SCENE IV. A street. The Comedy of Errors  Shakespeare homepage  |  Comedy of Errors  | Act 4, Scene 4 

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 Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus and the Officer  ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Fear me not, man; I will not break away: 

 I'll give thee, ere I leave thee, so much money, 

 To warrant thee, as I am 'rested for. 

 My wife is in a wayward mood to-day, 

 And will not lightly trust the messenger 

 That I should be attach'd in Ephesus, 

 I tell you, 'twill sound harshly in her ears. 



 Enter DROMIO of Ephesus with a rope's-end  Here comes my man; I think he brings the money. 

 How now, sir! have you that I sent you for? 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  Here's that, I warrant you, will pay them all. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  But where's the money? 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  Why, sir, I gave the money for the rope. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Five hundred ducats, villain, for a rope? 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  I'll serve you, sir, five hundred at the rate. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  To what end did I bid thee hie thee home? 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  To a rope's-end, sir; and to that end am I returned. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  And to that end, sir, I will welcome you. 



 Beating him  Officer  Good sir, be patient. 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  Nay, 'tis for me to be patient; I am in adversity. 

 Officer  Good, now, hold thy tongue. 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  Nay, rather persuade him to hold his hands. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Thou whoreson, senseless villain! 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  I would I were senseless, sir, that I might not feel 

 your blows. 

 ANTIPHOLUS  Thou art sensible in nothing but blows, and so is an 

 ass. 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  I am an ass, indeed; you may prove it by my long 

 ears. I have served him from the hour of my 

 nativity to this instant, and have nothing at his 

 hands for my service but blows. When I am cold, he 

 heats me with beating; when I am warm, he cools me 

 with beating; I am waked with it when I sleep; 

 raised with it when I sit; driven out of doors with 

 it when I go from home; welcomed home with it when 

 I return; nay, I bear it on my shoulders, as a 

 beggar wont her brat; and, I think when he hath 

 lamed me, I shall beg with it from door to door. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Come, go along; my wife is coming yonder. 



 Enter ADRIANA, LUCIANA, the Courtezan, and PINCH  DROMIO OF EPHESUS  Mistress, 'respice finem,' respect your end; or 

 rather, the prophecy like the parrot, 'beware the 

 rope's-end.' 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Wilt thou still talk? 



 Beating him  Courtezan  How say you now? is not your husband mad? 

 ADRIANA  His incivility confirms no less. 

 Good Doctor Pinch, you are a conjurer; 

 Establish him in his true sense again, 

 And I will please you what you will demand. 

 LUCIANA  Alas, how fiery and how sharp he looks! 

 Courtezan  Mark how he trembles in his ecstasy! 

 PINCH  Give me your hand and let me feel your pulse. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  There is my hand, and let it feel your ear. 



 Striking him  PINCH  I charge thee, Satan, housed within this man, 

 To yield possession to my holy prayers 

 And to thy state of darkness hie thee straight: 

 I conjure thee by all the saints in heaven! 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Peace, doting wizard, peace! I am not mad. 

 ADRIANA  O, that thou wert not, poor distressed soul! 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  You minion, you, are these your customers? 

 Did this companion with the saffron face 

 Revel and feast it at my house to-day, 

 Whilst upon me the guilty doors were shut 

 And I denied to enter in my house? 

 ADRIANA  O husband, God doth know you dined at home; 

 Where would you had remain'd until this time, 

 Free from these slanders and this open shame! 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Dined at home! Thou villain, what sayest thou? 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  Sir, sooth to say, you did not dine at home. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Were not my doors lock'd up and I shut out? 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  Perdie, your doors were lock'd and you shut out. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  And did not she herself revile me there? 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  Sans fable, she herself reviled you there. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Did not her kitchen-maid rail, taunt, and scorn me? 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  Certes, she did; the kitchen-vestal scorn'd you. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  And did not I in rage depart from thence? 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  In verity you did; my bones bear witness, 

 That since have felt the vigour of his rage. 

 ADRIANA  Is't good to soothe him in these contraries? 

 PINCH  It is no shame: the fellow finds his vein, 

 And yielding to him humours well his frenzy. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Thou hast suborn'd the goldsmith to arrest me. 

 ADRIANA  Alas, I sent you money to redeem you, 

 By Dromio here, who came in haste for it. 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  Money by me! heart and goodwill you might; 

 But surely master, not a rag of money. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Went'st not thou to her for a purse of ducats? 

 ADRIANA  He came to me and I deliver'd it. 

 LUCIANA  And I am witness with her that she did. 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  God and the rope-maker bear me witness 

 That I was sent for nothing but a rope! 

 PINCH  Mistress, both man and master is possess'd; 

 I know it by their pale and deadly looks: 

 They must be bound and laid in some dark room. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Say, wherefore didst thou lock me forth to-day? 

 And why dost thou deny the bag of gold? 

 ADRIANA  I did not, gentle husband, lock thee forth. 

 DROMIO OF EPHESUS  And, gentle master, I received no gold; 

 But I confess, sir, that we were lock'd out. 

 ADRIANA  Dissembling villain, thou speak'st false in both. 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  Dissembling harlot, thou art false in all; 

 And art confederate with a damned pack 

 To make a loathsome abject scorn of me: 

 But with these nails I'll pluck out these false eyes 

 That would behold in me this shameful sport. 



 Enter three or four, and offer to bind him. He strives  ADRIANA  O, bind him, bind him! let him not come near me. 

 PINCH  More company! The fiend is strong within him. 

 LUCIANA  Ay me, poor man, how pale and wan he looks! 

 ANTIPHOLUS 

 OF EPHESUS  What, will you murder me? Thou gaoler, thou, 

 I am thy prisoner: wilt thou suffer them 

 To make a rescue? 

 Officer  Masters, let him go 

 He is my prisoner, and you shall not have him. 

 PINCH  Go bind this man, for he is frantic too. 



 They offer to bind Dromio of Ephesus  ADRIANA  What wilt thou do, thou peevish officer? 

 Hast thou delight to see a wretched man 

 Do outrage and displeasure to himself? 

 Officer  He is my prisoner: if I let him go, 

 The debt he owes will be required of me. 

 ADRIANA  I will discharge thee ere I go from thee: 

 Bear me forthwith unto his creditor, 

 And, knowing how the debt grows, I will pay it. 

 Good master doctor, see him safe convey'd 

 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 all but Adriana, Luciana, Officer and Courtezan  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. 

 Courtezan  When as your husband all in rage to-day 

 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, gaoler, bring me where the goldsmith is: 

 I long to know the truth hereof at large. 



 Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse with his rapier drawn, and DROMIO of Syracuse  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. 



 Exeunt all but Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse  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 to-night for all the town; 

 Therefore away, to get our stuff aboard. 



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