That they'll not fhow their teeth in way of fmile, Though Neftor swear, the jest be laughable. Enter Baffanio, Lorenzo, and Gratiano. Sal. Here comes Baffanio, your most noble kinfman, Gratiano and Lorenzo: fare ye well; We leave ye now with better company. Sola. I would have ftaid 'till I had made you merry, If worthier friends had not prevented me. Anth. Your worth is very dear in my regard: Baff. Good Signiors both, when shall we laugh? You grow exceeding strange; must it be so? Sal. We'll make our leifures to attend on yours. Sola. My lord Baffanio, fince you've found Anthonio, We two will leave you; but at dinner-time, I pray you, have in mind where we must meet. Baff. I will not fail you. [Exeunt Solar. and Sala. Gra. You look not well, Signior Anthonio; You have too much respect upon the world: They lofe it, that do buy it with much care. Believe me, you are marvellously chang'd. Anth. I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano, A ftage, where every man must play his part, And mine's a fad one. Gra. Let me play the Fool; With mirth, and laughter, let old wrinkles come; Face, together with an old and wrinkled one, being of Pan and Bacchus; of Saturn and Apollo, &c. These are not uncommon in Col-ections of Antiques; and in the Books of the Antiquaries, as Montau con, Spanheim, &c. Sit Sit like his grandfire cut in Alabaster? Sleep when he wakes, and creep into the jaundice For faying nothing; who, I'm very fure, Lor. Well, we will leave you then 'till dinner-time, Gra. Well, keep me company but two years more, Thou fhalt not know the found of thine own tongue. Anth. Fare well; I'll grow a talker for this gear. Gra. Thanks, i'faith; for filence is only commendable In a neats tongue dry'd, and a maid not vendible. [Exeunt Gra. and Loren. Anth. Is that any thing now? Baff. Gratiano fpeaks an infinite deal of nothing, more than any man in all Venice: his reafons are as I'll end my exhortation after dinner.] The Humour of this confift in its being an Allufion to the Practice of the Puritan Preachers of thofe Times; who being generally very long and tedious, were often forced to put off that Part of their Sermon called the Exhortation till after Dinner. two 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. Anth. Well; tell me now, what lady is the fame, To whom you fwore a fecret pilgrimage, That you to day promis'd to tell me of? Baf. 'Tis not unknown to you, Anthonio, How much I have difabled mine estate, By fhewing fomething a more fwelling port, Than my faint means would grant continuance; Nor do I now make moan to be abridg'd From fuch a noble rate; but my chief care Is to come fairly off from the great debts, Wherein my time, fomething too prodigal, Hath left me gaged: to you, Anthonio, I owe the most in money, and in love; And from your love I have a warranty T' unburthen all my plots and purposes, How to get clear of all the debts I owe. Anth. I pray you, good Bassanio, let me know it; And if it ftand, as you yourself still do, Within the eye of honour; be affur'd, My purse, my perfon, my extreameft means Lie all unlock'd to your occafions. Baff. In my school-days, when I had loft one shaft, I fhot his fellow of the felf-fame flight The self-fame way, with more advised watch, Which you did fhoot the firft, I do not doubt, And thankfully reft debtor for the firft. [time, Anth. You know me well; and herein spend but Το To wind about my love with circumftance; Than if you had made wafte of all I have. Baff. In Belmont is a lady richly left, eyes Nor is the wide world ign'rant of her worth; my Anthonio, had I but the means To hold a rival place with one of them, Anth. Thou know'ft, that all my fortunes are at fea, Nor have I money, nor commodity To raise a prefent fum; therefore, go forth; [Exeunt. SCENE S CENE II. Changes to BELMONT. Three Cafkets are fet out, one of gold, another of filter, and Por. B another of lead. Enter Portia and Neriffa. Y my troth, Neriffa, my little body is weary of this great world. Ner. You would be, fweet madam, if your miferies were in the fame abundance as your good fortunes are ; and yet, for aught I fee, they are as fick, that furfeit with too much, as they that ftarve with nothing; therefore it is no mean happinefs to be feated in the mean; fuperfluity comes fooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer. Por. Good fentences, and well pronounc'd. Ner. They would be better, if well follow'd. Por. If to do, were as eafy as to know what were good to do, chaples had been churches; and poor men's cottages, Princes' palaces. He is a good divine, that follows his own inftructions; I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than to be one of the twenty to follow my own teaching. The brain may devife laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps o'er a cold decree; fuch a hare is madness the youth, to fkip o'er the mefhes of good counsel the cripple! But this reafoning is not in fashion to chufe me a husband: O me, the word, chufe! I may neither chufe whom I would, nor refuse whom I diflike; fo is the will of a living daughter curb'd by the will of a dead father: is it not hard, Neriffa, that I cannot chufe one, nor refuse none? Ner. Your father was ever virtuous, and holy men at their death have good inspirations; therefore, the lottery, that he hath devised in thefe three chefts of gold, |