The Comedy Of Errors

1 Enter Duke, Egeon, Jailer, Officers and other Attendants.
2 EGEON.
3 Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall,
4 And by the doom of death end woes and all.
5 DUKE.
6 Merchant of Syracusa, plead no more.
7 I am not partial to infringe our laws.
8 The enmity and discord which of late
9 Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your Duke
10 To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen,
11 Who, wanting guilders to redeem their lives,
12 Have seal’d his rigorous statutes with their bloods,
13 Excludes all pity from our threat’ning looks.
14 For since the mortal and intestine jars
15 ’Twixt thy seditious countrymen and us,
16 It hath in solemn synods been decreed,
17 Both by the Syracusians and ourselves,
18 To admit no traffic to our adverse towns;
19 Nay more, if any born at Ephesus
20 Be seen at Syracusian marts and fairs;
21 Again, if any Syracusian born
22 Come to the bay of Ephesus, he dies,
23 His goods confiscate to the Duke’s dispose,
24 Unless a thousand marks be levied
25 To quit the penalty and to ransom him.
26 Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,
27 Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;
28 Therefore by law thou art condemn’d to die.
29 EGEON.
30 Yet this my comfort; when your words are done,
31 My woes end likewise with the evening sun.
32 DUKE.
33 Well, Syracusian, say in brief the cause
34 Why thou departedst from thy native home,
35 And for what cause thou cam’st to Ephesus.
36 EGEON.
37 A heavier task could not have been impos’d
38 Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable;
39 Yet, that the world may witness that my end
40 Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence,
41 I’ll utter what my sorrow gives me leave.
42 In Syracusa was I born, and wed
43 Unto a woman happy but for me,
44 And by me, had not our hap been bad.
45 With her I liv’d in joy; our wealth increas’d
46 By prosperous voyages I often made
47 To Epidamnum, till my factor’s death,
48 And the great care of goods at random left,
49 Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse;
50 From whom my absence was not six months old
51 Before herself (almost at fainting under
52 The pleasing punishment that women bear)
53 Had made provision for her following me,
54 And soon and safe arrived where I was.
55 There had she not been long but she became
56 A joyful mother of two goodly sons,
57 And, which was strange, the one so like the other
58 As could not be distinguish’d but by names.
59 That very hour, and in the self-same inn,
60 A mean woman was delivered
61 Of such a burden, male twins, both alike.
62 Those, for their parents were exceeding poor,
63 I bought, and brought up to attend my sons.
64 My wife, not meanly proud of two such boys,
65 Made daily motions for our home return.
66 Unwilling I agreed; alas, too soon
67 We came aboard.
68 A league from Epidamnum had we sail’d
69 Before the always-wind-obeying deep
70 Gave any tragic instance of our harm;
71 But longer did we not retain much hope;
72 For what obscured light the heavens did grant
73 Did but convey unto our fearful minds
74 A doubtful warrant of immediate death,
75 Which though myself would gladly have embrac’d,
76 Yet the incessant weepings of my wife,
77 Weeping before for what she saw must come,
78 And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,
79 That mourn’d for fashion, ignorant what to fear,
80 Forc’d me to seek delays for them and me.
81 And this it was (for other means was none).
82 The sailors sought for safety by our boat,
83 And left the ship, then sinking-ripe, to us.
84 My wife, more careful for the latter-born,
85 Had fast’ned him unto a small spare mast,
86 Such as sea-faring men provide for storms.
87 To him one of the other twins was bound,
88 Whilst I had been like heedful of the other.
89 The children thus dispos’d, my wife and I,
90 Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fix’d,
91 Fast’ned ourselves at either end the mast,
92 And, floating straight, obedient to the stream,
93 Was carried towards Corinth, as we thought.
94 At length the sun, gazing upon the earth,
95 Dispers’d those vapours that offended us,
96 And by the benefit of his wished light
97 The seas wax’d calm, and we discovered
98 Two ships from far, making amain to us,
99 Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this.
100 But ere they came—O, let me say no more!
101 Gather the sequel by that went before.
102 DUKE.
103 Nay, forward, old man, do not break off so,
104 For we may pity, though not pardon thee.
105 EGEON.
106 O, had the gods done so, I had not now
107 Worthily term’d them merciless to us.
108 For, ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues,
109 We were encountered by a mighty rock,
110 Which being violently borne upon,
111 Our helpful ship was splitted in the midst;
112 So that, in this unjust divorce of us,
113 Fortune had left to both of us alike
114 What to delight in, what to sorrow for.
115 Her part, poor soul, seeming as burdened
116 With lesser weight, but not with lesser woe,
117 Was carried with more speed before the wind,
118 And in our sight they three were taken up
119 By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.
120 At length another ship had seiz’d on us;
121 And, knowing whom it was their hap to save,
122 Gave healthful welcome to their ship-wrack’d guests,
123 And would have reft the fishers of their prey,
124 Had not their bark been very slow of sail;
125 And therefore homeward did they bend their course.
126 Thus have you heard me sever’d from my bliss,
127 That by misfortunes was my life prolong’d
128 To tell sad stories of my own mishaps.
129 DUKE.
130 And for the sake of them thou sorrowest for,
131 Do me the favour to dilate at full
132 What have befall’n of them and thee till now.
133 EGEON.
134 My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care,
135 At eighteen years became inquisitive
136 After his brother, and importun’d me
137 That his attendant, so his case was like,
138 Reft of his brother, but retain’d his name,
139 Might bear him company in the quest of him;
140 Whom whilst I laboured of a love to see,
141 I hazarded the loss of whom I lov’d.
142 Five summers have I spent in farthest Greece,
143 Roaming clean through the bounds of Asia,
144 And, coasting homeward, came to Ephesus,
145 Hopeless to find, yet loath to leave unsought
146 Or that or any place that harbours men.
147 But here must end the story of my life;
148 And happy were I in my timely death,
149 Could all my travels warrant me they live.
150 DUKE.
151 Hapless Egeon, whom the fates have mark’d
152 To bear the extremity of dire mishap;
153 Now, trust me, were it not against our laws,
154 Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,
155 Which princes, would they, may not disannul,
156 My soul should sue as advocate for thee.
157 But though thou art adjudged to the death,
158 And passed sentence may not be recall’d
159 But to our honour’s great disparagement,
160 Yet will I favour thee in what I can.
161 Therefore, merchant, I’ll limit thee this day
162 To seek thy health by beneficial help.
163 Try all the friends thou hast in Ephesus;
164 Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the sum,
165 And live; if no, then thou art doom’d to die.
166 Jailer, take him to thy custody.
167 JAILER.
168 I will, my lord.
169 EGEON.
170 Hopeless and helpless doth Egeon wend,
171 But to procrastinate his lifeless end.
172 [_Exeunt._]