Lorenzo, come; Sir Gravities, farewel, I'll end my exhortation after dinner.

[Exeunt Grat. and Lorenzo. Baffa. Gratiano fpeaks an infinite deal of nothing; More than any man in all Venice. His reafons

Are as two grains of wheat, hid in two bushels of chaff,
You may feek all day ere you find 'em, and when
You have 'em, they are not worth the search.
Anto. Well, tell me now, what lady is the fame
To whom you swore a fecret pilgrimage,
That you to day pomis'd to tell me of?

Baffa. 'Tis not unknown to you, Antonio,
How much I have difabled my estate
By fomething fhewing a more fwelling port,
Than my faint means would grant continuance ;
Nor would I now make fuit to be abrig'd,
From fuch a noble rate; but my chief care
Is to come fairly off, from the great debts,
Wherein my time, fomething too prodigal,
Has left me bound. To you, Antonio,

I owe the most in money, and in love.

Anto. My friend can owe me nothing, we are one, The treasures I poffefs, are but in trust,

For him I love. Speak freely your demand,

And if it ftand, as you yourself still do,
Within the eye of honour, be affur'd,

My purfe, my perfon, my extreamest means,
Are all my friend's.

Baffa. In my school-days, when I had lost one shaft,

I fhot his fellow of the self-fame flight,

The falf-fame way, with more advis'd regard,
And by advent'ring both, I oft found both.

I owe you much, and like a prodigal;
That which I owe is loft: but if you please

To fhoot another arrow, that felf-way,

Which you did shoot the first; I do not doubt,

As I will watch the aim, or to find both,

Or bring your latter hazard back again,

And thankfully reft debtor for the first.

Anto. You know me well, and herein spend but time,

To wind about my love with circumstance.

• Believe me, my Baffanio, 'tis more wrong Thus to delay the fervice of your friend, Than if you had made waste of all I have;

Is this to be a friend? with blushing cheek,

With down-caft eyes, and with a falt'ring tongue;
We fue to thofe we doubt: friendship is plain,

Artlefs, familiar, confident, and free.

• Ask then as you would grant, were your's the power,
• Were your's the power, fo would I ask of you;
• No longer hesitate. Give me to know

What you would have me do, and think it done.
Baffa. Then briefly thus. In Belmont is a lady
Immenfely rich, and yet more fair than rich,
And vertuous as he is fair; fometimes from her eyes
I have receiv'd kind, fpeechlefs, meffages.

Her name is Portia: you have heard her fame,
And how he's courted. O, my Antonio!
Had I but the means-

Anto.

The means be thine, if I can find the means; My prefent fortunes are, thou know'ft, at sea: No money, nor commodity is left me

• To raise immediate fums. Therefore go forth,
Try what my credit can in Venice do.

It shall be rack'd even to the uttermoft
To furnish thy defires: Nay, no set speech
• Of formal thanks, which I must blush to heat.
Go, prefently enquire. And fo will I,

Where money is: In friendship, who receives,

SCENE changes to BELMONT.

Enter PORTIA and NERISSA.

Portia. In fhort, Neriffa, my little body is weary of this great world.

Neriffa. It might indeed, if your wants were as great as your

Plenty. For ought I fee, they are as fick, who furfeit

With too much, as thofe who ftarve with too little;
From whence I conclude, that happiness is seated in
The mean fuperfluity brings care, care both

Robs us of our time, and fhortens our days;
But competency is the easiest, and the longest liver.
Port. Good fentences, and well proncunc'd.

Neriffa. They would be better, if well follow'd.

Portia. It is a good divine, who follows his own teaching;
I could easier inftruct twenty, what were good to do,

Than be one of the twenty, to follow my
The brain may devife laws for the blood:

own instruction,

but the hot
Part will be fure to get the better of the cold; but what
Is all this to my choofing a husband? ah me! the word
Choose I am neither to choose whom I like, nor
Refuse whom I diflike; fo is the pleasure of a
Living daughter reftrain'd by the will of a dead
Father.

Was ever woman ty'd to fuch hard laws,

• Neriffa, neither to choose, nor refuse?

Neriffa. Your father was ever vertuous, and holy men at
Their deaths have often good infpirations; wherefore
In this lottery, which he dying devis'd, in these three
Cafkets of gold, filver, and lead, whereof who

Chooses his meaning, choofes you: I have fuperftition

Enough to believe the benefit lot is deftin'd for

The best deferver.

Love is, at best, but a lottery to all.

Your cafe looks different, but is in effect the fame

With the rest of the world: for it is fortune that

'Always decides

And now pray difcover to whom of this retinue of fuitors
Stand your affections moft inclin'd?

'Never was woman fo furrounded as you are.

Portia. Penelope was but a poor princess to Portia.

But come, out with your lift; read me the names,

And according as I describe, guess at my inclinations. [that
Neriffa. What a long lift is here! Alas, for poor men,
Among fo many but one can be happy!

[have fo

Portia. Alas, for poor women! that when he might Many, he must have but one! but come, a truce

Neriffa. Imprimis, Here in the front, ftands monfieur le Compte,

Your French lover.

[than

Portia. Of himself, thou mean'ft: he has more tricks A baboon; if my bird fings, he ftrait falls a capering; He will fence with his own shadow; nor is his tongue Lefs nimble than his heels; I would as foon marry My fquirrel, or my monkey.

[comes next. Neriffa. What think you then of your Englishman? he Portia. The Frenchman's ape: no, give me an original, Whatever it be. The ape of an ape must needs be a strange monster.

Neriffa. Myn heer Van Guts, the Dutchman, how like you him?

Portia. Very vilely in the morning when he is fober: and More vilely in the afternoon, when he is drunk:

At best, he is worfe than a man; and at worst, no better Than a beaft: I will do any thing, Neriffa, ere I'll

Be marry'd to a sponge.

[be

Neriffa. For any thing I find, this lottery is not like to Fair drawn: for if he fhould choose the right casket, You'll refufe to perform your father's will.

Portia. Therefore, I pr'ythee, fet a bumper of Rhenish On the contrary cafket; for if the devil be within, And the temptation without, I know he will

Choose it.

La Seignora Guts! oh hideous, what

A found would there be in the mouth of an

• Italian !

Enter Servant.

Serv. Some of the strangers, madam, desire to take Their leaves and there are others just arriv'd, and Alighting at the gate.

[bid

Portia. Would fome one would come, to whom I could Welcome, as heartily, as I can bid all these farewel.

There is a man, Neriffa, fuch a man! but what we wish, • Either never arrives, or is always longest in coming: Fellow, go before: Neriffa, come; whilft we shut Out one lover, another knocks at the gate.

Neriffa. This lottery will certainly be drawn full. [Exeunt.

K

SCENE returns to VENICE.

Enter BASSANIO, and SHYLOCK the Jew.

Shyl. THREE thou fand ducats? Well.

Baffa. Ay, Sir, for three months.

Shyl. For three months? Well.

Baffa. And, as I told you, Antonio will be bound.
Shyl. Antonio bound? Well.

Bassa. Will you oblige me? Shall I know your answer? Shyl. Three thousand ducats for three months, and Antonio bound!

Baffa. Your answer to that?

Shyl. Antonio is a good man.

Baffa. Have you heard any imputation to the contrary? Shyl. No, no, no; my meaning in faying he is a good Man, is to have you understand, that I think him

A fufficient man.

He is a good man:

When a man is rich, we fay

As on the contrary, when he has nothing, we fay a

Poor rafcal: 'tis the phrafe, 'tis the phrafe. Let me

Confider; one Argofy from Tripoly, another to the Indies, A third at Mexico; I understand moreover a fourth

For England. And other ventures he has scatter'd
Abroad: but ventures are but ventures, fhips are
But planks, failers but men: there are land-rats,
And water-rats, water-thieves and land-thieves:
And then there is the peril of waters, winds and rocks.
The man, notwithstanding, is a fufficient man. Three thou-

fand

Ducats-humph- I think I may venture to take his

Bond.

Baffa. Be affur'd you may.

Shyl. I will be affur'd; and that I may be affur'd, I will

bethink me.

Where may I fpeak with Antonio?

Baffa. If you will please to dine with us.

Shyl. Yes, to fmell pork, to eat of the habitation, which

Your prophet conjur'd the devil into. I will buy