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DROMIO OF EPHESUS. A man may break a word with you, |
sir; and words are but wind; |
Ay, and break it in your face, so he break it not behind. |
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE. [Within] It seems thou want'st breaking; |
out upon thee, hind! |
DROMIO OF EPHESUS. Here's too much 'out upon thee!' pray thee let me in. |
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE. [Within] Ay, when fowls have no |
feathers and fish have no fin. |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. Well, I'll break in; go borrow me a crow. |
DROMIO OF EPHESUS. A crow without feather? Master, mean you so? |
For a fish without a fin, there's a fowl without a feather; |
If a crow help us in, sirrah, we'll pluck a crow together. |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. Go get thee gone; fetch me an iron crow. |
BALTHAZAR. Have patience, sir; O, let it not be so! |
Herein you war against your reputation, |
And draw within the compass of suspect |
Th' unviolated honour of your wife. |
Once this-your long experience of her wisdom, |
Her sober virtue, years, and modesty, |
Plead on her part some cause to you unknown; |
And doubt not, sir, but she will well excuse |
Why at this time the doors are made against you. |
Be rul'd by me: depart in patience, |
And let us to the Tiger all to dinner; |
And, about evening, come yourself alone |
To know the reason of this strange restraint. |
If by strong hand you offer to break in |
Now in the stirring passage of the day, |
A vulgar comment will be made of it, |
And that supposed by the common rout |
Against your yet ungalled estimation |
That may with foul intrusion enter in |
And dwell upon your grave when you are dead; |
For slander lives upon succession, |
For ever hous'd where it gets possession. |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. You have prevail'd. I will depart in quiet, |
And in despite of mirth mean to be merry. |
I know a wench of excellent discourse, |
Pretty and witty; wild, and yet, too, gentle; |
There will we dine. This woman that I mean, |
My wife-but, I protest, without desert- |
Hath oftentimes upbraided me withal; |
To her will we to dinner. [To ANGELO] Get you home |
And fetch the chain; by this I know 'tis made. |
Bring it, I pray you, to the Porpentine; |
For there's the house. That chain will I bestow- |
Be it for nothing but to spite my wife- |
Upon mine hostess there; good sir, make haste. |
Since mine own doors refuse to entertain me, |
I'll knock elsewhere, to see if they'll disdain me. |
ANGELO. I'll meet you at that place some hour hence. |
ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS. Do so; this jest shall cost me some expense. |
<Exeunt |
SCENE 2 |
Before the house of ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS |
Enter LUCIANA with ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE |
LUCIANA. And may it be that you have quite forgot |
A husband's office? Shall, Antipholus, |
Even in the spring of love, thy love-springs rot? |
Shall love, in building, grow so ruinous? |
If you did wed my sister for her wealth, |
Then for her wealth's sake use her with more kindness; |
Or, if you like elsewhere, do it by stealth; |
Muffle your false love with some show of blindness; |
Let not my sister read it in your eye; |
Be not thy tongue thy own shame's orator; |
Look sweet, speak fair, become disloyalty; |
Apparel vice like virtue's harbinger; |
Bear a fair presence, though your heart be tainted; |
Teach sin the carriage of a holy saint; |
Be secret-false. What need she be acquainted? |
What simple thief brags of his own attaint? |
'Tis double wrong to truant with your bed |
And let her read it in thy looks at board; |
Shame hath a bastard fame, well managed; |
Ill deeds is doubled with an evil word. |
Alas, poor women! make us but believe, |
Being compact of credit, that you love us; |
Though others have the arm, show us the sleeve; |
We in your motion turn, and you may move us. |
Then, gentle brother, get you in again; |
Comfort my sister, cheer her, call her wife. |
'Tis holy sport to be a little vain |
When the sweet breath of flattery conquers strife. |
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE. Sweet mistress-what your name is else, I know not, |
Nor by what wonder you do hit of mine- |
Less in your knowledge and your grace you show not |
Than our earth's wonder-more than earth, divine. |
Teach me, dear creature, how to think and speak; |
Lay open to my earthy-gross conceit, |
Smoth'red in errors, feeble, shallow, weak, |
The folded meaning of your words' deceit. |
Against my soul's pure truth why labour you |
To make it wander in an unknown field? |
Are you a god? Would you create me new? |
Transform me, then, and to your pow'r I'll yield. |
But if that I am I, then well I know |
Your weeping sister is no wife of mine, |
Nor to her bed no homage do I owe; |
Far more, far more, to you do I decline. |
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