Lor. Sweet soul, let's in, and there expect their coming. And yet no matter;-why should we go in? My friend Stephano, signify, I pray you, Within the house, your mistress is at hand: And bring your music forth into the air,

[Exit STEPHANO How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here we will sit, and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears; soft stillness, and the night, Become the touches of sweet harmony. Sit, Jessica. Look, how the floor of heaven Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold. There's not the smallest orb which thou beholdest, But in his motion like an angel sings,

Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins:

Such harmony is in immortal souls ;

But, whilst this muddy vesture of decay

Doth grossly clothe it in, we cannot hear it.

Enter Musicians.

Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn;

With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear,

And draw her home with music.

Jes. I am never merry when I hear sweet music. [Music. Lor. The reason is your spirits are attentive: For do but note a wild and wanton herd,

Or race of youthful or unhandled colts,

Fetching mad bounds, bellowing, and neighing loud,
Which is the hot condition of their blood;

If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound,
Or any air of music touch their ears,

You shall perceive them make a mutual stand,
Their savage eyes turned to a modest gaze,

By the sweet power of music: Therefore, the poet
Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods;
Since nought so stockish, hard, and full of rage,
But music for the time doth change his nature.
The man that hath not music in himself,

Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,

1 A patin is a small gold plate used in the service of the altar.

P

And his affections dark as Erebus1:
Let no such man be trusted.-Mark the music.

Enter PORTIA and NERISSA, at a distance.

Por. That light we see is burning in my hall.
How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

Ner. When the moon shone we did not see the candle.
Por. So doth the greater glory dim the less:
A substitute shines brightly as a king,
Until a king be by; and then his state
Empties itself, as doth an inland brook
Into the main of waters. Music! hark!

Ner. It is your music, madam, of the house.
Por. Nothing is good, I see, without respect;
Methinks, it sounds much sweeter than by day.
Ner. Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam.
Por. The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark,
When neither is attended; and, I think,
The nightingale, if she should sing by day,
When every goose is cackling, would be thought
No better a musician than the wren.
How many things by season seasoned are
To their right praise and true perfection!
Peace! How the moon sleeps with Endymion2,
And would not be awaked!

Lor.

[Music ceases.

That is the voice,

Or I am much deceived, of Portia.

Por. He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckoo,

By the bad voice.

Lor.

Dear lady, welcome home.

Por. We have been praying for our husbands' welfare, Which speed, we hope, the better for our words.

No note at all of our being absent hence;
Nor you, Lorenzo:-Jessica, nor you.

[A tucket sounds.

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 daylight sick. It looks a little paler; 'tis a day

Such as the day is when the sun is hid.

Enter BASSANIO, ANTONIO, GRATIANO, and their Followers.

If

Bass. We should hold day with the Antipodes,

you would walk in absence of the sun.

Por. Your are welcome home, my lord.

Bass. I thank you, madam : give welcome to my

This is the man, this is Antonio,

To whom I am so infinitely bound.

friend.

Por. You should in all sense be much bound to him,

For, as I hear, he was much bound for you.
Ant. 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 scant this breathing courtesy.1

[GRATIANO and NERISSA seem to talk apart. Gra. By yonder moon, I swear you do me wrong; In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk.

Por. A quarrel, ho, already? what's the matter?
Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring

That she did give me; whose posy was,
For all the world, like cutler's poetry
Upon a knife, "Love me, and leave me not."

Ner. What talk you of the posy or the value?
You swore to me, when I did give it you,
That you would wear it till the hour of death;
And that it should lie with you in your grave;
Though not for me, yet for your vehement oaths,
You should have been respective 2, 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 scrubbed boy,

1 Mere complimentary words.

2 Careful.

No higher than thyself, the judge's clerk;
A prating boy, that begged 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 so slightly with your wife's first gift;
A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger,
And so riveted with faith unto your flesh.
I gave my love a ring, and made him swear
Never to part with it; and here he stands-
I dare be sworn for him, he would not leave it,
Nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth
That the world masters. Now, in faith, Gratiano,
You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief
An't were to me, I should be mad at it.

Bass. Why, I were best to cut my left hand off,
And swear I lost the ring defending it.

Gra. My lord Bassanio gave his ring away
Unto the judge that begged it, and indeed,
Deserved it too; and then the boy, his clerk,
That took some pains in writing, he begged mine;
And neither man nor master would take aught
But the two rings.

Por.

What ring gave you, my lord?

Not that, I hope, which you received of me.
Bass. If I could add a lie unto a fault,

I would deny it; but you see, my finger

Hath not the ring upon it, it is gone.

If

Por. Even so void is your false heart of truth.
Bass. Sweet Portia,

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 strength of your displeasure.
Por. If you had known the virtue of the ring,
Or half her worthiness that gave the ring,
Or your own honour to contain1 the ring,
You would not then have parted with the ring.
What man is there so unreasonable,
If you had pleased to have defended it

1 Retain.

[Aside.

With any terms of zeal, wanted the modesty
To urge the thing held as a ceremony?
Nerissa teaches me what to believe;
I'll die for't, but some woman had the ring.
Bass. No, by mine honour, madam,

No woman had it, but a civil doctor,

Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me,
And begged the ring; the which I did deny him,
And suffer'd him to go displeas'd away;
Even he that had held up the very life

Of my dear friend. What should I say, sweet lady?
I was enforced to send it after him;
I was beset with shame and courtesy ;
My honour would not let ingratitude
So much besmear it :-Pardon, good lady,
For by these blessèd candles of the night,

Had you been there, I think you would have begged
The ring of me to give the worthy doctor.

Ant. I am the unhappy subject of these quarrels.

Por. Sir, grieve not you: You are welcome notwithstanding.

Bass. Portia, forgive me this enforced wrong;

And in the hearing of these many friends,

I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes,
Wherein I see myself,

Por.

Mark you but that!

In both my eyes he doubly sees himself:

In each eye one:-swear by your double self,
And there's an oath of credit.

Bass.

Nay, but hear me. Ant. I once did lend my body for his wealth; Which, but for him that had your husband's ring,

Had quite miscarried; I dare be bound again
My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord
Will never more break faith advisedly.

[TO PORTIA.

Por. Then you shall be his surety: Give him this;
And bid him keep it better than the other.

Ant. Here, lord Bassanio, swear to keep this ring.
Bass. It is the same I gave the doctor.

Por. You are all amazed:

Here is a letter, read it at your leisure;
It comes from Padua, from Bellario: