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Nor to one place; nor is my whole eftate
Upon the fortune of this prefent year:
Therefore, my merchandize makes me not fad.

Sol. Why then you are in love.

Ant. Fie, fie!

Sol. Not in love neither? Then let's fay, you're

fad,

Because you are not merry: and 'twere as easy For you to laugh, and leap, and say you're merry, Because you are not fad. Now, by two-headed Janus,

Nature hath fram'd strange fellows in her time:
Some that will evermore peep through their eyes,
And laugh, like parrots, at a bag-piper;
And others of fuch vinegar afpect,

That they'll not fhow their teeth in way of fmile,
Though Neftor fwear the jeft be laughable.

Sala. Here comes Baffanio, your most noble kinfman,

Gratiano, and Lorenzo: Fare you well;

We leave you now with better company.

Sol. I would have staid till I had made you

merry,

If worthier friends had not prevented me.

B 2

Ant.

Ant. Your worth is very dear in my regard. I take it, your own bufinefs calls on you, you embrace th' occafion to depart.

And

Enter BASSANIO, GRATIANO and LORENZO. Sala. Good morrow, my good lords.

Bass. Good fignors both, when shall we laugh? fay, when?

You grow exceeding strange; Muft it be fo?
Sol. We'll make our leifures to attend on yours.
(Exeunt SOL. and SALA.

Lor. My lord Baffanio, fince you've found
Antonio,

We two will leave you: but, at dinner time,
I pray you have in mind where we must meet.

Bass. I will not fail you.

Gra. You look not well, fignor Antonio;
You have too much refpect upon the world:
They lose it, that do buy it with much care.
Believe me, you are marvellously chang'd.

Ant. I hold the world, but as the world,
Gratiano;

A stage, where every man must play a part,
And mine a fad one.

Gra. Let me play the Fool:

With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come; And let my liver rather heat with wine,

Than

Than my heart cool with mortifying groans. Why should a man, whose blood is warm within, Sit like his grandfire cut in alabaster?

Sleep when he wakes? and creep into the jaundice
By being peevish? I tell thee what, Antonio,-
I love thee, and it is my love that speaks;-
There are a fort of men, whose visages

Do cream and mantle, like a standing pond;
And do a wilful ftillness entertain,
With purpose to be drest in an opinion
Of wisdom, gravity, profound conceit;
As who should say, I am Sir Oracle,
And when I ope my lips, let no dog bark!
O, my Antonio, I do know of these,
That therefore only are reputed wise
For faying nothing.-

I'll tell thee more of this another time:
But fish not with this melancholy bait,
For this fool's gudgeon, this opinion.-
Come good Lorenzo:-Fare you 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 fpeak.

Gra. Well; keep me company but two years

more,

Thou shalt not know the found of thine own tongue.

Ant.

Ant. Farewell; I'll grow a talker for this gear.

Gra. Thanks, i'faith; for filence is only commendable

In a neat's tongue dry'd, and a maid not vendible. (Exeunt GRA. and LOREN.

Ant. Is that any thing now?

Bass. 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.

Ant. Well, tell me now, what lady is this fame,
To whom you swore a secret pilgrimage,
That you to day promis'd to tell me of?

Bass. 'Tis not unknown to you, Antonio,
How much I have difabled mine estate,
By fomething showing a more fwelling port,
Than my faint means would
grant continuance.
Nor do I now make moan to be abridg'd
From fuch 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, Antonio,
I owe the most, in money, and in love;
And from your love I have a warranty

T'un

T'unburthen all my plots, and purposes,
How to get clear of all the debts I owe.

Ant. I pray you, good Baffanio, let me know it; And, if it stand, as you yourself still do,

Within the eye of honor, be affur'd,

My purse, my perfon, my extremeft means,
Lie all unlock'd to your occafions.

Bass. In my school-days, when I had loft one fhaft,

I shot his fellow of the self-fame flight

The self-fame way, with more advised watch,
To find the other forth; by vent'ring both,
I oft found both: I urge this childhood 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 shoot another arrow that felf way,
Which you did fhoot the first, 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.

Ant. 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 waste of all I have.

Then

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