Pluck the young sucking cubs from the she-bear,
Yea, mock the lion when he roars for prey,
To win thee, lady. But, alas the while !5
If Hercules and Lichas play at dice
Which is the better man, the greater throw
May turn by fortune from the weaker hand :
So is Alcides beaten by his page;

And so may I, blind Fortune leading me,
Miss that which one unworthier may attain,
And die with grieving.

You must take

chance your

;

wrong

Portia.
And either not attempt to choose at all,
Or swear, before you choose, if you choose
Never to speak to lady afterward

In way of marriage; therefore be advised."

Moroc. Nor will not. Come, bring me unto my chance. Portia. First, forward to the temple :8 after dinner Your hazard shall be made.

Moroc.

Good fortune then!

[Exeunt.

To make me blest or cursed'st9 among men.

5 "Alas the while!" "Woe the while!" "Alack a day!" and "Woe worth the day!" were all phrases of the same or of similar import.

6 If they try the question of which is the braver man by a game of dice. — Lichas was the servant or page of Hercules, who ignorantly brought to his master from Dejanira the poisoned shirt. Hercules was a descendant of Alceus, and so is called, in the Greek idiom, Alcides.

7 Advised, again, for cautious or considerate. See page 87, note 33. 8 That is, to the church, to take the oath mentioned just before, and described more particularly in the eighth scene of this Act. Bibles were not kept in private houses in the Poet's time; and such an oath had to be taken on the Bible.

9 Here the force of the superlative in cursed'st retroacts on blest; so that the sense is most blest or most cursed. So in Measure for Measure, iv. 6: "The generous and gravest citizens."

Flourish of Cornets. Enter PORTIA, with the Prince of MOROCCO, and both their Trains.

Portia. Go, draw aside the curtains, and discover The several caskets to this noble Prince.

Now make your choice.

Moroc. The first, of gold, which this inscription bears, Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire; The second, silver, which this promise carries, Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves. This third, dull lead, with warning all as blunt,Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath. How shall I know if I do choose the right?

If

Portia. The one of them contains my picture, Prince : you choose that, then I am yours withal.

Moroc. Some god direct my judgment! Let me see; I will survey th' inscriptions back again.

What says this leaden casket?

Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.
Must give,
for what? for lead? hazard for lead?
This casket threatens : men that hazard all
Do it in hope of fair advantages.

A golden mind stoops not to shows of dross;
I'll then nor give nor hazard aught for lead.
What says the silver, with her virgin hue?

Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.
As much as he deserves !- Pause there, Morocco,
And weigh thy value with an even hand :
If thou be'st rated by thy estimation,

Thou dost deserve enough; and yet enough

May not extend so far as to the lady : And yet to be afeared of my deserving, Were but a weak disabling of myself. As much as I deserve! Why, that's the lady: I do in birth deserve her, and in fortunes, In graces, and in qualities of breeding; But more than these, in love I do deserve. What if I stray'd no further, but chose here? Let's see once more this saying graved in gold: Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire. Why, that's the lady; all the world desires her: From the four corners of the Earth they come, To kiss this shrine, this mortal-breathing saint. Th' Hyrcanian deserts and the vasty wilds Of wide Arabia are as thoroughfares now For princes to come view fair Portia : The watery kingdom, whose ambitious head Spits in the face of Heaven, is no bar To stop the foreign spirits; but they come, As o'er a brook, to see fair Portia.

One of these three contains her heavenly picture.

Is't like that lead contains her? 'Twere damnation,

To think so base a thought: it were too gross
To rib her cerecloth in the obscure grave.
Or shall I think in silver she's immured,
Being ten times undervalued to tried gold?

O sinful thought! Never so rich a gem

Was set in worse than gold. They have in England
A coin that bears the figure of an angel
Stamped in gold, but that's insculp'd upon ;
But here an angel in a golden bed

124

Lies all within. - Deliver me the key;

Here do I choose, and thrive I as I may !

Portia. There, take it, Prince; and if my form lie there, [He unlocks the golden casket.

Then I am yours.
Moroc.

O Hell! what have we here?

A carrion Death, within whose empty eye
There is a written scroll! I'll read the writing.

[Reads.] All that glisters is not gold, –

Often have you heard that told:

Many a man his life hath sold,
outside to behold:

But my

Gilded tombs do worms infold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old,
Your answer had not been inscroll'd:
Fare you well; your suit is cold.
Cold indeed, and labour lost;

Then, farewell, heat, and welcome, frost!·
Portia, adieu! I have too grieved a heart
To take a tedious leave: thus losers part.

[Exit with train.

Portia. A gentle riddance. Draw the curtains, go:

Let all of his complexion choose me so.

[Exeunt.

Enter NERISSA with a Servant.

Neris. Quick, quick, I pray thee; draw the curtain straight: The Prince of Arragon hath ta'en his oath,

And comes to his election presently.

Flourish of Cornets.

If

Enter the Prince of ARRAGON, Portia, and their Trains.

Portia. Behold, there stand the caskets, noble Prince; you choose that wherein I am contain❜d,

Straight shall our nuptial rites be solemnized;

But if you fail, without more speech, my lord,

You must be gone from hence immediately.

Arra. I am enjoin'd by oath ť observe three things: First, never to unfold to any one

Which casket 'twas I chose; next, if I fail

Of the right casket, never in my life
To woo a maid in way of marriage; lastly,
If I do fail in fortune of my choice,
Immediately to leave you and be gone.

Portia. To these injunctions every one doth swear
That comes to hazard for my worthless self.

Arra. And so have I address'd me. Fortune now To my heart's hope !— Gold, silver, and base lead.