Anth. Fy, fy! Sola. Not in love neither! Then let's fay you're fad, That they'll not fhew their teeth in way of fmile, Enter BASSANIO, LORENZO, and GRATIANO. Sal. Here comes Baffanio, your moft noble kinfman, Gratiano and Lorenzo. Fare ye well; We leave you now with better company. Sola. I would have ftaid till I had made you merry, If worthier friends had not prevented me. Anth. Your worth is very dear in my regard.: Baff. Good figniors both, when shall we laugh? You grow exceeding ftrange. Muft it be fo? Sal. We'll make our leifures to attend on yours. Sola. My lord Baffanio, fince you've found Anthonio, We two will leave you; but at dinner-time, I pray you have in mind where we must meet. Bal. I will not fail you. [Exeunt Solar. and Sala. Gra. You look not well, fignior Anthonio, You have too much refpect upon the world; They loofe it, that do buy it with much care. Believe me, you are marvellously chang'd. Anth. I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano, A ftage, where every man must play his part, And mine's a fad one. Gra. Let me play the fool. With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come; * This is a very pleasant fignificant satirical rhapsody, rather difficult to fpeak with propriety, the ideas conveyed in it being' obfcure, and the ftile of expreffion peculiar. A 3 And And let my liver rather heat with wine, Than my heart cool with mortifying groans. Sleep when he wakes, and creep into the jaundice Do cream and mantle, like a standing pond, With purpose to be dreft in an opinion, I'll tell thee more of this, another time; Lor. Well, we will leave you then, 'till dinnerI must be one of these fame dumb wife men; [time. For Gratiano never lets me fpeak. Gra. Well, keep me company but two years more, Thou shalt not know the found of thine own tongue. Anth. Farewel; I'll grow a talker. for this gear. Gra. Thanks, i'faith; for filence is only commendable, In a neat's tongue dry'd, and a maid not vendible. [Exeunt Gra. and Loren. Anth. Is that any thing, now? Baff. 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 fhall feek, all day, ere you find them, and when you have them, they are not worth the fearch.* * Baffanio's remark of the grains of wheat and chaff, is compactly pregnant with juft fatire, upon all those who prate much very little purpose. Anth. Anth. Well, tell me now, what lady is the famer Ba 'Tis not unknown to you, Anthonio, Anth. I pray you, good Baffanio, let me know it ; And if it ftand, as you yourself still do, Within the eye of honour, be assur'd, My purfe, my perfon, my extremest means, Lie all unlock'd to your occafions. ‡ Baff. In my fchool days, when I had lost one shaft, I fhot his fellow, of the felf fame flight, Anth You know me well; and herein spend but To wind about my love with circumftance; [time, † Bassanio's method of opening his cafe to Anthonio, is mo“ deftly fenfible, well conceived, and prettily worded, This ready and generous stretch of credit, to ferve a friend, gives us a most amiable idea of Anthonio's character, and leads on to the plot, agreeably. The idea of fhooting one arrow at random, to find another that has been loft, though boyish, is introduced here with much care and propriety of application. And And out of doubt, you do me now more wrong, Than if you had made wafte of all I have. Nor is the wide world ign'rant of her worth; O, my Anthonio, had I but the means, Anth. I hou know'ft, that all my fortunes are at Nor have I money, nor commodity,.. [fea, To raise a prefent fum; therefore, go forth; That shall be rack'd, even to the uttermoft, [Exeunt. SCENE changes to PORTIA's Houfe in Belmont. A grand Saloon. Three Cafkets are fet out, one of Gold, another of Silver, and another of Lead. Enter PORTIA and NERISSA. Por. By my troth, Neria, my little body is weary of this great world. Ner. You would be, fweet madam, if your miferies were in the fame abundance, as your good fortunes are; and yet, for ought I fee, they are as fick, that furfeit with too much, as they that ftarve with no thing. thing; therefore, it is no mean happiness to be feated in the mean. Superfluity comes fooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer. Por. Good fentences, and well pronounc'd. Ner. They would be better, if well follow'd. Por. If to do, were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men's cottages, princes' palaces. He is a good divine, that follows his own instructions; I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than to be one of the twenty to follow my own teaching. this reafoning is not in fashion, to chufe me a huf band. O me, the word, chufe! I may neither chufe whom I would, nor refufe whom I diflike; fo is the will of a living daughter, curb'd by the will of a dead father. Is it not hard, Nerifja, that I cannot chufe one, nor refufe none? But Ner. Your father was ever virtuous, and holy men, at their death, have good infpirations: therefore the lottery that he hath deviled, in thefe three chefts of gold, filver, and lead, (whereof who chufes his meaning, chufes you) will no doubt never be chofen by any, rightly, but one who fhall rightly love. But what warmth is there in your affection towards any of these princely fuitors, that are already come? Por. I pray thee, over-name them, and as thou nam'ft them, I will defcribe them; and, according to my defcription, level at my affection. Ner. First, there is the Neapolitan prince. Por. Ay, that's a dolt, indeed, for he doth nothing but talk of his horse; and he makes it a great appropriation to his own good parts, that he can fhoe him, himfelf; I am much afraid, my lady, his mother, play'd false with a fmith. Ner. Then, there is the count Palatine. Por. He doth nothing but frown, as who should fay, if you will not have me, chufe: he hears merry tales, and fmiles not: I fear he will prove the weeping philofopher, when he grows old, being fo fuil of unmannerly fadness in his youth. I had rather be married to a death's head with a bone in his mouth, |