Gra. Signior Bassanio,

Baff. Gratiano!

Gra. I have a fuit to you.

Baff. You have obtain'd it.

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

[tiano, Baff. Why, then you must: but hear thee, GraThou art too wild, too rude, and bold of voice; Parts, that become thee happily enough,

And in fuch eyes as ours appear not faults;
But where thou art not known, why, there they shew
Something too liberal; pray thee, take pain
T'allay with fome cold drops of modefty

Thy skipping spirit; left, through thy wild behaviour,
I be mifconftru'd in the place I go to,
And lose my hopes.

Gra. Signior Baffanio, hear me.

If I do not put on a sober habit,

Talk with refpect, and fwear but now and then,
Wear prayer-books in my pocket, 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 studied in a sad oftent

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

[me

Gra. Nay, but I bar to night, you shall not gage

By what we do to night.

Baff. No, that were pity.

I would entreat you rather to put on

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

I have fome bufinefs.

Gra. And I muft to Lorenzo and the reft: But we will visit you at fupper-time.

K 6

[Exeunt.

SCENE

I

Changes to Shylock's House.

Enter Jeffica and Launcelot.

'M forry, thou wilt leave my father so;Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil, Didft rob it of some taste of tediousness; But fare the well, there is a ducat for thee. And, Launcelot, foon at fupper shalt thou see Lorenzo, who is thy new master's gueft; Give him this letter, do it fecretly, And so farewel: I would not have See me talk with thee.

my father

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

Jef. Farewel, good Launcelot.
Alack, what heinous fin is it in me,
To be afham'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 promise, I shall end this ftrife,
Become a chriftian, and thy loving wife.

SCENE V.

The Street.

[Exit.

[Exit.

Enter Gratiano, Lorenzo, Solarino, and Salanio.

Lor.

NAY:

TAY, we will flink away in supper-time, difguise 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.

Sela.

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 fhall feem to fignify.

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 goeít thou?

Laun. Marry, Sir, to bid my old mafter the Jew to fup to night with my new mafter the chriftian. Lor. Hold, here, take this; tell gentle Jeffica, I will not fail her; fpeak it privately.

Go.

I

Gentlemen, will you prepare for this masque to night?

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 so.

[Exit.

Gra. Was not that letter from fair Jeffica?

Lor. I muft needs tell thee all; fhe hath directed,

How I fhall take her from her father's houfe;
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 fhe doth it under this excufe,
That she is iffue to a faithlefs Jew.

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

[Exeunt.

SCENE

Enter Shylock and Launcelot.

WELL, thou fhalt fee, thy eyes fhall be thy

Shy. W judge,

The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio.
What, Jeffica!thou fhalt not gormandize,
As thou haft done with me what, Jeffica!-
And fleep and fnore, and rend apparel out.
Why, Jeffica! I fay.

Laun. Why, Jeffica! I fay.

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

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

Shy. So do I his.

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

Shy.

Shy. What Feffica. 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 cafements then, Nor thruft your head in the public ftreet, To gaze on chriftian fools with varnish'd faces: But ftop my houfe's ears; I mean, my casements; Let not the found of fhallow foppery enter My fober house. By Jacob's staff, I swear, I have no mind of feasting forth to night: But I will go; go you before me, firrah: Say, I will come.

are there mafques? hear you me,

Laun. I will go before, Sir.

Mistress, look out at window, for all this;
There will come a chriftian by,

Will be worth a Jewess' eye.

[Exit Laun. Shy. What fays that fool of Hagar's off-spring, ha? Jef. His words were, farewel, miftrefs; nothing elfe. 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 waste
His borrow'd purfe. Well, Jeffica, go in;
Perhaps, I will return immediately;
Do, as I bid you.-

Shut the doors after you; faft bind, fast find;

A proverb never ftale in thrifty mind.

[Exit.

Jef. Farewel; and if my fortune be not croft,

I have a father, you a daughter, loft.

[Exit.

SCENE VH.

The STREET.

Enter Gratiano and Salanio in masquerade.
HIS is the pent-house, under which Lo-
́renzo defired us to make a stand.

Gra.

THE

Sal.