Bas
. I know thee well; thou hast obtain'd thy suit:
Shylock, thy master, spoke with me this day,
And hath preferr'd thee, if it be preferment,
To leave a rich Jew's service, to become
The follower of so poor a gentleman.
Lau. The old proverb is very well parted between my master, Shylock, and you, sir; you have the grace of Heaven, sir, and he hath—— enough.
Bas
. Thou speak'st it well. Go, father, with thy son:—
Take leave of thy old master, and inquire
My lodging out:—give him a livery. [
To his Followers
.
More guarded
[52]
than his fellows': See it done.
Lau. Father, in:—(ExitOLD GOBBO.) I cannot get a service, no!—I have ne'er a tongue in my head!—Well; (looking on his palm) if any man in Italy have a fairer table;[53]which doth offer to swear upon a book I shall have good fortune![54]Go to, here's a simple line of life![55]here's a small trifle of wives: Alas, fifteen 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,[56]here are simple 'scapes! Well, if fortune be a woman she's a good wench for this gear.—I'll take my leave of the Jew in the twinkling of an eye.
[ExitLAUNCELOT.
Bas. I pray thee, good Leonardo, think on this; These things being bought and orderly bestow'd, Return in haste, for I do feast to-night My best-esteem'd acquaintance: hie thee, go.
Leo. My best endeavours shall be done herein.
EnterGRATIANO.
Gra. Where is your master?
Leo. Yonder, sir, he walks.
[ExitLEONARDO
Gra
. Signior Bassanio,—
Bas
. Gratiano!
Gra
. I have a suit to you.
Bas
. You have obtained it.
Gra
. You must not deny me: I must go with you to Belmont.
Bas
. 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 they are not known, why, there they show
Something too liberal:
[57]
—pray thee take pain
To allay with some cold drops of modesty
Thy skipping spirit; lest, through thy wild behaviour,
I be misconstrued 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 with respect, and swear but now and then,
Wear prayer-books in my pocket, look demurely;
Nay more, while grace is saying, hood mine eyes
[58]
Thus with my hat, and sigh, and say amen;
Use all the observance of civility,
Like one well studied in a sad ostent;
[59]
To please his grandam,—never trust me more.
Bas
, Well, we shall see your bearing.
[60]
Gra
. Nay, but I bar to-night; you shall not gage me
By what we do to-night.
Bas
. No, that were pity;
I would entreat 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
.
Enter
JESSICA
and
LAUNCELOT
from
SHYLOCK'S
house
.
Jes
. I am sorry thou wilt leave my 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 shall thou see
Lorenzo, who is thy new master's guest:
Give him this letter; do it secretly,
And so farewell; I would not have my father
See me in talk with thee.
Lau
. Adieu!—Tears exhibit my tongue. Most beautiful
pagan,—most sweet Jew! Adieu! these foolish drops do
somewhat drown my manly spirit: adieu.
[
Exit
.
Jes
. Farewell, good Launcelot.
Alack, what heinous sin is it 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 into house
.
Enter
GRATIANO, LORENZO, SALARINO,
and
SALANIO.
Lor
. Nay, we will slink away in supper time;
Disguise us at my lodging, and return
All in an hour.
Gra
. We have not made good preparation.
Salar
. We have not spoke us yet of torch-bearers.
[61]
Sal
. 'Tis vile, unless it may be quaintly order'd;
And better, in my mind, not undertook.
Lor
. 'Tis now but four o'clock; we have two hours
To furnish us.—
EnterLAUNCELOTwith a letter.
Friend Launcelot, what's the news?
Lau. An it shall please you to break up this,[62]it shall 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.
Lau. By your leave, sir.
Lor. Whither goest thou?
Lau. 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 Jessica, I will not fail her;—speak it privately; go.
[ExitLAUNCELOTinto house.
Gentlemen,
Will you prepare you for this masque to-night?
I am provided of a torch-bearer.
Salar. Ay, marry, I'll be gone about it straight.
Sal. And so will I.
Lor
. Meet me and Gratiano
At Gratiano's lodging some hour hence.
Salar. 'Tis good we do so.
[ExeuntSALARINOandSALANIO.
Gra. Was not that letter from fair Jessica?
Lor
. I must needs tell thee all: She hath directed
How I shall take her from her father's house;
What gold and jewels she is furnish'd with;
Come, go with me; peruse this as thou goest:
Fair Jessica shall be my torch-bearer.
[Exeunt.
EnterSHYLOCKandLAUNCELOTfrom House.
Shy
. Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy judge,
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, Jessica, I say!
Lau. Why, Jessica!
Shy. Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.
Lau. Your worship was wont to tell me I could do nothing without bidding.
EnterJESSICA.
Jes. Call you? What is your will?
Shy
. I am bid forth to supper,
[63]
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:
[64]
—Jessica, my girl,
Look to my house:—I am right loath to go;
There is some ill a brewing towards my rest,
For I did dream of money-bags to night.
Lau. I beseech you, sir, go; my young master doth expect your reproach.
Shy. So do I his.
Lau. 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[65]on Black Monday(B) last, at six o'clock i'the morning, falling out that year on Ash-Wednesday was four year in the afternoon.
Shy
. What! are there masques? Hear you me, Jessica:
Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum,
And the vile squeaking of the wry-neck'd fife,
[66]
Clamber not you up to the casements then,
Nor thrust your head into the public street,
To gaze on Christian fools with varnish'd faces:
But stop my house's ears, I mean my casements;
Let not the sound 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.
Lau
. 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.[67]
[
Exit
LAUNCELOT.
Shy
. What says that fool of Hagar's offspring, ha?
Jes
. His words were, Farewell, mistress; nothing else.
Shy
. The patch is kind enough;
[68]
but a huge feeder,
Snail-slow in profit, and 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 doors after you: Fast bind, fast find;
A proverb never stale in thrifty mind.
[
Exit
.
Jes
. Farewell; and if my fortune be not crost,
I have a father, you a daughter, lost.
[
Exit into house
.
Enter
GRATIANO
and
SALARINO,
masqued
.
Gra
. This is the pent-house, under which Lorenzo
Desir'd us to make 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 the unbated fire
That he did pace them first? All things that are,
Are with more spirit chased than enjoy'd.
EnterLORENZO.
Sal. Here comes Lorenzo.
Lor
. Sweet friends, your patience for my long abode:
Not I, but my affairs, have made you wait:
When you shall please to play the thieves for wives,
I'll watch as long for you then.—
Here dwells my father Jew:—
GLEE.[69]O happy fair!Your eyes are lode-stars, and your tongue sweet air!More tuneable than lark to shepherd's earWhen wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear![70]
GLEE.[69]
O happy fair!Your eyes are lode-stars, and your tongue sweet air!More tuneable than lark to shepherd's earWhen wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear![70]
Ho! who's within?
Enter
JESSICA,
above
.
Jes
. Who are you? Tell me, for more certainty,
Albeit I'll swear that I do know your tongue.
Lor
. Lorenzo, and thy love.
Jes
. Lorenzo, certain; and my love, indeed;
For who love I so much? And now who knows
But you, Lorenzo, whether I am yours?
Lor
. Heaven, and thy thoughts, are witness that thou art.
Jes
. Here, catch this casket; it is worth the pains.
Lor
. Come, come at once;
For the close night doth play the run-away,
And we are staid for at Bassanio's feast.
Jes
. I will make fast the doors, and gild myself