1

Jef. Farewel, good Launcelot.
Alack, what heinous fin is it in me,
To be asham'd to be my father's child?
But though I am a daughter to his blood,
I am not to his manners: O Lorenzo,
If thou keep promife, I fhall end this ftrife,
Become a chriftian, and thy loving wife.

SCENE, the Street.

[Exit

Enter Gratiano, Lorenzo, Solarino, and Salanio. AY, we will flink away in fupper-time, dif guife us. at my lodging, and return all in

Lor.NAX

an hour.

Gra. We have not made good preparation.
Sal. We have not spoke us yet of torch-bearers.
Sola. 'Tis vile, unless it may be quaintly ordered,
And better in my mind not undertook.

Lor. "Tis now but four a-clock, we have two hours
To furnish us. Friend Launcelot, what's the news ?

Enter Launcelot with a letter.

Laur. An' it fhall please you to break up this, it shal feem to fignify.

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. Love-news, in faith.
Laun. By your leave, Sir.
Lor. Whither goest thou?

Laun. Marry, Sir, to bid my old mafter the Jew to fup to-night with my new mafter the chriftian.

Lor. Hold, here, take this; tell gentle feica,

I will not fail her; fpeak it privately.

Go.-Gentlemen, will you prepare for this mafk to-night?

I am provided of a torch-bearer.

[Exit Laun.

Sal. Ay, marry, I'll be gone about it strait.

Sola. And fo will I.

Lor. Meet me, and Gratiana,

At Gratiano's lodging fome hour hence.

Sal

Sal. 'Tis good, we do so.

Gra. Was not that letter from fair Jeffica?

[Exit.

Lor. I must needs tell thee all; fhe hath directed,
How I fhall take her from her father's house;
What gold and jewels she is furnish'd with ;
What page's fuit fhe hath in readiness.
If e'er the few her father come to heav'n,
It will be for his gentle daughter's fake:
And never dare misfortune cross her foot,
Unless she do it under this excuse,
That she is iffue to a faithlefs Jew.
Come, go with me; peruse this, as thou goeft;

Fair Jeffica fhall be

Sby. W

my torch-bearer.

SCENE, Shylock's houfe.

Enter Shylock and Launcelot.

[Exeunt.

WELL, thou fhalt fee, thy eyes fhall be thy
judge,

The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio.
What, Jelica!-thou shalt not gormandize,
As thou haft done with me——— what, Jeffica!
And fleep and fnore, and rend apparel out.
Why, Fefica! I fay.

Laun. Why, Jeffica!

Shy Who bids thee call? I did not bid thee call. Laun. Your worship was wont to tell me, that I could do nothing without bidding.

Enter Jeffica.

Jef. Call you? what is your will?

Shy. I am bid forth to fupper, Fefica;

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 chriftian. Jeffica, my girl,
Look to my house, I am right loth to go;
There is fome ill a brewing towards my reft,
For I did dream of money-bags to-night.

Laun.

Laun. I beseech you, Sir, go; my young mafter doth expect your reproach.

Shy. So do I his.

Laun. And they have confpired together, I will not fay, you shall fee a mask; but if you do, then it was not for nothing that my nofe fell a bleeding on black monday laft, at fix a-clock i'th' morning, falling out that year on Afh-Wednesday was four in the afternoon.

Shy. What! are there masks? hear you me, Jessica.
Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum,
And the vile fqueaking of the wry-neck'd fife,
Clamber not you up to the cafements then,
Nor thrust your head into the publick street,
To gaze on chriftian fools with varnish'd faces:
But ftop my house's ears; I mean, my cafements;
Let not the found of fhallow foppery enter
My fober house. By Jacob's ftaff, I fwear,
I have no mind of feafting forth to-night:
But I will go; go you before me, firrah:
Say, I will come.

Laun. I will go before, Sir.

Miftrefs, look out at window, for all this
There will come a christian by,

Will be worth a Jewess' eye.

[Exit Laun.
Shy. What fays that fool of Hagar's offspring? ha?
Je. His words were, farewel, miftrefs; nothing elfe..
Shy. The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder:
Snail-flow in profit, but he fleeps 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 purfe. Well, Jefica, go in;
Perhaps, I will return immediately;
Do, as I bid you. -

Shut the doors after you; faft bind, faft find;
A proverb never ftale in thrifty mind.

Jef. Farewel; and if iny fortune be not croft,

I have a father, you a daughter loft.

[Exit.

[Exit.

SCENE,

Gra.

SCENE, the Street.

Enter Gratiano and Salanio in maskerade.

Tdefired us to make a ftand.

HIS is the pent-house, under which Lorenzo

Sal. His hour is almost past.

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

Sal. O, ten times fafter Venus' pigeons fly (12)
To feal love's bonds new made, than they are wont
To keep obliged faith unforfeited!

Gra. That ever holds. Who rifeth from a feaft,
With that keen appetite that he fits down?
Where is the horie, that doth untread again
His tedious measures with th' unbated fire,
That he did pace them firft? all things that are,
Are with more fpirit chafed than enjoy'd.
How like a younker, or a prodigal,
The fkarfed bark puts from her native bay,
Hugg'd and embrac'd by the ftrumpet wind!
How like the prodigal doth fhe return,

(12) 0, ten times fafter Venus' Pigeons fly] This is a very odd image, of Venus's pigeons flying to feal the bonds of love. The fenfe is obvious, and we know the dignity due to Venus's pigeons. There was certainly a joke intended here, which the ignorance or boldness, of the first tranfcribers have murder'd: I doubt not, but Shakespeare wrote the line thus;

t

O, ten times fafter Venus' widgeons fly
To feal, &c.

For widg on is not only the filly bird fo call'd, but fignifies likewise metaphorically, a filly fellow, as goofe, or gudgeon, does now. The joke confifts in the ambiguity of the fignification, and to call the vo taries of love Venus's widgeons has, I think, fomething very pretty. But the transcribers finding widgeon in the text, and knowing nothing of its figurative fignification, fubftituted pigeon as a more ufual, or (perhaps, better founding) word. Butler has made the very fame joke upon the prefbyterians. Canto ft. pt. 1. v. 231.

Th' apoftles of this fierce religion,

Like Mabomer's were afs, and widgeon.

The monks, in their fabulous account of Mabomet, said, he taught a pigeon to pick peas out of his ear for the ends of his imposture.

Mr. Warburton

With over-weather'd ribs and ragged fails,
Lean, rent, and beggar'd by the ftrumpet wind?

Enter Lorenzo.

Sal. Here comes Lorenzo: more of this hereafter. Lor. Sweet friends, your patience for my long abode Not I, but my affairs have made me wait;

When you fhall please to play the thieves for wives,
I'll watch as long for you then; come, approach;
Here dwells my father Jew. Hoa, who's within?
Jeffica above, in boy's cloaths.

Jef. Who are you? tell me for more certainty,
Albeit I'll fwear, that I do know your tongue.
Lor. Lorenzo, and thy love.

Jef. Lorenzo certain, and my love, indeed; For who love I so much? and now who knows, But you, Lorenzo, whether I am yours?

Lor. Heav'n and thy thoughts are witness that thou art,
Jef. Here, catch this casket, it is worth the pains.
I'm glad, 'tis night, you do not look on me;
For I am much afham'd of my exchange;
But love is blind, and lovers cannot fee
The pretty follies that themselves commit;
For if they could, Cupid himself would blush
To fee me thus insformed to a boy.

Lor. Defcena, for you must be my torch-bearer.
Jef. What, must I hold a candle to my fhames?
They in themselves, goodfooth, are too too light.
Why, 'tis an office of difcovery, love,
And I should be obscur'd.

Lor. So are you, fweet,

Ev'n in the lovely garnish of a boy.

But come at once

For the close night doth play the run-away,
And we are staid for at Bajanio's feast.

Jef. I will make faft the doors, and gild myself
With fome more ducats, and be with you strait.
[Ex. from above.
Gra. Now by my hood, a Gentile, and no Jew.

Lor.