THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

Act 1 Scene 1

(Enter Solinus, the Duke of Ephesus, with Egeon the Merchant of Syracuse, Jailer, and other attendants)
l1l	Egeon	 Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall,
l2l		And by the doom of death end woes and all.
l3l	Duke	Merchant of Syracusa, plead no more.
l4l		I am not partial to infringe our laws.
l5l		The enmity and discord which of late
l6l		Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your Duke
l7l		To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen,
l8l		Who, wanting guilders to redeem their lives,
l9l		Have sealed his rigorous statutes with their bloods,
l10l		Excludes all pity from our threat’ning looks.
l11l		For since the mortal and intestine jars
l12l		’Twixt thy seditious countrymen and us,
l13l		It hath in solemn synods been decreed,
l14l		Both by the Syracusians and ourselves,
l15l		To admit no traffic to our adverse towns.
l16l		Nay more: if any born at Ephesus
l17l		Be seen at Syracusian marts and fairs#
l18l		Again, if any Syracusian born
l19l		Come to the bay of Ephesus—he dies,
l20l		His goods confiscate to the Duke’s dispose,
l21l		Unless a thousand marks be levièd
l22l		To quit the penalty and ransom him.
l23l		Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,
l24l		Cannot amount unto a hundred marks.
l25l		Therefore by law thou art condemned to die.
l26l	Egeon	Yet this my comfort: when your words are done,
l27l		My woes end likewise with the evening sun.
l28l	Duke	Well, Syracusian, say in brief the cause
l29l		Why thou departed’st from thy native home,
l30l		And for what cause thou cam’st to Ephesus.
l31l	Egeon	A heavier task could not have been imposed
l32l		Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable.
l33l		Yet, that the world may witness that my end
l34l		Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence,
l35l		I’ll utter what my sorrow gives me leave.
l36l		In Syracusa was I born, and wed
l37l		Unto a woman happy but for me,
l38l		And by me happy, had not our hap been bad.
l39l		With her I lived in joy, our wealth increased
l40l		By prosperous voyages I often made
l41l		To Epidamnum, till my factor’s death,
l42l		And the great care of goods at random left,
l43l		Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse,
l44l		From whom my absence was not six months old
l45l		Before herself—almost at fainting under
l46l		The pleasing punishment that women bear—
l47l		Had made provision for her following me,
l48l		And soon and safe arrivèd where I was.
l49l		There had she not been long but she became
l50l		A joyful mother of two goodly sons#
l51l		And, which was strange, the one so like the other
l52l		As could not be distinguished but by names.
l53l		That very hour, and in the selfsame inn,
l54l		A mean-born woman was deliverèd
l55l		Of such a burden male, twins both alike.
l56l		Those, for their parents were exceeding poor,
l57l		I bought, and brought up to attend my sons.
l58l		My wife, not meanly proud of two such boys,
l59l		Made daily motions for our home return.
l60l		Unwilling, I agreed. Alas! Too soon
l61l		We came aboard.
l62l		A league from Epidamnum had we sailed
l63l		Before the always-wind-obeying deep
l64l		Gave any tragic instance of our harm.
l65l		But longer did we not retain much hope,
l66l		For what obscurèd light the heavens did grant
l67l		Did but convey unto our fearful minds
l68l		A doubtful warrant of immediate death,
l69l		Which though myself would gladly have embraced,
l70l		Yet the incessant weepings of my wife—
l71l		Weeping before for what she saw must come—
l72l		And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,
l73l		That mourned for fashion, ignorant what to fear,
l74l		Forced me to seek delays for them and me.
l75l		And this it was—for other means was none:
l76l		The sailors sought for safety by our boat,
l77l		And left the ship, then sinking-ripe, to us.
l78l		My wife, more careful for the latter-born,
l79l		Had fastened him unto a small spare mast
l80l		Such as seafaring men provide for storms.
l81l		To him one of the other twins was bound,
l82l		Whilst I had been like heedful of the other.
l83l		The children thus disposed, my wife and I,
l84l		Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fixed,
l85l		Fastened ourselves at either end the mast,
l86l		And floating straight, obedient to the stream,
l87l		Was carried towards Corinth, as we thought.
l88l		At length the sun, gazing upon the earth,
l89l		Dispersed those vapours that offended us,
l90l		And by the benefit of his wishèd light
l91l		The seas waxed calm, and we discoverèd
l92l		Two ships from far, making amain to us:
l93l		Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this.
l94l		But ere they came—O let me say no more!
l95l		Gather the sequel by that went before.
l96l	Duke	Nay, forward, old man# do not break off so,
l97l		For we may pity though not pardon thee.
l98l	Egeon	O, had the gods done so, I had not now
l99l		Worthily termed them merciless to us.
l100l		For, ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues,
l101l		We were encountered by a mighty rock,
l102l		Which being violently borne upon,
l103l		Our helpful ship was splitted in the midst,
l104l		So that in this unjust divorce of us
l105l		Fortune had left to both of us alike
l106l		What to delight in, what to sorrow for.
l107l		Her part, poor soul, seeming as burdenèd
l108l		With lesser weight but not with lesser woe,
l109l		Was carried with more speed before the wind,
l110l		And in our sight they three were taken up
l111l		By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.
l112l		At length another ship had seized on us,
l113l		And, knowing whom it was their hap to save,
l114l		Gave healthful welcome to their shipwrecked guests,
l115l		And would have reft the fishers of their prey
l116l		Had not their barque been very slow of sail#
l117l		And therefore homeward did they bend their course.
l118l		Thus have you heard me severed from my bliss,
l119l		That by misfortunes was my life prolonged
l120l		To tell sad stories of my own mishaps.
l121l	Duke	And for the sake of them thou sorrow’st for,
l122l		Do me the favour to dilate at full
l123l		What have befall’n of them and thee till now.
l124l	Egeon	My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care,
l125l		At eighteen years became inquisitive
l126l		After his brother, and importuned me
l127l		That his attendant—so his case was like,
l128l		Reft of his brother, but retained his name—
l129l		Might bear him company in the quest of him#
l130l		Whom whilst I laboured of a love to see,
l131l		I hazarded the loss of whom I loved.
l132l		Five summers have I spent in farthest Greece,
l133l		Roaming clean through the bounds of Asia,
l134l		And coasting homeward came to Ephesus,
l135l		Hopeless to find, yet loath to leave unsought
l136l		Or that or any place that harbours men.
l137l		But here must end the story of my life,
l138l		And happy were I in my timely death
l139l		Could all my travels warrant me they live.
l140l	Duke	Hapless Egeon, whom the fates have marked
l141l		To bear the extremity of dire mishap,
l142l		Now trust me, were it not against our laws—
l143l		Which princes, would they, may not disannul—
l144l		Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,
l145l		My soul should sue as advocate for thee.
l146l		But though thou art adjudgèd to the death,
l147l		And passèd sentence may not be recalled
l148l		But to our honour’s great disparagement,
l149l		Yet will I favour thee in what I can.
l150l		Therefore, merchant, I’ll limit thee this day
l151l		To seek thy health by beneficial help.
l152l		Try all the friends thou hast in Ephesus:
l153l		Beg thou or borrow to make up the sum,
l154l		And live. If no, then thou art doomed to die.
l155l		Jailer, take him to thy custody.
l156l	Jailer	I will, my lord.
l157l	Egeon	Hopeless and helpless doth Egeon wend,
l158l		But to procrastinate his lifeless end.
		(Exeunt)