come; I'll take my leave of the Jew in the twinkling of an eye.

[Exeunt LAUNCELOT and old GOBBO. Bass. I pray thee, good Leonardo, think on this; These things being bought, and orderly bestow'd, Return in haste, for I do feast to-night My best-esteem'd acquaintance: hie thee, go.

Leon. My best endeavours shall be done herein.

Enter GRATIANO.
Gra. Where is your master ?
Leon.

Yonder, sir, he walks.

[Exit LEONARDO. Gra. Signior Bassanio, Bass. Gratiano ! Gra. I have a suit to you. Bass.

You have obtained it.
Gra. You must not deny me; I must go

with
you

to Belmont. Bass. Why, then you must; But hear thee, Gra

tiano;
Thou art too wild, too rude, and bold of voice;
Parts, that become thee happily enough,
And in such eyes as ours appear not faults;
But where thou art not known, why, there they show
Something too liberal': - pray thee take pain
To allay with some cold drops of modesty
Thy skipping spirit ; lest, through thy wild behaviour,
I be misconstrued in the place I go to,
And lose my hopes.
Gra.

Signior Bassanio, hear me:
If I do not put on a sober habit,
Talk with respect, and swear but now and then,
Wear prayer-books in my pocket, look demurely;
Nay more, while grace is saying, hood mine eyes
Thus with my hat, and sigh, and say, amen;
Use all the observance of civility,

2

Like one well studied in a sad ostent
To please his grandam, never trust me more.

Bass. Well, we shall see your bearing.'

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

No, that were pity;
I would entreat you rather to put on
Your boldest suit of mirth, for we have friends
That purpose merriment: But fare you well,
I have some business.

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

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

The same.

A Room in Shylock's House.

Enter JESSICA and LAUNCELOT.

father so;

Jes. I am sorry, thou wilt leave

my
Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil,
Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness :
But fare thee well: there is a ducat for thee.
And, Launcelot, soon at supper shalt thou see
Lorenzo, who is thy new master's guest :
Give him this letter; do it secretly,
And so farewell; I would not have my father
See me talk with thee.

Laun. Adieu ! - tears exhibit my tongue.
Most beautiful pagan,

most sweet Jew! If a Christian do not play the knave, and get thee, I am much deceived: But, adieu ! these foolish drops do somewhat drown my manly spirit; adieu !

·[Exit. Jes. Farewell, good Launcelot. Alack, what heinous sin is it in me,

To be asham'd to be my father's child !
But though I am a daughter to his blood,

am not to his manners: O Lorenzo,
If thou keep promise, I shall end this strife;
Become a Christian, and thy loving wife.

[Exit.

Enter GRATIANO, LORENZO, SALARINO, and SALANIO.

Lor. Nay, we will slink away in supper-time;
Disguise us at my lodging, and return
All in an hour.

Gra. We have not made good preparation.
Salar. We have not spoke us yet of torch-bearers.

Salan. 'Tis vile, unless it may be quaintly order'd;
And better, in my mind, not undertook.

Lor. 'Tis now but four o'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 seem to signify.

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.
Laur. By your leave, sir.
Lor. Whither goest thou ?

Laun. Marry, sir, to bid my old master the Jew to sup to-night with my new master the Christian.

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

[Erit. LAUNCELOT.

Will

you prepare you for this masque to-night? I am provided of a torch-bearer.

Salar. Ay, marry, I'll be gone about it straight.
Salan. And so will I.
Lor.

Meet me, and Gratiano,
At Gratiano's lodging some hour hence.
Salar. 'Tis good we do so.

[Exeunt SALÁR. and Salan. Gra. Was not that letter from fair Jessica ?

Lor. I must needs tell thee all: She hath directed, How I shall take her from her father's house; What gold, and jewels, she is furnish'd with ; What page's suit she hath in readiness. If e'er the Jew her father come to heaven, It will be for his gentle daughter's sake : And never dare misfortune cross her foot, Unless she do it under this excuse, That she is issue to a faithless Jew. Come, go with me; peruse this, as thou goest : Fair Jessica shall be my torch-bearer.

[Ereunt.

Shy. Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy

judge,
The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio:-
What Jessica ! -- thou shalt not gormandize,
As thou hast done with me; What Jessica !
And sleep and snore, and rend apparel out;
Why, Jessica, I say !
Laun.

Why, Jessica !
Shy. Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.
Laun. Your worship was wont to tell me, I could do
nothing without bidding.

VOL. III.

Enter JESSICA.

Jes. Call you? What is your will ?

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

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

Shy. So do I his.

Laun. And they have conspired together, - I will not say, you shall see a masque; but if you do, then it was not for nothing that my nose fell a bleeding on Black-Monday last,' at six o'clock i’the morning, fall

out that year on Ash-Wednesday was four year in the afternoon. Shy. What, are there masques ? Hear you me,

Jessica:
Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum,
And the vile squeaking of the wry-neck'd fife,

feed upon The prodigal Christian.] Shylock forgets his resolution. In a former scene he declares he will neither eat, drink, nor pray with Christians. Of this circumstance the poet was aware, and meant only to heighten the malignity of the character, by making him depart from his most settled resolve, for the prosecution of his revenge.

STEEVENS. then it was not for nothing that my nose fell a bleeding on Black-Monday last,] “ Black-Monday is Easter-Monday, and was so called on this occasion : in the 34th of Edward III.(1360.) the 14th of April, and the morrow after Easter-day, King Edward, with his host, lay before the city of Paris : which day was full of dark mist and hail, and so bitter cold, that many men died on their horses' backs with the cold. Wherefore, unto this day it hath been called the Blacke-Monday.” Stowe, p. 264–6.

GREY.

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