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Returne in haft, for I do feaft to night,

My beft efteem'd acquaintance,hie thee, go.
Leon. My beft endeuors fhall be done heerein.

Exit

Enter Gratiano.

Gra. Where's your Mafter.

Leon, Yonder fir he walkes.
Gra. Signior Baffanio.
Baff.Gratiano?

Gra. I haue a fute to you..

Ball. You haue obtain'd it.

Gra. You must not deny me, I must go with you to Belmont. Baff. Why then you must. But heare thee Gratiano, Thou art too wilde, too rude, and bold of voice,

Parts that become thee happily enough,

And in fuch eies as ours appeare not faults,

But where thou art not knowne. Why there they fhew
Something too lib'rall : prethee take paine

To allay with fome cold drops of modeftie

Thy skipping fpirit, left through thy wilde behauiour
I be mifconftred in the place I go to,

And lofe my hopes.

Gra.Signior Baffanio, heare me :

If I do not put on a fober habite,

Talke with refpect, and sweare but now and than ;
Weare prayer bookes in my pocket, looke demurely,
Nay more, while Grace is faying, hood mine cies
Thus with my hat, and figh, and fay Amen :
Vfe all the obferuance of ciuility,

Like one well ftudied in a fad oftent)

To please his Grandam, neuer trust me more.
Baff. Well, we fhall Tee your bearing.

Gra. Nay but I barre to night, you fhall not gage me
By what we do to night.

Ball. No that were pitty,

I would entreate you rather to put on

YOUR

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Your boldeft fute of mirth,for we haue friends
That purpose merriment: but faryewell,
I haue fome bufineffe.

Gra. And I must to Lorenzo and the reft,
But we will vifite you at fupper time.

Enter leffica and the Clowne.

Ieffica. I am forry thou wilt leaue my Father fo,
Our houfe is hell, and thou a merry diuell
Didft rob it of fome tafte of tedioufneffe,
But fare thee well,there is a ducat for thee,
And Lancelet,foone at fupper fhalt thou fee
Lorenzo,who is thy new Mafters gueft,
Giue him this Letter,do it fecretly,

And fo farwell: I would not haue my Father
See me in talke with thee.

Exeunt.

Lance. Adew,teares exhibite my tongue, most beautifull Pagan,moft sweete lew, if a Chriftian doc not play the knaue and get thee,I am much decciued; but adew, thefe foolish drops do fomething drowne my manly fpirit: adieu.

Ieffica, Farwell good Lancelet.
Alacke, what heynous finne is it in me,
To be afham'd to be my fathers childe,
But though I am a daughter to his blood,
I am not to his manners: O Lorenzo,
If thou keepe promife, I fhall end this ftrife,
Become a Chriftian, and thy louing wife.

Enter Gratiano, Lorenzo,Salarino,and Salanio.
Loren,Nay, we will flinke away in fupper time,
Difguife vs at my lodging and returne all in an houre.
Gra.We haue not made good preparation.
Salar. We haue not spoke vs yet of Torch-bearers,
Salanio.Tis vile, vnleffe it may be quaintly ordered,
And better in my minde not vndertooke.

Loren.Tis now but foure a clocke,we haue two houres

Exit.

Exit.

Το

Enter Lancelet.

To furnish vs ; friend Lancelet, what's the newes?
Lan.If it please you to breake vp this,it fhall feeme to fignific,
Loren, I know the hand, in faith tis a faire hand,

And whiter then the paper it writ on,

Is the faire hand that writ.
Grat.Loue newes,in faith.
Lance. By your leaue fir.
Loren.Whither goest thou?

Lance.Marry fir,to bid my olde Mafter the Iew to fup to nigh with my new Mafter the Chriftian,

Iren.Hold here take this,tell gentle Ieffica,

I will not fayle her,fpeake it priuately.

Goe Gentlemen, will you prepare for this maske to night,

I am prouided of a Torch-bearer.

Salar. I marry,ile be gone about it ftraight.

Salan. And fo will I.

Exis Clownes

Loren. Meete me and Gratiane at Gratianos lodging,

Some houre hence.

Salar. Tis good we do fo.

Grat. Was not that Letter from faire leffica?

Loren.I muft needs tell thee all, the hath directed

How I fhall take her from her Fathers house,
What gold and iewels fhe is furnifht with,
What Pages fute fhe hath in readineffe,
Ifere the Iew her father come to heauen,
It will be for his gentle daughters fake,
And neuer dare misfortune croffe her foote,
Vnleffe fhe do it vnder this excufe,
That fhe is iffue to a faithleffe Iew:

Come goe with me,perufe this as thou goeft,

Faire leffica fhall be my Torch-bearer.

Enter the lew and Lancelet.

Shy. Well, thou shalt fee,thy eyes fhall be thy judge,

The diffrence of old Shylocke and Bassanio;

D

Exit.

Exita

What

1

What leffica, thou shalt not gourmandize
As thou haft done with me: what Leffica?
And fleepe, and fnore, and rend apparrell out.
Why leffica Ilay.

Clowne. Why leffica.

Shy. Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.

Clo. Your worship was wont to tell me, that I could do nothing without bidding.

Enter Ieffica.

lef. Call you? what is your will?

Shy. I am bid forth to fupper leffica,

There are my keyes; but wherefore fhould I go?
I am not bid for loue, they flatter me,
But yet ile go in hare, to feede vpon
The prodigall Chriftian, Jeffica my gyrle,
Looke to my houfe. I am right loth to go,
There is fome ill a bruing towards my reft,
For I did dreame of money bagges to night.
Clowne. I befeech you fir go,

My yong Mafter doth expect your reproch.
Shy. So do Ihis.

Clown. And they haue confpired together, I will not fay you fhall fee a Maske; but if you doe, then it was not for nothing that my nose fell a bleeding on black monday laft,at fix a clock in the morning, falling out that yeare on Afhwenfday was four yeare in th'afternoone.

Shy. What, are there maskes? Heare me Ieffica:

Locke vp my doores, and when you heare the drumme,
And the vile fqueaking of the wry-neckt Fife,
Clamber not you vp to the Cafements then,
Nor thrust your head into the publike streete,
To gaze on Chriftian fooles with varnisht faces:
But ftop my houfes eares, I meane my Casements,
Let not the found of fhallow foppery enter
My fober houfe. By lacobs ftaffe I fweare,
I have no minde offeafting forth to night:

But

But I will go. Go you before me firra,
Say I will come.

Clowne. I will go before fir.

Miftreffe looke out at a window for all this,
There will come a Christian by,

Will be worth a lewes eye.

Shy. What fayes that foole of Hagars off-spring? ha,
lef. His words were, Farewell miftris, nothing else.
Shy. The patch is kinde enough, but a huge feeder,
Snaile-flow in profit, and he fleepes by day
More then the wilde Cat : Drones hiue not with me,
Therefore I part with him, and part with him
To one, that I would haue him helpe to waste
His borrowed purfe. Well Ieffica goe in,
Perhaps I will returne immediately,

Do as Ibid you, fhut doores after you,
Faft binde, faft finde,

A Prouerbe neuer ftale in thrifty minde.

Exit

Ief. Farewell, and if my fortune be not croft,

I haue a Father,you a daughter loft.

Exit.

Enter the maskers,Gratiano and Salarino.

Gra. This is the pent-house vnder which Lorenzo defir'd vs to make stand.

Sal, His houre is almost past.

Gra. And it is meruaile he out-dwel's his houre, For louers euer run before the clocke.

Sal. O ten times fafter Venus pigeons flye
To feale loues bonds new made,then they are wont
To keepe obliged faith ynforfaited.

Gra. That euer holds: who rifeth from a feaft
With that keene appetite that he fits downe?
Where is the horse that doth vntreade againe
Histedious measures, with the vnbated fire
That he did pace them firft? All things that are,
Are with more fpirit chafed then enioy'd.

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