5Proceed Solinus to procure my fall,

6And by the doome of death end woes and all.

7Duke. Merchant of Siracusa, plead no more.

8I am not partiall to infringe our Lawes;

9The enmity and discord which of late

10Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your Duke,

11To Merchants our well-dealing Countrimen,

12Who wanting gilders to redeeme their liues,

13Haue seal'd his rigorous statutes with their blouds,

14Excludes all pitty from our threatning lookes:

15For since the mortall and intestine iarres

16Twixt thy seditious Countrimen and vs,

17It hath in solemne Synodes beene decreed,

18Both by the Siracusians and our selues,

19To admit no trafficke to our aduerse townes:

20Nay more, if any borne at Ephesus

21Be seene at any Siracusian Marts and Fayres:

22Againe, if any Siracusian borne

23Come to the Bay of Ephesus, he dies:

24His goods confiscate to the Dukes dispose,

25Vnlesse a thousand markes be leuied

26To quit the penalty, and to ransome him:

27Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,

28Cannot amount vnto a hundred Markes,

29Therefore by Law thou art condemn'd to die.

30Mer. Yet this my comfort, when your words are done,

31My woes end likewise with the euening Sonne.

32Duk. Well Siracusian; say in briefe the cause

33Why thou departedst from thy natiue home?

34And for what cause thou cam'st to Ephesus.

35Mer. A heauier taske could not haue beene impos'd,

36Then I to speake my griefes vnspeakeable:

37Yet that the world may witnesse that my end

38Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence,

39Ile vtter what my sorrow giues me leaue.

40In Syracusa was I borne, and wedde

41Vnto a woman, happy but for me,

42And by me; had not our hap beene bad:

43With her I liu'd in ioy, our wealth increast

44By prosperous voyages I often made

45To Epidamium, till my factors death,

46And he great care of goods at randone left,

47Drew me from kinde embracements of my spouse;

48From whom my absence was not sixe moneths olde,

49Before her selfe (almost at fainting vnder

50The pleasing punishment that women beare)

51Had made prouision for her following me,

52And soone, and safe, arriued where I was:

53There had she not beene long, but she became

54A ioyfull mother of two goodly sonnes:

55And, which was strange, the one so like the other,

56As could not be distinguish'd but by names.

57That very howre, and in the selfe-same Inne,

58A meane woman was deliuered

59Of such a burthen Male, twins both alike:

60Those, for their parents were exceeding poore,

61I bought, and brought vp to attend my sonnes.

62My wife, not meanely prowd of two such boyes,

63Made daily motions for our home returne:

64Vnwilling I agreed, alas, too soone wee came aboord.

65A league from Epidamium had we saild

66Before the alwaies winde-obeying deepe

67Gaue any Tragicke Instance of our harme:

68But longer did we not retaine much hope;

69For what obscured light the heauens did grant,

70Did but conuay vnto our fearefull mindes

71A doubtfull warrant of immediate death,

72Which though my selfe would gladly haue imbrac'd,

73Yet the incessant weepings of my wife,

74Weeping before for what she saw must come,

75And pitteous playnings of the prettie babes

76That mourn'd for fashion, ignorant what to feare,

77Forst me to seeke delayes for them and me,

78And this it was: (for other meanes was none)

79The Sailors sought for safety by our boate,

80And left the ship then sinking ripe to vs.

81My wife, more carefull for the latter borne,

82Had fastned him vnto a small spare Mast,

83Such as sea-faring men prouide for stormes:

84To him one of the other twins was bound,

85Whil'st I had beene like heedfull of the other.

86The children thus dispos'd, my wife and I,

87Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fixt,

88Fastned our selues at eyther end the mast,

89And floating straight, obedient to the streame,

90Was carried towards Corinth, as we thought.

91At length the sonne gazing vpon the earth,

92Disperst those vapours that offended vs,

93And by the benefit of his wished light

94The seas waxt calme, and we discouered

95Two shippes from farre, making amaine to vs:

96Of Corinth that, of Epidarus this,

97But ere they came, oh let me say no more,

98Gather the sequell by that went before.

99Duk. Nay forward old man, doe not breake off so,

100For we may pitty, though not pardon thee.

101Merch. Oh had the gods done so, I had not now

102Worthily tearm'd them mercilesse to vs:

103For ere the ships could meet by twice fiue leagues,

104We were encountred by a mighty rocke,

105Which being violently borne vp,

106Our helpefull ship was splitted in the midst;

107So that in this vniust diuorce of vs,

108Fortune had left to both of vs alike,

109What to delight in, what to sorrow for,

110Her part, poore soule, seeming as burdened

111With lesser waight, but not with lesser woe,

112Was carried with more speed before the winde,

113And in our sight they three were taken vp

114By Fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.

115At length another ship had seiz'd on vs,

116And knowing whom it was their hap to saue,

117Gaue healthfull welcome to their ship-wrackt guests,

118And would haue reft the Fishers of their prey,

119Had not their backe beene very slow of saile;

120And therefore homeward did they bend their course.

121Thus haue you heard me seuer'd from my blisse,

122That by misfortunes was my life prolong'd,

123To tell sad stories of my owne mishaps.

124Duke. And for the sake of them thou sorrowest for,

125Doe me the fauour to dilate at full,

126What haue befalne of them and they till now.

127Merch. My yongest boy, and yet my eldest care,

128At eighteene yeeres became inquisitiue

129After his brother; and importun'd me

130That his attendant, so his case was like,

131Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name,

132Might beare him company in the quest of him:

133Whom whil'st I laboured of a loue to see,

134I hazarded the losse of whom I lou'd.

135Fiue Sommers haue I spent in farthest Greece,

136Roming cleane through the bounds of Asia,

137And coasting homeward, came to Ephesus:

138Hopelesse to finde, yet loth to leaue vnsought

139Or that, or any place that harbours men:

140But heere must end the story of my life,

141And happy were I in my timelie death,

142Could all my trauells warrant me they liue.

143Duke. Haplesse Egeon whom the fates haue markt

144To beare the extremitie of dire mishap:

145Now trust me, were it not against our Lawes,

146Against my Crowne, my oath, my dignity,

147Which Princes would they may not disanull,

148My soule should sue as aduocate for thee:

149But though thou art adiudged to the death,

150And passed sentence may not be recal'd

151But to our honours great disparagement:

152Yet will I fauour thee in what I can;

153Therefore Marchant, Ile limit thee this day

154To seeke thy helpe by beneficiall helpe,

155Try all the friends thou hast in Ephesus,

156Beg thou, or borrow, to make vp the summe,

157And liue: if no, then thou art doom'd to die:

158Iaylor, take him to thy custodie.

159Iaylor. I will my Lord.

160Merch. Hopelesse and helpelesse doth Egean wend,

161But to procrastinate his liuelesse end. Exeunt.