Portia-"Thou diest, and all thy goods are confiscate." SHAKESPEARE. The Merchant of Venice-Act IV., Scene II. Not to deny me, and to pardon me. Por. You press me far, and therefore I will yield [To Ant. Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your sake; [To Bass. And, for your love, I'll take this ring from you: Do not draw back your hand: I'll take no more; And you in love shall not deny me this. Bass. This ring, good sir, alas, it is a trifle! I will not shame myself to give you this. 431 Por. I will have nothing else but only this; And now methinks I have a mind to it. Bass. There's more depends on this than on the value. The dearest ring in Venice will I give you, Por. I see, sir, you are liberal in offers: And when she put it on, she made me vow That I should neither sell nor give nor lose it. For. That 'scuse serves many men to save their gifts. And if your wife be not a mad-woman, And know how well I have deserved the ring, She would not hold out enemy forever, For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you! [Exeunt Portia and Nerissa, Ant. My Lord Bassanio, let him have the ring: 450 Let his deservings and my love withal Give him the ring, and bring him, if thou canst, Come, you and I will thither presently; SCENE II. The same. A street. Por. Inquire the Jew's house out, give him this deed, And let him sign it: we'll away to-night That they did give the rings away to men; But we'll outface them, and outswear them too. [Aloud] Away! make haste: thou know'st where I will tarry. Ner. Come, good sir, will you show me to this house? [Exeunt. ACT V. SCENE I. Belmont. Avenue to PORTIA's house. Enter LORENZO and JESSICA. Lor. The moon shines bright: in such a night as this, When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees And saw the lion's shadow ere himself, Lor. In such a night Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew, And with an unthrift love did run from Venice In such a night And ne'er a true one. Lor. But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica, Laun. Sola, did you see Master Lorenzo? Master Lorenzo, sola, sola! Lor. Leave hollaing, man: here. Laun. Tell him there's a post come from my master, with his horn full of good news: my master will be here ere morning. [Exit. Lor. Sweet soul, let's in, and there expect their coming. And yet no matter: why should we go in? 50 [Exit Stephano How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here will we sit and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony. Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st But in his motion like an angel sings. Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins; Such harmony is in immortal souls: But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it. Enter Musicians. 61 Since nought so stockish, hard and full of rage, Por. That light we see is burning in my hall. Por. So doth the greater glory dim the less: A substitute shines brightly as a king Until a king be by, and then his state Empties itself, as doth an inland brook Into the main of waters. Music! hark! Ner. It is your music, madam, of the house. Por. Nothing is good, I see, without respect; Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day. Ner. Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam. Por. The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark When neither is attended, and I think The nightingale, if she should sing by day, When every goose is cackling, would be thought No better a musician than the wren. How many things by season season'd are To their right praise and true perfection! Peace, ho! the moon sleeps with Endymion, And would not be awaked. [Music ceases. That is the voice, 110 Lor. Or I am much deceived, of Portia. Lor. Which speed, we hope, the better for our words. 120 [A tucket sounds. Lor. Your husband is at hand; I hear his trumpet: We are no tell-tales, madam fear you not. It looks a little paler: 'tis a day, Bass. We should hold day with the Antipodes, For a light wife doth make a heavy husband, 130 lord. Bass. I thank you, madam. This is the man, this is Antonio, Por. You should in all sense be much bound to him, For, as I hear, he was much bound for you. Ant. No more than I am well acquitted of. Por. You are very welcome to our house: It must appear in other ways than words, 140 Therefore I scant this breathing courtesy. Gra. [To Ner.] By yonder moon I swear you do me wrong; In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk: Por. A quarrel, ho, already! what's the matter? Ner. What talk you of the posy or the value? You swore 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, fit. You should have been respective and have kept Gave it a judge's clerk! no, God's my judge," The clerk will ne'er wear hair on's face that had it. 160 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 slightly with your wife's first gift; A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger And so riveted with faith unto your flesh. I gave my love a ring, and made him swear 170 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. Bass [Aside] Why, I were best to cut my left hand off, And swear I lost the ring defending it. 180 Gra. My Lord Bassanio gave his ring away Unto the judge that begg'd it and indeed Deserved it too; and then the boy, his clerk, That took some pains in writing, he begg'd mine; And neither man nor master would take aught But the two rings. Por. What ring gave you, my lord? Not that, I hope, which you received of me. Bass. 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. 190 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 see mine. Bass. Sweet Portia, If you did know to whom I gave the ring, 210 And suffer'd him to go displeased away; I was enforced to send it after him; 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 loved, I'll not deny him anything I have, Lie not a night from home: watch me like If you do not, if I be left alone, 230 Now, by mine honor, which is yet mine own, I'll have that doctor for my bedfellow. Ner. And I his clerk; therefore be well advised How you do leave me to mine own protection. Ga. Well, you do so: let me not take him, then; For if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen. Ant. I am the unhappy subject of these quarrels. Por. Sir, grieve not you; you are welcome notwithstanding. Bass. Portia, forgive me this enforced wrong; And, in the hearing of these many friends, 241 I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes, Wherein I see myself Por. Mark you but that! In both my eyes he doubly sees himself; In each eye, one: swear by your double self, And there's an oath of credit. Bass. Nay, but hear me: Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear I never more will break an oath with thee. Ant. I once did lend my body for his wealth; Which, but for him that had your husband's ring, Had quite miscarried: 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. Ant. Here, Lord Bassanio; swear to keep this ring. Bas. By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor! Por. I had it of him: pardon me, Bassanio; For, by this ring, the doctor lay with me. 259 |