Of god-like amity; which appears most strongly In bearing thus the absence of your lord. But, if you knew to whom you shew this honour, How dear a lover of my lord your husband, The husbandry and manage of my house, Until her husband and my lord's return: And there we will abide. I do desire you, Not to deny this imposition; The which my love, and some necessity, Lor. Madam, with all my heart: I shall obey you in all fair commands. Por. My people do already know my mind, And will acknowledge you and Jessica In place of lord Bassanio and myself. So fare you well, till we shall meet again. Lor. Fair thoughts, and happy hours, attend on you! Jes. I wish your ladyship all heart's content. Por. I thank you for your wish, and am well pleased To wish it back on you: fare you well, Jessica.-[Exeunt Jessica nnd Lorenzo. Now, Balthazar, As I have ever found thee honest, true, So let me find thee still: take this same letter, And use thou all the endeavour of a man, [thee, And, look, what notes and garments he doth give Which trades to Venice :-Waste no time in words, Ner. Shall they see 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 accouter'd 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 kill'd 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. A thousand raw tricks of these bragging jacks, Which I will practise. Ner. Why, shall we turn to men? Por. Fiel what a question's that, If thou wert near a lewd interpreter ? SCENE V.-The same.-A Garden. 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 mat ter: therefore be of good cheer; for, truly, I think, you are damn'd. 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 pray thee? Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your fa ther got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter. 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 damn'd 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; be 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 porkeaters, 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; Laun celot 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. [word. Laun. That is done too, Sir; only, cover is the Lor. Will you cover then? 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 in stant? 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 cover'd; for your coming in to dinner, Sir, why, let it be as humours and conceits shall govern. [Exit Launcelot. Lor. O dear discretion, how his words are suited !. The fool hath planted in his memory An army of good words; and I do know Is reason he should never come to heaven. And Portia one, there must be something else Lor. Even such a husband Hast thou of me, as she is for a wife. Jes. Nay, but ask my opinion too of that. Lor. I will anon; first, let us go to dinner. Jes. Nay, let me praise you, while I have a stomach. Lor. No, pray thee, let it serve for table-talk; Then, howsoe'er thou speak'st, 'mong other things I shall digest it. Jes. Well, I'll set you forth. ACT IV. [Exeunt. SCENE I-Venice.-A Court of Justice. Enter the DUKE, the Magnificoes: ANTONIO, BASSANIO, GRATIANO, SALARINO, SALANIO, and others. Duke. What, is Antonio here? Ant. Ready, so please your grace, [swer Duke. I am sorry for thee; thou art come to anA stony adversary, an inhuman wretch Uncapable of pity, void and empty From any dram of mercy. Ant. I have heard, Your grace hath ta'en great pains to qualify Out of his envy's reach, I do oppose Duke. Go one, and call the Jew into the court. Duke. Make room, and let him stand before our face. Shylock, the world thinks, and I think so too, And where thou now exact'st the penalty But, touch'd with human gentleness and love, And pluck commiseration of his state From brassy bosoms, and rough hearts of flint, We all expect a gentle answer, Jew. Shy. I have possess'd your grace of what I purpose; Upon your charter, and your city's freedom. • Pity. |