80 A stage where every man must play a part, | And mine a sad one.] Gra. Let me play the Fool :] Than my heart cool with mortifying groans.] Sleep] when he wakes? | and creep into the jaundice Do cream and mantle like a standing pond ; | 95 As who should say, "I am Sir Oracle, | And) when I ope my lips | let no dog bark !") For saying nothing; | who,) [I am very sure,] But fish not with this melancholy bait, 105 Come, good Lorenzo :] Fare ye well, a while ;| Lor. Well, we will leave you then till dinner-time :| 82. Old wrinkles, i.e., wrinkles of age. 90. There are a sort.-Strictly an ungrainmatical phrase; but the verb is often attracted into the plural by the sense of the noun, though the form of it is singular. Compare Milton's Paradise Lost, v. 212."A row of fruit-trees reached their boughs." 91. Do cream and mantle.-Put on a surface. See Cowper's Task, 1. 684, note. 93. Opinion, scil., of others, i.e., reputation. 94. Conceit. From Latin concipio. Formerly used in the sense of thought, idea, Latin conceptus. 97. I do know of these.-Of these is here the partitive pronoun, in the sense of some. Compare Milton's Paradise Lost, 1. 650. 100. Damn.-No doubt an allusion to Matt. v. 22. 110 115 I must be one of these same dumb wise men, | Gra. Well, keep me company but two years more,] Ant. [Farewell!] I'll grow a talker for this gear. | Ant. Is that anything now? | Bass. Gratiano speaks an infinite deal of nothing, more than any man in all Venice His reasons are two grains of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff; you shall seek all day ere you find them; and when you have them, they are not worth the search. Ant. Well, tell me now,] what lady is the same | Bass. 'Tis not unknown to you, Antonio,| 120 How much I have disabled mine estate, By something showing a more swelling port | From such a noble rate; but my chief care 112. Gear. From Saxon, gyrian, to prepare. It means properly a preparation or apparatus, thence dress, thence generally matter or purpose. For this gear, is a colloquial idiom for "as far as this matter goes," or "for this purpose." 115. Does that mean anything? Bassanio's answer declares it to be all nothing. 116. In the word pilgrimage lies an allusion to lady, as our Lady, or the Virgin. 120. Mine estate. To avoid a hiatus, Shakspere generally uses mine instead of my before a vowel. We have retained this in a few expresssions, such as mine host, mine inn. See Cowper's Task, 1. 251. 121. Port.-Appearance. The sense is, I have fallen into debt by living too expensively. 123. To be abridged, i.e., for being abridged. Adjunct to make moan. Compare a similar Infin., Milton's Paradise Lost, I. 604. 126. Time-Life. And from your love I have a warranty 130 To unburthen all my plots and purposes, How to get clear of all the debts I owe.] Ant. I pray you, good Bassanio, | let me know it ;] 135 My purse, my person, my extremest means, Bass. In my school-days,) when I had lost one shaft | The self-same way, with more advised watch I owe you much ;| and, like a wilful youth, 145 To shoot another arrow that self way 150 Which you did shoot the first, | I do not doubt,) Or bring your latter hazard back again, And thankfully rest 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 uttermost, Than if you had made waste of all] I have.] 155 Then do but say to me] what I should do, That in your knowledge may by me be done, | And I am prest unto it :| therefore speak.] Bass. In Belmont is a lady richly left, | And she is fair, and) [fairer than that word,] Her name is Portia ; nothing undervalued Nor is the wide world ignorant of her worth ;| 170 0, my Antonio ! had I but the means To hold a rival place with one of them, I have a mind presages me such thrift,] Ant. Thou know'st that all my fortunes are at sea; | 175 Neither have I money, nor commodity To raise a present sum | therefore go forth,] Try] what my credit can in Venice do ; | That shall be rack'd, even to the uttermost, To furnish thee to Belmont, to fair Portia. 180 Go,] presently inquire,] and so will [,] Where money is ; | and I no question make, To have it of my trust, or for my sake. | [Exeunt. Scene II. opens at Belmont, and is entirely taken up by a conversation in prose between Portia and her waiting-maid. In this conversation, the merits of the different suitors are canvassed in a somewhat lively manner; and Portia's preference for Bassanio very clearly indicated. We pass over this to Scene III. 159. Fairer than that word, i.e., and what is better still than fair. 160. Sometimes, i.e., formerly. 162. Her name is Portia.-In analysing this as part of the sentence we must take it as equivalent to she is called Portia, so that the following Partic. undervalued may refer to she. 172. Presages me.-Supply the Subj. which. 180. Presently has the original meaning of now, this instant, à présent. SCENE III. Venice.-A public Place. Enter BASSANIO and SHYLOCK. Shy. Three thousand ducats,-well.* Shy. For three months,-well. Bass. For the which, as I told you, Antonio shall be bound. Shy. Antonio shall become bound,—well. Bass. May you stead+ me? Will you pleasure me? Shall I know your answer? Shy. Three thousand ducats, for three months, and Antonio bound. Bass. Your answer to that. Shy. Antonio is a good man. Bass. Have you heard any imputation to the contrary? Shy. Oh no, no, no, no ;-my meaning in saying he is a good man is, to have you understand me that he is sufficient : yet his means are in supposition :§ he hath an argosy bound to Tripolis, another to the Indies; I understand, moreover, upon the Rialto, he hath a third at Mexico, a fourth for England; and other ventures he hath, squandered abroad. But ships are but boards, sailors but men: there be land-rats and water-rats, water-thieves and land-thieves -I mean, pirates; and then, there is the peril of waters, winds, and rocks : The man is, notwithstanding, sufficient ; -three thousand ducats ;-I think I may take his bond. Bass. Be assured you may. Shy. I will be assured I may; and that I may be assured I will bethink me: may I speak with Antonio ? Bass. If it please you to dine with us. *Shy. Three thousand ducats, scil. is what you want. This indicates that the scene opens in the midst of the conversation. t Slead-now obsolete to help. § In supposition.-In question. |