Home to my house. O most unhappy day!

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS O most unhappy strumpet!

DROMIO OF EPHESUS

Master, I am here entered in bond for you.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS

Out on thee, villain! Wherefore dost thou mad me?

DROMIO OF EPHESUS

Will you be bound for nothing? Be mad, good master—

Cry, ‘The devil!’

LUCIANA

God help, poor souls, how idly do they talk!

ADRIANA

Go bear him hence. Sister, go you with me.

Exeunt ⌈into the Phoenix⌉, Pinch and others carrying off Antipholus of Ephesus and Dromio of Ephesus. The Officer, Adriana, Luciana, and the Courtesan remain

(To the Officer) Say now, whose suit is he arrested at?

OFFICER

One Angelo, a goldsmith. Do you know him?

ADRIANA

I know the man. What is the sum he owes?

OFFICER

Two hundred ducats.

ADRIANA

Say, how grows it due?

OFFICER

Due for a chain your husband had of him.

ADRIANA

He did bespeak a chain for me, but had it not.

COURTESAN

Whenas your husband all in rage today

Came to my house, and took away my ring—

The ring I saw upon his finger now—

Straight after did I meet him with a chain.

ADRIANA

It may be so, but I did never see it.

Come, jailer, bring me where the goldsmith is.

I long to know the truth hereof at large.

Enter Antipholus of Syracuse (wearing the chain) and Dromio of Syracuse with their rapiers drawn

LUCIANA

God, for thy mercy, they are loose again!

ADRIANA

And come with naked swords. Let’s call more help

To have them bound again.

OFFICER

Away, they’ll kill us!

All but Antipholus and Dromio run out, as fast as may be, frighted

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE

I see these witches are afraid of swords.

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE

She that would be your wife now ran from you.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE

Come to the Centaur. Fetch our stuff from thence.

I long that we were safe and sound aboard.

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE Faith, stay here this night. They will surely do us no harm. You saw they speak us fair, give us gold. Methinks they are such a gentle nation that, but for the mountain of mad flesh that claims marriage of me, I could find in my heart to stay here still, and turn witch.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE

I will not stay tonight for all the town.

Therefore away, to get our stuff aboard.

Exeunt

5.1 Enter Second Merchant and Angelo the goldsmith

ANGELO

I am sorry, sir, that I have hindered you,

But I protest he had the chain of me,

Though most dishonestly he doth deny it.

SECOND MERCHANT

How is the man esteemed here in the city?

ANGELO

Of very reverend reputation, sir,

Of credit infinite, highly beloved,

Second to none that lives here in the city.

His word might bear my wealth at any time.

SECOND MERCHANT

Speak softly. Yonder, as I think, he walks.

Enter Antipholus of Syracuse, wearing the chain, and Dromio of Syracuse again

ANGELO

‘Tis so, and that self chain about his neck

Which he forswore most monstrously to have.

Good sir, draw near to me. I’ll speak to him.—

Signor Antipholus, I wonder much

That you would put me to this shame and trouble,

And not without some scandal to yourself,

With circumstance and oaths so to deny

This chain, which now you wear so openly.

Beside the charge, the shame, imprisonment,

You have done wrong to this my honest friend,

Who, but for staying on our controversy,

Had hoisted sail and put to sea today.

This chain you had of me. Can you deny it?

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE

I think I had. I never did deny it.

SECOND MERCHANT

Yes, that you did, sir, and forswore it too.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE

Who heard me to deny it or forswear it?

SECOND MERCHANT

These ears of mine, thou know‘st, did hear thee.

Fie on thee, wretch! ’Tis pity that thou liv’st

To walk where any honest men resort.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE

Thou art a villain to impeach me thus.

I’ll prove mine honour and mine honesty

Against thee presently, if thou dar’st stand.

SECOND MERCHANT

I dare, and do defy thee for a villain.

They draw. Enter Adriana, Luciana, Courtesan, and others ⌈from the Phoenix⌉

ADRIANA

Hold, hurt him not, for God’s sake; he is mad.

Some get within him, take his sword away.

Bind Dromio too, and bear them to my house.

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE

Run, master, run! For God’s sake take a house.

This is some priory—in, or we are spoiled.

Exeunt Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse to the priory

Enter ⌈from the priory⌉ the Lady Abbess

ABBESS

Be quiet, people. Wherefore throng you hither?

ADRIANA

To fetch my poor distracted husband hence.

Let us come in, that we may bind him fast,

And bear him home for his recovery.

ANGELO

I knew he was not in his perfect wits.

SECOND MERCHANT

I am sorry now that I did draw on him.

ABBESS

How long hath this possession held the man?

ADRIANA

This week he hath been heavy, sour, sad,

And much, much different from the man he was;

But till this afternoon his passion

Ne’er brake into extremity of rage.

ABBESS

Hath he not lost much wealth by wreck at sea?

Buried some dear friend?Hath not else his eye

Strayed his affection in unlawful love—

A sin prevailing much in youthful men,

Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing?

Which of these sorrows is he subject to?

ADRIANA

To none of these, except it be the last,

Namely some love that drew him oft from home.

ABBESS

You should for that have reprehended him.

ADRIANA

Why, so I did.

ABBESS Ay, but not rough enough.

ADRIANA

As roughly as my modesty would let me.

ABBESS Haply in private.