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Peace! how the moon fleeps with Endymion, 5
And would not be awak'd!

Lor. That is the voice,

Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia

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Por. He knows me, as the blind man knows the

By the bad voice.

' ^ [cuckow, Lar. Dear lady, welcome home.

Por. We have been praying for our husbands! welfare,

Which speed, we hope, the better for our words.
Are they return'd ?

Lor. Madam, they are not yet svog 1 delat ri But there is come a meffenger before, ad bluoW To fignify their coming

Por. Go in, Neriffa,

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Give order to my fervants, that they taken
No note at all of our being abfent hence

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Nor you, Lorenzo, Jeffica, nor you, ult Us to I

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Tucket founds 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 It looks a little paler; 'tis a day, not) * the day is when the fun is hid.

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Enter BASSANIO, ANTHONIO, GRATIANO, and their

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followers,

Bal. We thould hold day with the Antipodes, you would walk in absence of the fun.

Por. Let me give light, but let me not be light; For a light wife doth make a heavy husband, A And never be Baffanio so for me; 1 cI But, God fort all!-You are welcome home, my lord.

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Baff. I thank you, madam: give welcome to my This is the man, this is Anthonio, To whom I am fo infinitely bound.

Por. You fhould in all fense be much bound to him, Fot, as I hear, he was much bound for you.

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Anth. No more than I am well acquainted of Por. Sir, you are very welcome to our houfe It must appear in other ways than n words, Therefore I fcant this breathing courtefy." cbGRATIANO and NERISSA feem to talk apart. Gra. By yonder moon, I fwear, you do me wrong? In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk: Would he were gelt that had it, for my part, Since you do take it, love, fo much at heart. 1 Por. A quarrel, ho, already, what's the matter? Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paultry ring That she did give me ; whofe poefy was, or ch For all the world, like cutlers' poetry

Upon à knife, Love me, and leave me not.

Nor What, talk you of the poefy, or the value? You fwore to me, when I did give it you, That you would wear it till your hour of death; And that it should lie with you in your gra Though not for me, yet for your vehement oaths," You should have been respective and have kept it. Gave it a judge's clerk? but well I know, The clerk will ne'er wear hair on his face that had it. Gra. He will, an if he live to be a mand Ner. Ay, if a woman live to be a man. y Loy ti Gra. Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth-A kind of boy; a little ferubbed boy, 201 No higher than thyself, the judge's clerk A prating boy, that begg'd it as a fee, obo Ju I could not for my heart deny it him.

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sven bu A

Por

Por. You were to blame, I must be plain with you, To part fo flightly with your wife's first gift; 10/ A thing ftuck on with oaths upon your finger, And rivetted with faith unto your flesh. 19 I gave my love a ring, and made him swear --O Never to part with it; and here he stands ; // I dare be sworn for him he would not leave it, Nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth or That the world mafters. Now, in faith, Gratianoj You give your wife too unkind a caufe of grief, An 'twere to me, I fhould be mad at it. ch Bal. Why, I were best to cut my left hand off, And fwear, I loft the ring defending it.

[Afides Gra. My lord Baffanio gave his ring away o Unto the judge that begg'd it, and, indeed, and Deferv'd it too; and then the boy his clerk, brA That took fome pains in writing, he begg'd mino) And neither man, nor master, would take aught, But the two rings, free harsh ymđO Por. What ring gave you, my lord Puzdro cew I Not that, I hope, which you receiv'd of me. Baff. If I could add a lie unto á faulty ponor v I would deny it; but you fee, my finger four ca Hath not the ring upon it-it is gone.

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Por. Even fo void is your false heart of truth. I By heaven, I will ne'er come in your bed

Until I fee the ring.

Ner. Nor I in yours,

"Till I again fee mines

Baff. Sweet Portia,

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If you did know to whom I gave the ring;

If you did know for whom I gave the ring, onl And would conceive for what I

gave the

ring,

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When

And how unwillingly I left the ring,

When nought would be accepted but the Ying
You would abate the strength of your difpleasure.
Por. If you had known the virtue of the ring,
Or half her worthiness that gave the ring, 51A
Or your own honour to retain the ring, ya ve I
You would not then have parted with the ring
What man is there fo much unreasonable, deb I
If you had pleas'd to have defended it only 10
With any terms of zeal, wanted the modefty in I
To urge the thing held as a ceremonyor sy
Neriffa teaches me what to believer of orowit MA
I'll die fort, but fome woman had the ring.

Baff No, by mine honour, madam, by my foul,
No woman had it, but a civil doctor, ed.
Who did refufe three thousand ducats of me,ctn
And begg'd the ring, the which I did deny him,
And fuffer'd him to go difpleas'd away;2001 180 1
Even he that had held up the very lifes ist baA
Of my dear friend. What fhould I fay, sweet lady?
I was enforced to fend it after him jud W
I was befet with fhame and courtefy;ters to
My honour would not let ingratitudes 1

of So much befmear it; Pardon me, good lady gov I For, by these bleffed candles of the night out Had you been there, I think, you would have begg'd, The ring of me to give the worthy doctora ve y Por. Let not that doctor e'er come near my house: Since he hath got the jewel that I lov'd, And that which you did fwear to keep for me. I will become as liberal as you: 9972 Tud I'll not deny him any thing I have,rond bib soy il No, not my body, nor my husband's bed :hib moy Know him fhall, I am well fare of it: blow bea Lie not a night from home; watch me, like Argus,

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If you do not, if I be left alone, a 9 indt 101 Now, by mine honour, which is yet my ownych mł I'll have that doctor for my bed fellow. W

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Ner. And I his clerk: therefore be well advis'd, How you do leave me to mine own protection.s Gra. Well, do you fo; let me not take him then; For, if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen. 919H Anth. I am the unhappy fubject of these quarrels Por Sir, grieve not you; you are welcome notwithstanding ou

Ba. Portia; forgive me this enforced wrong 3
And, in the hearing of these many friends, tud baA
I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes, 19tn
Wherein I see myself 191150 oven I baA
Por. Mark you but that !cont
pages boy nɛT
In both mine eyes he doubly fees himself oyrdT
In each eye, one :-fwear by your double self, 91Å.
And there's an oath of credit.d wood fon visai ne
Ba. Nay, but hear me : ada no bosmadɔ I
Pardon this fault, and by my foul Ifwear,nh
I never more will break an oath with thee. had
Anth. I once did lend my body for his wealth:
Which, but for him that had your husband's ring,
911[TO PORTIA.

Had quite mifcarry'd I dare be bound again,oinU
My foul upon the forfeit, that your lord
Will never more break faith advisedly. my

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Por. Then you fhall be his furety: give him this;
And bid him keep it better than the other. 11 101
Anth. Here,lord Baffanio; fwear to keep this ring. A
Baff. By heaven, it is the fame I gave the doctora
Por. I had it of him: pardon me, Baffanio
For, by this ring, the doctor lay with me, b5
Ner. And pardon me, my gentle Gratiana

For

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