In speed to Padua; fee thou render this

Into my cousin's hand, doctor Bellario;

And, look, what notes and garments he doth give thee, Bring them, I pray thee, with 'imagin'd speed

Unto the 'tranect, to the common ferry

Which trades to Venice: -wafte no time in words, get thee gone; I fhall be there before thee.

But

Balth. Madam, I go with all convenient fpeed. [Exit. Por. Come on, Neriffa; I have work in hand, That you yet know not of: we'll fee our husbands Before they think of us.

I'll

Ner. Shall they fee us?

Por. Thy fhall, Neriffa; but in fuch 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,
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 fpeak of frays,
Like a fine bragging youth: and tell "quaint lies,
How honourable ladies fought my love,
Which I denying, they fell fick and dy'd;
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.

'imagin'd]-all imaginable.

With a reed voice;]-In a rough, hoarse, harth accent.

quaint]-well feign'd.

trane@]-paffage boat, traje.

Ner.

Ner. Why, fhall we turn to men?
Por. Fie! what a question's that,
If thou wert near a lewd interpreter ?
But come, I'll tell thee all my whole device
When I am in my coach, which stays for us
At the park gate; and therefore haste away,
For we must measure twenty miles to-day.

W

X

SCENE V.

Enter Launcelot and Jeffica.

[Exeunt.

Laun. Yes, truly :-for, look you, the fins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore, I promise you, I " fear you. I was always plain with you, and fo now I fpeak my agitation of the matter: 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 a bastard hope neither.

Jef. And what hope is that, I pray thee?

Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter.

Jef. That were a kind of baftard hope, indeed; fo the fins of my mother fhall be vifited upon me.

Laun. Truly then I fear you are damn'd both by father and mother: thus when I fhun Scylla, your father, I fall into Charybdis, your mother: well you are gone both ways. Jef. I fhall be faved by my husband; he hath made me a Christian.

Laun. Truly, the more to blame he: we were Chriftians enough before; e'en as many as could well live one by another: This making of christians will raise the price

"fear for you.

X

* my agitation of the matter:-the refult of my thoughts on this

fubject.

of

of hogs; if we grow all to be pork-eaters, we fhall not fhortly have a rafher on the coals for money.

Enter Lorenzo.

fef. I'll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you say; here

he comes.

Lor. I fhall grow jealous of you fhortly, Launcelot, if you thus get my wife into corners.

Jef. Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo; Launcelot 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 fays, you are no good member of the commonwealth; for, in converting Jews to Chriftians, you raise the price of pork.

Lor. I fhall anfwer 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 fhould be more than reafon but if fhe be lefs than an honeft 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 filence; and difcourfe grow commendable in none only but parrotsGo in, firrah; bid them prepare for dinner.

Laun. That is done, fir; they have all stomachs.

Lor. Good lord! what a wit-fnapper are you! then bid them prepare dinner.

Laun. That is done too, fir; only, cover is the word. Lor. Will you cover then, fir?

Laun. Not fo, fir, neither; I know my duty.

Lor. Yet more quarrelling with occafion! wilt thou fhew the whole wealth of thy wit in an inftant? I pray

Y quarrelling with occafion !]-quibbling at every turn.

VOL. II.

L

thee,

thee, understand a plain man in his plain meaning: go to thy fellows; bid them cover the table, ferve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner.

Laun. For the table, fir, it shall be ferv'd in; for the meat, fir, it shall be covered; for your coming in to dinner, fir, why, let it be as humours and conceits fhall go[Exit Launcelot. Lor. O dear difcretion, how his words are fuited!

vern.

The fool hath planted in his memory

An army of good words; And I do know

a

A many fools, that stand in better place,
Garnish'd like him, that for a tricksy word
Defy the matter. How cheer'ft thou, Jeffica?
And now, good sweet, fay thy opinion,
How doft thou like the lord Baffanio's wife?
Jef. Paft all expreffing: It is very meet,
The lord Baffanio live an upright life;
For, having fuch a bleffing in his lady,
He finds the joys of heaven here on earth;

b

And, if on earth he do not mean it, it

Is reafon he should never come to heaven.
Why, if two gods should play fome heavenly match,
And on the wager lay two earthly women,

And Portia one, there must be something else
Pawn'd with the other; for the poor rude world
Hath not her fellow.

Lor. Even fuch a husband

Haft thou of me, as fhe is for a wife.

Jef. Nay, but afk my opinion too of that.
Lor. I will anon; firft, let us go to dinner.

z how his words are fuited!]-how well apply'd are they, properly adapted.

for a tricky word defy the matter.]-for the fake of introducing a witticifm, leave their fubject in the lurch.

b mean it,]-enjoy it with moderation-merit it.

Jef. Nay, let me praise you, while I have stomach.
Lor. No, pray thee, let it ferve for table-talk;
Then, howfoe'er thou speak'st, 'mong other things
I fhall digeft it.

Jef. Well, I'll fet you forth.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

The Senate-Houfe in Venice.

Enter the Duke, the Senators; Anthonio, Baffanio, Gratiano, and others.

Duke. What, is Anthonio here?
Anth. Ready, fo please your grace.

Duke. I am forry for thee; thou art come to answer
A ftony adversary, an inhuman wretch

Uncapable of pity, void and empty

From any dram of mercy.

Anth. I have heard,

Your grace hath ta'en great pains to qualify

His rigorous courfe; but fince he stands obdurate,

с

And that no lawful means can carry me

Out of his envy's reach, I do oppose

My patience to his fury; and am arm'd
To fuffer, with a quietnefs of fpirit,
The very tyranny and rage of his.

Duke. Go one and call the Jew into the court.
Sol. He's ready at the door: he comes, my lord.

carry me out of his envy's reach,]-fcreen me from the effects of his malice.