Than is her custom: it is still her use, Bass. Antonio, I am married to a wife, Thou diest, and all thy goods are confiscate. Now, infidel, I have thee on the hip. Por. Why doth the Jew pause? take thy for feiture. Shy. Give me my principal, and let me go. Bass. I have it ready for thee; here it is. Por. He hath refus'd it in the open court; He shall have merely justice, and his bond. Gra. A Daniel, still say I; a second Daniel!I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word. Shy. Shall I not have barely my principal? Por. Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture, To be so taken at thy peril, Jew. Shy. Why then the devil give him good of it! I'll stay no longer question. Por. Tarry, Jew; The law hath yet another hold on you. It is enacted in the laws of Venice,- Por. Your wife would give you little thanks for That by direct, or indirect attempts, prepare. Por. Tarry a little;-there is something else. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; The words expressly are, a pound of flesh: Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh; But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate Unto the state of Venice. Gra. O upright judge!-Mark, Jew;-O learned judge! Shy. Is that the law? Por. Thyself shalt see the act: For, as thou urgest justice, be assur'd, Thou shalt have justice, more than thou desir'st. Gra. O learned judge!-Mark, Jew;-a learned judge! Shy. I take this offer then ;-pay the bond thrice, And let the Christian go. Bass. Here is the money. Por. Soft; The Jew shall have all justice;-soft!—no haste;He shall have nothing but the penalty. Gra. O Jew! an upright judge, a learned judge! Por. Therefore, prepare thee to cut off the flesh. Shed thou no blood; nor cut thou less, nor more, But just a pound of flesh if thou tak'st more, Or less, than a just pound,—be it but so much As makes it light, or heavy, in the substance, Or the division of the twentieth part Of one poor scruple; nay, if the scale do turn But in the estimation of a hair, He seek the life of any citizen, The party, 'gainst the which he doth contrive, Gra. Beg, that thou may'st have leave to hang thyself: And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state, spirit, I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it: Por. Ay, for the state; not for Antonio. Shy. Nay, take my life and all, pardon not that: You take my house, when you do take the prop That doth sustain my house; you take my life, When you do take the means whereby I live. Por. What mercy can you render him, Antonio? To quit the fine for one half of his goods; Two things provided more,-That, for this favour Duke. He shall do this; or else I do recant Duke. Get thee gone, but do it. Gra. In christening thou shalt have two god-||SCENE II.—The same. A street. Enter Portia fathers; Had I been judge, thou should'st have had ten more, To bring thee to the gallows, not the font. [Exit Shylock. Duke. Sir, I entreat you home with me to dinner. Por. I humbly do desire your grace of pardon; I must away this night toward Padua, And it is meet, I presently set forth. Duke. I am sorry, that your leisure serves you not. Antonio, gratify this gentleman; For, in my mind, you are much bound to him. and Nerissa. Por. Inquire the Jew's house out, give him this deed, And let him sign it; we'll away to-night, And be a day before our husbands home': This deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo, Enter Gratiano. Gra. Fair sir, you are well overtaken : My lord Bassanio, upon more advice, Hath sent you here this ring; and doth entreat Your company at dinner. Por. That cannot be : [Exeunt Duke, magnificoes, and train. Bass. Most worthy gentleman, I and my friend,This ring I do accept most thankfully, And so, I pray you, tell him: Furthermore, Have by your wisdom been this day acquitted Por. He is well paid, that is well satisfied; Bass. Dear sir, of force I must attempt you further; Take some remembrance of us, as a tribute, Por. You press me far, and therefore I will yield. your Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for sake; And, for your love, I'll take this ring from you :Do not draw back your hand; I'll take no more; And you in love shall not deny me this. Bass. This ring, good sir,-alas, it is a trifle; I will not shame myself to give you this. Por. I will have nothing else but only this; The dearest ring in Venice will I give you, Por. I see, sir, you are liberal in offers: wife; And, when she put it on, she made me vow, That I should neither sell, nor give, nor lose it. Por. That 'scuse serves many men to save their gifts. An if your wife be not a mad woman, And know how well I have deserv'd this ring, She would not hold out enemy for ever, For giving t to me. Well, peace be with you! [Exeunt Portia and Nerissa. Ant. My lord Bassanio, let him have the ring; Let his deservings, and my love withal, Be valued 'gainst your wife's commandment. Bass. Go, Gratiano, run and overtake him, Give him the ring; and bring him, if thou canst, Unto Antonio's house :-away, make haste. [Exit Gratiano. Come, you and I will thither presently; And in the morning early will we both Fly toward Belmont: Come, Antonio. [Exeunt. (1) Reflection. I pray you, show my youth old Shylock's house. Gra. That will I do. Ner. Sir, I would speak with you :I'll see if I can get my husband's ring, [To Portia. Which I did make him swear to keep for ever. Por. Thou may'st, I warrant: We shall have old swearing, That they did give the rings away to men; But we'll outface them, and outswear them too. Away, make haste; thou know'st where I will tarry. Ner. Come, good sir, will you show me to this house? [Exeunt. In such a night, Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew: And with an unthrift love did run from Venice, As far as Belmont. Jes. And in such a night, Did young Lorenzo swear he lov'd her well; Stealing her soul with many vows of faith, And ne'er a true one. Lor. And in such a night, Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew, Slander her love, and he forgave it her. Jes. I would out-night you, did nobody come : But, hark, I hear the footing of a man. Enter Stephano. Lor. Who comes so fast in silence of the night? Steph. A friend. Lor. A friend? what friend? your name, I pray you, friend? Steph. Štephano is my name; and I bring word, My mistress will before the break of day Lor. Who comes with her? Steph. None, but a holy hermit, and her maid. I pray you, is my master yet return'd? Lor. He is not, nor we have not heard from him. But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica, Some welcome for the mistress of the house. Enter Launcelot. Laun. Sola, sola, wo ha, ho, sola, sola! Lor. Who calls? Enter Portia and Nerissa, at a distance. A substitute shines brightly as a king, Ner. It is your music, madam, of the house. Ner. Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam. Laun. Sola! did you see master Lorenzo, and When neither is attended; and, I think, mistress Lorenzo! sola, sola! Lor. Leave hollaing, man; here. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn; Jes. I am never merry, when I hear sweet music. [Music. Lor. The reason is, your spirits are attentive: For do but note a wild and wanton herd, Or race of youthful and unhandled colts, Fetching mad bounds, bellowing, and neighing loud, Which is the hot condition of their blood; Since nought so stockish, hard, and full of rage, Let no such man be trusted.-Mark the music. (1) A small flat dish, used in the administration of the Eucharist. The nightingale, if she should sing by day, Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia. Lor. Which speed, we hope, the better for our words. Lor. Madam, they are not yet; [Å tucket sounds. 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 day-light sick, It looks a little paler; 'tis a day, Bass. We should hold day with the Antipodes, If you would walk in absence of the sun. Por. Let me give light, but let me not be light; For a light wife doth make a heavy husband, 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, Por. You should in all sense be much bound to him, For, as I hear, he was much bound for you. [Gratiano and Nerissa seem to talk apart. Gra. By yonder moon, I swear, you do me wrong; (2) A flourish on a trumpet. (3) Verbal, complimentary form In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk: Ner. What talk you of the posy, or the value? had it. Gra. He will, an if he live to be a man. Por. You were to blame, I must be plain with you, Bass. Why, I were best to cut my left hand off, [Aside. 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. Ner. Till I again see mine. Bass. Nor I in yours, Sweet Portia, If you did know to whom I gave the ring, Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me, Por. Let not that doctor e'er come near my Since he hath got the jewel that I lov'd, Now, by mine honour, which is yet my own, Ner. And I his clerk; therefore be well advis'd, Bass. Portia, forgive me this enforced wrong; Por. Mark you but that! Bass. Nay, but hear me : Por. Then you shall be his surety: Give him this; Ant. Here, lord Bassanio; swear to keep this ring. Bass. By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor! Por. I had it of him: pardon me, Bassanio; For by this ring the doctor lay with me. Ner. And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano; For that same scrubbed boy, the doctor's clerk, In lieu of this, last night did lie with me. Gra. Why, this is like the mending of highways Por. Speak not so grossly.-You are all amaz'd: I chanced on this letter. Gra. Were you the clerk, that is to make me cuckold? Ner. Ay; but the clerk that never means to do it, Unless he live until he be a man. Bass. Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow For here I read for certain, that my ships Por. fee. There do I give to you, and Jessica, Lor. Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way Of starved people. Por. |