Which makes her feat of Belmont, Colchos ftrond, I haue a minde prefages me fuch thrift, Ant. Thou knowft that all my fortunes are at fea, this Enter Portia with her waiting woman Nerriffa. Exeunt. Portia. By my troth Nerrissa, my little body is a wearie of great world.. Ner. You would be fweet madam, if your miseries were in the fame abundance as your good fortunes are: and yet for ought I fee, they are as fick that furfet with too much, as they that starue with nothing; it is no meane happinesse therefore to be feated in the meane, fuperfluity comes fooner by white haires, but competency liues longer. Portia. Good fentences, and well pronounced. Por. If to do, were as eafie as to know what were good to do, chappels had beene churches, and poore mens cottages, princes pallaces; it is a good diuine that followes his owne instructions: I can easier teach twenty what were good to bee done, then to be one of the twenty to follow mine owne teach : ing the braine may deuife lawes for the blood, but a hot temper leapes ore a colde decree, fuch a hare is madneffe the youth, to skip ore the meshes of good counfell the cripple; but this reasoning is not in the fashion to choose me a husband; O me, the word choose, I may neyther choose who I would, nor refuse who I dislike, fo is the will of a liuing daughter curbd by the will of a dead father is it not hard Neriffa, that I cannot choose one, nor refufe none. : Ner. Your father was euer vertuous, and holy men at their death haue good infpirations, therefore the lottry that he hath deuifed in these three chefts of gold, filuer, and leade, whereof who chooses his meaning choofes you, no doubt you wil neuer* be chofen by any rightly, but one who fhall rightly loue: but what warmth is there in your affection towards any of thefe princely futers that are already come? Por. I prethee ouer-name them, and as thou nameft them, I will defcribe them, and according to my defcription, leuell at my affection. Ner. First, there is the Neopolitane prince. Por. I that's a colt indeed, for hee doth nothing but talke of his horfe, and he makes it a great appropriation unto his owne good parts, that he can foo§ himfelfe: I am much afeard my lady his mother plaid falfe with a fmith. Ner. Then there is the county Palatine. Per. He doth nothing but frowne (as who fhould fay, if || you will not haue me, choofe; he heares merry tales and fmiles not, I feare he will prooue the weeping philofopher whe he growes old, being fo full of vnmannerly fadnesse in his youth.) I had rather be married to a deaths head with a bone in his mouth, then to eyther of thefe: God defend me from these two. Ner. How fay you by the French lord, mounfier le Boune? Por. God made him, and therefore let him paffe for a man, in truth I know it is a finne to be a mocker, but he, why he will no doubt neuer. tubo you to. § Shoo bim. an. hath hath a horse better then the Neapolitans, a better bad habite of frowning then the count Palatine, hee is euery man in no man, if a traffell fing, hee fals ftraight a capring, hee will fence with his owne fhadow. If I fhould marry him, I should marry twenty hufbands: if he would defpife me, I would forgiue him, for if he loue me to madneffe, I shall neuer requite him. Ner. What fay you then to Fauconbridge, the young baron of England. Por. You know I fay nothing to him, for he vnderstands not me, nor I him : he hath neither Latine, French, nor Italian, and you will come into the court and fweare that' I haue a poore penniworth in the English: he is a proper mans picture, but alas who can conuerfe with a dumbe show? how odly he is futed, I think he bought his doublet in Italy, his round hose in France, his bonnet in Germany, and his behauiour euery where. Neriffa. What thinke you of the Scottish lord his neigh bour? Por. That he hath a neighbourly charity in him, for he borrowed a boxe of the eare of the Englishman, and swore he wold pay him againe when he was able: I thinke the Frenchman became his furety, and feald vnder for another. Ner. How like you the young Germaine, the duke of Saxonies nephew? Por. Very vildely in the morning when he is fober, and most vilely in the afternoone when he is drunke: when he is best, hee is a little worse then a man, and when he is worst he is little better then a beaft; and the worft fall that euer fell, I hope I fhall make shift to go without him. Ner. If he should offer to choose, and choose the right cafket, you should refufe to performe your fathers wil, if you fhold refuse to accept him. Por. Por. Therfore for feare of the worst, I prethee* fet a deep glaffe of Reynish wine on the contrary casket, for if the diuell bee within, and that temptation without, I know he will choose it. I will do any thing Neriffa, ere Ile + be married to a fpunge. Ner. You need not feare lady, the hauing any of these lords, they haue acquainted me with their determinations, which is indeed to returne to their home, and to trouble you with no more fute, vnlesse you may be won by fome other fort then your fathers impofition, depending on the caskets. Por. If I liue to be as olde as Sibilla, I will die as chafte as Diana, vnleffe I bee obtained by the manner of my fathers will I am glad this parcell of wooers are fo reasonable, for there is not one among them but I dote on his very absence; and I pray God grant them a faire departure. : Ner. Do you not remember lady in your fathers time, a Venetian scholler, and a fouldior that came hither in company of the marqueffe of Mountferrat ? Portia. Yes, yes, it was Baffanio, as I thinke he was fo‡ call'd. Ner. True maddam, he of all the men that euer my foolish eyes lookt vpon, was the best deferuing a faire lady. Por. I remember him well, and I remember him worthy of thy praise. How now, what newes? Enter a feruingman. Ser. The foure strangers feeke for you madame, to take their leaue; and there is a fore-runner come from a fift, the prince of Moroco, who brings word the prince his master will be heere to night. pray thee. + I will. fo was be. Por. : Por. If I could bid the fift welcome, with fo good a heart * as I can bid the other foure farwell, I fhould be glad of his approch if he haue the condition of a faint, and the complection of a diuell, I had rather he should fhriue me then wiue me. Come Nerriffa, firra go before: whiles we shut the gates vpon one wooer, another knocks at the doore. Exeunt. Enter Baffanio, with Shylocke the Jew. Shy. Three thousand ducats, well. Baff. I fir, for three months. Shy. For three moneths, well. Baff. For the which as I told you, Anthonio fhall be bound. Shy. Anthonio fhall become bound, well. Baff. May you ftead me? will you pleasure me? Shall I know your answere? Shy Three thousand ducats for three moneths, Bal. Your anfwere to that. Shy. Anthonio is a good man. Baff. Haue you heard any imputation to the contrary? Shy. Ho no, no, no, no my meaning in faying hee is good man, is to haue you vnderstand me, that he is fufficient, yet his meanes are in fuppofition: he hath an argofie bound to Tripolis, another to the Indies, I vnderstand moreouer vpon the Ryalta, he hath a third at Mexico, a fourth for England, and other ventures he hath squandred abroad, but ships are but boards, faylers but men; there be land rats, and water rats, water theeues, and land theeues, I meane pyrats, and then there is the perill of waters, windes, and rockes: the man is notwithstanding fufficient, three thousand ducats, I thinke I may take his bond. |