Baff. Gratiano!

Gra. I have a fuit to you.

Baff. You have obtain❜d it.

Gra. You must not deny me; I must go with you to

Belmont.

Baff. Why, then you muft;-But hear thee, Gratiano; Thou art too wild, too rude, and bold of voice ;· Parts, that become thee happily enough,

And in fuch eyes as ours appear not faults;

But where thou art not known, why, there they fhew
Something too liberal; pray thee, take pain
To allay with fome cold drops of modesty

Thy skipping spirit; left, through thy wild behaviour,
I be misconstru'd in the place I go to,

And lofe my hopes.

Gra. Signior Baffanio, hear me :

If I do not put on a fober habit,

Talk with respect, and fwear but now and then,
Wear prayer-books in my pocket, look demurely;
Nay more, while grace is faying, 'hood mine eyes
Thus with my hat, and figh, and fay, amen;
Ufe all the obfervance of civility,

Like one well ftudied in a fad oftent

To please his grandam, never trust me more.

Baff. Well, we shall see 'your bearing.

m

Gra. Nay, but I " bar to night; you shall not "gage me By what we do to-night.

Baff. No, that were pity;

I would entreat you rather to put on

Your boldeft fuit of mirth, for we have friends

Something too liberal ;]-impertinently forward, licentious.
i bood ]-cover.
ka fad oftent]-grave demeanour.

1 your bearing.]-how you'll acquit yourself.

bar]-except,

gage me]-judge of me.

That

That purpose merriment: But fare you well,
I have fome business.

Gra. And I must to Lorenzo, and the rest;
But we will visit you at fupper-time.

Jef. I am forry, thou wilt leave my
father fo
Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil,
Didft rob it of fome tafte of tediousness :
But fare thee well; there is a ducat for thee.
And, Launcelot, foon at fupper fhalt thou see
Lorenzo, who is thy new master's guest:
Give him this letter; do it fecretly,

And fo farewel; I would not have my father
See me talk with thee.

Laun. Adieu !-tears Pexhibit my tongue.

[Exeunt.

Most beautiful pagan,-most sweet Jew! if a Chriftian did not play the knave, and get thee, I am much deceiv'd: but, adieu! these foolish drops do somewhat drown my manly spirit; adieu !

Jef. Farewel, good Launcelot.-
Alack, what heinous fin is it in me,
To be asham'd to be my father's child!
But though I am a daughter to his blood,
I am not to his manners: O Lorenzo,
If thou keep promife, I fhall end this ftrife;
Become a chriftian, and thy loving wife.

• tafte]-portion.

P exbibit my tongue.1-exprefs what I cannot utter.

[Exit.

[Exit.

SCENE

SCENE IV.

The Street.

Enter Gratiano, Lorenzo, Salarino, and Solanio.

Lor. Nay, we will flink away in fupper-time; Difguife us at my lodging, and return

All in an hour.

Gra. We have not made good preparation.

Sol. We have not spoke us yet of torch-bearers. Sala. 'Tis vile, unless it may be 'quaintly ordered; And better, in my mind, not undertook.

Lor. 'Tis now but four a-clock; we have two hours To furnish us:

Enter Launcelot with a letter.

Friend Launcelot, what's the news?

Laun. An it shall please you to break up this, it shall feem to fignify.

Lor. I know the hand in faith, 'tis a fair hand;
And whiter than the paper it writ on,

Is the fair hand that writ.
Gra. Love-news, in faith.
Laun. By your leave, fir.

Lor. Whither goest thou?

Laun. Marry, fir, to bid my old mafter the Jew to fup to-night with my new mafter the Chriftian.

Lor. Hold here, take this :-tell gentle Jeffica, I will not fail her;-Speak it privately; go.—

Gentlemen,

Will you prepare you for this mafque to-night?

Spoke us yet of]-yet bespoke us; spoke as yet of.
quaintly ordered ;]-conducted with exact propriety.
break up]-open.

[Exit Laun.

I am provided of a torch-bearer.

Sal. Ay, marry, I'll be gone about it straight.

Sala. And fo will I.

Lor. Meet me, and Gratiano,

At Gratiano's lodging fome hour hence.

Sol. 'Tis good we do so.

[Exeunt Sala, and Solan.

Gra. Was not that letter from fair Jeffica?

Lor. I muft needs tell thee all: fhe hath directed,
How I must take her from her father's houfe;
What gold, and jewels, fhe is furnish'd with;
What page's fuit fhe hath in readiness.
If e'er the Jew her father come to heaven,
It will be for his gentle daughter's fake:
And never dare misfortune cross her foot,
Unless fhe do it under this excuse,-
That he is iffue to a faithlefs Jew.

Come, go with me; perufe this, as thou goeft:

Fair Jeffica fhall be

my torch-bearer.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

Shylock's Houfe.

Enter Shylock, and Launcelot.

Shy. Well, thou shalt fee, thy eyes fhall be thy judge, The difference of old Shylock and Baffanio :What, Jeffica!-thou shalt not 'gormandize, As thou haft done with me;-What, Jeffica!And fleep and fnore, and rend apparel out; Why, Jeffica, I fay!

Laun. Why, Jeffica!

Shy. Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.

'gormandize,]-feed fo plentifully.

Laun.

Laun. Your worship was wont to tell me, that I could do nothing without bidding.

Enter Feffica.

Jef. Call you? What is your will?

Shy. I am bid forth to fupper, Jeffica;
There are my keys :-But wherefore fhould I go?
I am not bid for love; they flatter me:
But yet I'll go in hate, to feed upon
The prodigal Chriftian.-Jeffica, my girl,
Look to my house:-I am right loth to go;
There is some ill a brewing towards my reft,
For I did dream of money-bags to-night.

Laun. I beseech you, fir, go; my young, master doth expect your reproach.

Shy. So do I his.

Laun. And they have confpired together,-I will not fay, you fhall fee a masque; but if you do, then it was not for nothing that " my nofe fell a bleeding on " black-monday laft, at fix o'clock i' the morning, falling out that year on afh-wednesday was four year in the afternoon.

Shy. What are there mafques? Hear you me, Jessica: Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum, And the vile fqueaking of the wry-neck'd fife, Clamber not you up to the cafements then, Nor thrust your head into the publick street, To gaze on Chriftian fools with * varnish'd faces: But ftop my houfe's ears, I mean, my cafements; Let not the found of shallow foppery enter My fober house.-By Jacob's staff, I swear,

my nofe fell a bleeding]-bleeding at the nofe was accounted ominous. black-monday-fo called because remarkably dark and cold : EafterMonday April 14th 1360, when many of the hoft of K. Edward III, then lying before Paris, perished on their horfes' backs, through the inclemency of the weather. * varnish'd]-masked.