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The Comedy of Errors

Act I, Scene 2

The Mart.
 
[Enter ANTIPHOLUS of SYRACUSE, DROMIO of SYRACUSE, and First Merchant]
 
FIRST MERCHANT
             ,          ,     ,     2     ,    ,  2
      Therefore | give^out | you are of | Epi|damium,
        ,                ,            ,        ,       ,
      Lest that | your goods | too* soon | be con|fiscate:
            ,     ,       ,    ,        ,        2->
      This ve|ry day | a Syr|acu|sian merch||ant
          ,      ,      ,       ,       ,
      Is ap|prehend|ed for | arriv|al here,
           ,      2   ,           ,   ,          ,
      And not | being^ab|le to / buy out | his life,
          ,       ,         ,       ,         ,
      Accord|ing to | the stat|ute of | the town,
        ,              ,     ,     ,             ,
      Dies ere | the wear|y sun | set in | the west:
        ,              ,       ,       ,         ,
      There is | your mon|ey that | I had | to keep.
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
       ,   ,                  ,         ,          ,
      Go bear / it to | the Cent|aur, where | we host,
            ,      ,    ,          ,        ,    2
      And stay | there Dro/mio,| till I | come to thee;
          ,           ,         ,        ,        ,
      Within | this hour | it will | be din|ner time,
             ,           ,         ,        ,         ,
      Till that | I'll view | the man|ners of | the town,
          ,          ,         ,     x           ,
      Peruse | the trad|ers, gaze | upon the | buildings,
            ,        ,          ,         ,          ,
      And then | return | and sleep | within | mine^inn,
         2       ,     ,       ,        ,          ,
      For with long | travel | I am | stiff and | weary.
       ,           ,
      Get thee | away.  \\
 
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE
       ,        ,            ,         ,          ,
      Many | a man | would take | you at | your word,
           ,       ,     ,            ,        ,
      And go | indeed,| having | so good | a mean.
 
[Exit]
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
          ,      ,        ,          ,     ,
      A trust|y vil|lain sir,| that ve|ry oft,
        ,   2       ,           ,         ,     ,
      When I am | dull with | care and | melan|choly,
        ,            ,       ,         ,       ,
      Lightens | my hum|or with | his mer|ry jests:
        ,               ,          ,      ,          ,
      What will | you walk | with me | about | the town,
            ,     ,          ,          ,          ,
      And then | go to | my inn | and dine | with me?
 
FIRST MERCHANT
      ,   2    ,       ,        ,         ,
      I am in|vited | sir to | certain | merchants,
           ,        ,         ,      ,   ,
      Of whom | I hope | to make | much ben/efit:
          ,            ,        ,         ,        ,
      I crave | your pard|on, soon | at five | o'clock,
        ,                 ,          ,      ,          ,
      Please you,| I'll meet | with you | upon | the mart,
           ,      ,         ,                ,   ,
      And aft|erward | consort | you till / bedtime:
           ,       ,          ,          ,         ,
      My pres|ent bus|iness calls | me from | you now.
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
            ,           ,    ,             ,        ,
      Farewell | till then:| I will | go lose | myself,
            ,      ,         ,         ,         ,     ->
      And wand|er up | and down | to view | the ci||ty.
 
FIRST MERCHANT
       ,     2     ,         ,         ,         ,
      Sir,| I commend | you to | your own | content.
 
[Exit]
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
       ,             ,         ,         ,         ,
      He that | commends | me to | mine^own | content,
           ,         ,         ,        ,       ,
      Commends | me to | the thing | I can|not get:
      ,   2        ,          ,        ,        ,
      I to the | world am | like a | drop of | water,
        ,           ,        ,       ,        ,
      That in | the o|cean seeks | anoth|er drop,
            ,         ,          ,         ,        ,
      Who* fal|ling there | to find | his fel|low forth,
           ,       ,      ,          ,          ,
      (Unseen,| inqui|sitive)| confounds | himself.
        x          ,       ,        ,       ,
      So I, to | find a | mother | and a | brother,
           ,          ,       ,        ,        ,
      In quest | of them |(unhap|py) lose | myself.
              ,          ,    ,              ,    ,
      Here* comes | the al|manac | of my / true date:
            ,            ,           ,         ,          ,
      What now?| How* chance | thou art | returned | so soon?
 
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
           ,          ,     ,             ,            ,
      Returned | so soon,| rather | approached | too late:
           ,       ,          ,      ,                ,
      The cap|on burns,| the pig | falls from | the spit;
            ,             ,         ,       ,          ,
      The clock | hath struck|en twelve | upon | the bell:
           ,         ,        ,      ,         ,
      My mist|ress made | it one | upon | my cheek:
                ,  ,        ,           ,         ,
      She is / so hot | because | the meat | is cold:
            ,         ,        ,           ,          ,
      The meat | is cold,| because | you come | not home:
            ,          ,        ,      ,      2      ,
      You come | not home,| because | you have no | stomach:
            ,         ,        ,        ,            ,
      You have | no stom|ach, hav|ing broke | your fast:
           ,          ,           ,         ,          ,
      But we | that know | what 'tis | to fast | and pray,
           ,     ,          ,        ,        ,
      Are pen|itent | for your | default | today.
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
        ,              ,           ,         ,        ,
      Stop in | your wind | sir, tell | me this | I pray?
        ,       2        ,         ,        ,        ,
      Where have you | left the | money | that I | gave you.
 
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
          ,           ,       ,          ,         ,
      Oh six|pence* that | I had | of Wednes|day last,
          ,         ,    ,     2      ,          ,
      To pay | the sad|dler for my | mistress'| crupper:
           ,        ,        ,        ,        ,
      The sad|dler had | it sir,| I kept | it not.
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
      ,       ,           ,        ,      ,
      I am | not in | a spor|tive hum|or now:
        ,            ,      ,      ,     2       ,
      Tell me,| and dal|ly not,| where is the | money?
       ,          ,          ,          ,            ,
      We be|ing strang|ers here,| how darst | thou trust
           ,          ,       ,          ,   ,
      So great | a charge | from thine^|own cus/tody*.  ??
 
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
          ,          ,     ,    2       ,        ,
      I pray | you jest | sir as you | sit at | dinner:
      ,            ,          ,        ,         ,
      I from | my mist|ress come | to you | in post:
         ,       ,        ,          ,        ,
      If I | return | I shall | be post | indeed.
           ,           ,            ,       ,         ,
      For she | will score | your fault | upon | my pate:
           ,           ,           ,            ,          ,
      Methinks | your maw,| like^mine,| should be | your cook,
             ,           ,         ,       ,      ,
      And strike | you home | without | a mes|senger.
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
             ,   2     ,      ,     ,            2      ,
      Come* Dro|mio, come,| these jests / are out^of | season,  ??
           ,      ,            ,    2    ,           ,
      Reserve | them till | a mer|rier hour | than this:
        ,              ,        ,          ,          ,
      Where is | the gold | I gave | in charge | to thee?
 
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
          ,         ,          ,         ,        ,
      To me | sir? Why | you gave | no gold | to me?
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
            ,         ,            ,           ,       ,
      Come^on | sir knave,| have^done | your fool|ishness,
            ,        ,    ,               T    T     T
      And tell me | how thou / hast dis|posed thy charge.
 
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
            ,          ,          ,          ,          ,
      My charge | was but | to fetch | you from | the mart
        ,    2         ,            ,        ,         ,
      Home to your | house, the | Phoenix | sir, to | dinner;
           ,        ,         ,        ,          ,
      My mist|ress and | her sis|ter stays | for you.
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
       ,       ,          ,         ,       ,
      Now as | I am | a Chris|tian ans|wer me,
       .   T    T    T      ,      2      ,         ,
      In what safe place | you have be|stowed my | money;
         ,           ,           ,        ,          ,
      Or I | shall break | that mer|ry sconce | of yours
              ,           ,          ,       ,      ,
      That stands | on tricks,| when I | am un|disposed:
        ,              ,         ,            ,         ,
      Where is | the thous|and marks | thou hadst | of me?
 
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
          ,           ,          ,       ,         ,
      I have | some^marks | of yours | upon | my pate:
        ,    2      ,           ,      ,         ,
      Some of my | mistress'| marks u|pon my | shoulders:
           ,        ,         ,         ,           ,
      But not | a thous|and marks | between | you both.
         ,           ,          ,         ,        ,
      If I | should pay | your worsh|ip those | again,
           ,                  ,    ,          ,       ,
      Perchance | you will / not bear | them pa|tiently.
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
            ,          ,            ,         ,       ,
      Thy mist|ress' marks?| What mist|ress slave | hast thou?
 
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
            ,           ,     ,   ,         2        ,
      Your worsh|ip's wife,| my mist/ress at the | Phoenix;
       ,                ,          ,      T    T   .   Tx
      She that | doth fast | till you | come home to dinner:
            ,           ,          ,          ,          x
      And prays | that you | will hie | you home | to dinner.
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
              ,           ,          ,     ,          ,
      What* wilt | thou flout | me thus | unto | my face
       ,          ,             ,          ,          ,
      Being | forbid?| There* take | you that | sir knave.
 
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
             ,         ,     .    T     T    T           ,
      What mean | you sir,| for God's sake hold | your hands:
       ,    ,                ,               ,         ,
      Nay, and / you will | not sir,| I'll take | my heels.
 
[Exit]
 
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
        ,         ,     ,     2     ,       ,
      Upon | my life | by some de|vice or | other,
           ,      2    ,     ,          ,        ,
      The vil|lain is ore|wrought of | all my | money.
            ,           ,         ,        ,     ,
      They say | this town | is full | of coz|enage:
          ,       ,          ,        ,          ,
      As nim|ble jug|glers that | deceive | the eye:
       __    ,         ,    2             ,           ,
      Dark-|working | sorcerers | that change | the mind:
       __    ,         ,      2         x           ,
      Soul-|killing | witches, that | deform the | body:  ????
          ,        ,          ,        ,      ,
      Disguis|ed cheat|ers, prat|ing mount|ebanks;
           ,      ,     ,   ,               ,
      And ma|ny such-|like lib/erties*| of sin:
        2     ,      ,  ,               ,         ,
      If it prove | so, I / will be | gone the | sooner:
        ,             ,             ,   ,           ,
      I'll to | the Cent|aur* to / go seek | this slave,
          ,        ,        ,           ,    ,
      I great|ly fear | my mon|ey is / not safe.
 
[Exit]

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