Por. You see me, lord Bassanio, where I stand, To wish myself much better; yet for you A thousand times more fair, ten thousand times That only to stand high in your account, Is sum of something; which to term in gross, Bass. Madam, you have bereft me of all words, 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, I wish you all the joy that you can wish; For I am sure you can wish none from me: And when your honours mean to solemnise The bargain of your faith, I do beseech you, Even at that time I may be married too. 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: 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, Solanio? Enter LORENZO, JESSICA, and SOLANIO. Bass. Lorenzo, and Solanio, welcome hither; If that the youth of my new interest here Have power to bid you welcome. By your leave, I bid my very friends and countrymen, Sweet Portia, welcome. Here are a few of the unpleasant'st words That I was worse than nothing; for, indeed, And not one vessel 'scape the dreadful touch Besides, it should appear that if he had Of greatest port, have all persuaded with him; 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, The ancient Roman honour more appears, Pay him six thousand, and deface the bond; Double six thousand, and then treble that, BASSANIO 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 gone. Salar. I am sure the Duke Will never grant this forfeiture to hold. Ant. The Duke cannot deny the course of law; For the commodity that strangers have With us in Venice, if it be denied, Will much impeach the justice of the state; Since that the trade and profit of the city Consisteth of all nations. Therefore, go: These griefs and losses have so 'bated me, That I shall hardly spare a pound of flesh To-morrow to my bloody creditor.Well, gaoler, on.-Pray God, Bassanio come To see me pay his debt, and then I care not! [Exeunt. 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, As I have ever found thee honest, true, Bring them, I pray thee, with imagined speed 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. 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 accoutred 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 killed them: And twenty of these puny lies I'll tell, That men shall swear I have discontinued school Above a twelvemonth.-I have within my mind 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 you any good; and that is but a kind of bastard hope neither. Jes. And what hope is that, I thee? Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not; that you are not the Jew's daughter. pray 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-eaters, 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. 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 shew 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 in to dinner, sir, why, let it be as humours and conceits shall govern. [Exit. Lor. O dear discretion, how his words are suited! Jes. Past all expressing. It is very meet, Is reason he should never come to heaven. match, And on the wager lay two earthly women, Lor. Jes. Nay, but ask my opinion too of that. Lor. No, pray thee, let it serve for table-talk: Then, howsoe'er thou speakest, 'mong other things I shall digest it. And that no lawful means can carry me Enter SHYLOCK. Duke. Make room, and let him stand before our face. Shylock, the world thinks, and I think so too, From stubborn Turks and Tartars, never trained To offices of tender courtesy. We all expect a gentle answer, Jew. Shy. I have possessed your grace of what I purpose; And by our holy Sabbath have I sworn |