It must appear in other ways than words;
Therefore I fcant this breathing courtesy.

Gra. By yonder moon 1 fwear you do me wrong; In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk. [To Neriffa Would he were gelt that had it, for my part, Since you do take it, love, fo much at heart.

Por. A quarrel, ho, already! what's the matter? Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring, That she did give me, whofe poefy was, For all the world, like cutlers poetry Upon a knife: Love me, and leave me not.

Ner. 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 grave:
Though not for me, yet for your vehement oaths,
You should have been refpective, and have kept it.
Gave it a judge's clerk ! but well I know,

The clerk will ne'er wear hair on's face that had it.
Gra. He will, an' if he live to be a man.
Ner. Ay, if a woman live to be a man.
Gra. Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth,
A kind of boy, a little scrubbed boy,

No higher than thyfelf, the judge's clerk;
A prating boy, that begg'd it as a fee:

I could not for my heart deny it him.

Por. You were to blame, I must be plain with you To part fo flightly with your wife's firft gift; A thing ftuck on with oaths upon your finger, And riveted with faith unto your flesh. I gave my love a ring, and made him swear Never to part with it; and here he stands, I dare be fworn for him, he would not leave it, Nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth That the world mafters. Now, in faith, Gratiano, You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief; An 'twere to me, I fhould be mad at it.

Baff. Why, I were beft to cut my left hand off,. And fwear I loft the ring defending it.

Gra. My Lord Baffanio gave his ring away Unto the judge that begg'd it, and indeed Defery'd it too; and then the boy his clerk,

[Afide

That took fome pains in writing, he begg'd mine;
And neither man nor mafter would take aught
But the two rings.

Por. What ring gave you, my Lord?
Not that, I hope, which you receiv'd of me.
Baff. If I could add a Ïye unto a fault,
I would deny it; but you fee my finger
Hath not the ring upon it, it is gone.

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

Until I fee the ring.

Ner. Nor I in your's,

Till I again fee mine.

Baff. Sweet Portia,

If you did know to whom I

gave

the ring,

If you did know for whom I gave the ring,
And would conceive for what I gave the ring,
And how unwillingly I left the ring,

When nought would be accepted but the ring,
You would abate the ftrength of your displeasure.
Por. If you had known the virtue of the ring,
Or half her worthinefs that gave the ring,
Or your own honour to retain the ring,
You would not then have parted with the ring.
What man is there fo much unreasonable,
If you had pleas'd to have defended it
With any terms of zeal, wanted the modefty
To urge the thing held as a ceremony?
Neriffa teaches me what to believe;

I'll die for 't, but fome woman had the ring.

Baff. No, by mine honour, Madam, by my foul,

No woman had it, but a civil Doctor,

Who did refufe three thousand ducats of me,

And begg'd the ring; the which I did deny him,
And fuffer'd him to go difpleas'd away;

Ev'n he that did uphold the very life

Of my dear friend. What fhould I fay, fweet Lady? I was inforc'd to fend it after him;

I was befet with frame and courtesy ;.

My honour would not let ingratitude

So much befmear it. Pardon me, good Lady;.
And by thefe bluffed candles of the night,

Had you been there, I think you would have begg'd
The ring of me to give the worthy Doctor.

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;

I'll not deny him any thing I have,

No not my body, nor my husband's bed;

Know him I fhall, I am well fure of it.

Lie not a night from home; watch me, like Argus:
If you do not, if I be left alone,

Now, by mine honour, which is yet my own,
I'll have the Doctor for my bedfellow.

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

Baff. Portia, forgive me this inforced wrong.
And in the hearing of thefe many friends,
I fwear to thee, ev'n by thine own fair eyes,
Wherein I fee myself-

Por. Mark you but that!

In both mine eyes he doubly fees himself;
In each eye, one; fwear by your double felf,
And there's an oath of credit!

Ba. Nay, but hear me :

Pardon this fault, and by my foul I fwear
I never more will break an oath with thee.

Ant. I once did lend my body for his weal;
Which but for him that had your husband's ring,
[To Portia,
Had quite mifcarry'd. I dare be bound again,
My foul upon the forfeit, that your Lord
Will never more break faith advisedly.

Por. Then you shall be his furety; give him this,
And bid him keep it better than the other.

Ant. Here, Lord Baffanio, fwear to keep this ring,
Ball. By Heav'n, it is the fame I gave the Doctor,
Per. I had it of him: pardon me, Baffanio ;-

For by this ring the Doctor lay with me.

Ner. And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano, For that fame fcrubbed boy, the Doctor's clerk, In lieu of this, laft night did lie with me.

Gra. Why, this is like the mending of high-ways In fummer, where the ways are fair enough: What

are we cuckolds ere we have deferv'd it? Por. Speak not fo grofsly; you are all amaz'd: Here is a letter, read it at your leifure;

It comes from Padua, from Bellario:

There you

shall find, that Portia was the Doctor;
Neriffa there, her clerk. Lorenzo, here,
Shall witness I set forth as foon as you,
And even but now return'd: I have not yet
Enter'd my houfe. Anthonio, you are welcome;,
And I have better news in ftore for you,
Than you expect unfeal this letter foon;
There you fhall find, three of your Argofies
Are richly come to harbour fuddenly.
You fhall not know by what strange accident
I chanced on this letter.

Ant. I am dumb.

Baff. Were you the Doctor, and I knew you not? Gra. Were you the clerk that is to make me cuc

kold?

Ner. Ay, but the clerk that never means to do it, Unless he live until he be a man.

Baff. Sweet Doctor, you shall be my bedfellow; When I am abfent, then lie with my wife.

Ant. Sweet Lady, you have giv'n me life and living; For here I read for certain, that my fhips

Are fafely come to road.

Por. How now, Lorenzo?

My clerk hath fome good comforts too for you.

Ner. Ay, and I'll give them him without a fee..

There do I give to you and Jeffica,

From the rich Jew, a fpecial deed of gift,

After his death, of all he dies poffefs'd of.

Lor. Fair Ladies, you drop manna in the way

Of starved people.

Por. It is almoft morning,

And yet I'm fure you are not fatisfy'd

Of thefe events at full. Let us go in,
And charge us there upon interr'gatories,
And we will anfwer all things faithfully.
Gra. Let it be fo. The firft interr'gatory,
That my Neriffa fhall be fworn on, is,
Whether till the next night she had rather stay,
Or go to bed now, being two hours to day?
But were the day come, I fhould wish it dark,
Till I were couching with the Doctor's clerk.
Well, while I live, I'll fear no other thing

So fore, as keeping fafe Neriffa's ring. [Exeunt omnes.

LOVE'S