Before 'The Phoenix'
 Enter ADRIANA, wife to Antipholus of Ephesus, with LUCIANA, her sister.

Adriana	Neither my husband nor the slave returned,
	That in such haste I sent to seek his master?
	Sure, Luciana, it is two o'clock.

Luciana	Perhaps some merchant hath invited him,
	And from the mart he's somewhere gone to dinner.
	Good sister, let us dine, and never fret;
	A man is master of his liberty.
	Time is their master, and when they see time
	They'll go or come. If so, be patient, sister.

Adriana	Why should their liberty than ours be more?

Luciana	Because their business still lies out o'door.

Adriana	Look, when I serve him so, he takes it ill.

Luciana	O, know he is the bridle of your will.

Adriana	There's none but asses will be bridled so.

Luciana	Why, headstrong liberty is lashed with woe.
	There's nothing situate under heaven's eye
	But hath his bound in earth, in sea, in sky.
	The beasts, the fishes, and the wingd fowls
	Are their males' subjects, and at their controls.
	Man, more divine, the master of all these,
	Lord of the wide world and wild wat'ry seas,
	Indued with intellectual sense and souls,
	Of more pre-eminence than fish and fowls,
	Are masters to their females, and their lords.
	Then let your will attend on their accords.

Adriana	This servitude makes you to keep unwed.

Luciana	Not this, but troubles of the marriage-bed.

Adriana	But were you wedded you would bear some sway.

Luciana	Ere I learn love I'll practise to obey.

Adriana	How if your husband start some otherwhere?

Luciana	Till he come home again I would forbear.

Adriana	Patience unmoved! - No marvel though she pause;
	They can be meek that have no other cause.
	A wretched soul bruised with adversity
	We bid be quiet, when we hear it cry;
	But were we burdened with like weight of pain,
	As much or more we should ourselves complain.
	So thou, that hast no unkind mate to grieve thee,
	With urging helpless patience would relieve me.
	But if thou live to see like right bereft,
	This fool-begged patience in thee will be left.

Luciana	Well, I will marry one day, but to try.
	Here comes your man; now is your husband nigh.

                         Enter DROMIO OF EPHESUS.

Adriana	Say, is your tardy master now at hand?

Dromio
of Ephesus	Nay, he's at two hands with me, and that my two ears can 
	witness.

Adriana	Say, didst thou speak with him? Know'st thou his mind?

Dromio
of Ephesus	Ay, ay, he told his mind upon mine ear.
	Beshrew his hand, I scarce could understand it.

Luciana	Spake he so doubtfully thou couldst not feel his meaning?

Dromio
of Ephesus	Nay, he struck so plainly I could too well feel his blows, 
	and withal so doubtfully that I could scarce understand 
	them.

Adriana	But say, I prithee, is he coming home?
	It seems he hath great care to please his wife.

Dromio
of Ephesus	Why, mistress, sure my master is horn-mad.

Adriana	Horn-mad, thou villain?

Dromio
of Ephesus							I mean not cuckold-mad;
	But sure he is stark mad.
	When I desired him to come home to dinner
	He asked me for a thousand marks in gold.
	"'Tis dinner-time" quoth I, "My gold" quoth he.
	"Your meat will burn" quoth I, "My gold" quoth he.
	"Will you come?" quoth I, "My gold," quoth he
	"Where is the thousand marks I gave thee, villain?"
	"The pig" quoth I "is burned", "My gold" quoth he.
	"My mistress, sir, " quoth I, "Hang up thy mistress!
	I know not thy mistress! Out on thy mistress!"

Luciana	Quoth who?

Dromio
of Ephesus	Quoth my master;
	"I know" quoth he "no house, no wife, no mistress";
	So that my errand due unto my tongue,
	I thank him, I bare home upon my shoulders;
	For, in conclusion, he did beat me there.

Adriana	Go back again, thou slave, and fetch him home.

Dromio
of Ephesus	Go back again and be new beaten home?
	For God's sake, send some other messenger.

Adriana	Back, slave, or I will break thy pate across.

Dromio
of Ephesus	And he will bless that cross with other beating:
	Between you I shall have a holy head.

Adriana	Hence, prating peasant, fetch thy master home.
												[Beats DROMIO.
Dromio
of Ephesus	Am I so round with you as you with me,
	That, like a football, you do spurn me thus?
	You spurn me hence, and he will spurn me hither;
	If I last in this service you must case me in leather.
												[Exit.
Luciana	Fie, how impatience loureth in your face!

Adriana	His company must do his minions grace
	Whilst I at home starve for a merry look.
	Hath homely age th' alluring beauty took
	From my poor cheek? - Then he hath wasted it.
	Are my discourses dull? Barren my wit?
	If voluble and sharp discourse be marred,
	Unkindness blunts it more than marble hard.
	Do their gay vestments his affections bait?
	That's not my fault - he's master of my state.
	What ruins are in me that can be found
	By him not ruined? Then is he the ground
	Of my defeatures. My decayd fair
	A sunny look of his would soon repair.
	But, too unruly deer, he breaks the pale
	And feeds from home; poor I am but his stale.

Luciana	Self-harming jealousy! Fie, beat it hence!

Adriana	Unfeeling fools can with such wrongs dispense.
	I know his eye doth homage otherwhere,
	Or else what lets it but he would be here?
	Sister, you know he promised me a chain;
	Would that alone a-love he would detain,
	So he would keep fair quarter with his bed.
	I see the jewel best enamelld
	Will lose his beauty; yet the gold bides still
	That others touch; and often touching will
	Wear gold, and no man that hath a name
	By falsehood and corruption doth it shame.
	Since that my beauty cannot please his eye,
	I'll weep what's left away, and weeping die.

Luciana	How many fond fools serve mad jealousy!
												[Exeunt.
