?

S. Dro. Because it is a bleffing that he beftows on beasts; and what he hath scanted men in hair, he hath given them in wit.

Ant. Why, but there's many a man hath more hair than wit.

S. Dro. Not a man of those, but he hath the wit to lofe his hair.

Ant. Why, thou didst conclude hairy men plain dealers without wit.

S. Dro. The plainer dealer, the fooner loft; yet he lofeth it in a kind of jollity.

Ant. For what reason?

S. Dro. For two, and found ones too.
Ant. Nay, not found, I pray you.

S. Dro. Sure ones then.

Ant. Nay, not fure in a thing falfing.
S. Dro. Čertain ones then.

Ant. Name them.

S. Dro. The one to fave the money that he spends in tyring; the other, that at dinner they fhould not drop in his porridge.

(6) Ant. Why is Time fuch a Niggard of Hair, being, as it is, fo plentiful an Excrement?

S. Dro. Because it is a Bleffing that he bestows on Beafts, and what he bath fcanted them in hair, he hath given them in Wit] Surely, this is Mock-reafoning, and a Contradiction in Sense. Can Hair be fuppos'd a Bleffing, which Time bestows on Beasts peculiarly; and yet that he hath fcanted them of it too? I corrected this Paffage, as I have now reform'd the Text, in my SHAKESPEARE reftor'd; and Mr. Pope has been pleas'd to adopt my Correction in his laft Edition. Men and Them, I obferve, are very frequently mistaken vice verfa for each other, in the old Impreffions of our Author.

Ant.

Ant. You would all this time have prov'd, there is no time for all things.

S. Dro. Marry, and did, Sir; namely, no time to recover hair loft by nature.

Ant. But your reason was not fubftantial, why there

is no time to recover.

S. Dro. Thus I mend it: Time himself is bald, and therefore to the world's end will have bald Followers. Ant. I knew, 'twould be a bald conclufion: but, foft! who wafts us yonder?

Enter Adriana, and Luciana.

Adri. Ay, ay, Antipholis, look ftrange and frown,
Some other miftrefs hath thy fweet afpects:
I am not Adriana, nor thy wife.

The time was once, when thou, unurg'd, wouldft vow,
That never words were mufick to thine ear,
That never object pleafing in thine eye,

That never Touch well welcome to thy Hand,
That never Meat fweet-favour'd in thy Tafte,
Unless I fpake, or look'd, or touch'd, or carv'd.

How comes it now, my husband, oh, how comes it,
That thou art thus eftranged from thy self?
Thy felf I call it, being ftrange to me:
That, undividable, incorporate,

Am better than thy dear felf's better part.
Ah, do not tear away thy felf from me:
For know, my love, as eafie may'st thou fall
A drop of water in the breaking gulph,
And take unmingled thence that drop again,
Without addition or diminishing,

As take from me thy felf; and not me too.
How dearly would it touch thee to the quick,
Should't thou but hear, I were licentious?
And that this body, confecrate to thee,
By ruffian luft should be contaminate?
Would'st thou not fpit at me, and spurn at me,
And hurl the name of husband in my face,
And tear the ftain'd skin of my. harlot-brow,
And from my false hand cut the wedding-ring,
C 2

And

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