LOR. Sweet soul, let 's in, and there expect their coming. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank 33! Sit, Jessica 4. Look how the floor of heaven But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.— Enter Musicians. Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn; JES. I am never merry when I hear sweet music. LOR. The reason is your spirits are attentive: For do but note a wild and wanton herd, If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound, You shall perceive them make a mutual stand, By the sweet power of music: Therefore, the poet Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods; Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds, [Exit STEPHANO. [Music. Patines. The word in the folio is spelt patens. A patine is the small flat dish or plate used in the service of the altar. Archbishop Laud bequeaths to the Duke of Buckingham his "chalice and patin of gold." Cherubins. We follow the orthography of the old editions, though cherubim may be more correct. Spenser uses cherubins as the plural of cherubin; Milton, more learnedly, cherubim. • Close it in. In one of the quartos, and the folio, this is printed close in it; the verb in this case being probably compound-close-in. Close us in has crept into some texts, for which there is no authority. Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; The motions of his spirit are dull as night, Let no such man be trusted.-Mark the music. Enter PORTIA and NERISSA at a distance. POR. That light we see is burning in my hall. So shines a good deed in a naughty world. Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day. Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia. POR. He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckoo, POR. We have been praying for our husbands' welfare, [Music ceases. "Peace! How the moon, &c. So all the old copies. Malone substituted, Peace! Hoa! the moon, thinking that Portia uses the words as commanding the music to cease. This would be a singularly unladylike act of Portia, in reality as well as in expression. We apprehend that, having been talking somewhat loudly to Nerissa as she approached the house, she checks herself as she comes close to it with the interjection-Peace!-equivalent to hush! and then gives the poetical reason for being silent: "How the moon sleeps with Endymion, And would not be awak'd!" The stage-direction, Music ceases, is a coincidence with Portia's Peace! but not a consequence of it. Give order to my servants, that they take No note at all of our being absent hence; LOR. Your husband is at hand; I hear his trumpet: We are no tell-tales, madam; fear you not. POR. This night, methinks, is but the daylight sick 37. It looks a little paler; 't is a day Such as the day is when the sun is hid. [A tucket sounds. Enter BASSANIO, ANTONIO, GRATIANO, and their Followers. BASS. We should hold day with the antipodes, And never be Bassanio so for me; But God sort all!-You are welcome home, my lord. BASS. I thank you, madam: give welcome to my friend.This is the man, this is Antonio, To whom I am so infinitely bound. You should have been respective, and have kept it. The clerk will ne'er wear hair on 's face that had it. GRA. He will, an if he live to be a man. NER. Ay, if a woman live to be a man. GRA. Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth, A kind of boy; a little scrubbed boy, I could not for my heart deny him. POR. You were to blame, I must be plain with you, And swear, I lost the ring defending it. GRA. My lord Bassanio gave his ring away POR. What ring gave you, my lord? I would deny it; but you see, my finger POR. Even so void is your false heart of truth. [Aside. And how unwillingly I left the ring, When nought would be accepted but the ring, I'll die for 't, but some woman had the ring. Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me, Even he that had held up the very life Of my dear friend. What should I say, sweet lady? I was beset with shame and courtesy ; My honour would not let ingratitude So much besmear it: Pardon me, good lady; For, by these blessed candles of the night, Had you been there, I think, you would have begg'd POR. Let not that doctor e'er come near my house: And that which you did swear to keep for me, I will become as liberal as you ; I'll not deny him anything I have, No, not my body, nor my husband's bed: Know him I shall, I am well sure of it: Lie not a night from home; watch me, like Argus ; Now, by mine honour, which is yet mine own, NER. And I his clerk; therefore be well advis'd, For, if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen. Contain and retain are here synonymous. |