teous wife in Padua.

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

The states of Syracuse and Ephesus being at variance, there was a cruel
law made at Ephesus, ordaining that if any merchant of Syracuse was
seen in the city of Ephesus, he was to be put to death, unless he could
pay a thousand marks for the ransom of his life.

Aegeon, an old merchant of Syracuse, was discovered in the streets of
Ephesus, and brought before the duke, either to pay this heavy fine, or
to receive sentence of death.

Aegeon had no money to pay the fine, and the duke, before he pronounced
the sentence of death upon him, desired him to relate the history of
his life, and to tell for what cause he had ventured to come to the
city of Ephesus, which it was death for any Syracusan merchant to enter.

Aegeon said, that he did not fear to die, for sorrow had made him weary
of his life, but that a heavier task could not have been imposed upon
him than to relate the events of his unfortunate life. He then began
his own history, in the following words:

'I was born at Syracuse, and brought up to the profession of a
merchant. I married a lady, with whom I lived very happily, but being
obliged to go to Epidamnum, I was detained there by my business six
months, and then, finding I should be obliged to stay some time longer,
I sent for my wife, who, as soon as she arrived, was brought to bed of
two sons, and what was very strange, they were both so exactly alike,
that it was impossible to distinguish the one from the other. At the
same time that my wife was brought to bed of these twin boys, a poor
woman in the inn where my wife lodged was brought to bed of two sons,
and these twins were as much like each other as my two sons were. The
parents of these children being exceeding poor, I bought the two boys,
and brought them up to attend upon my sons.

'My sons were very fine children, and my wife was not a little proud of
two such boys: and she daily wishing to return home, I unwillingly
agreed, and in an evil hour we got on shipboard; for we had not sailed
above a league from Epidamnum before a dreadful storm arose, which
continued with such violence, that the sailors seeing no chance of
saving the ship, crowded into the boat to save their own lives, leaving
us alone in the ship, which we every moment expected would be destroyed
by the fury of the storm.

'The incessant weeping of my wife, and the piteous complaints of the
pretty babes, who, not knowing what to