Then, if he lose, he makes a swan-like end, stream And wat'ry death-bed for him: He may win; Musick, whilst BASSANIO comments on the Caskets to himself. The world is still deceiv'd with ornament. To a most dangerous sea; the beauteous scarf Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee: Which rather threat'nest than doth promise aught, Thy plainness moves me more than eloquence, And here choose I: Joy be the consequence! Por. How all the other passions fleet to air, As doubtful thoughts, and rash-embrac'd despair, And shudd'ring fear, and green-ey'd jealousy. 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 Which make such wanton gambols with the Like one of two contending in a prize, That thinks he hath done well in people's eyes, So, thrice fair lady, stand I, even so As doubtful whether what I see be true, Until confirm'd, sign'd, ratified by you. No more pertains to me, my lord, than you. Por. You see me, lord Bassanio, where I And so did mine too, as the matter falls: stand, Such as I am though, for myself alone, 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, Are yours, my lord; I give them with this ring; Which when you part from, lose, or give away, Bass. Madam, you have bereft me of all words, Only my blood speaks to you in my veins: Parts from this finger, then parts life from hence ; O, then be bold to say, Bassanio's dead. Ner. My lord and lady, it is now our time, That have stood by, and seen our wishes pros per, To cry, good joy: Good joy, my lord and lady! Bass. With all my heart, so thou canst get a wife. Gra. I thank your lordship; you have got me one, My eyes, my lord, can look as swift as yours: You saw the mistress, I beheld the maid; You lov'd, I lov'd; for intermission For wooing here, until I sweat again; Por. Is this true, Nerissa? Ner. Madam, it is, so you stand pleas'd withal. Bass. And do you, Gratiano, mean good faith? Gra. Yes, 'faith, my lord. Bass. Our feast shall be much honoured in your marriage. Gra. We'll play with them, the first boy for a thousand ducats. Ner. What, and stake down? Gra. No; we shall ne'er win at that sport, and stake down. But who comes here? Lorenzo, and his infidel? What, my old Venetian friend, Salerio? Enter LORENZO, JESSICA, and SALERIO. I bid my very friends and countrymen, Por. So do I, my lord; Lor. I thank your honour :-For my part, my lord, My purpose was not to have seen you here; Sale. I did, my lord, And I have reason for it. Signior Antonio [Gives Bassanio a letter, Bass. Ere I ope his letter, I pray you, tell me how my good friend doth. Gra. Nerissa, cheer yon' stranger; bid her welcome. Your hand, Salerio; What's the news from How doth that royal merchant, good Antonio? Sale. 'Would you had won the ficcce that he hath lost! Por. There are some shrewd contents in yon' same paper, That steal the colour from Bassanio's cheek: Some dear friend dead; else nothing in the world you That I was worse than nothing; for, indeed, From Tripolis, from Mexico, and England, And not one vessel 'scape the dreadful touch Sale. Not one, my lord. Besides, it should appear, that if he had Jes. When I was with him, I have heard him swear, To Tubal, and to Chus, his countrymen, Por. Is it your dear friend, that is thus in trouble? Bass. The dearest friend to me, the kindest man, Por. What sum owes he the Jew? Pay him six thousand, and deface the bond; Shall lose a hair through Bassanio's fault. Bass. [Reads. Sweet Bassanio, my ships have all miscarried, my creditors grow cruel, my estate is very low, my bond to the Jew is forfeit; and since, in paying it, it is impossible I should live, all debts are cleared between you and I, if I might but see you at my death: notwithstanding, use your pleasure: if your love do not persuade you to come, let not my letter. Por. O love, despatch all business, and be Bass. Since I have your good leave to go away, [Exeunt. I have sworn an oath, that I will have my bond: Shy. I'll have my bond; I will not hear thee speak: I'll have my bond; and therefore speak no more. Ant. Let him alone; I'll follow him no more with bootless prayers. He seeks my life; his reason well I know; I oft deliver'd from his forfeitures Many, that have at times made moan to me; Therefore he hates me. Salan. I am sure, the duke Will never grant this forfeiture to hold. SCENE IV.-Belmont. A room in Portia's house. Enter PORTIA, NERISSA, LORENZO, JESSICA, and BALTHAZAR. Lor. Madam, although I speak it in your presence, You have a noble and a true conceit Por. I never did repent for doing good, And there we will abide. I do desire you, The which my love, and some necessity, Lor. Madam, with all my heart; words, But get thee gone; I shall be there before thee. Balth. Madam, I go with all convenient speed. [Exit. Por. Come on, Nerissa; I have work in hand, That you yet know not of: we'll see our husbands, Before they think of us. Ner. Shall they see us? Por. They shall, Nerissa; but in such a habit, That they shall think we are accomplished With what we lack. I'll hold thee any wager, When we are both accouter'd like young men, I'll prove the prettier fellow of the two, And wear my dagger with the braver grace; And speak, between the change of man and boy, With a reed voice; and turn two mincing steps Into a manly stride; and speak of frays, Like a fine bragging youth: and tell quaint lies, How honourable ladies sought my love, Which I denying, they fell sick and died; I could not do with all ;-then I'll repent, And wish, for all that, that I had not kill'd them: And twenty of these puny lies I'll tell, That men shall swear, I have discontinued school Ner. Why, shall we turn to men? [Exeunt. SCENE V.-The same. A garden. Enter LAUNCELOT and JESSICA. Laun. Yes, truly:-for, look you, the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore, I promise you, I fear you. I was always plain with you, and so now I speak my agitation of the matter: Therefore, be of good cheer; for, truly, I think, you are damned. There is but one hope in it that can do any good; and that is but a kind of bastard hope neither. Jes. And what hope is that, I pray thee? Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter. Jes. That were a kind of bastard hope, indeed; so the sins of my mother should be visited upon me. Laun. Truly then I fear you are damned both by father and mother: thus when I shun Scylla, your father, I fall into Charybdis, your mother: well, you are gone both ways. Jes. I shall be saved by my husband; he hath made me a Christian. Laun. Truly, the more to blame he: we were Christians enough before; e'en as many as could well live, one by another: This making of Christians will raise the price of hogs; if we grow all to be pork-caters, we shall not shortly have a rasher on the coals for money. Enter LORENZO. Jes. I'll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you say; here he comes. Lor. I shall grow jealous of you shortly, Launcelot, if you thus get my wife into corners. Jes. Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo: Launcelot and I are out: he tells me flatly, there is no mercy for me in heaven, because I am a Jew's daughter: and he says, you are no good member of the commonwealth; for, in converting Jews to Christians, you raise the price of pork. Lor. I shall answer that better to the commonwealth than you can the getting up of the negro's belly; the Moor is with child by you, Launcelot. Laun. It is much, that the Moor should be more than reason: but if she be less than an honest woman, she is, indeed, more than I took her for. Lor. How every fool can play upon the word! I think, the best grace of wit will shortly turn into silence; and discourse grow commendable in none only but parrots.-Go in, sirrah; bid them prepare for dinner. Laun. That is done, sir; they have all stomachs. SCENE I-Venice. A court of justice. Lor. Goodly lord, what a wit-snapper are you! then bid them prepare dinner. Laun. That is done too, sir; only, cover is the word. Lor. Will you cover then, sir? Laun. Not so, sir, neither; I know my duty. Lor. Yet more quarrelling with occasion! Wilt thou show the whole wealth of thy wit in an instant? I pray thee, understand a plain man in his plain meaning: go to thy fellows; bid them cover the table, serve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner. Laun. For the table, sir, it shall be served in; for the meat, sir, it shall be covered; for your coming to dinner, sir, why, let it be as humours and conceits shall govern. [Exit Launcelot. Lor. O dear discretion, how his words are suited! The fool hath planted in his memory And on the wager lay two earthly women, Lor, Even such a husband Jes. Nay, but ask my opinion too of that. Lor. No, pray thee, let it serve for table-talk ; Then, howsoe'er thou speak'st, 'mong other things I shall digest it. Jes. Well, I'll set you forth. ACT IV. Duke. What, is Antonio here? Ant. Ready, so please your grace. [Exeunt Your grace hath ta'en great pains to qualify His rigorous course; but since he stands obdu rate, And that no lawful means can carry me Duke. I am sorry for thee; thou art come to Out of his envy's reach, I do oppose answer My patience to his fury; and am arm'd |