Mr. CONNOR

Mr. TREBY

Mr. COMER

Mr. BLANCHARD

Mr. KING

Mr. TAYLOR

Mr. PYNE

Mr. HUNT

Mr. J. ISAACS

Mrs. FAUCIT

Miss STEPHENS

Gentlemen, attendant on Doctor Pinch-Sisters

of the Convent, &c.

SCENE EPHESUS.

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS.

ACT I. SCENE I.

A HALL IN THE PALACE OF THE DUKE.

The Duke discovered seated on his Throne and
surrounded by his Officers of State.-Egeon
in Chains.-Flourish.

Egeon. Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall;
And terminate, by this thy rig'rous doom,
Egeon's life and miseries together.

Duke. Merchant of Syracusa, plead no more:
The enmity and discord which, of late,

Sprung from the ranc'rous outrage of

your duke To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen,

Who wanting guilders to redeem their lives,
Have seal'd his rig'rous statutes with their blood,—
Excludes all pity from our threat'ning looks.
For, since the mortal and intestine jars
'Twixt thy seditious countrymen and us,
It hath in solemn synods been decreed,
Both by the Syracusans and ourselves,
T admit no traffic to our adverse towns:
B

Nay, more ;-If any, born at Ephesus,
Be seen at Syracusan marts or fairs,-
Again;-If any Syracusan born

Come to the bay of Ephesus,-he dies:
His goods confiscate to the duke's dispose ;,
Unless a thousand marks be levied,
To quit the penalty and ransom him.
Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,
Cannot amount unto an hundred marks;
Therefore by law thou art condemn'd to die.
Egeon. This comfort then, the wretch's last

resource,

At least, I gain from the severe decree,,
My woes must finish ere the setting sun.

Duke. Yet, Syracusan, say to me, in brief, Why thou departedst from thy native home; And for what cause thou cam'st to Ephesus. Egeon. A heavier task could not have been impos'd;

Yet will I utter what my grief permits.
In Syracusa was I born; and wed

Unto a woman, happy but for me!

With her I liv'd in joy; our wealth increas'd
By prosp❜rous traffick, 'till my factor's death
Drew us unwillingly to Epidamnum :

There had we not been long, but she became
A joyful mother of two goodly sons;

And, strange to hear, the one so like the other,
They hardly by ourselves could be distinguish'd.
That very hour, and in the self-same house,

A

poor mean woman was delivered

Of such a burden, male twins, both alike.
These, for their parents were exceeding poor,
I bought, and brought up, to attend my sons.
My wife, not meanly proud of her two boys,
Made daily motions for our home return :
Unwilling I agreed. We came aboard-
O, bitter recollection!

Duke. Stop thy tears:

I long, yet almost dread, to hear the rest. Egeon. A league from Epidamnum had we sail'd,

Before the always wind-obeying deep

Gave any tragic instance of our harm:

But longer did we not retain much hope;
For what obscured light the heavens did grant,
Did but convey into our fearful minds

A dreadful warrant of immediate death.
The sailors sought for safety by our boat,
And left the ship, then sinking-ripe, to us.
My wife, more careful for the elder-born,
Had fasten'd him unto a small spare mast;
To him, one of the other twins was bound ;
While I had been like heedful of the younger.
The children thus disposed, my wife and I
Fasten'd ourselves at either end the mast,
And, floating straight obedient to the stream,
Were carried towards Corinth, as we thought.
At length the sea wax'd calm; and we discover'd
Two ships, from far, making amain to us:

But ere they came

Duke. Pursue thy tale, old man.

Ægeon. Being encounter'd by a mighty rock, Our helpless raft was splitted in the midst.:

Her part,-poor
Was carried with more speed before the wind;
And, in our sight, they three were taken up
By fishermen of Corinth.

soul!-burden'd with lesser weight,

At length, another ship had seiz'd on us ;
And would have 'reft those fishers of their

Had not their bark been very slow of sail.

Duke. Relate at full

prey,

What hath befallen to them, and thee, 'till now. Ægeon. My youngest boy, and yet my eldest

care,

At eighteen years, became inquisitive
After his brother; and importun'd me
That his attendant-for his case was like,
'Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name,-
Might bear him company, in quest of him,
Whom while I labour'd of a love to see,
I yielded to the loss of him I lov'd ;

Since which unhappy time no news arriving

What course their wayward stars had hurried them,

Five summers have I spent in furthest Greece,
Roaming ev❜n through the bounds of Asia;
And, coasting homeward, came to Ephesus :
But here must end the story of my life;
And happy were I in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me, they live.