Duke. Sir, I intreat you home with me to dinner,

Por. I humbly do desire your Grace of pardon;
I must away this night to Padua,
And it is meet, I presently set forth.

Duke. I'm sorry, that your leisure serves you not.
Anthonio, gratify this gentleman;
For, in my mind, you are much bound to him.

[Exit Duke and bis train. Ball. Most worthy gentleman! I and my

friend
Have by your wisdom been this day acquitted
Of grievous penalties; in lieu whereof,
Three thousand ducats, due unto the Jew,
We freely cope your courteous pains withal.

Ant. And stand indebted, over and above,
In love and service to you evermore.

Por. He is well paid, that is well satisfy'd;
And I, delivering you, am fatisfy'd,
And therein do account my self well paid ;
My mind was never yet more mercenary.
I pray you, know me, when we meet again ;)
I wish you well, and so I take my leave.

Baf. 'Dear Sir, of force I must attempt you further.
Take some remembrance of us, for a tribute,
Not as a fee: grant me two things, I pray you,
Not to deny me, and to pardon me.

Por. You press me far, and therefore I will yield. Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your sake, 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.

Bar. This ring, good Sir, alas, it is a trifle; I will not shame my self to give you this.

Por. I will have nothing else but only this, And now, methinks, I have a mind to it, Táyar ta’A-Swala ñ an eis Tegiav. And fo Aristophanes, in his Frogs, when the Scene is in the Infernal Regions, makes Æacus talk of an Edi&t pass’d in Hell for granting Artists a Subsistence out of the Prytaneum. In This, says the Scholiast, a Custom is transferr'd to the Lower Regions, which was establish'd in Athens. Ταύτα μεταφέρει Ste er 'Atlsxñ év õv, sis ta nal' dfs. A Number of Instances more, of this fort, might be amass’d from the antient Stage-writers.

Ball

Ball. There's more depends on this, than is the value,
The dearest ring in Venice will I give you,
And find it out by proclamation ;
Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.

Por. I see, Sir, you are liberal in offers;
You taught me first to beg, and now, methinks,
You teach me how a beggar should be answer’d.

Bas Good Sir, this ring was giv'n me by my wife.
And, when she put it on, the made me vow,
That I should neither sell, nor give, nor lose it.

Por. That 'scuse serves many men to save their gifts; And if your wife be not a mad woman, And know how well I have deserv'd the ring, She wou'd not hold out enmity for ever, For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you!

[Exit with Neriffa. Anth. My lord Bassanio, let him have the ring. Let his deservings, and my love withal, Be valu'd ’gainst your wife's commandement.

BalGo, Gratiano, run and overtake him, Give him the ring; and bring him, if thou can'st, Unto Anthonio's house: away, make hafte. (Exit Gra. Come, you and I will thither presently; And in the morning carly will we both Fly toward Belmont ; come, Anthonio. [Exeunt.

Re-enter Portia and Neriffa. Por. Enquire the Jew's house out, give him this Deed, And let him sign it; we'll away to night, And be a day before our husbands home : This Deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo.

Enter Gratiano.
Gra. Fair Sir, you are well o'erca’en:
My lord Basanio, upon more advice,
Hath sent you here this ring, and doth intreat
Your company at dinner.

Por. That cannot be.
This ring I do accept molt thankfully,
And so, I pray you, tell him; furthermore,

I pray you, shew my Youth old Shylock's house.
Gra. That will I do.

Ner. Sir, I would speak with you.
I'll see if I can get my husband's ring : [To Por.
Which I did make him swear to keep for ever.
Por. Thou may’st, I warrant.

We shall have old swearing, That they did give the rings away to men ; But we'll out-face them, and out-swear them too: Away, make hafte, thou know'ft where I will tarry. Ner. Come, good Sir, will you thew me to this house?

[Exeunt,

A CT V.

SCENE, BELMONT. A Grove, or Green

place before Portia's House.

T

Enter Lorenzo and Jessica.

LORENZO.
HE moon fines bright: In such a night as

this,

When the fweet wind did gently kiss the trees,
And they did make no noise; in such a night,
Troylus, methinks, mounted the Trojan wall;
And figh'd his soul toward the Grecian tents,
Where Cressid lay that night,

Jef. In such a night,
Did Thisbe fearfully o'er-trip the dew;
And saw the lion's shadow ere himself,
And ran dismayed away.

Lor. In such a night,
Stood Dido with a willow in her hand
Upon the wild sea-banks, and way'd her love
To come again to Carthage.

Jela

Jef. In such a night,
Medea gather'd the enchanted herbs,
That did renew old Æfon.

Lor. In such a night,
Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew,
And with an unthrift love did run from Venice,
As far as Beimont.

Jef. And in such a night,
Did young Lorenzo swear, he lov'd her well;
Stealing her soul with many vows of faith,
And ne'er a true one.

Lor. And in such a night,
Did pretty Jessica (like a little shrew)
Slander her love, and he forgave it her.

Jef. I would out-night you, did no body come:
But hark, I hear the footing of a man.

Enter Stephano. Lor. Who comes so fast, in silence of the night? Mef. A friend. Lor. What friend ? your name, I pray you, friend? Mef. Stephano is my name, and I bring word, My mistress will before the break of day Be here at Belmont : she doth stray about By holy Crosses, where she kneels, and prays, For happy wedlock hours.

Lor. Who comes with her ?

Mes. None, but a holy hermit, and her maid. I pray you, is my master yet retúrn’d?

Lor. He is not, nor have we yet heard from him ; But go we in, I pray thee, Jesica, And ceremoniously let us prepare Some welcome for the mistress of the house.

Enter Launcelot.
Laun. Sola, fola; wo ha, ho, sola, sola!
Lor. Who calls ?

Laun. Sola! did you see master Lorenzo and mistress
Lorenza ? sola, sola!
Lor. Leave hollowing, man: here.

Laun.

Laun. Sola! where? where?
Lor. 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.

Lor. Sweet love, let's in, and there expect their coming. And yet no matter: why should we go in? My friend Stephano, signifie, I pray you, Within the house, your mistress is at hand;

[Exit Stephano. And bring your musick forth into the air. How sweet the moon-light sleeps upon this bank ! Here will we fit, and let the sounds of musick Creep in our ears; soft ftillness, and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony. Sit, Hefica: look, how the floor of heav'n Is thick inlay'd with patterns 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-ey'd cherubims; Such harmony is in immortal sounds! (31) But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grolly close us in, we cannot hear it. Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn; With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear, And draw her home with musick.

(31) Such Harmony is in immortal Souls ;] But the Harmony here defcribed is That of the Spheres, so much celebrated by the Antients. He says, the smallef Orb fings like an Angel; and then subjoins, Such Harmony is in immortal Souls: But the Harmony of Angels is not here meant, bút of the Orbs. Nor are we to think, that here the Poet alludes to the Notion, that each Orb has its Intelligence or Angel to direct it; for then with no Propriety could he say, the Orb fung like an Angel: he should rather have said, the Angel in the Orb sung. We must therefore correct the Line thus ;

Such Harmony is in immortal Sounds: i. e. in the Musick of the Spheres. Mr. Warburton.

Macrobius, I remember, accounts for our not hearing that Musick, which is produc'd by the constant Volubility of the Heavens, from the Organs in the human Ear not being capable, thro' their Straitness, of admitting so vehement a Sound. Muficam perpetuâ cæli volubilitate nafcentem ideò claro non sentimus anditu, quia major Sonus eft quàm ut humanarum aurium recipiatur angufliis.

Jef.