Manlius, a London alderman., married Dorothea, a woman of Bordeaux, to whom on his deathbed he entrusted the two daughters whom he had by a former wife, Catharina and Isabella. After Manlius’ death a certain Theodorus married Dorothea, by whom he had twin sons in a single childbirth, Antonius and Antoninus, so similar that they could not be distinguished save by a mole on Antoninus’ right cheek. Theodorus and Dorothea agreed to betroth the two daughters to the two sons, Catharina to Antoninus, Isabella to Antonius. While being reared at Deptford Isabella was kidnapped by Urtado, a Moor. Theodorus left his wife at London together with Catharina and Antoninus, and sailed to Bordeaux with Antonius.
Old Theodorus narrates this story to his son Antonius, whom he sends to London to fetch his mother and the family. He, captivated by love of Rosabella, manufactures excuses; his father insists; at length with difficulty he obtains a delay of two hours.

Antonius complains about his misfortune and tells of his love, how he is wooing Rosabella, the daughter of a noble Portugese. Dying at Fez, he has entrusted his daughter to Rodrigo Torcol, who, plying a pander’s trade at Bordeaux, refuses to sell her for anything less than six hundred gold crowns. This sum has been pledged by lawyer Ignoramus, engaged in settling legal disputes at Bordeaux. Still, Antonius is happy, because the lovers have plighted their mutual troth.

Ignoramus, having summoned his clerks Dulman and Pecus, tells of his love for Rosabella, and mocks Musaeus for being a university-educated man.

Torcol the pander brings onstage his harlots to greet Ignoramus, having first told the story of his shipwreck and why he makes his living by pandering. Ignoramus and Torcol strike up a bargain that, if he either brings or sends six hundred crowns, with a legal document and a private sign, he will bear off Rosabella. This Ignoramus promises to do.

Rosabella is introduced, in tears because her uncle is forcing her to love Ignoramus. With words and verses he courts her as best he can, and informs her what jointure he will give her. Rosabella is entrusted to the guardianship of a certain Surda, who, since she can hear nothing, understands everything from signs. Ignoramus goes off for the crowns, Surda stays with Rosabella.

Antonius’ wily servant Trico instructs him how he can both deceive Surda and converse with Rosabella. They can say whatever they want as long as them make angry gestures - seeing these, Surda will not suspect their love. Meanwhile Trico himself feigns love for Surda. When he shows her a ring, she readily believes he is asking her to marry him.

By interrupting, Torcol throws everything into confusion. He beats Surda. Rosabella is taken away.

Father Theodorus summons an unhappy Antonius to the ship, but sends Trico off to the farm.

Theodorus, sure in his mind about his son, goes home with his servant Banacar, whom he has converted from a Moslem to a Christian.

Trico, having followed the ship in a rowboat, has brought back Antonius. They plot to recover Rosabella. Trico promises to accomplish this with the help of Cupes, who hawks books in the market-place. In the interim Trico receives ten gold crowns, which his father has given Antonius for his voyage, and hastens to a clothes-dealer.

Trico and Cupes plan their scheme, that Cupes will pretend to be Torcol, disguise himself as the lawyer’s servant, and remember the horn if Ignoramus appears. Taking eight crowns, by which he may also win over his shrewish wife, Cupes promises to do this thing punctually. Trico departs to fetch costumes for Cupes and his wife Polla.

At first Polla expostulates, but is mollified when the money is given her, and (as long as Cupes does not bring any harlots into their house in the meantime) promises to pretend to be another woman, wearing another costume, so that she will be handed over to a certain man whose name is Pecus.

Antonius and Trico hire costumes from the clothes dealer, giving him a gilt ring with a false gem by way of a pledge. Cupes exits to get into his costume.

Musaeus complains about his servitude and about Ignoramus, and poses a riddle about him to Trico. He also tells him that Ignoramus is near by with the six hundred crowns. Trico sends Musaeus to tell this to Antonius and Cupes.

Ignoramus has brought the six hundred crowns he promised for Rosabella. In order to create a delay until his confederates can get into costume, Trico proposes a very silly legal cases. When Ignoramus has pondered this for a sufficiently long time, in order to pay thanks to his patron Trico breaks the news that Antonius is plotting against him, i. e. that he has sworn he wants to castrate his rival Ignoramus if he catches him.

Antonius enters, full of threats. Cupes blows a horn offstage, as if he were a gelder. Ignoramus hides himself. When he is found, he comes close to being castrated. But, when he has sworn he himself will not come for Rosabella, they let him go. Now Antonius goes off to a painter, who will paint a mole on his cheek: seeing this, his father will think he is not Antonius, but rather Antoninus, newly arrived at Bordeaux from London.

While Antonius is having his mole painted on, Trico proceeds with his wiles. Dulman arrives with the indenture and the crowns, to fetch Rosabella. He asks Trico about the Portugese. Trico answers that wry-necked Torcol is his master, and shows him the poem which Ignoramus has composed for Rosabella.

Now Cupes enters with his neck awry, pretending to be Torcol and speaking scraps of Portugese so that he may better seem to be that very man. These deceive Dulman: they extract the indenture, the crowns, and the sign by which Torcol can identify Ignoramus’ servant.

Polla is brought on, weeping and wearing a mask, and his handed over to Dulman in place of Rosabella. He departs, full of wine and sugar.

In this scene Cupes departs to put on a new costume, by which he can pretend to be Dulman. And he speaks random bits he learned when he was an under-butler in England, at the Inns of Court.

Trico wants to mollify Torcol, but he won’t listen, as he already knows Trico full well. In the end Trico rails at him, as if angry.

Cupes arrives wearing a black habit, as if he were Dulman. From his speech and dress Torcol assumes he is Ignoramus’ servant. Trico wants to draw him off, so that the pander will be less suspicious of a swindle. But , after the indenture has been handed over, the crowns counted out, and the sign agreed upon between Torcol and Ignoramus has been shown (namely that he should pluck the pander’s nose), although Trico has warned him this man is a swindler hired by himself, Cupes is admitted inside to fetch Rosabella. Cupes departs to keep an eye on Ignoramus.

Cupes brings Rosabella into his own house and locks the door. He immediately goes off to a wine-shop.

Ignoramus, receiving Polla in place of Rosabella, administers a beating, and Dulman takes to his heels. He also irritates Polla, who cannot refrain from using her fists. Departing, with various statements she tells the whole neighborhood that Ignoramus is possessed by devils.

When she had come home and the door was locked, Polla saw Rosabella at the window, and, suspecting she was one of his harlots, traveled through all the taverns in search of Cupes.

Polla finds Cupes and a tavern-keeper singing and insulting her. She vigorously beats them and some fiddle-players. She throws capons, pheasants, and other dainties on the ground, and spills all the wine. Getting the key, she ejects Rosabella as if she were are harlot, and the poor girl does not know where to go.

Antonius questions Cupes about Rosabella; he gloomily gives all his answers about the wine and the food. When Antonius learns what has happened, he goes off in search of his darling.

Antonius complains about his lost Rosabella, Rosabella about Antonius, Cupes about his dinner. Antonius goes in search of Rosabella, Rosabella in search of Antonius, Cupes in search of money to buy another dinner.

Ignoramus, on the verge of sending for Torcol, is put off by Cupes’ horn, for he is greatly afraid of gelders.

Antonius finds his Rosabella; and he devises a scheme whereby, since he now has a mole on his right cheek, he will pretend to be Antoninus. Rosabella is to act the part of Catharina, the one of Manlius’ daughters who is betrothed to Antoninus. That the scheme might work better, they should both speak English.

They meet Theodorus and ask him about Theodorus; and at length from their speech, the mole, and other signs and words, he is persuaded that they are Antoninus and Catharina. He tells them that Antonius has sailed to London today, to meet them. They give him letters as if from Dorothea.

As if returning from the farm, Trico, the architect of this scheme, greets this man as if he were Antonius. Theodorus says he is Antoninus, and the woman is Catharina. Trico refuses to believe. He knows that this is Antonius, and she is perhaps his girl friend, but not Catharina. There is some fraud in this. At length he appears to be convinced.

When all is now tranquil, Pyropus the clothes-dealer (with whom they had left the gilt ring as a pledge) appears in a complaining mood. In English, Antonius denies to him that he is Antonius. But he, seeing his own costume, refuses to be put off, so that the whole swindle comes near to being revealed, and Theodorus begins to have his doubts.

Cupes, to reinforce the idea that the man is Antoninus, arrives, as if he were a sailor demanding money from Antonius. He threatens Pyropus so greatly that he takes to his heels, and he extracts twenty crowns from the old man, who goes indoors with his son. Trico’s and Cupes’ concern is that they frighten off Ignoramus, whom because of Polla’s utterances the whole neighborhood regards as possessed. Therefore they make up their minds he must be exorcised.

By chance Trico and Cupes come across Cola, Cupes’ drinking-companion and a monk. They negotiate with him about exorcising Ignoramus and afterwards carrying him off to the monastery. Cupes exits to get into costume, as does Cola, that he might fetch the exorcising crew.

Ignoramus, running to seize Dulman, is threatened with seizure. Trico exits to tell this to Antonio. Dulman affirms to Ignoramus that he has given him the same Rosabella whom Torcol gave him.

Ignoramus had sent Pecus to Torcol for the true Rosabella, but Torcol, suspecting this to be Trico’s trickery, had him thrown in jail. Next Torcol comes to Ignoramus and Dulman, who realize they have been swindled. Ignoramus issues threats to Torcol, both because of the crowns, and because he has falsely imprisoned Pecus. They all go to Theodorus, so that they might discover the scheme.

Rosabella, sitting on the stoop with Theodorus, catches sight of her uncle and Ignoramus. They claim on her as being Rosabella, in English she asserts he is Catharina. They deny it. A storm is a-brewing, until Antonius enters and informs Theodorus these are the possessed people about whom a rumor is circulating in the neighborhood.

Polla points out to Cupes and Cola (who are wearing monks’ hoods) that Torcol and Ignoramus are the possessed men. Theodorus believes, and departs into his house with Antonius and Rosabella. Trico is on guard against Pyropus. They lay hands on Ignoramus, as if they were exorcists. Torcol flees.

They tie Ignoramus to a chair, and whatever barbarous lawyers’ words he speaks they interpret as the names of demons and expel them with their exorcism. Cola takes care that he be borne off to the monastery. Straightway Cupes goes off with his wife Polla (with whom he has been reconciled) to a wine-shop.

Pyropus enters with sergeants, to throw Trico and Antonius in jail. They arrest Trico, whom Antonius does not acknowledge. Immediately Antonius is also arrested, and then Trico does not acknowledge him, to pay tit for tat. Trico is let go, Antonius frees himself by means of his sword.

Dorothea, Theodorus’ wife and Antonius’ mother, now comes to Bordeaux from London, and leaves her boy Antoninus and his Catharina at the port, exhausted by the voyage. She goes into Theodorus’ house, and brings with her an English boy and girl.

Vince and Nell jest with each other. Catching sight of Ignoramus, whom they take for a madman, they flee.

Ignoramus tells his servants Dulman and Pecus how they treated him in the monastery, and by what means he got out of the monks’ clutches.

Trico, hearing Dorothea speaking with Theodorus, recognizes that he is lost, his entire plan has failed, and now all his deceptions are exposed. Dorothea assures Theodorus that the genuine Antoninus and Catharina are staying at the port. Theodorus calls out the false Catharina. Trico hides himself.

Rosabella comes out. She asserts she is Rosabella. When Dorothea denies this, she eventually confesses. Theodorus threatens her.

Trico lurks in hiding. Theodorus orders Banacar the moor to kill Rosabella. He refuses, especially because he now recognizes that she is Rosabella, daughter of his master Alphonso, who, dying at Fez, manumitted himself. Trico departs to tell these things to Antonius. Rosabella, overcome by both sorrow and fear, suffers a swoon.

Antonius comes. Thinking that Rosabella has been killed by his father, he prepares to kill himself. She revives, he asks for her as his wife. His father asks about her family. She replies that she is the daughter of Alphonso, a noble Portugese, who, dying at Fez, left her to her uncle Rodrigo Torcol. He, driven by violent winds to these shores, suffered shipwreck and henceforth dwelt here. Being asked, Banacar says she is not Alphonso’s daughter (thought he always treated her as such), but the daughter of a certain London merchant who had been kidnapped at Deptford by Urtado. She had a nurse, Ursula, and her name is Isabella. From which signs, together with an amber portrait artfully carved, Theodorus recognizes she is that daughter of Manlius who was betrothed to Antonius so many years ago. Now he is unopposed to the marriage of Antonius and Isabella (who was the false Rosabella).

Banacar and Trico receive thanks. Catharina and Antoninus are inside, and Theodorus takes Rosabella inside to meet them.

Antonius gives Pyropus the clothes-dealer satisfaction for the costumes.

Ignoramus and Torcol have heard the story of Isabella and Antonius from Trico. But Torcol already knew that Rosabella was English. And because he recovered his money, and Ignoramus his six hundred crowns, both now cease to claim Rosabella, since she has already been betrothed to another. The boy Vince greets Ignoramus with sarcasms, and pins a fox tail to his back.

Cupes enters with the tavern-keeper and harlots. Polla joins them. Afraid of her, Cupes hides himself under the gown of his confessor Cola. Hiding there quietly, he hears Polla confessing that Cola is in the habit of sleeping with her occasionally. Cupes comes out of hiding. Without delay, since both are depraved, they forgive each other and return into each other’s good favor.

In this scene Cupes and Trico recount what each has done in the course of the play, and, in lieu of an Epilogue, toast the king’s health.