VVhich I will practise.
Ner. VVhy, fhall we turne to men ?
Per. Fie, what a question's that,
If thou wert nere a lewd interpreter:
But come,ile tell thee all my whole deuice
VVhen I am in my Coach, which stayes for vs
At the Parke gate; and therefore haft away,
For we muft measure twenty miles to day.
Enter Clowne and leffica.
Clo. Yes truly, for looke you, the finnes of the Father are co be laid vpon the children, therefore I promife ye I feare you, I was alwayes plaine with you, and fo now I fpeake iny agitation of the matter: therefore be a good cheere, for truly I think you are damn'd, ther is but one hope in it that can do you any good, and that is but a kind of bastard hope neither.
lef. And what hope is that I pray thee?
Clo. Marry you may partly hope that your Father got you not,that you are not the lewes daughter.
Ieffi. That were a kind of baftard hope indeede, fo the fins of my mother should be vifited vpon me.
(lo. Truely then I feare you are damn'd both by Father and Mother: thus when I thun Scilla your father, I fal into Charibdia your mother; well, you are gone both wayes.
Jef. I fhall be fau'd by my husband, he hath made me a chriAian.
Clo. Truly the more to blame he; we were Chriftians enow before, e'ne as many as could well liue one by another: this ma king of Chriftians will raife the price of hogs, if we grow all to be Porke-eaters, we fhall not fhortly haue a rafher on the coles for money.
Ief.Ile tel my husband Lancelet what you fay, here he comes. Lor.I fhall grow icalous of you shortly Lancelet, if you thus
And hold your fortune for your bliffe,
Turne you where your Lady is,
And claime her with a louing kille.
A gentle fcroule : Faire Lady,by your leaue,
I come by note to giue,and to receiue;
Like one of two contending in a prize,
That thinks he hath done well in peoples eyes ;
Hearing applaufe and vniuerfall fhout,
Giddy in fpirit,ftill gazing in a doubt,
Whether those pearles of praise be his or no.
So thrice faire Lady,ftand I euen fo,
As doubtfull whether what I see be true,
Vntill confirm'd, fign'd,ratified by you.
Por.You fee me Lord Bassanio where I ftand,
Such as I am; though for my felfe alone
I would not be ambitious in my wish,
To with my felfe much better, yet for you,
I would be trebled twenty times my felfe,
A thoufand times more faire,ten thousand times
More rich,that onely to stand high in your account,
I might in vertues,beauties, liuings, friends,
Exceed account: but the full fumme of me
Is fumme of fomething; which to terme in groffe,
Is an vnleffon'd gyrle, vnfchool'd,vnpractised,
Happy in this, he is not yet fo old
But the may learne: happier then this,
She is not bred fo dull, but fhe can learne;
Happieft of all, is that her gentle fpirit
Commits it felfe to yours, to be directed
As from her Lord,her Gouernor, her King.
My felfe, and what is mine,to you and yours
Is now conuerted.But now I was the Lord
Of this faire manfion,master of my feruants,
Queene ore my felfe; and euen now, but now,
This houfe, thefe feruants, and this fame my felfe
Are yours,my Lord, I giue them with this ring,
Which when you part from,lofe, or giue away,
Let it prefage the ruine of your loue,
And be my vantage to exclaime on you.
Baff Madame, you haue bereft me of all words,
Onely my blood fpeakes to you in my veines,
And there is fuch confufion in my powers,
As after fome Oration fairely spoke
By a beloved Prince,there doth appeare
Among the buzzing pleased multitude.
Where euery fomething being blent together,
Turnes to a wilde of nothing,faue of ioy
Expreft, and not expreft: but when this ring
Parts from this finger,then parts life from hence,
O then be bold to lay Baffanio is dead.
Ner.My Lord and Lady, it is now our time
That haue ftood by and feene our wishes profper,
To cry good ioy,good ioy my Lord and Lady.
Gra.My Lord Baffanio, and my gentle Lady,
I wish you all the ioy that you can wifh:
For I am fure you can with none from me :
And when your honours meane to folemnize
The bargaine of your faith: I do beseech you
Euen at that time I may be married to.
Baff. With all my heart, fo thou canst get a wife.
Gra.I thanke your Lordship,you haue got me one,
My eies my Lord,can looke as fwift as yours;
You faw the Miftreffe, I beheld the Maid;
You lou'd,I lou'd for intermiffion,
No more pertaines to me my Lord then you,
Your fortune flood vpon the Casket there,
And fo did mine too,as the matter fals:
For wooing heere vntill I fwet againe,
And fwearing till my very roofe was dry,
With oathes of loue,at laft,if promife laft
I got a promife of this faire one here,
To haue her loue: prouided that your fortune
Atchieu'd her Miftris.
Por.Is this true,Nerrissa?
Ner.Maddam it is, fo you
Baff. And do you Gratiano meane good faith?
Gra.Yes faith my Lord.
Baff.Our feaft fhall be much honoured in your marriage.
Gra. Wee'l play with them the firft boy for a thousand ducats
Ner. What,and take downe?
Gra.No,we fhall nere win at that sport and stake downe.
But who comes heere, Lorenzo and his infidell?
What,and my olde venetian friend,Salerio?
Enter Lorenzo,Ieffica,and Salerio a messenger from Venice.
Baff Lorenzo and Salerio, welcome hither,
If that the youth of my new intreft heere
Haue power to bid you welcome: by your leaue
Ibid my very friends and countrymen
Sweete Portia welcome.
Por.So do I my Lord,they are entirely welcome.
Lor.I thanke your Honour,for my part my
My purpose was not to haue feene you heere,
But meeting with Salerio by the way,
He did entreate me paft all faying nay,
To come with him along.
And I haue reafon for it. Signior Antheniv
Commends him to you.
Baff.Ere I ope his Letter,
I pray you tell me how my good friend doth.
Sal.Not ficke my Lord,vnleffe it be in minde,
Nor well, vnleffe in minde: his Letter there
Will fhew you his eftate.
Gra.Nerriffa,cheere yon ftranger,bid her welcome, Your hand Salerio, what's the newes from Venice?
How doth that royall Merchant,good Anthonio?
I know he will be glad of our fucceffe,
We are the lafons, we haue won the fleece.
Sal, I would you had won the fleece that he hath loft.
Por.There are fome fhrewd contents in yon fame paper,
That fteales the colour from Baffanios cheeke,
Some deare friend dead,elfe nothing in the world
Could turne fo much the conftitution
Of any conftant man: what worfe and worse?
With leaue Baffanio, I am halfe your felfe,
And I must freely haue the halfe of any thing
That this fame paper brings you,
Baff. Ofweete Portia,
Heere are a few of the vnpleasantft words
That euer blotted paper. Gentle Lady,
When I did first impart my loue to you,
I freely told you all the wealth I had
Ran in my veines, I was a Gentleman,
And then I told you true: and yet deere Lady,
Rating my felfe at nothing,you shall fee.
How much I was a Braggart, when I told you
My ftate was nothing, I should then haue told you
That I was worse then nothing; for indeed
Ihaue ingag'd my felfe to a deere friend,
Ingag'd my friend to his meere enemy
To feed my meanes. Heer's a Letter Lady,
The paper as the body of my friend,
And cuery word in it a gaping wound,
Iffuing life blood. But is it true Salerio ?
Hath all his ventures faild ? what,not one hit,
From Tripolis,from Mexico, and England,
From Lisbon, Barbary, and India,
And not one veffell fcape the dreadfull touch
Of Merchant-marring rocks?
Sal. Not one my Lord.
Befides,it should appeare,that if he had.
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