Mor. Some god direct my judgment! Let me see, I will survey the inscriptions back again : What says this leaden casket? Who chooseth me, must give and hazard all he hath, A golden mind stoops not to shows of dross; Who chooseth me, shall get as much as he deserves. As much as I deserve! - Why, that's the lady: One of these three contains her heavenly picture. Was set in worse than gold. They have in England [He unlocks the golden casket. What have we here? Enter SALARINO and SALANIO. Salar. Why, man, I saw Bassanio under sail; With him is Gratiano gone along ; And in their ship, I am sure, Lorenzo is not. Who went with him to search Bassanio's ship. Of double ducats, stol'n from me by my daughter! Salar. Marry, well remember'd: I reason'd 4 with a Frenchman yesterday; Who told me, in the narrow seas, that part The French and English, there miscarried A vessel of our country, richly fraught: I thought upon Antonio, when he told me; And wish'd in silence, that it were not his. Salan. You were best to tell Antonio what you hear; Yet do not suddenly, for it may grieve him. Salar. A kinder gentleman treads not the earth. I saw Bassanio and Antonio part: Bassanio told him, he would make some speed Of his return; he answer'd Do not so. Slubber not business for my sake, Bassanio, But stay the very riping of the time; And for the Jew's bond, which he hath of me, Let it not enter in your mind of love: Be merry; and employ your chiefest thoughts To courtship, and such fair ostents of love As shall conveniently become you there : And even there, his eye being big with tears, Turning his face, he put his hand behind him, And with affection wondrous sensible He wrung Bassanio's hand, and so they parted. Salan. I think he only loves the world for him. I pray thee, let us go, and find him out, And quicken his embraced heaviness 7 Salar. Do we so. [Exeunt. SCENE IX.- Belmont. A Room in Portia's House. Enter NERISSA, with a Servant. Ner. Quick, quick, I pray thee, draw the curtain straight; 4 Conversed. 6 Shows, tokens. 5 To slubber is to do a thing carelessly. 7 The heaviness he is fond of The prince of Arragon hath ta'en his oath, And comes to his election presently. Ar. What's here? the portrait of a blinking idiot, Presenting me a schedule! I will read it. How much unlike art thou to Portia ! Flourish of Cornets. Enter the Prince of Arragon, How much unlike my hopes, and my deservings! PORTIA, and their Trains. Por. Behold, there stand the caskets, noble prince: If you choose that wherein I am contain'd, Straight shall our nuptial rites be solemniz'd; But if you fail, without more speech, my lord, You must be gone from hence immediately. Ar. I am enjoin'd by oath to observe three things: First, never to unfold to any one Which casket 'twas I chose; next, if I fail To woo a maid in way of marriage; lastly, Por. To these injunctions every one doth swear, That comes to hazard for my worthless self. Ar. And so have I address'd8 me: Fortune now To my heart's hope! - Gold, silver, and base lead. Who chooseth me, must give and hazard all he hath : You shall look fairer, ere I give, or hazard. What says the golden chest? ha! let me see: Who chooseth me, shall gain what many men desire. What many men desire. — That many may be meant By the fool multitude, that choose by show, Not learning more than the fond eye doth teach: Which pries not to the interior, but, like the martlet, Builds in the weather on the outward wall, Even in the force and road of casualty. I will not choose what many men desire, Because I will not jump 9 with common spirits, And rank me with the barbarous multitudes. Why, then to thee, thou silver treasure house; Tell me once more what title thou dost bear: Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves ; And well said too; For who shall go about To cozen fortune, and be honourable Without the stamp of merit? Let none presume To wear an undeserved dignity. O, that estates, degrees, and offices, Were not deriv'd corruptly! and that clear honour Who chooseth me shall have as much as he deserves. Ar. What is here ? The fire seven times tried this. Still more fool I shall appear, Sweet, adieu! I'll keep my oath, [Exeunt Arragon, and Train. Serv. Where is my lady? Por. Here; what would my lord? A day in April never came so sweet. Por. No more, I pray thee; I am half afeard, Thou wilt say anon, he is some kin to thee, Thou spend'st such high-day wit in praising him Come, come, Nerissa; for I long to see Por. Too long a pause for that which you find Quick Cupid's post, that comes so mannerly. And instantly unlock my fortunes here. there. [Excunt. ACT III. crossing the plain high-way of talk,—that the good Antonio, the honest Antonio, O that I had a title good enough to keep his name company! Salar. Come, the full stop. Salan. Ha, what say'st thou? - Why the end is, he hath lost a ship. Salar. I would it might prove the end of his losses! Salan. Let me say amen betimes, lest the devil cross my prayer; for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew. Enter SHYLOCK. How now, Shylock? what news among the mer chants? Shy. You knew, none so well, none so well as you, of my daughter's flight. Salar. That's certain; I, for my part, knew the tailor that made the wings she flew withal. Salan. And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was fledg'd. Shy. My own flesh and blood to rebel! Salar. There is more difference between thy flesh and hers, than between jet and ivory; more between your bloods, than there is between red wine and Rhenish: - - But tell us, do you hear whether Antonio have had any loss at sea or no? Shy. There I have another bad match: a bankrupt, a prodigal, who dare scarce show his head on the Rialto; -a beggar, that used to come so smug upon the mart;-let him look to his bond: he was wont to call me usurer;-let him look to his bond: he was wont to lend money for a Christian courtesy ; let him look to his bond. Shy. Why there, there, there, there! a diamond Shy. What, what, what? ill luck, ill luck? Tub. Shy. Is it true? is it true? Tub. I spoke with some of the sailors that escaped the wreck. Shy. I thank thee, good Tubal ; · Good news, good news: ha! ha! Where? in Genoa? Tub. Your daughter spent in Genoa, as I heard, one night, fourscore ducats. Shy. Thou stick'st a dagger in me : —— - I shall never see my gold again: Fourscore ducats at a sitting! fourscore ducats. Tub. There came divers of Antonio's creditors in my company to Venice, that swear he cannot choose but break. Shy. I am very glad of it: I'll plague him; I'll Salar. Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt torture him; I am glad of it. not take his flesh; What's that good for? Tub. One of them showed me a ring, that he had of your daughter for a monkey. Shy. Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal : it was my torquoise1; I had it of Leah, when I was a bachelor: I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys. Tub. But Antonio is certainly undone. Shy. To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and hindered me of half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew: Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, Shy. Nay, that's true, that's very true: Go, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the Tubal, fee me an officer, bespeak him a fortnight same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to before: I will have the heart of him, if he forfeit ; the same diseases, healed by the same means, for were he out of Venice, I can make what merwarmed and cooled by the same winter and sum-chandize I will; Go, go, Tubal, and meet me at mer, as a Christian is? if you prick us, do we not our synagogue; go, good Tubal; at our synableed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you gogue, Tubal. poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? if we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? revenge; If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance Enter BASSANIO, PORTIA, GRATIANO, NERISSA, and be by Christian example? why, revenge. The villainy you teach me, I will execute; and it shall go hard, but I will better the instruction. Enter a Servant. Serv. Gentlemen, my master Antonio is at his house, and desires to speak with you both. Salar. We have been up and down to seek him. Enter TUBAL. Salan. Here comes another of the tribe; a third cannot be matched, unless the devil himself turn Jew. [Exeunt SALAN. SALAR. and Servant. Shy. How now, Tubal, what news from Genoa? hast thou found my daughter? Tub. I often came where I did hear of her, but cannot find her. SCENE II. - Belmont. House. [Exeunt. A Room in Portia's Attendants. The caskets are set out. But lest you should not understand me well, Let me choose; For, as I am, I live upon the rack. Por. Upon the rack, Bassanio? then confess What treason there is mingled with your love. Bass. None, but that ugly treason of mistrust, Which makes me fear the enjoying of my love : There may as well be amity and life 'Tween snow and fire, as treason and my love. Por. Ay, but, I fear, you speak upon the rack, Where men enforced do speak any thing. Obscures the show of evil? In religion, Bass. Promise me life, and I'll confess the truth. To be the dowry of a second head, The scull that bred them, in the sepulchre. Confess and love, Thus ornament is but the guiled 9 shore May stand more proper, my eye shall be the stream, To a most dangerous sea; the beauteous scarf Por. How all the other passions fleet to air, Bass. What find I here? [Opening the leaden casket. Fair Portia's counterfeit? What demi-god Hath come so near creation? Move these eyes? Or whether, riding on the balls of mine, Seem they in motion? Here are sever'd lips, Parted with sugar breath; so sweet a bar Should sunder such sweet friends: Here in her hairs The painter plays the spider; and hath woven A golden mesh to entrap the hearts of men, Faster than gnats in cobwebs: But her eyes, — How could he see to do them? having made one, Methinks, it should have power to steal both his, And leave itself unfurnish'd: Yet look, how far The substance of my praise doth wrong this shadow In underprizing it, so far this shadow Doth limp behind the substance, -Here's the scroll, You that choose not by the view, Like one of two contending in a prize, Ner. Madam, it is, so you stand pleas'd withal. Bass. Our feast shall be much honour'd in your Gra. But who comes here? Lorenzo, and his infidel. Por. You see me, lord Bassanio, where I stand, What, my old Venetian friend, Salerio ? Such as I am though, for myself alone, : I would not be ambitious in my wish, To wish myself much better; yet, for you, A thousand times more fair, ten thousand times That only to stand high on your account, Is sum of something; which, to term in gross, Bass. Madam, you have bereft me of all words, By a beloved prince, there doth appear Ner. My lord and lady, it is now our time, That have stood by, and seen our wishes prosper, To cry, good joy; Good joy, my lord and lady! Gra. My lord Bassanio, and my gentle lady, Bass. With all my heart, so thou canst get a wife. No more pertains to me, my lord, than you. 1 Blended. Bass. I did, my lord, Signior Antonio [Gives BASSANIO a letter. Ere I ope this letter, I pray you, tell me how my good friend doth. Gra. Nerissa, cheer yon' stranger; bidher welcome. Sale. Would you had won the fleece that he hath lost! Por. There are some shrewd contents in yon' same paper, That steal the colour from Bassanio's cheek: Of any constant man. What, worse and worse?— Bass. And not one vessel 'scape the dreadful touch Sale. |