Give order to my fervants, that they take
No note at all of our being absent hence.
-Nor you, Lorenzo; Jeffica, nor you.

A Tucket founds. Lor. Your husband is at hand, I hear his trumpet: We are no tell-tales, Madam, fear you not

Por. This night methinks, is but the day-light fick ; It looks a little paler; 'tis a day,

Such as the day is when the fun is hid.

Enter Baffanio, Anthonio, Gratiano, and their
followers.

Baff. We fhould hold day with the Antipodes,
If you would walk in absence of the fun.

*

Por. Let me give light, but let me not be light;
For a light wife doth make a heavy husband;
And never be Baffanio fo for me;

But God fort all! - You're welcome home, my lord. Bal. I thank you, Madam, Give welcome to my friend.

This is the man, this is Anthonio,

To whom I am fo infinitely bound.

Por. You fhould in all fenfe be much bound to him For, as I hear, he was much bound for you. Anth. No more than I am well acquitted of, Por. Sir, you are very welcome to our house. It must appear in other ways than words; Therefore I fcant this breathing courtesy.

[Gratiano and Neriffa feem to talk apart. Gra. By yonder moon, I fwear, you do me wrong; In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk.

Would he were gelt that had it, for my part,

Since you do take it, love, fo much at heart.

Por. A quarrel, ho-already ?--what's the matter?
Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring,
'That fhe did give me, whofe poefy was
For all the world like cutler's poetry
Upon a knife; Love me, and leave me not.

Ner. What talk you of the poefy; or the value?

There is fcarcely any word with which Shakespeare fo much delights to trifle as with light, in its various fignifications.

You

You fwore to me, when I did give it you,
That you would wear it 'till your hour of death,
And that it should lie with you in your grave.
Tho' not for me, yet for your vehement oaths,
You should have been refpective, and have kept it.
Gave it a Judge's clerk !but well I know,
The clerk will ne'er wear hair on's face, that had it.
Gra. He will, an' if he live to be a man.

Ner. Ay, if a woman live to be a man.
Gra. Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth,
A kind of boy a little fcrubbed boy,

No higher than thy felf

the Judge's clerk A prating boy, that begg'd it as a fee.

I could not for my heart deny it him.

Por. You were to blame, I must be plain with you,, To part fo flightly with your wife's first gift;

A thing ftuck on with oaths upon your finger,.
And riveted with faith unto your flefh.

I gave my love a ring, and made him swear
Never to part with it; and here he stands,
I dare be fworn for him, he would not leave it,
Nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth
That the world mafters. Now, in faith, Gratiano,
You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief;
An' 'twere to me, I fhould be mad at it.

Baff. Why, I were beft to cut my left hand off,
And fwear, I loft the ring defending it.

[Afide..

Gra. My lord Baffanio gave his ring away
Unto the Judge that begg'd it, and, indeed,
Deferv'd it too. And then the boy, his clerk,
That took fome pains in writing, He begg'd mine;
And neither man, nor mafter, would take aught
But the two rings.

Por. What ring gave you, my lord?

Not that, I hope, which you receiv'd of me..
Baff. If I could add a lie unto a fault,

I would deny it; but you fee my finger

Hath not the ring upon it, it is

gone.

Por. Even fo void is your false heart of truth.
By heaven, I will ne'er come in your bed
Until I fee the ring.

Ner.

Ner. Nor I in yours,

'Till I again fee mine. Ba. Sweet Portia,

If

you

did know to whom I gave the ring,
If you did know for whom I gave the ring,
And would conceive for what I gave
the ring,
And how unwillingly I left the ring,

When nought would be accepted but the ring,
You would abate the ftrength of your difpleasure.
For. If you had known the virtue of the ring,
Or half her worthinefs that gave the ring,
Or your own honour to retain the ring,
You would not then have parted with the ring.
What man is there so much unreasonable,

If

you had pleas'd to have defended it

With any terms of zeal, wanted the modefty
To urge the thing held as a ceremony? (7)
Neriffa teaches me what to believe-

I'll die for't, but fome woman had the ring.

Ball. No, by mine honour, Madam-by my foulNo woman had it, but a Civil Doctor,

Who did refuse three thousand ducats of me,
And begg'd the ring; the which I did deny him,
And fuffer'd him to go difpleas'd away;

Ev'n he, that did uphold the very life

Of my dear friend. What should I fay, fweet lady? I was enforc'd to fend it after him ;

I was befet with thame and courtesy ;

My honour would not let ingratitude

So much befmear it. Pardon me, good lady,
And by these bleffed candles of the night,

Had you been there, I think, you would have begg'd
The ring of me, to give the worthy Doctor.

Por. Let not that Doctor e'er come near my Since he hath got the jewel that I lov'd,

* I. II. III. IV. contein.

(7) What man

wanted the modify

house.

To urge the thing held as a ceremony ] Th's is very licentiously expreffed. The fenfe is, What man could bave fo litle modefty, or wanted modefty fo much as to urge the demand of a thing kept on an account in fome fort religious.

And

And that which you did fwear to keep for me,
I will become as liberal as you;

I'll not deny him any thing I have,

No, not my body, nor my husband's bed.
Know him I fhall, I am well fure of it.

Lie not a night from home; watch me, like Argus:
If you do not, if I be left alone,

Now, by mine honour, which is yet my own,
I'll have that Doctor for my bedfellow.

Ner. And I his clerk -- therefore be well advis'd,
How you do leave me to mine own protection.

Gra. Well, do you fo; let me not take him then For if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen.

;

Anıb. I am th' unhappy fubject of thefe quarrels.
Por. Sir, grieve not you. You are welcome, not-
withstanding.

Baff. Partia, forgive me this enforced wrong.
And in the hearing of thefe many friends,
I swear to thee, ev'n by thine own fair eyes,
Wherein I fee myself

Por. Mark you but that!

In both mine eyes he doubly fees himself;
In each eye, one; fwear by your double self,
And there's an oath of credit!

Ba Nay, but hear me :

Pardon this fault, and by my foul I fwear,
I never more will break an oath with thee.

Anth. I once did lend my body for his wealth (8),
Which but for him, that had your husband's ring,
[To Portia.
Had quite mifcarry'd. I dare be bound again,
My foul upon the forfeit, that your lord
Will never more break faith advisedly.

Por. Then you shall be his furety. Give him this, And bid him keep it better than the other.

Anth. Here, lord Baffanio, fwear to keep this ring.
Bal. By heav'n, it is the fame I gave the Doctor.
For. I had it of him-pardon me, Bassanio;

For by this ring the Doctor lay with me.

to obtain his

(8) for bis wealth,] For his advantage; happiness. Wealth was, at time, the term oppofite to adverfity, or calamity.

Ner.

Ner. And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano,
For that fame fcrubbed boy, the Doctor's clerk,
In lieu of this, laft night did lye with me.

Gra. Why, this is like the mending of high ways
In fummer, where the ways are fair enough.
What are we cuckolds, ere we have deferv'd it ?
Por. Speak not fo grofsly-you are all amaz'd
Here is a letter, read it at your leifure

It comes from Padua, from Bellario:

e;

There you shall find, that Portia was the Doctor;
Neriffa there, her clerk. Lorenzo, here,

Shall witnefs I fet forth as foon as you,

And even but now return'd: I have not yet
Enter'd my house. Anthonio, you are welcome;
And I have better news in ftore for you,
Than you expect; unfeal this letter foon,
There you fhall find, three of your Argofies
Are richly come to Harbour fuddenly.
You shall not know by what ftrange accident
I chanced on this letter.

Anth. I am dumb!

Baff. Were you the Doctor, and I knew you not? Gra. Were you the clerk, that is to make me cuckold?

Ner. Ay, but the clerk, that never means to do it, Unless he live, until he be a man.

Baff Sweet Doctor, you fhall be my

bedfellow When I am abfent, then lie with my wife.

Anth. Sweet lady, you have giv'n me life and living For here I read for certain, that my fhips

Are fafely come to road.

Por. How now, Lorenzo ?

My clerk hath fome good comforts too for you.
Ner. Ay, and I'll give them him without a fee.
There do I give to you and Jeffica,

From the rich Jew, a fpecial Deed of Gift,
After his death, of all he dies poffefs'd of.

Lor. Fair ladies, you drop Manna' in the way (9)

(9)

-you drop Manna in the avay

Of

Of starved people.] Shakespeare is not more exact in any thing,

than