Ant. This were kindness. This kindness will I show: Go with me to a notary, seal me there Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken Ant. Content, in faith; I'll seal to such a bond, Bass. You shall not seal to such a bond for me, I'll rather dwell in my necessity. Ant. Why, fear not, man; I will not forfeit it; Within these two months, that's a month before This bond expires, I do expect return Of thrice three times the value of this bond. Shy. O father Abraham, what these Christians are; A pound of man's flesh, taken from a man, And, for my love, I pray you, wrong me not. Ant. Yes, Shylock, I will seal unto this bond. Give him direction for this merry bond, 1 -left in the fearful guard, &c.] Fearful guard, is a guard that is not to be trusted, but gives cause of fear. To fear was anciently to give as well as feel terrours. JOHNSON. Of an unthrifty knave; and presently I will be with you. [Exit. Ant. Hie thee, gentle Jew. This Hebrew will turn Christian; he grows kind. Ant. Come on; in this there can be no dismay, ACT II. SCENE I. Belmont. A Room in Portia's House. Flourish of Cornets. Enter the Prince of Morocco, and his Train; PORTIA, NERISSA, and other of her Attend ants. Mor. Mislike me not for my complexion, Hath fear'd the valiant;3 by my love, I swear,. Have lov'd it too: I would not change this hue, 2 To prove whose blood is reddest, his, or mine.] To understand how the tawny prince, whose savage dignity is very well supported, means to recommend himself by this challenge, it must be remembered that red blood is a traditionary sign of courage: Thus Macbeth calls one of his frighted soldiers, a lily-liver'd boy; again, in this play, cowards are said to have livers as white as milk; and an effeminate and timorous man is termed a milksop. JOHNSON. 3 Hath fear'd the valiant,] i. e. terrify'd. To fear is often used by our old writers, in this sense. Por. In terms of choice I am not solely led Bars me the right of voluntary choosing: And hedg'd me by his wit, to yield myself His wife, who wins me by that means I told you, For my affection. Mor. And so may I, blind fortune leading me, Por. You must take your And either not attempt to choose at all, chance; Or swear, before you choose, if you choose wrong, Never to speak to lady afterward In way of marriage; therefore be advised.4 Mor. Nor will not; come, bring me unto my chance. Por. First, forward to the temple: after dinner Your hazard shall be made. 4 therefore be advis'd.] Therefore be not precipitant; consider well what you are to do. Advis'd is the word opposite to rash. Mor. Good fortune then! [Cornets. To make me bless't+, or cursed'st among men. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Venice. A Street. Enter LAUNCELOT GOBBO. Laun. Certainly my conscience will serve me to run from this Jew, my master: The fiend is at mine elbow; and tempts me, saying to me, Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot, or good Gobbo, or good Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs, take the start, run away: My conscience says,no; take heed, honest Launcelot; take heed, honest Gobbo; or as aforesaid, honest Launcelot Gobbo; do not run; scorn running with thy heels: Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack; via! says the fiend; away! says the fiend, for the heavens; rouse up a brave mind, says the fiend, and run. Well, my conscience, hanging about the neck of my heart, says very wisely to me, — my honest friend Launcelot, being an honest man's son, or rather an honest woman's son;-for, indeed, my father did something smack, something grow to, he had a kind of taste; - well, my conscience says, Launcelot, budge not; budge, says the fiend; budge not, says my conscience; Conscience, say I, you counsel well; fiend, say I, you counsel well: to be ruled by my conscience, I should stay with the Jew my master, who, (God bless the mark !) is a kind of devil; and, to run away from the Jew, I should be ruled by the fiend, who, saving your reverence, is the devil himself: Certainly, the Jew is the very devil incarnation; and, in my conscience, my conscience is but a kind of hard conscience, to offer to counsel me to stay with the Jew: The fiend gives the more friendly counsel: I will run, fiend; my heels are at your commandment, I will run. +"Blest." MALONE. Enter old GOBBO, with a basket. Gob. Master, young man, you, I pray you; which is the way to master Jew's? Laun. [aside.] O heavens, this is my true begotten father! who, being more than sand-blind, high-gravel blind, knows me not: - I will try conclusions with him. the 5 Gob. Master young gentleman, I pray you, which is to master Jew's? way Laun. Turn up on your right hand, at the next turning, but, at the next turning of all, on your left; marry, at the very next turning, turn of no hand, but turn down indirectly to the Jew's house. Gob. By God's sonties, 'twill be a hard way to hit. Can you tell me whether one Launcelot that dwells with him, dwell with him, or no? Laun. Talk you of young master Launcelot ? Mark me now; [aside.] now will I raise the waters: Talk you of young master Launcelot ? Gob. No master, sir, but a poor man's son; his father, though I say it, is an honest exceeding poor man, and, God be thanked, well to live. of Laun. Well, let his father be what he will, we talk young master Launcelot. Gob. Your worship's friend, and Launcelot, sir. Laun. But I pray you ergo, old man, ergo, I beseech you; Talk you of young master Launcelot ? Gob. Of Launcelot, an't please your mastership. Laun. Ergo, master Launcelot; talk not of master Launcelot, father; for the young gentleman (according to fates and destinies, and such odd sayings, the sisters three, and such branches of learning,) is, indeed, deceased; or, as you would say, in plain terms, gone to heaven. 5 try conclusions-] To try conclusions is to try experiments. |