have (6) a fairer table, which doth offer to fwear upon a book, I fhall have good fortune; go to, here's a fimple line of life; here's a fmall trifle of wives; alas, fifteen wives is nothing, eleven widows and nine maids is a fimple coming-in for one man! and then to 'fcape drowning thrice, and to be in peril of my life with the edge of a feather bed, here are fimple 'fcapes! well, if fortune be a woman, she's a good wench for this geer. Father, come; I'll take my leave of the Jew in the twinkling of an eye. [Exeunt Laun. and Gob.

Baff. I pray thee, good Leonardo, think on this..
These things being bought and orderly bestowed,>
Return in hafte, for I do feast to night

My best-esteem'd acquaintance; hie thee, go.
Leon. My beft endeavours fhall be done herein.
Enter Gratiano,

Gra. Where is your master?

Laun. Yonder, Sir, he walks.

Gra. Signiot Baffanio,

Baff. Gratiano!

Gra. I have a fuit to you.

Baff. You have obtain❜d it.

[Exit Leonardo.

Gra, You must not deny me, I must go with you to Belmont.

Bal. Why, then you muft: but hear thee, Gratiano, Thou art too wild, too rude, and bold of voice;

(6) Well, if any man in Italy bave &c.] The Position of the Words makes the Sentence fomewhat obfcure: Their natural Order should be This. Well, if any man in Italy, which doth offer to fwear upon a Book, bave a fairer Table, I shall have good Luck. And the Humour of the Paffage feems This. Launcelot, a Joker, and designedly a Blunderer, fays the very Reverse of what he should do which is, That if no Man in Italy, who would offer to take his Oath upon it, bath a fairer Table than He, he shall have good Fortune. The Banter may, partly, be on Chiromancy in general: but it is very much in Character for Launcelot, who is a hungry Serving-man, to confider his Table before his Line of Life, or any other Points of Fortune.

Parts

Parts, that become thee happily enough,
And in fuch eyes as ours appear not faults;
But where thou art not known, why, there they fhew
Something too liberal; pray thee, take pain

T' allay with fome cold drops of modesty

Thy skipping fpirit; left, through thy wild behaviour, I be mifconftru'd in the place I go to,

And lofe my hopes.

Gra. Signior Baffanio, hear me.
If I do not put on a fober habit,

Talk with refpect, and swear but now and then,
Wear prayer-books in my pockets, look demurely;
Nay more, while grace is faying, hood mine eyes
Thus with my hat, and figh, and fay, Amen ;
Ufe all th' obfervance of civility,

Like one well ftudied in a fad oftent

To please his grandam; never truft me more.
Baff. Well, we fhall see your bearing.

Gra. Nay, but I bar to-night, you fhall not gage me By what we do to-night.

Baff. No, that were pity.

I would intreat you rather to put on

Your boldeft fuit of mirth, for we have friends
That purpose merriment: but fare you well,
I have fome business.

Gra. And I must to Lorenzo and the rest:
But we will vifit you at fupper-time.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to Shylock's House.

Enter Jeffica and Launcelot.

Jes. I'M forry, thou wilt leave my father fo

Our houfe is hell, and thou, a merry devil,

Didft rob it of fome taste of tediousness;
But fare thee well, there is a ducat for thee.
And, Launcelot, foon at fupper fhalt thou fee
Lorenzo, who is thy new mafter's guest ;
Give him this letter, do it fecretly,

And fo farewel: I would not have my father.

See

See me talk with thee.

Laun. Adieu! tears exhibit my tongue; most beautiful Pagan, moft fweet Jew! if a christian did not play the knave and get thee, I am much deceiv'd; but adieu! thefe foolish drops do fomewhat drown my manly fpirit: adieu ! [Exit.

Jef. Farewel, good Launcelot.
Alack, what heinous fin is it in me,
To be asham'd to be my father's child?
But though I am a daughter to his blood,
I am not to his manners: O Lorenzo,

If thou keep promife, I fhall end this ftrife,
Become a christian, and thy loving wife.

SCENE, the STREET.

[Exit.

Enter Gratiano, Lorenzo, Solarino, and Salanio.

Lor. NAY, we will flink away in fupper-time, difguife us at my lodging, and return all in an

hour.

Gra. We have not made good preparation.
Sal. We have not fpoke us yet of torch-bearers.
Sola. 'Tis vile, unless it may be quaintly ordered,
And better in my mind not undertook.

Lor. 'Tis now but four a-clock, we have two hours To furnish us. Friend Launcelot, what's the news?

Enter Launcelot, with a letter.

Laun. An' it fhall please you to break up this, it shall feem to fignifie.

Lor. I know the hand; in faith, 'tis a fair hand; And whiter than the paper, it writ on,

Is the fair hand that writ,

Gra. Love-news, in faith.

Laun. By your leave, Sir.

Lor. Whither goeft thou?

Laun. Marry, Sir, to bid my old mafter the Jew to fup to-night with my new mafter the christian.

Lor. Hold, here, take this; tell gentle Jeffica,

I will not fail her; fpeak it privately,

Go. Gentlemen, will you prepare for this mafque to

night?

I am provided of a torch-bearer.

[Exit Laun.

Sal. Ay, marry, I'll be gone about it ftrait.
Sola. And fo will I.

Lor. Meet me, and Gratiano,

At Gratiano's lodging fome hour hence.
Sal. 'Tis good, we do fo.

Gra. Was not that letter from fair Jeffica?

[Exit.

Lor. I must needs tell thee all; the hath directed,
How I shall take her from her father's house;
What gold and jewels fhe is furnish'd with;
What page's fuit fhe hath in readiness.
If e'er the Jew her father come to heav'n,
It will be for his gentle daughter's fake :
And never dare misfortune cross her foot,
Unless the do it under this excuse,
That she is iffue to a faithlefs Jerv.

Come, go with me; perufe this, as thou goest;
Fair Jelica fhall be my torch-bearer.

SCENE, Shylock's House.

Enter Shylock and Launcelot.

[Exeunt.

ELL, thou fhalt fee, thy eyes fhall be thy

Shy. W judge,

The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio.

What, Jeffica! thou shalt not gormandize,

As thou haft done with me

what, Jefica!

And fleep and fnore, and rend apparel out.

Why, Jeffica! I fay.

Laun. Why, Jeffica!

Shy. Who bids thee call? I did not bid thee call.

Laun. Your worship was wont to tell me, that I could do nothing without bidding.

Enter Jeffica.

Jef. Call you? what is your will?

Shy.

Shy. I am bid forth to fupper, Jefica;
There are my keys: but wherefore should I go?
I am not bid for love; they flatter me:
But yet I'll go in hate, to feed upon
The prodigal chriftian. Jefica, my girl,
Look to my houfe; I am right loth to go;
There is fome ill a brewing towards my reft,
For I did dream of mony bags to night.

Laun. I befeech you, Sir, go; my young mafter doth expect your reproach.

Shy. So do I his.

Laun. And they have confpired together, I will net fay, you fhall fee a mafque; but if you do, then it was not for nothing that my nofe fell a bleeding on black monday laft, at fix a clock i'th' morning, falling out that year on Ash-Wednesday was four year in the af

ternoon.

Shy. What are there mafques? hear you me, Jeffica Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum, And the vile fqueaking of the wry-neck'd fife, Clamber not you up to the casements then, Nor thruft your head into the publick street, To gaze on chriftian fools with varnish'd faces: But stop my house's ears; I mean, my casements; Let not the found of fhallow foppery enter My fober house. By Jacob's ftaff, I swear, I have no mind of feafting forth to night: But I will go; go you before me, firrah: Say, I will come.

Laun. I will go before, Sir.

Mistress, look out at window, for all this;
There will come a christian by,
Will be worth a Jewess eye.

[Exit Laun. Shy. What fays that fool of Hagar's off-fpring, ha? Jef. His words were, farewel, miftrefs; nothing else. Shy. The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder: Snail-flow in profit, but he fleeps by day

More than the wild cat; drones hive not with me,
Therefore I part with him; and part with him
To one, that I would have him help to wafte

His