1631Therefore most gracious Duke with thy command,

1632Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for helpe.

1633Duke. Long since thy husband seru'd me in my wars

1634And I to thee ingag'd a Princes word,

1635When thou didst make him Master of thy bed,

1636To do him all the grace and good I could.

1637Go some of you, knocke at the Abbey gate,

1638And bid the Lady Abbesse come to me:

1639I will determine this before I stirre.

1641Oh Mistris, Mistris, shift and saue your selfe,

1642My Master and his man are both broke loose,

1643Beaten the Maids a-row, and bound the Doctor,

1644Whose beard they haue sindg'd off with brands of fire,

1645And euer as it blaz'd, they threw on him

1646Great pailes of puddled myre to quench the haire;

1647My Mr preaches patience to him, and the while

1648His man with Cizers nickes him like a foole:

1649And sure (vnlesse you send some present helpe)

1650Betweene them they will kill the Coniurer.

1651Adr. Peace foole, thy Master and his man are here,

1652And that is false thou dost report to vs.

1653Mess. Mistris, vpon my life I tel you true,

1654I haue not breath'd almost since I did see it.

1655He cries for you, and vowes if he can take you,

1656To scorch your face, and to disfigure you:

1658Harke, harke, I heare him Mistris: flie, be gone.

1659Duke. Come stand by me, feare nothing: guard with

1660Halberds.

1661Adr. Ay me, it is my hus

band: witnesse you,

1662That he is borne about inuisible,

1663Euen now we hous'd him in the Abbey heere.

1664And now he's there, past thought of humane reason.

1666E.Ant. Iustice most gracious Duke, oh grant me iu- (stice,

1667Euen for the seruice that long since I did thee,

1668When I bestrid thee in the warres, and tooke

1669Deepe scarres to saue thy life; euen for the blood

1670That then I lost for thee, now grant me iustice.

1671Mar.Fat. Vnlesse the feare of death doth make me

1672dote, I see my sonne Antipholus and Dromio.

1673E.Ant. Iustice (sweet Prince) against y^t Woman there:

1674She whom thou gau'st to me to be my wife;

1675That hath abused and dishonored me,

1676Euen in the strength and height of iniurie:

1677Beyond imagination is the wrong

1678That she this day hath shamelesse throwne on me.

1679Duke. Discouer how, and thou shalt finde me iust.

1680E.Ant. This day (great Duke) she shut the doores

1681vpon me,

1682While she with Harlots feasted in my house.

1683Duke. A greeuous fault: say woman, didst thou so?

1684Adr. No my good Lord. My selfe, he, and my sister,

1685To day did dine together: so befall my soule,

1686As this is false he burthens me withall.

1687Luc. Nere may I looke on day, nor sleepe on night,

1688But she tels to your Highnesse simple truth.

1689Gold. O periur'd woman! They are both forsworne,

1690In this the Madman iustly chargeth them.

1691E.Ant. My Liege, I am aduised what I say,

1692Neither disturbed with the effect of Wine,

1693Nor headie-rash prouoak'd with raging ire,

1694Albeit my wrongs might make one wiser mad.

1695This woman lock'd me out this day from dinner;

1696That Goldsmith there, were he not pack'd with her,

1697Could witnesse it: for he was with me then,

1698Who parted with me to go fetch a Chaine,

1699Promising to bring it to the Porpentine,

1700Where Balthasar and I did dine together.

1701Our dinner done, and he not comming thither,

1702I went to seeke him. In the street I met him,

1703And in his companie that Gentleman.

1704There did this periur'd Goldsmith sweare me downe,

1705That I this day of him receiu'd the Chaine,

1706Which God he knowes, I saw not. For the which,

1707He did arrest me with an Officer.

1708I did obey, and sent my Pesant home

1709For certaine Duckets: he with none return'd.

1710Then fairely I bespoke the Officer

1711To go in person with me to my house.

1712By'th' way, we met my wife, her sister, and a rabble more

1713Of vilde Confederates: Along with them

1714They brought one Pinch, a hungry leane-fac'd Villaine;

1715A meere Anatomie, a Mountebanke,

1716A thred-bare Iugler, and a Fortune-teller,

1717A needy-hollow-ey'd-sharpe-looking-wretch;

1718A liuing dead man. This pernicious slaue,

1719Forsooth tooke on him as a Coniurer:

1720And gazing in mine eyes, feeling my pulse,

1721And with no-face (as 'twere) out-facing me,

1722Cries out, I was possest. Then altogether

1723They fell vpon me, bound me, bore me thence,

1724And in a darke and dankish vault at home

1725There left me and my man, both bound together,

1726Till gnawing with my teeth my bonds in sunder,

1727I gain'd my freedome; and immediately

1728Ran hether to your Grace, whom I beseech

1729To giue me ample satisfaction

1730For these deepe shames, and great indignities.

1731Gold. My Lord, in truth, thus far I witnes with him:

1732That he din'd not at home, but was lock'd out.

1733Duke. But had he such a Chaine of thee, or no?

1734Gold. He had my Lord, and when he ran in heere,

1735These people saw the Chaine about his necke.

1736Mar. Besides, I will be sworne these eares of mine,

1737Heard you confesse you had the Chaine of him,

1738After you first forswore it on the Mart,

1739And thereupon I drew my sword on you:

1740And then you fled into this Abbey heere,

1741From whence I thinke you are come by Miracle.

1742E.Ant. I neuer came within these Abbey wals,

1743Nor euer didst thou draw thy sword on me:

1744I neuer saw the Chaine, so helpe me heauen:

1745And this is false you burthen me withall.

1746Duke. Why what an intricate impeach is this?

1747I thinke you all haue drunke of Circes cup:

1748If heere you hous'd him, heere he would haue bin.

1749If he were mad, he would not pleade so coldly:

1750You say he din'd at home, the Goldsmith heere

1751Denies that saying. Sirra, what say you?

1752E.Dro. Sir he din'de with her there, at the Porpen-

1753tine.

1754Cur. He did, and from my finger snacht that Ring.

1755E.Anti. Tis true (my Liege) this Ring I had of her.

1756Duke. Saw'st thou him enter at the Abbey heere?

1757Curt. As sure (my Liege) as I do see your Grace.

1758Duke. Why this is straunge: Go call the Abbesse hi-

1759ther.

1760I thinke you are all mated, or starke mad.