I oft deliver'd from his forfeitures

Many, that have at times made moan to me;
Therefore he hates me.

Sola. I am sure, the Duke

Will never grant this Forfeiture to hold.

Ant. The Duke cannot deny the course of law;
For the commodity that strangers have
With us in Venice, if it be deny'd,

Will much impeach the justice of the state;
Since that the trade and profit of the city
Consisteth of all nations. Therefore go,
These griefs and losses have so 'bated me,
That I shall hardly spare a pound of flesh
To morrow to my bloody creditor.

Well, goaler, on; pray God, Bassanio come

To see me pay his debt, and then I care not! [Exeunt.

SCENE changes to Belmont.

Enter Portia, Nerissa, Lorenzo, Jessica, and Balthazar.
Lor. Adam, although I speak it in your presence,
You have a noble and a true conceit
Of God-like amity; which appears most strongly
In bearing thus the absence of your lord.

But if you knew to whom you show this honour,
How true a gentleman you fend relief to,

How dear a lover of my lord your husband;
I know you would be prouder of the work,
Than customary bounty can enforce you.
Por. I never did repent of doing good,
And shall not now; for in companions
That do converse and waste the time together,
Whose Souls do bear an equal yoke of love,
There must needs be a like proportion

Of lineaments, of manners, and of spirits;
Which makes me think, that this Anthonia,
Being the bosom-lover of my lord,
Must needs be like my lord. If it be so,
How little is the cost I have bestowed,
In purchasing the semblance of my soul
From out the state of hellish cruelty?
This comes too near the praising of myself;

Therefore,

Therefore, no more of it: hear other things.—
Lorenzo, I commit into your hands

The husbandry and manage of my house,
Until my lord's return. For mine own part,
I have tow'rd heaven breath'd a secret vow,
To live in prayer and contemplation,
Only attended by Nerissa here,

Until her husband and my Lord's return.
There is a monastery two miles off,

And there we will abide. I do desire you,
Not to deny this imposition:

The which my love and some necessity
Now lays upon you.

Lor. Madam, with all my heart;

I shall obey you in all fair commands.

For, My People do already know my mind,
And will acknowledge you and Jessica
In place of lord Bassanio and my self.

So fare you well, 'till we shall meet again.

Lor. Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you! Jes. I wish your ladyship all heart's content.

Par. I thank you for your wish, and am well-pleased To wish it back on you: fare you well, Jessica.

Now, Balthazar,

[Exeunt Jes. and Lor.

As I have ever found thee honest, true,

So let me find thee still take this fame letter,
And use thou all th' endeavour of a man,
In speed to Padua; see thou render this
Into my cousin's hand, Doctor Bellario;

And look what notes and garments he doth give thee,
Bring them, I pray thee, with imagin'd speed
Unto the Project, to the common ferry

Which trades to Venice; waste no time in words,
But get thee gone; I shall be there before thee.

Bal. Madam, I go with all convenient speed. [Exit.
Por. Come on, Nerissa; I have work in hand,
That you yet know not of: we'll see our husbands,
Before they think of us.

Ner. Shall they fee us?

Por. They shall, Neria; but in such a habit, That they shall think we are accomplished

With what we lack. I'll hold thee any wager,

C

When

When we are both apparrell'd like young men,
I'll prove
the prettier fellow of the two,
And wear my dagger with the braver
grace;
And speak between the change of man and boy.
With a reed Voice; and turn two mincing steps
Into a manly stride; and speak of frays,
Like a fine bragging youth; and tell quaint lies,
How honourable ladies sought my love,
Which I denying, they fell sick and dy'd,
I could not do with all: then I'll repent,
And wish, for all that, that I had not killed them.
And twenty of these puny lies I'll tell;

That men shall swear, I've discontinued school
Above a twelve month. I have in my mind
A thousand raw tricks of these bragging jacks,
Which I will practise.

Ner. Shall we turn to men?

Par. Fy, what a question's that,
If thou wert near a lewd Interpreter!
But come, I'll tell thee all my whole device
When I am in my coach, which stays for us
At the park-gate; and therefore haste away,
For we must measure twenty miles to day.

[Exeunt

Enter Launcelot and Jessica. Laun. Yes, truly: for look you, the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore, I promise you, I fear you. I was always plain with you; and so now I speak my agitation of the matter: therefore be of good cheer; for truly, I think, you are damn'd: there is but one hope in it that can do you any good, and that is but a kind of bastard hope neither.

Jes. And what hope is that, I pray thee?

Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter. Jes. That were a kind of bastard hope, indeed; fo the sins of my mother should be visited upon me.

Laun. Truly, then, I fear you are damn'd both by father and mother; thus when you shun Scylla, your father, you fall into Charybdis, your mother: well, you are gone both ways.

Jes. I shall be saved by my husband; he hath made me a Christian.

Laun. Truly, the more to blame he; we were christi

ans

ans enough before, e'en as many as could well live one by another: this making of Christians will raise the price of hogs, if we grow all to be pork eaters, we shall not shortly have a rasher on the coals for mony.

Enter Lorenzo.

Jes. I'll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you fey: here he comes.

if

Lor. I shall grow jealous of you shortly, Launcelot, you thus get my wife into corners.

Jes. Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo; Launcelot and I are out; he tells me flatly, there is no mercy for me in heav'n, because I am a Jew's daughter: and he says, you are no good member of the commonwealth; for, in converting Jews to Christians, you raise the price of pork.

Lor. I shall answer that better to the common-wealth, than you can the getting up of the negro's belly: the Moor is with child by you, Launcelot.

Laun. It is much, that the Moor fhould be more than reason but if she be less than ah honest woman, she is indeed more than I took her for.

:

Lor. How every fool can play upon the word! I think the best grace of wit will shortly turn into silence, and discourse grow commendable in none but parrots. Go in, sirrah, bid them prepare for dinner.

Laun. That is done, Sirs they have all stomachs. Lor. Good lord, what a wit-snapper are you! then bid them prepare dinner.

Laun. That is done too, Sir; only cover is the word. Lor. Willy you cover then, Sir?

Laun. Not so, Sir, neither; I know my duty.

Lor. Yet more quarrelling with occasion! wilt thou show the whole wealth of thy wit in an instant? I pray thee understand a plain man in his plain meaning; go to thy fellows, bid them cover the table, serve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner.

Laun. For the table, Sir, it shall be served in; for the meat, Sir, it shall be covered; for your coming in to dinner, Sir, why, let it be as humours and conceits shall govern. [Exit Laun. Lor. O dear discretion, how his words are suited ! The fool hath planted in his memory

An Army of good words; and I do know ་ C2

A mant

A many fools that stand in better place,
Garnish'd like him, that for a tricksie word
Desie the matter how far'st thou, Jessica?
And now, good sweet, say thy opinion,
How dost thou like the lord Bassanio's wise?
Jes. Past all expressing: it is very meet,
The lord Bassanio live an upright life.
For, having such a blessing in his lady,
He finds the joys of heaven here on earth:
And if on earth he do not merit it,

In reason he should never come to heav'n.
Why, if two Gods should play some heav'nly match,
And on the wager lay two earthly women,
And Portia one, there must be something else
Pawn'd with the other; for the poor rude world
Hath not her fellow.

Lor. Even such a husband

Hast thou of me, as she is for a wife.

Jes. Nay, but ask my opinion too of that. Lor. I will anon: first, let us go to dinner, Jes. Nay, let me praise you, while I have a stomach. Lor. No, pray thee, let it serve for table-talk; Then, howsoe'er thou speak'st, 'mong other things, I shall digest it.

Jes. Well, I'll set you forth.

A C T IV.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, the Senate-House in VENICE..

Enter the Duke, the Senators; Anthonio, Bassanio, and Gratiano, at the Bar.

W

DUKE.

HAT, is Anthonio here?

Ant. Ready, so please your Grace.

Duke, I'm sorry for thee: thou art come to an

swer

A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch

Uncapable of pity, void and empty.
From any dram of mercy..

nt, I have heard,

Your