It looks a little paler ; 'tis a day,
Such as the day is when the sun is hid.
Enter Bassanio, Anthonio, Gratiano, and their followers:

Ball. We should hold day with the antipodes,
If you would walk in absence of the sun.

Por. Let me give light, but let me not be light; For a light wife doth make a heavy husband, And never be Bassanio fo for me; But God sort all !-You are welcome home, my lord. Ball. I thank you, madam. Give welcome to my

friend. - This is the man, this is Anthonio, To whom I am so infinitely bound.

Por. You should in all sense be much bound to

him,

For, as I hear, he was much bound for

you. Anth. No more than I am well acquitted of.

Por. Sir, you are very welcome to our house. It must appear in other ways than words; Therefore I scant this breathing courtesy.

(Gratiano and Nerisa seem to talk apart.
Gra. By yonder moon, I swear, 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, so much at heart.
Par. A quarrel, ho,---already?-_-what's the

matter?
Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring,
That she did give me; whose poesy was
For all the world like cutler's poetry
Upon a knife ; Love me, and leave me not.

Ner. What talk you of the poesy, or the value ?
You swore to me, when I did give it you,

? Let me give light, &c.] There is scarcely any word with which Shakespeare delights to trifle as with light, in its various fignifications. "JOHNSON.

That

That you would wear it till your hour of death;
And that it should lie with you in your grave. .
Tho'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'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 thyself,—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 so nightly with your wife's first gift; A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger, And riveted with faith unto your flesh. Igave my love a ring, and made him swear 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 That the world masters. Now, in faith, Gratiano, You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief; An 'twere to me, I should be mad at it.

Bal. Why, I were best to cut my left-hand off, And Twear, I lost the ring defending it. [Aside.

Gra. My lord Baffanio gave his ring away. Unto the judge that begg'd it, and, indeed, Deserv’d it too :-And then the boy, his clerk, That took some pains in writing, he begg'd mine; Ind neither man, nor master, would take aught But the two rings.

Por. What ring gave you, my lord ?

8-have been respective,) Respective has the same meaning as reSpeaful. See K. John, act i.“ Steevens. VOL. JII.

P

Not

Not that, I hope, which you receiv'd of me.

Ball. If I could add a lie unto a fault,
I would deny it; but you see, my finger
Hath not the ring upon it, it is gone.

Por. Even so void is your false heart of truth.
By heaven, I will ne'er come in your bed
Until I see the ring.

Ner. Nor I in yours, 'Till I again fee niine.

Bal. 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 strength of your displeasure.

Por. If you had known the virtue of the ring, Or half her worthiness 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 so much unreasonable, If you had pleas’d to have defended it With any terms of zeal, wanted the modesty To urge the thing held as a ceremony ? ? Neriffa teaches ine what to believe ;I'll die for’t, but fome woman had the ring.

Bas. No, by mine honour, madam,—by my soul,No woman had it, but a Civil doctor, Who did refuse three thousand ducats of me,

7

'-retain--] The old copies concur in reading contain.

JOHNSON. 2 What man wanted the modesty

To urge the thing held as a ceremony ? ] This is a very licentious expression. The sense is, Wlat man could have golitole mod fy or wanted modefiy so mucb, as to urge the demand of a thing kept on an account in some fort religious.

JOHNSON.

And

And begg'd the ring; the which I did deny him,
And suffer'd him to go displeas'd away;
Even he, that did uphold the very life
Of my dear friend. What Mould I say, sweet lady?
I was enforc'd to send it after him;
I was beset with shame and courtesy ;
My honour would not let ingratitude
So much besmear it. Pardon me, good lady,
And by these blessed candies 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 swear 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 shall, I am well sure 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 that doctor for my bed-fellow.

Ner. And I his clerk ;-therefore be well advis’d, How you do leave me to mine own protection.

Gra. Well, do you so: let me not take him then; For, if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen.

Anth. I am the unhappy subject of these quarrels.
Por. Sir, grieve not you :-You are welcome, not.

withstanding
Bas. Portia, forgive me this enforced wrong;
And in the hearing of these many friends,
I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes,
Wherein I see myself,-

Por. Mark you but that!
In both mine eyes he doubly sees himself;
In each eye, one : swear by your double felf,
And there's an oath of credit.
P 2

Bij

4

Baj. Nay, but hear me:
Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear,
I never more will break an oath with thee.

Anth. I once did lend my body for his wealth ; '. Which but for him, that had your husband's ring,

[To Portia. Had quite miscarry'd. I dare be bound again, My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord Will never more break faith advisedly.

Por. Then you shall be his surety. Give him this, And bid him keep it better than the other.

Anth. Here, lord Bassanio; swear to keep this ring.
Bal. By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor.

Pör. I had it of him :-pardon me, Bassanio;
For by this ring the doctor lay with me.

Ner. And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano, For that same scrubbed boy, the doctor's clerk, In lieu of this, last night did lie with me.

Gra. Why, this is like the mending of high-ways In suinmer, where the ways are fair enough. What are we cuckolds, ere we have deferv'd it?

Pur. Speak not so grossly.--You are all amaz'd: Here is a letter, read it at your leisure; 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 soon as you, And even but now return'd: I have not yet Enter'd my house.-Anthonio you are welcome; And I have better news in store for

you, Than you expect : unseal this letter soon, There you shall find, three of your Argofies Are richly come to harbour suddenly:

4 for his wealth.] For his advantage; to obtain his happiness. iVialıb was, at that time, the term opposite to adverfiry, or calamity, JOHNSON.

You