come; I'll take my leave of the Jew in the twinkling of [Exeunt LAUNCELOT and old GOBBO. an eye. Bass. I pray thee, good Leonardo, think on this; My best-esteem'd acquaintance: hie thee, go. you to Gra. You must not deny me; I must go with 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: Talk with respect, and swear but now and then, 1 Something too liberal :] i. e. gross, coarse, licentious. Like one well studied in a sad ostent To please his grandam, never trust me more. 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 Gra. And I must to Lorenzo, and the rest; The same. SCENE III. A Room in Shylock's House. Enter JESSICA and LAUNCELOT. [Exeunt. Jes. I am sorry, thou wilt leave my father so; And so farewell; I would not have my father 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! Jes. Farewell, good Launcelot. Alack, what heinous sin is it in me, 2 [Exit. sad ostent] Ostent is a word very commonly used for show among the old dramatick writers. 3 your bearing.] Bearing is carriage, deportment. To be asham'd to be my father's child! [Exit. SCENE IV. The same. A Street. 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. Laun. By your leave, sir. Lor. Whither goest thou? Love-news, in faith. 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, [Exit LAUNCELOT. Will you prepare you for this masque to-night? Salar. Ay, marry, I'll be gone about it straight. Lor. Meet me, and Gratiano, [Exeunt SALAR. 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; That she is issue to a faithless Jew. Come, go with me; peruse this, as thou goest: [Exeunt. SCENE V. The same. Before Shylock's House. Enter SHYLOCK and LAUNCELOT. Shy. Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy judge, The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio:- 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. D Enter JESSICA. Jes. Call you? What is your will? Shy. I am bid forth to supper, Jessica; 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 BlackMonday last, at six o'clock i'the morning, falling out that year on Ash-Wednesday was four year in the afternoon. Shy. What, are there masques? Jessica : Hear you me, Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum, 4 to 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. : 5 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, pp. 264-266. GREY. |