To Christian intercessors. Follow not; That ever kept with men. Let him alone; Ant. Many that have at times made moan to me; Salan. I am sure, the duke Will never grant this forfeiture to hold. Ant. The duke cannot deny the course of law; Will much impeach the justice of the state; SCENE IV. Belmont. A Room in Portia's House. Enter PORTIA, NERISSA, LORENZO, JESSICA, and BALTHAZAR. Lor. Madam, although I speak it in your presence, You have a noble and a true conceit Of god-like amity; which appears most strongly But, if you knew to whom you show this honour, The husbandry and manage of Until my my house, lord's return: for mine own part, I have toward heaven breath'd a secret vow, To live in prayer and contemplation, Until her husband and my lord's return: There is a monastery two miles off, you, The which my love, and some necessity, Now lays upon you. Lor. Madam, with all I shall obey you in all fair commands. my heart; Por. My people do already know my mind, Lor. Fair thoughts, and happy hours, attend on you! Jes. I wish your ladyship all heart's content. Por. I thank you for your wish, and am well pleas'd To wish it back on you: fare you well, Jessica.— [Exeunt JESSICA and LORENZO. Now, Balthazar, As I have ever found thee honest, true, So let me find thee still: Take this same letter, In speed to Padua; see thou render this Into my cousin's hand, doctor Bellario; And, look, what notes and garments he doth give thee, Bring them, I pray thee, with imagin'd speed 8 Which trades to Venice:-waste no time in words, But get thee gone; I shall be there before thee. Balth. Madam, I go with all convenient speed. [Exit. Por. Come on, Nerissa; I have work in hand, That you yet know not of: we'll see our husbands, Before they think of us. Ner. Shall they see us? Por. They shall, Nerissa; but in such a habit, 8 Unto the tranect,] The old copies concur in this reading, which appears to be derived from tranare, and was probably a word current in the time of our author, though I can produce no example of it. STEEVENS. Into a manly stride; and speak of frays, Ner. Why, shall we turn to men? Por. Fye! what a question's that, If thou wert near a lewd interpreter? But come, I'll tell thee all my whole device When I am in my coach, which stays for us At the park gate; and therefore haste away, For we must measure twenty miles to-day. [Exeunt. SCENE V. The same. A Garden. Enter LAUNCELOT and JESSICA. Laun. Yes, truly:-for, look you, the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore, I promise you, I fear you. I was always plain with you, and so now I speak my agitation of the matter: Therefore, be of good cheer; for, truly, I think, you are damn'd. There is but one hope in it that can do you any good; and that is but a kind of bastard hope neither. Jes. And what hope is that, I pray thee? 9 I promise you, I fear you.] i. e.—I fear for you. Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter. Jes. That were a kind of bastard hope, indeed; so the sins of my mother should be visited upon me. Laun. Truly then I fear you are damn'd both by father and mother: thus when I shun Scylla, your father, I fall into Charybdis, your mother: well, you are gone both ways. Jes. I shall be saved by my husband; he hath made me a Christian. Laun. Truly, the more to blame he: we were Christians enough before; e'en as many as could well live, one by another: This making of Christians will raise the price of hogs; if we grow all to be pork-eaters, we shall not shortly have a rasher on the coals for money. Enter LORENzo. Jes. I'll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you say; here he comes. Lor. I shall grow jealous of you shortly, Launcelot, if you thus get my wife into corners. Jes. Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo; Launcelot and I are out: he tells me flatly, there is no mercy for me in heaven, because I am a Jew's daughter: and he says, you are no good member of the commonwealth; for, in converting Jews to Christians, you raise the price of pork. Lor. I shall answer that better to the commonwealth, than you can the getting up of the negro's belly; the Moor is with child by you, Launcelot. Laun. It is much, that the Moor should be more than reason: but if she be less than an honest woman, she is, indeed, more than I took her for. Lor. How every fool can play upon the word! I think, the best grace of wit will shortly turn into |