There are a fort of men, whofe vifages
Do cream and mantle like a standing pond,
And do a wilful stilness entertain,

With purpose to be dreft in an opinion
Of wisdom, gravity, profound conceit,
As who should fay, I am Sir Oracle,
And when I ope my lips, let no dog bark!
O my Anthonio, I do know of those,
That therefore only are reputed wife,
For faying nothing; who I'm very fure,

If they fhould fpeak, would almoft damn thofe ears,
Which, hearing them, would call their brothers fools, a
I'll tell thee more of this another time:

But fifh not with this melancholy bait,
For this fool's gudgeon, this opinion.
Come good Lorenzo, fare ye well a while,
I'll end my exhortation after dinner.

Lor. Well, we will leave you then 'till dinner-time.
I must be one of these fame dumb wife men;
For Gratiano never lets me speak.

Gra. Well, keep me company but two years more, Thou shalt not know the found of thine own tongue. Antb. Fare well; I'll grow a talker for this gear. Gra. Thanks faith; for filence is only commendable In a neats tongue dry'd, and a maid not vendible. [Exeunt Grat, and Lor.

Anth. Is that any thing now?

Ball. 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 bufhels of chaff; you fhall feek all day ere you find them, and when you have them, they are not worth the fearch.

Anth. Well; tell me now what lady is 'this fame To whom you fwore a fecret pilgrimage,

That you to-day promis'd to tell me of?

Ball.

(a) Alluding to what is faid in the Gospel, that Whofoever fhall fay to his brother, Thou fool, fhall be in danger of Hell-fire. (Theo

bald.)

6 the

Baff. 'Tis not unknown to you, Anthonio,
How much I have difabled mine estate,
By fhewing fomething a more fwelling port
Than my faint means would grant continuance;
Nor do I now make moan to be abridg'd
From such a noble rate; but my chief care
Is to come fairly off from the great debts
Wherein my time, fomething too prodigal,
Hath left me gag'd: to you, Anthonio,
I owe the most in mony, and in love,
And from your love I have a warranty
T'unburthen all my plots and purposes,
How to get clear of all the debts I owe.

Anth. I pray you, good Baffanio, let me know it,
And if it ftand, as you your felf ftill do,
Within the eye of honour, be affur'd

My purfe, my perfon, my extreamest means
Lye all unlock'd to your occafions.

Bal. In my fchool-days, when I had loft one shaft,
I fhot his fellow of the felf-fame flight

The felf-fame way, with more advised watch,
To find the other, forth; by ventring both,
I oft found both. I urge this child-hood proof,
Because what follows is pure innocence.
I owe you much, and like a wilful youth,
That which I owe is loft; but if you please
To fhoot another arrow that felf way

Which you did fhoot the firft, 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.

Anth. You know me well, and herein spend but time To wind about my love with circumstance;

And out of doubt you do me now more wrong,

In making question of my uttermoft,
Than if you had made wafte of all I have.
Then do but say to me, what I fhould do,
That in your knowledge may by me be done,

And

And I am preft unto it: therefore speak.
Baff. In Belmont is a lady richly left,
And he is fair, and fairer than that word,
Of wond'rous virtues; 7 'fometime' from her eyes
I did receive fair fpeechlefs meffages;
Her name is Portia, nothing undervalu'd
To Cato's daughter, Brutus Portia :

Nor is the wide world ign'rant of her worth;
For the four winds blow in from every coaft
Renowned fuitors; and her funny locks
Hang on her temples like a golden fleece,
Which makes her feat of Belmont, Cholchos ftrond,
And many fafons come in quest of her.
O my Anthonio, had I but the means
To hold a rival-place with one of them,
I have a mind prefages me fuch a thrift,
That I fhould queftionlefs be fortunate.

Anth. Thou know'ft that all my fortunes are at fea, Nor have I mony, nor commodity

To raise a prefent fum; therefore go forth,
Try what my credit can in Venice do;
That fhall be rack'd even to the uttermoft,
To furnish thee to Belmont to fair Portia :
Go prefently enquire, and fo will I,
Where mony is, and I no question make
To have it of my truft, or for my fake.

[Exeunt.

7 fometimes... old edit. Theob. emend. (a) Thrift, for thriving.

SCENE

Three Caskets are fet out, one of gold, another of filver, and another of lead.

Enter Portia and Neriffa.

Por. BY my troth, Nerilsa, 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 nothing; therefore it is no fmall happiness to be feated in the mean; fuperfluity comes fooner by white hairs, and competency lives longer.

8

Por. Good fentences, and well pronounc'd.

Ner. They would be better if well follow'd.

Por. If to do, were as eafie as to know what were good to do, chappels had been churches, and poor mens cottages Princes palaces. He is a good divine that follows his own inftructions; I can eafier teach twenty what were good to be done, ? 'than be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching. The brain may devife laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps o'er a cold decree; fuch a hare is madnefs the youth, to skip o'er the meshes of good counfel the cripple. But this reafoning is not in fashion to chufe me a husband: 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, Neriffa, that I cannot chufe one, nor refufe none?

8 but.

9 than to be one.

Ner

Ner. Your father was ever virtuous, and holy men at their death have good infpirations; therefore the lottery that he hath devifed 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 whom you 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'st 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 himself: 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 fhould 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 full of unmannerly fadnefs in his youth. I had rather be married to a death's head with a bone in his mouth, than to either of these. God defend me from thefe two.

Ner. How fay you by the French Lord, Monfieur Le Boun!

Por. God made him, and therefore let him pafs for a man; in truth I know it is a fin to be a mocker; but he! why he hath a horfe better than the Neapolitan's, a better bad habit of frowning than the Count Palatine, he is every man in no man; if a throftle fing, he falls ftrait a capering; he will fence with his own fhadow: if I fhould marry him, I fhould marry twenty husbands. If he would defpife me, I would forgive him, for if he love me to madness, I fhould never requite him.

Ner. What fay you then to Faulconbridge, the young Baron of England?

1 colt.. old edit. Theob. emend.

Por.