The Comedy of Errors
ACT IV SCENE I | A public place. | |
[Enter Second Merchant, ANGELO, and an Officer] | ||
Second Merchant | You know since Pentecost the sum is due, | |
And since I have not much importuned you; | ||
Nor now I had not, but that I am bound | ||
To Persia, and want guilders for my voyage: | ||
Therefore make present satisfaction, | 5 | |
Or I’ll attach you by this officer. | ||
ANGELO | Even just the sum that I do owe to you | |
Is growing to me by Antipholus, | ||
And in the instant that I met with you | ||
He had of me a chain: at five o’clock | 10 | |
I shall receive the money for the same. | ||
Pleaseth you walk with me down to his house, | ||
I will discharge my bond and thank you too. | ||
[ Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus and DROMIO of Ephesus from the courtezan’s ] | ||
Officer | That labour may you save: see where he comes. | |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | While I go to the goldsmith’s house, go thou | 15 |
And buy a rope’s end: that will I bestow | ||
Among my wife and her confederates, | ||
For locking me out of my doors by day. | ||
But, soft! I see the goldsmith. Get thee gone; | ||
Buy thou a rope and bring it home to me. | 20 | |
DROMIO OF EPHESUS | I buy a thousand pound a year: I buy a rope. | |
[Exit] | ||
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | A man is well holp up that trusts to you: | |
I promised your presence and the chain; | ||
But neither chain nor goldsmith came to me. | ||
Belike you thought our love would last too long, | 25 | |
If it were chain’d together, and therefore came not. | ||
ANGELO | Saving your merry humour, here’s the note | |
How much your chain weighs to the utmost carat, | ||
The fineness of the gold and chargeful fashion. | ||
Which doth amount to three odd ducats more | 30 | |
Than I stand debted to this gentleman: | ||
I pray you, see him presently discharged, | ||
For he is bound to sea and stays but for it. | ||
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | I am not furnish’d with the present money; | |
Besides, I have some business in the town. | 35 | |
Good signior, take the stranger to my house | ||
And with you take the chain and bid my wife | ||
Disburse the sum on the receipt thereof: | ||
Perchance I will be there as soon as you. | ||
ANGELO | Then you will bring the chain to her yourself? | 40 |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | No; bear it with you, lest I come not time enough. | |
ANGELO | Well, sir, I will. Have you the chain about you? | |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | An if I have not, sir, I hope you have; | |
Or else you may return without your money. | ||
ANGELO | Nay, come, I pray you, sir, give me the chain: | 45 |
Both wind and tide stays for this gentleman, | ||
And I, to blame, have held him here too long. | ||
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | Good Lord! you use this dalliance to excuse | |
Your breach of promise to the Porpentine. | ||
I should have chid you for not bringing it, | 50 | |
But, like a shrew, you first begin to brawl. | ||
Second Merchant | The hour steals on; I pray you, sir, dispatch. | |
ANGELO | You hear how he importunes me;–the chain! | |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | Why, give it to my wife and fetch your money. | |
ANGELO | Come, come, you know I gave it you even now. | 55 |
Either send the chain or send me by some token. | ||
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | Fie, now you run this humour out of breath, | |
where’s the chain? I pray you, let me see it. | ||
Second Merchant | My business cannot brook this dalliance. | |
Good sir, say whether you’ll answer me or no: | 60 | |
If not, I’ll leave him to the officer. | ||
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | I answer you! what should I answer you? | |
ANGELO | The money that you owe me for the chain. | |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | I owe you none till I receive the chain. | |
ANGELO | You know I gave it you half an hour since. | 65 |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | You gave me none: you wrong me much to say so. | |
ANGELO | You wrong me more, sir, in denying it: | |
Consider how it stands upon my credit. | ||
Second Merchant | Well, officer, arrest him at my suit. | |
Officer | I do; and charge you in the duke’s name to obey me. | 70 |
ANGELO | This touches me in reputation. | |
Either consent to pay this sum for me | ||
Or I attach you by this officer. | ||
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | Consent to pay thee that I never had! | |
Arrest me, foolish fellow, if thou darest. | 75 | |
ANGELO | Here is thy fee; arrest him, officer, | |
I would not spare my brother in this case, | ||
If he should scorn me so apparently. | ||
Officer | I do arrest you, sir: you hear the suit. | |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | I do obey thee till I give thee bail. | 80 |
But, sirrah, you shall buy this sport as dear | ||
As all the metal in your shop will answer. | ||
ANGELO | Sir, sir, I will have law in Ephesus, | |
To your notorious shame; I doubt it not. | ||
[Enter DROMIO of Syracuse, from the bay] | ||
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE | Master, there is a bark of Epidamnum | 85 |
That stays but till her owner comes aboard, | ||
And then, sir, she bears away. Our fraughtage, sir, | ||
I have convey’d aboard; and I have bought | ||
The oil, the balsamum and aqua-vitae. | ||
The ship is in her trim; the merry wind | 90 | |
Blows fair from land: they stay for nought at all | ||
But for their owner, master, and yourself. | ||
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | How now! a madman! Why, thou peevish sheep, | |
What ship of Epidamnum stays for me? | ||
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE | A ship you sent me to, to hire waftage. | 95 |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | Thou drunken slave, I sent thee for a rope; | |
And told thee to what purpose and what end. | ||
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE | You sent me for a rope’s end as soon: | |
You sent me to the bay, sir, for a bark. | ||
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS | I will debate this matter at more leisure | 100 |
And teach your ears to list me with more heed. | ||
To Adriana, villain, hie thee straight: | ||
Give her this key, and tell her, in the desk | ||
That’s cover’d o’er with Turkish tapestry, | ||
There is a purse of ducats; let her send it: | 105 | |
Tell her I am arrested in the street | ||
And that shall bail me; hie thee, slave, be gone! | ||
On, officer, to prison till it come. | ||
[ Exeunt Second Merchant, Angelo, Officer, and Antipholus of Ephesus ] | ||
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE | To Adriana! that is where we dined, | |
Where Dowsabel did claim me for her husband: | 110 | |
She is too big, I hope, for me to compass. | ||
Thither I must, although against my will, | ||
For servants must their masters’ minds fulfil. | ||
[Exit] |
Next: The Comedy of Errors, Act 4, Scene 2