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

Antipholis of Ephesus,

Twin-Brothers, and Sons to Egeon and Emilia, but un

Antipholis of Syracufe,

known to each other.

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

Dromio of Syracuse,S

Balthazar, a Merchant.

Angelo, a Goldsmith.

two Antipholis's.

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

Emilia, Wife to Egeon, an Abbess at Ephefus.]
Adriana, Wife to Antipholis of Ephesus.
Luciana, Sifter to Adriana.

Luce, Servant to Adriana.

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THE

(1) COMEDY of ERRORS.

ACT

I.

SCENE, the Duke's Palace.

Enter the Duke of Ephefus, Ægeon, Jailor, and other Attendants.

P

EGE ON.

Roceed, Salinus, to procure my Fall,
And by the doom of death end woes and
all.

Duke. Merchant of Syracufa, plead no

more;

I am not partial to infringe our laws:
The enmity, and difcord, which of late

"

Sprung

(1) Comedy of ERRORS.] The Controverfy of our Author's Acquaintance with the Latine Tongue has been partly canvafs'd upon his having writ this Play. "It is in great Measure taken (fays Mr. Rowe) " from the Menæchmi of Plautus. How That happen'd, I cannot eafily "divine; fince I do not take him to have been Master of Latine enough to read it in the Original: and I know of no Tranflation of Plautus "fo old as his Time". Thus far, his Acquaintance with the Roman Language is rather difputed, than afcertain'd. Let us fee, What Mr. Gildon has obferv'd upon This. "I confefs, with Submiffion to the Writer “ of his Life, that I can find no fuch Need of Divination on this Head. "For as it is beyond Contradiction plain, that this Comedy is taken from "That of Plautus; fo I think it as obvious to conclude from That, that

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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 Statutes 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 our felves,
T'admit no traffick to our adverse towns.
Nay, more; if any born at Ephefus
Be feen at Syracufan marts and fairs,
Again, if any Syracufan born

Come to the bay of Ephesus, he dies;
His goods confifcate to the Duke's dispose,
Unless a thousand marks be levied

To quit the penalty, and ranfom him.
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 cause,
Why thou departed'ft from thy native home;
And for what cause thou cam'ft to Ephesus.

Egeon. A heavier task could not have been im-
pos'd, (2)

Than

"Shakespeare did understand Latine enough to read him, and knew fo "much of him as to be able to form a Defign out of That of the "Roman Poet ".- We now find his Title to Learning a little better grounded. After these Gentlemen comes Mr. Pope, and diffidently corroborates Mr. Gildon's Opinion. "HE appears (Jays he) alfo to have "been converfant in Plautus, from whom he has taken the Plot of One "of his Plays". The Comedy of Errors is the Play meant here. But tho', perhaps, I may believe our Author better acquainted with the antient Languages, than these three Learned Men profefs to do; yet, with Deference to them, his Literature will not come into Difpute on this Account. For the Menæchmi of Plautus was tranflated into English, (which our Criticks might have known from Langbaine,) and printed in Quarto in the Year 1515, half a Century before our Author was born. (2) A heavier Task could not have been impos'd,

Than I to speak my Grief unfpeakable.] The Poet feems to me

here

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