Printed for C. BATHURST, W. STRAHAN, J. F. and C. R1-
VINGTON, L. DAVIS, T.&W.LOWNDES, R. HORSFIELD,
W. OWEN and SON, T. CASLON, S. CROWDER, B.
WHITE T. LONGMAN, B. LAW, C. DILLY, T. CA-
DELL, G. KEITH, T. BOWLES, J. ROBSON, G. Ro-
BINSON, T. PAYNE and SON, R. BALDWIN, H. L.
GARDNER, J. NICHOLS, J. BEW, W. CATER, W. STU-
ART, S. A. CUMBERLEGE, J. FIELDING, T. EVANS,
S. HAYES, and E. NEWBEREY.
Senators of Venice, Officers, Goaler, Servants, and other
SCENE, partly at Venice, and partly at Belmont, the Seat of Portia.
The Reader is defired to obferve, that the Paffages omitted in the Reprefentation at the Theatre are here preserved, and marked with inverted Commas; as at Line 32 to 35 in Page 5.
ACT I. SCENE, A Street in Venice,
Enter Anthonio, Solarino, and Salanio.
N footh, I know not why I am so fad :
It wearies me; you fay, it wearies you;
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,
I am to learn:
And fuch a want-wit fadnefs makes of me,
That I have much ado to know myself.
Sal. Your mind is toffing on the ocean;
There, where your Argofies with portly fail,
Like figniors and rich burghers on the flood,
Or as it were the pageants of the fea,
Do over-peer the petty traffickers,
That curtly to them, do them reverence,
As they fly by them with their woven wings.
Sola. Believe me, Sir, had I fuch venture forth,
The better part of my affections would
Be with my hopes abroad. I fhould be still
Plucking the grafs, to know where fits the wind;
Prying in maps, for ports, and piers, and roads.
And every object that might make me fear
Misfortune to my ventures, out of doubt,
Would make me fad.
Sal. My wind, cooling my broth,
Would blow me to an ague, when I thought
What harm a wind too great might do at fea.
I should not fee the fandy hour-glafs run,
Put I fhould think of fhallows, and of flats;
And fee my wealthy Andrew dock'd in fand,
Vailing her high top lower than her ribs
To kits her burial. Should I go to church,
And fee the holy edifice of stone,
And not bethink me ftrait of dangerous rocks;
Which, touching but my gentle veffel's fide,
Would fcatter all her fpices on the stream;
Enrobe the roaring waters with my filks;
And, in a word, but even now worth this,
And now worth nothing. Shall I have the thought
To think on this, and fhall I lack the thought,
That fuch a thing, bechanc'd; would make me fad ?
But, tell not me; - I know, Anthonio
Is fad to think upon his merchandize.
Anth. Believe me, no: I thank my fortune for it, My ventures are not in one bottom trusted,
Nor to one place; nor is my whole estate
Upon the fortune of this prefent year :
Therefore, my merchandize makes me not fad.
Sola. Why then you are in love.
Sola. Not in love neither? Then let's fay, you are fad,
Because you are not merry and 'twere as easy
For you, to laugh, and leap, and fay, you are merry,
Because you are not fad. Now, by two-headed Janus,
Nature hath fram'd strange fellows in her time:
Some that will evermore peep through their eyes,
And laugh, like parrots, at a bag-piper;
And others of fuch vinegar-afpect,
That they'll not flow their teeth in way of smile,
Though Neftor fwear the jeft be laughable.
Enter Baffanio, Lorenzo, and Gratiano.
Sal. Here comes Baffanio, your most noble kinsman, Gratiano and Lorenzo. Fare you well:
We leave you now with better company.
Sola. I would have staid till I had made you merry,
If worthier friends had not prevented me.
Anth. Your worth is very dear in my regard.
I take it, your own bufinefs calls on you,
And you embrace the occafion to depart.
Sal Good morrow, my good lords.
Ba. Good Signiors both, when fiall we laugh? fay,
You grow exceeding ftrange: muft it be fo?
Sal. We'll make our leifures to attend on yours.
Sela. My lord Baffanio, fince you have found Anthonie, We two will leave you; but, at dinner-time,
I pray you have in mind, where we must meet.
Baff. I will not leave you. [Exeunt Solar. and Sala.
Gra. You look not well, fignior Anthonio;
You have too much respect upon the world:"
They lose it, that do buy it with much care.
Believe me, you are marvellously chang'd
Auth. I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano;
A stage, where every man must play his part,
And mine a fad one.
Gra. Let me play the Fool:
With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come ;
And let my liver rather heat with wine,
Than my heart cool with mortifying groans..
Why fhould a man, whose blood is warm within,
Sit like his grandfire cut in alabaster?
Sleep when he wakes, and creep into the jaundice
By being peevish? I tell thee what, Anthonio,.
(I love thee, and it is my love that speaks :)
There are a fort of men, whofe vifages,
Do cream and mantle like a standing pond;
And do a wilful ftillness entertain,
With purpofe to be dreft in an opinion
Of wifdom, gravity, profound conceit;
As who fhould fay, I am Sir Oracle,
And when I ope my lips, let no dog bark!
O, my Anthonio, I do know of those,
That therefore only are reputed wife,
For faving nothing; who, I am very fure,
• If they thould speak, would almoft damn thofe ears, Which, hearing them, would call their brothers fools.' I'll tell thee more of this another time:
But fish not with this melancholy bait,
For this fool's gudgeon, this opinion.
Come, good Lorenzo: Fare ye well, a while;
I'll end my exhortation after dinner.
Lor. Well, we will leave you then till dinner time.
I must be one of these fame dumb wife men,
For Gratiano never lets me speak.
Gra. Well, keep me company but two years more, Thou shalt not know the found of thine own tongue.
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