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Bal. Thou speak'st it well; go, father, with thy son Take leave of thy old master, and enquire

My lodging out; give him a livery,

More guarded than his fellows: see it done.

Laun. Father, in: I cannot get a service, no? I have ne'er a tongue in my head well, if any man in Italy have a fairer table, which doth offer to swear upon a book, I shall have good fortune; go to, here's a simple line of lise; here's a small trifle of wives; alas, sifteen wives is nothing, eleven widows and nine maids is a simple coming in for one man! and then to 'scape drowning thrice, and to be in peril of my life with the edge of a feather-bed, here are simple 'scapes! well, if fortune be a woman, she's a good wench for this gear. Father, come; I'll take my leave of the Jew in the twinkling of an eye. (Ex, Iaun. and Gob. Bass. I pray thee, good Leonardo, think on this, These things being bought and orderly bestowed, Return in haste, for I do seast to night

My best esteem'd acquaintance; hie thee, go.
Leon. My best endeavours shall be done herein.
Enter Gratiano.

Gra. Where is your master?

Leon. Yonder, sir, he walks.

[Ex. Leonardo.

Gra. Signior Bafanio,

Baf. Gratiano

Gra. I have a suit to you.

Bajs. You have obtain'd it.

Gra. You must not deny me, I must

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Belmont.

Bass. Why, then you must: but hear thee, Gratiano, Thou art too wild, too rude, and bold of voice; Parts, that become thee happily enough,

And in such eyes as ours appear not faults;

But where thou art not known, why, there they show Something too liberal; pray thee, take pain

t allay with some cold drops of modesty

Thy skipping spirit; lest through thy wild behaviour, I be misconstru'd in the place I go to,

And lose my hopes.

Gra. Signior Bassanio, hear me, If I do not put on a sober habit,

Talk

Talk with respect, and swear but now and then,
Wear prayer-books in my pockets, look demurely;
Nay more, while grace is saying, hood mine eyes
Thus with my hat, and sigh, and say, Amen:
Use all th' observance of civility,

Like one well studied in a sad ostent

To please his grandam; never trust me more.
Bass. Well, we shall see your bearing.

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

Bal. No, that were pity.

I would intreat you rather to put on

Your boldest suit of mirth, for we have friends
That purpose merriment: but fare you well,

I have some business.

Gra. And I must to Lorenzo and the rest: But we will visit you at supper-time.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to Shylock's House.

Enter Jessica and Launcelot.

Jes. I'M sorry thou wilt leave thy father so;
Our House is hell, and thou, a merry devil,
Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness;
But fare thee well, there is a ducat for thee.
And, Launcelot, soon at supper shalt thou see
Lorenzo, who is thy new master's guest;
Give him this letter, do it secretly,

And so farewel: I would not have my father
See me talk with thee.

Laun. Adieu! tears exhibit my tongue; most beautiful Pagan, most sweet Jew! if a Christian did not play the knave and get thee, I am much deceiv'd; but, adieu! these foolish drops do somewhat drown my manly spirit: adieu!

Jes. Farewel, good Launcelot.

Alack, what heinous sin it is 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 promise, I shall end this strife,
Become a Christian, and thy loving wife.

[Exit. SCENE

SCENE, the STREET.

Enter Gratiano, Lorenzo, Solarino, and Salanio.

Lor. N difquife us at my lodging, and return all in

AY, we will flink away in fupper-time,

an hour.

Gra. We have not made good preparation.

Sal: We have not spoke as 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 o'clock, we have two hours To furnish us. Friend Launcelot, what's the news? Enter Launcelot, with a letter.

Laun. An' it fhall please you to break up this, it (hall seem to signify.

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 master the Jew to sup to night with my new master the Christian.

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

I will not fail her; speak it privately.

Go, Gentlemen, will you prepare for this masque to night?

I am provided of a torch-bearer.

[Exit Laun.

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

Sola. And so will I.

Lor. Meet me, and Gratiano,

At Gratiano's lodging some hour hence.

Sal. 'Tis good, we do so.

Gra. Was not that letter from fair Jefica?

[Exit.

Lor. I must needs tell thee all; (he hath directed,

How I shall take her from her father's house;
What gold and jewels she is furnish'd with ;.
What page's suit she hath in readiness,
If e'er the Jew her father come to heaven,
It will be for his gentle daughter's fake:
And never dare misfortune cross her foot,

B

Unless

Unless fhe do it under this excuse,

That she is issue to a faithless Jew.

Come, go with me; peruse this, as thou goest:

Fair Jefica shall be my torch-bearer.

SCENE, Shylock's House.

Enter Shylock and Launcelot.

[Exeunt.

Shy. WELL, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy

The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio.
What, Jessica! thou shalt not gormandize,
As thou hast done with me—what, Jessica!—
And sleep and snore, and rend apparel out.
Why, essica! I say.

Laun. Why, Jessica!

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

Enter Jessica.

Jes. Call you? what is your will?

Shy. I am bid forth to supper, Jessica;

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 Christian. Jessica, my girl,
Look to my house; I am right loth to go;
There is some ill a brewing towards my rest,
For I did dream of moneybags to night.

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

Shy. So do I his.

Laun. And they have conspired together, I will not say, you shall see a masque; but if you do, then it was not for nothing that my nose fell a bleeding on black monday last, at six o'clock i'th' morning, falling out that year on Ash-wednesday was four years in the af

ternoon.

Shy. What! are there masques? hear you me, Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum, And the vile squealing of the wry-neck'd fife, Clamber you not up to the casements then,

effica,

Nor

Nor thrust your head into the publick street,
To gaze on Christian fools with varnish'd faces:
But stop my house's ears; I mean, my casements;
Let not the found of shallow foppery enter
My sober house. By Jacob's staff, I swear,
I have no mind of feasting forth to night:
But I will go go you before me, sirrah:
Say, I will come.

Laun. I will go before, Sir.

Mistress, 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! Jef. His words were, farewel, mistress; nothing else. Shy. The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder : Snail-slow in profit, but he sleeps 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 purse. Well, Jessica, go in,
Perhaps I will return immediately;

Do, as I bid you.

Shut the doors after you; fast bind, fast find;

A proverb never stale in thrifty mind.

[Exit.

Jes. Farewel; and if my Fortune be not crost,

I have a father, you a daughter, lost.

[Exit.

SCENE, the STREET.

Enter Gratiano and Salanio in masquerade.

Gra. This is the pent-house, under which Lorenzo desired us to make a stand.

Sal. His hour is almost past.

Gra. And it is marvel he out-dwells his hour,

For lovers ever run before the clock.

Sal. O, ten times faster Venus' pigeons fly
To seal love's bonds new made, than they are wont
To keep obliged faith unforfeited!

Gra. That ever holds. Who riseth from a feast,
With that keen appetite that he sits down?
Where is the horse, that doth untread again
His tedious measures with th' unbated sire,
B 2

That

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