COMEDY OF ERRORS.*

* COMEDY OF ERRORS.] Shakspeare might have taken the general plan of this comedy from a tranflation of the Menæchmi of Plautus, by W. W. i. e. (according to Wood) William Warner, in 1595, whofe verfion of the acroftical argument hereafter quoted, is as follows:

"Two twinne borne fonnes a Sicill marchant had, "Menechmus one, and Soficles the other;

"The firft his father loft, a little lad;

"The grandfire namde the latter like his brother:
"This (growne a man) long travell took to feeke
"His brother, and to Epidamnum came,

"Where th' other dwelt inricht, and him fo like,
"That citizens there take him for the fame :

"Father, wife, neighbours, each miftaking either, "Much pleafant error, ere they meet togither."

Perhaps the last of these lines fuggefted to Shakspeare the title for his piece.

See this tranflation of the Menæchmi, among fix old Plays on which Shakspeare founded, &c. published by S. Leacroft, Charing

crofs.

At the beginning of an address Ad Lectorem, prefixed to the errata of Dekker's Satiromaftix, &c. 1602, is the following paffage, which apparently alludes to the title of the comedy before us.

"In fteed of the Trumpets founding thrice before the play begin, it fhall not be amiffe (for him that will read) first to beholde this fhort Comedy of Errors, and where the greatest enter, to give them instead of a hiffe, a gentle correction." STEEVENS.

I fufpect this and all other plays where much rhime is used, and efpecially long hobbling verfes, to have been among Shakspeare's more early productions. BLACKSTONE.

I am poffibly fingular in thinking that Shakspeare was not under the flighteft obligation, in forming this comedy, to Warner's tranflation of the Menæchmi. The additions of Erotes and Sereptus, which do not occur in that tranflation, and he could never invent, are, alone, a fufficient inducement to believe that he was no way indebted to it. But a further and more convincing proof is, that he has not a name, line or word, from the old play, nor any one incident but what muft, of course, be common to every tranflation. Sir William Blackftone, I obferve, fufpects "this and all other plays where much rhime is ufed, and especially long hobbling verses, to have been among Shakspeare's more early productions." much doubt whether any of these "long hobbling verfes" have the honour of proceeding from his pen; and, in fact, the fuperior elegance and harmony of his language is no lefs diftinguishable in his earliest than his latest production. The truth is if any inference

But I

can be drawn from the moft ftriking diffimilarity of ftile, a tiffue as different as filk and worfted, that this comedy though boasting the embellishments of our author's genius, in additional words, lines, fpeeches, and fcenes, was not originally his, but proceeded from fome inferior playwright, who was capable of reading the Menæchmi without the help of a tranflation, or, at least, did not make ufe of Warner's. And this I take to have been the cafe, not only with the three parts of K. Henry VI. as I think a late editor (Ofi fic omnia!) has fatisfactorily proved, but with The Two Genilemen of Verona, Love's Labour's Loft, and K. Richard II. in all which pieces Shakspeare's new work is as apparent as the brightest touches of Titian would be on the pooreft performance of the verieft canvafs-fpoiler that ever handled a brush. The originals of these plays (except the second and third parts of K. Henry VI.) were never printed, and may be thought to have been put into his hands by the manager for the purpofe of alteration and improvement, which we find to have been an ordinary practice of the theatre in his time. We are therefore no longer to look upon the above " pleasant and fine conceited comedie," as intitled to a fituation among the " fix plays on which Shakspeare founded his Measure for Meafure, &c." of which I fhould hope to fee a new and improved edition. RITSON. This comedy, I believe, was written in 1593. See An Attempt to ajcertain the order of Shakspeare's Plays, Vol. I. MALONE.

Solinus, Duke of Ephefus.
Ægeon, a Merchant of Syracufe.

Antipholus of Ephefus,
Antipholus of Syracufe,

Twin Brothers, and Sons but unknown to each other. to Ægeon and Æmilia,

Dromio of Ephefus, Twin Brothers, and Attendants

Dromio of Syracufe, }

Balthazar, a Merchant.

Angelo, a Goldsmith.

on the two Antipholus's.

A Merchant, Friend to Antipholus of Syracufe.
Pinch, a Schoolmaster, and a Conjurer.

Emilia, Wife to Ægeon, an Abbess at Ephefus.
Adriana, Wife to Antipholus of Ephefus.

Luciana, her Sifter.

Luce, ber Servant.

A Courtezan.

Gaoler, Officers, and other Attendants.

SCENE, Ephefus.

* In the old copy, thefe brothers are occafionally ftyled, Antipho lus Erotes, or Errotis; and Antipholus Sereptus; meaning, perhaps erraticus, and furreptus. One of these twins wandered in fearch of his brother, who had been forced from Æmilia by fishermen of Corinth. The following acroftic is the argument to the Menæchen's of Plautus: Delph. Edit. p. 654.

Mercator Siculus, cui erant gemini filii,

Ei, furrepto altero, mors obtigit.
Nomen furreptitii illi indit qui domi eft
Avus paternus, facit Menæchmum Soficlem.
Et is germanum, poftquam adolevit, quæritat
Circum omnes oras. Poft Epidamnum devenit:
Hic fuerat auctus ille furreptitius.

Menæchmum civem credunt omnes advenam:
Eumque appellant, meretrix, uxor, et focer.
life cognofcunt fratres poftremò invicem.

The tranflator, W. W. calls the brothers, Menæchmus Soficle and Menæchmus the traveller. Whencefoever Shakspeare adopted erraticus and furreptus (which either he or his editors have mif-fpelt) thefe diftinctions were foon dropped, and throughout the rest of the entries the twins are ftyled of Syracufe or Ephefus. STEEVENS.