Sirrah, if any ask you for your master,
Say he dines forth, and let no creature enter.
Come, sister. Dromio, play the porter well.
Ant. S. Am I in earth, in heaven, or in hell?

Sleeping or waking? mad, or well advised?
Known unto these, and to myself disguised!
I'll say as they say, and perséver so,

And in this mist at all adventures go.

Dro. S. Master, shall I be porter at the gate?

Adr. Ay; and let none enter, lest I break your pate.
Luc. Come, come, Antipholus; we dine too late.

212-216. Marked as "aside" by Capell. conj.

210

215

[Exeunt.

218. and] omitted by Collier

ACT III

SCENE I.-Before the House of Antipholus of Ephesus.

Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus, DROMIO of Ephesus,
ANGELO and BALTHAZAR.

Ant. E. Good Signior Angelo, you must excuse us;
My wife is shrewish when I keep not hours:
Say that I linger'd with you at your shop
To see the making of her carcanet,
And that to-morrow you will bring it home.
But here's a villain that would face me down
He met me on the mart, and that I beat him,

5

ACT III. SCENE 1. Before .] The Street before Antipholis's house Pope. Enter ... Dromio Balthazar] Rowe; Enter his man Dromio, Angelo the_goldsmith, and Balthaser the merchant. Ff. I. us] us all F1; all omitted by Pope.

I. Good . . . us] Pope, I think, was right in omitting all, as being unnecessary to sense and metre. It could only refer to Antipholus of Ephesus and Balthazar, Dromio of Ephesus as a slave not being taken into account. On the other hand, as some defence of the Folio reading, it must be noted that Balthazar on his part uses the very same word in line 95 of this scene: "And let us to the Tiger all to dinner"; but in the latter case Angelo would seem to be included, and hence "all" would be appropriate. It may be suggested that Shakespeare originally wrote

"Good

either" Good Signior" or
Angelo"; and that in correcting to
the full address of title and name,
"Good Signior Angelo," he forgot to
strike out all. Compare lines 19, 22
infra, and "Signior Antipholus," v.
i. 13.

4. carcanet] Cotgrave has "Carcan: a carkanet, or collar of gold, etc., worne about the necke." The word also occurs in Sonnet lii. 8: "Or captain jewels in the carcanet."

6. face me down] Craig compares Golding's Metamorphosis, bk. xi. fol. 134 b: "And falsely faced them down with oaths it was not as they said."

And charged him with a thousand marks in gold,
And that I did deny my wife and house.

Thou drunkard, thou, what didst thou mean by this? 10 Dro. E. Say what you will, sir, but I know what I know; That you beat me at the mart, I have your hand to show:

If the skin were parchment, and the blows you gave were ink,

Your own handwriting would tell you what I think. Ant. E. I think thou art an ass.

Dro. E.

Marry, so it doth appear, 15

By the wrongs I suffer, and the blows I bear.

I should kick, being kicked, and being at that pass, You would keep from my heels, and beware of an ass. Ant. E. You're sad, Signior Balthazar: pray God, our cheer May answer my good will, and your good welcome

here.

20

Bal. I hold your dainties cheap, sir, and your welcome dear. Ant. E. O Signior Balthazar, either at flesh or fish,

A table full of welcome makes scarce one dainty dish.

II. Say] You must say Capell. own] F 1; omitted in Ff 2, 3, 4.

14.

13. the skin] my skin Collier. 15, 16. so it doth . . . bear.] doth it so bear? Hanmer. 15. doth] don't Theobald. 16. I suffer. I bear] that I suffer. that I bear Keightley. 19. You're] Y'are Ff; You are Capell. 20. here] omitted by Pope.

...

12, 13. hand parchment] Another instance of Shakespeare's strong liking for legal phraseology, as well as for a quibble. The play on the legal meaning of "hand" is quite evident.

15-18. so it doth appear, etc.] Theobald's alteration of doth to don't cannot well be supported. He thought Dromio meant to say he was an ass for making no resistance, "because

an ass, being kicked, kicks again." But Dromio says, I should, i.e. I ought to kick, but do not; and hence I make no resistance, and deserve the name of ass.

20. good will... good welcome] Compare Whetstone's Promos and Cassandra, 1575 (Nichol, Six Old Plays, i. 69): "where good wyll the welcome geves, provysion syld is scant."

Bal. Good meat, sir, is common; that every churl affords. Ant. E. And welcome more common, for that's nothing but words. 25 Bal. Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast. Ant. E. Ay, to a niggardly host and more sparing guest :

But though my cates be mean, take them in good part; Better cheer may you have, but not with better heart. But, soft! my door is lock'd. Go bid them let us in. 30 Dro. E. Maud, Bridget, Marian, Cicely, Gillian, Ginn! Dro. S. [Within.] Mome, malt-horse, capon, coxcomb, idiot,

patch!

27. more] a more Keightley. 31. Ginn] omitted by Pope; Jen' Malone; Gin' Collier; Fin Dyce. 32, etc. [Within.] Rowe.

Good meal in his sleep, but sells the acates are sent him.' 31. Gillian, Ginn] Perhaps Juliana and Jenny.

a

sot,"

32. Mome] dolt, blockhead: not used elsewhere by Shakespeare. The word seems originally to have meant "soft," "smooth": and hence a "soft" or stupid person. Florio (p. 81) gives "a gull, a ninny, a mome, Craig refers to "Jack Juggler" (Hazlitt's Dodsley, ii. 138): "But if I were a wise woman, as I am a mome. "This owes its original to the French word Momon, which signifies the gaming at dice in masquerade, the custom and rule of which is, that a strict silence is to be observed;

whatever sum one stakes, another covers, but not a word is to be spoken. From hence also comes our word Mum! for silence" (Hawkins). But Douce thinks it more probably came to us from one of those similar words that are found in many languages signifying something foolish. Momar Siculi stultum appellant, Festus, s.v. Compare also Greek μῶμος and μπρος.

32. malt-horse] brewer's horse. Compare Taming of the Shrew, IV. i. 132: "You whoreson malt-horse drudge!"; Jonson, Every Man, etc., I. iv. "Why, he has no more judgment than a malt-horse"; id., Bartholomew Fair, II. i.: " No, no, I am a dull malt-horse."

32. patch] fool: with reference perhaps to the dress worn by the domestic "fool." Compare Midsummer-Night's Dream, III. ii. 9: "a crew of patches" (with my note thereon in the Arden ed.), and ib. 1v. i. 215: "patched fool." Shakespeare no doubt noticed the word in W. W.'s translation of the Menaecmi (Act v.) : Why, doating patch, didst thou not come with me this morning from the ship?" See the Menaecmi in Appendix II.

Either get thee from the door, or sit down at the hatch.

Dost thou conjure for wenches, that thou call'st for such store

When one is one too many? Go get thee from the

door.

35 Dro. E. What patch is made our porter ?-My master stays in the street.

Dro. S. [Within.] Let him walk from whence he came, lest he catch cold on's feet.

Ant. E. Who talks within there? ho! open the door! Dro. S. [Within.] Right, sir: I'll tell you when, an you'll tell me wherefore.

Ant. E. Wherefore? for my dinner: I have not dined to

day.

40 Dro. S. [Within.] Nor to-day here you must not; come again when you may.

Ant. E. What art thou that keep'st me out from the house I owe?

Dro. S. [Within.] The porter for this time, sir, and my name is Dromio.

Dro. E. O villain, thou hast stolen both mine office and my

name!

The one ne'er got me credit, the other mickle blame. 45

35. many?] F 4; many, Ff. 1, 2, 3. Go get] go, get Rowe. Rowe (ed. 2); and Ff. 41. not; come] not come Ff.

33. hatch] a wicket, or half door. Compare King John, 1. i. 171: "In at the window, or else o'er the hatch" (meaning an unlawful entrance, and hence being a proverbial phrase for illegitimacy); ib. v. ii. 138: "To cudgel you and make you take

39. an]