To live in prayer and contemplation, Untill her husband and my Lord's return. There is a monaftery two miles off, And there we will abide. I do defire you, The which my love and fome neceffity Lor. Madam, with all my heart; I fhall obey you in all fair commands. Por. My people do already know my mind, And will acknowledge you and Feffica In place of lord Baffanio and my felf. So fare you well, 'till we fhall meet again. Lor. Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you! Por. I thank you for your wish, and am well-pleafed To wifh it back on you: fare you well, Jeffica. Now, Balthazar, [Exeunt Jel, and Lor. As I have ever found thee honeft, true, So let me find thee ftill: take this fame letter, In fpeed to Padua ; fee thou render this (14) And look what notes and garments he doth give thee, Which trades to Venice: wafte no time in words, Bal. Madam, I go with all convenient fpeed. [Exit. (14) In fpeed to Mantua;] Thus all the old Copies; and thus all the Modern Editors implicitly after them. But 'tis evident to any diligent Reader, that We must restore, as I have done, In Speed to Padua: For it was there, and not at Mantua, Bellario liv'd. So afterwards; A Meffenger, with Letters from the Doctor, New come from Padua And again, Came you from Padua, from Bellario? And again, It comes from Padua, from Bellario. Besides, Padua, not Mantua, is the Place of Education for the Civil Law in Italy. - Por Por. Come on, Nerissa; I have work in hand, That you yet know not of: we'll fee our husbands, Before they think of us. Ner. Shall they fee us? Por. They fhall, Neriffa; but in fuch a habit, Like a fine bragging youth; and tell quaint lies, Ner. Shall we turn to men? Por. Fie, what a queftion's that, Enter Launcelot and Feica. 1 [Exeunt. Laun. Yes, truly for look you, the fins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore, I promife you, I fear you. I was always plain with you; and fo now I fpeak 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. деб Jef. And what hope is that, I pray thee? Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter. Jef. That were a kind of baftard hope, indeed; fo the fins of my mother should be vifited upon me. Laun. Truly, then, I fear, you are damn'd both by father and mother; thus when you fhun Scylla, your father, you fall into Charybdis, your mother: well, you are gone both ways. Jef. I fhall be faved by my husband; he hath made me a chriftian. Laun. Truly, the more to blame he; we were chriftians enough before, e'en as many as could well live one by another: this making of chriftians will raise the price of hogs; if we grow all to be pork-eaters, we shall not fhortly have a rafher on the coals for mony. Enter Lorenzo. Jef. I'll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you fay: here he comes. if Lor. I fhall grow jealous of you fhortly, Launcelot, you thus get my wife into corners. fef. Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo; Launcelot and I are out; he tells me flatly, there is no mercy for me in heav'n, because I am a Jew's daughter: and he fays, you are no good member of the commonwealth; for, in converting Jews to chriftians, you raise the price of pork. Lor. I fhall anfwer that better to the common-wealth, 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 reafon but if fhe 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 filence, Lor. Good lord, what a wit-fnapper are you! then bid them prepare dinner. Laun. That is done too, Sir; only, cover is the word. Lor. Will you cover then, Sir? Laun. Not fo, Sir, neither; I know my duty. Lor. Yet more quarrelling with occafion! wilt thou shew the whole wealth of thy wit in an initant? I pray thee understand a plain man in his plain meaning: go to thy fellows, bid them cover the table, ferve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner. Laun. For the table, Sir, it fhall be ferv'd in; for In reafon he should never come to heav'n. And Portia one, there must be fomething else Lor. Even fuch a husband Haft thou of me, as she is for a wife. Jef. Nay, but ask my opinion too of that. Jef. Nay, let me praife you, while I have a fto mach. Lor. Lor. No, pray thee, let it ferve for table-talk; Then, howfoe'er thou speak'ft, 'mong other things, I fhall digeft it. Jef. Well, I'll fet you forth. [Exeunt. SCENE, the Senate-house in VENICE. Enter the Duke, the Senators; Anthonio, Baffanio, and Gratiano, at the Bar. DUKE. HAT, is Anthonio here? WH Ant. Ready, so please your Grace. answer A ftony adverfary, an inhuman wretch Uncapable of pity, void and empty Ant. I have heard, Your Grace hath ta'en great pains to qualifie His rig'rous course; but fince he stands obdurate, Out of his envy's reach, I do oppose Duke. Go one, and call the few into the Court. Duke. Make room, and let him ftand before our face. Than |