VVhich I will practife.

Nor. VVhy, fhall we turne to men?
Per. Fie, what a queftion's that,
If thou wert nere a lewd interpreter:
But come, ile tell thee all my whole deuice
VVhen I am in my Coach, which stayes for vs
At the Parke gate; and therefore haft away,
For we muft measure twenty miles to day.

Enter Clowne and leffica.

Exeunt

Clo. Yes truly, for looke you, the finnes of the Father are to be laid vpon the children, therefore I promife ye I feare you, I was alwayes plaine with you, and fo now I fpeake ny agitation of the matrer: therefore be a good cheere, for truly I think you are damn'd, ther is but one hope in it that can do you any good, and that is but a kind of baftard hope neither.

lef. And what hope is that I pray thee?

Clo. Marry you may partly hope that your Father got you not,that you are not the lewes daughter.

Ieffi. That were a kind of bastard hope indeede, so the fins of my mother should be vified vpon me.

Clo. Truely then I feare you are damn'd both by Father and Mother: thus when I thun Scilla your father, I fal into Charibdia your mother; well, you are gone both wayes.

Fef. I fhall be fau'd by my husband, he hath made me a chriAian.

Clo. Truly the more to blame he; we were Chriftians enow before, e'ne as many as could well liue one by another: this ma king of Chriftians will raife the price of hogs, if we grow all to be Porke-eaters, we fhall not fhortly haue a rafher on the coles for money.

Enter Lorenzo.

Jef.Ile tel my husband Lancelet what you fay, here he comes. Lor.I fhall grow iealous of you shortly Lanceler, if you thus

G3

get.

get my wife into corners,

Jef. Nay, you neede not feare vs Lorenzo, Launcelet and I are out; he tels me flatly, there's no mercy for me in heauen, beecaufe I am a lewes daughter: and he fayes you are no good meber of the Common-wealth, for in conuerting lewes to Chriftians,you raise the price of Porke.

Lor. I hall anfwere that better to the Common-wealth than you can the getting vp of the Negros belly.; the Moore's with childe by you Lancelet?

Clowne. It is much that the Moore fhould be more then reafon: but if the be leffethen an honeft woman, fhee is indeede more then I tooke her for.

Lor. How euery foole can play vpon the word,I thinke the heft grace of wit will fhortly turne into filence, and difcourfe grow commendable in none onely but Parrats, Go in firra,bid them prepare for dinner?

Clow. That is done fir,they haue all ftomackes.

Lor. Goodly Lord what a wit-fnapper are you: then bid the prepare dinner.

Clo. That's done to fir,onely couer is the word.

Lor. Will you couer than fir?

Clo. Not fo fir neither, I know my duty.

Lor. Yet more quarrelling with occafion, wilt thou shewe the whole wealth of thy witte in an inftant? I pray thee vnderstand a plaine man in his plaine meaning: Goe to thy Fellowes, bid them couer the table, ferue in the meate, and we will come in to dinner.

Clo. For the table fir, it fhall be feru'd in, for the meate fir it fhall be couered, for your comming in to dinner fir, why let it be as humors and conceits fhall gouerne.

Exit Clowne.

Lor. O deere difcretion, how his words are futed,
The foole hath planted in his memory
An army of good words, and I do know
A many fooles that ftand in better place,
Garnifh'd like him, that for a trickfie word
Defie the matter: how far'ft thou leffica?

And

And now good sweet say thy opinion,
How doft thou like the Lord Baffanios wife?
Ief. Paft all expreffing, it is very meere
The Lord Baffanio liue an vpright life,
For hauing fuch a bleffing in his Lady.
He findes the ioyes of heauen heere on earth,
And if on earth he doe not meane it, then

In reafon he should neuer come to heauen.
Why, if two Gods fhould play fome heauenly match,
And on the wager lay two earthly women,
And Portia one: there must be fomething elfe
Pawn'd with the other; for the poore rude world
Hath not her fellow,

Lor. Euen fuch a husband haft thou of me,

As fhe is for wife.

Jef. Nay, but aske my opinion to of that.
Lor. I will anon,firft let vs go to dinner.

Ief. Nay, let me praise you while I haue a ftomacke,
Lor. No prethee, let it ferue for table talke,

Then howfoere thou speakft mong other things,

I fhall difgeft it.

Jef.Well,ile fet you forth.

Enter the Duke, the Magnificos, Anthonio,Bassanio,

and Gratiano.

Duke. What, is Anthonie heere?

An. Ready, fo please your Grace.

Duke. I am forry for thee, thou art come to answer

Aftony aduerfary,an inhumane wretch,

Vncapeable of pitty, voide and empty

From any dram of mercy.

An. I haue heard,

Your Grace hath tane great paines
To qualifié his rigorous courfe:
But fince he ftands obdurate,

Exit.

And

And that no lawfull meanes can carrie mee
Out of his enuies reach, I do oppose
My patience to his furie, and am arm'd
To fuffer with a quietneffe of fpirit,
The verie tiranny and rage of his.

Duke. Go one and call the Iew into the Court.
Sal. He is ready at the doore, he comes my Lord.

Enter Shylocke.

Du. Make roome, and let him ftand before our face."
Shylocke the world thinkes, and I thinke fo to,
That thou but leadeft this fashion of thy malice
To the last houre of act, and then tis thought
Thou'lt fhew thy mercie and remorfe more strange,
Then is thy ftrange apparant cruelty:
And where thou now exacts the penalty,
(VVhich is a pound of this poore Merchants flesh)
Thou wilt not onely loose the forfeiture,

But touch'd with humane gentleneffe and loue,
Forgiue a moity of the principall;

Glancing an eie of pittie on his loffes,
That haue of late fo hudled on his backe,
Enow to preffe a royall Merchant downe,

And plucke commifferation of his ftate

From braffie bofomes, and rough hearts of Aint,
From ftubborne Turkes, and Tartars neuer train’d
To offices of tender curtefie;

VVe all expect a gentle answer Iew.

Iem. I haue poffeft your Grace of what I purpose,
And by our holy Sabbath haue I fworne
To haue the due and forfet of my bond.
If you deny it, let the danger light

Vpon your Charter,and your Čitties freedome.
You'l aske me why I rather choose to haue
A weight of carrion flesh, then to receiue

Three

Three thousand Ducats? lle not answer that,
But fay it is my humor,is it answered?
What if my house be troubled with a Rat,
And I be pleas'd to giue ten thousand ducats
To haue it baind? what,are you answered yet?
Some men there are loue not a gaping pig:
Some that are mad if they behold a Cat:
And others when the Bagpipe fings i'th nofe,
Cannot containe their vrine for affection.
Masters of paffion fwayes it to the mood
Of what it likes or loathes: now for your aufwere.
As there is no firme reafon to be rendred,
Why he cannot abide a gaping pig?
Why he a harmleffe neceffary Cat?
Why he a woollen Bagpipe; but of force
Muft yeeld to fuch ineuitable fhame,
As to offend, himselfe being offended:
So can I giue no reason,nor I will not,
More then a lodged hate,and à certaine loathing
I beare Anthonio,that I follow thus

A lofing fute against him are you answered?
Bal.This is no anfwer,chou vnfeeling man,
To excufe the currant of thy cruelty.

Shy.I am not bound to please thee with my answere.
Baff. Do all men kill the things they do not loue?
Shy. Hates any man the thing he would not kill?
Baff.Euery offence is not a hate at first.

Shy. What wouldst thou haue a serpent fting thee twice?
Ant.I pray you thinke you queftion with the Jew,

You may as well go ftand vpon the Beach,
And bid the maine flood bate his vfuall height,
You may as well vfe queftion with the Wolfe,

Why he hath made the Ewe bleake for the Lambe:
You may as well forbid the mountaine of Pines
To wag their high tops, and to make no noife
When they are fretten with the gufts of heauen:

H

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