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,

20

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

Salar. Ay, marry, I'll begone 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 SALAR. and SALAN.

Gra. Was not that letter from fair Jessica?

She hath directed

Lor. I must needs tell thee all.
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.

30

[Exeunt.

The same.

SCENE V.

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:
What, Jessica! — thou shalt not gormandise,
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 that I could do nothing without bidding.

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.°

20

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, falling 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 squealing of the wry-neck'd° fife,
Clamber not you up to the casements then,
Nor thrust your head into the public street
To gaze on Christian fools with varnish'd faces;
But stop my house's ears, I mean my casements:
Let not the sound of shallow foppery enter
My sober house. By Jacob's staff, I swear
I have no mind of feasting forth to-night:
But I will go. Go you before me, sirrah°;
Say I will come.

Laun. I will go before, sir. Mistress, look out at window, for all this;

There will come a Christian by,

Will be worth a Jewess" eye.°

43

[Exit.

Shy. What says that fool of Hagar's offspring, ha? Jes. His words were, "Farewell, mistress;" noth ing else.

Shy. The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder; Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day

More than the wild-cat: drones hive not with me;
Therefore I part with him; and part with him
To one that I would have him help to waste
His borrow'd purse. Well, Jessica, go in:
Perhaps I will return immediately:

Do as I bid you; shut doors after you:

Fast bind, fast find,

A proverb never stale in thrifty mind.

Jes. Farewell; and if my fortune be not crost, I have a father, you a daughter, lost.

SCENE VI.

The same.

Enter GRATIANO and SALARINO, masqued.

о

Exit.

[Exit.

Gra. This is the pent-house under which Lorenzo Desired us to make stand.

Salar.

His hour is almost past.

Gra. And it is marvel he out-dwells his hour,
For lovers ever run before the clock.

Salar. O, ten times faster Venus' pigeons fly
To seal love's bonds new-made, than they are wont
To keep obliged° faith unforfeited!

Gra. That ever holds: who riseth from a feast
With that keen appetite that he sits down?
Where is the horse that doth untread again
His tedious measures with the unbated fire

That he did pace them first? All things that are,
Are with more spirit chased than enjoy'd.
How like a younker° or a prodigal

IC