Which but for him, that had your

husband's ring,

[To Portia Had quite miscarry’d. I dare be bound again, My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord Will never more break faith advisedly.

Por. Then you shall be his surety; give him this, And bid him keep it better than the other.

Ant. Here, lord Bassanio, swear to keep this ring. Bas. By heav'n, it is the same I gave the Doctor.

Por. I had it of him : pardon me, Bassanio ;
For by this ring the Doctor lay with me.

Ner. And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano,
For that same scrubbed boy, the Doctor's clerk,
In lieu of this, last night did lye with me.

Gra. Why, this is like the mending of high-ways
In summer, where the ways are fair enough:
What! are we cuckolds, ere we have desery'd it ?

Por. Speak not so grossly; you are all amaz'd;
Here is a letter, read it at your leisure;
It comes from Padua, from Bellario :
There you shall find, that Portia was the Doctor;
Nerisa there, her clerk. Lorenzo, here,
Shall witness I set forth as soon as you,
And even but now return'd: I have not yet
Enter'd my house. Anthonio, you are welcome;
And I have better news in store for you,
Than you expect; unseal this letter foon,
There you shall find, three of your Argosies
Are richly come to Harbour suddenly.
You shall not know by what strange accident
I chanced on this letter.

Ant. I am dumb.
Bal. Were you the Doctor, and I knew you not?
Gra. Were you the clerk, that is to make me cuckold ?

Ner. Ay, but the clerk, that never means to do it, Unless he live until he be a man.

Benefit. Wealth has a more confin'd Signification. Tho' I must own, that Wear and Walth in our Author's Time might be in some measure fynonomous; skley are now in the Words, Common-weal, and Commonwedsb.

Gre.

Bal. Sweet Doctor, you shall be my bedfellow; When I am absent, then lye with my wife.

Ant. Sweet lady, you have giv’n me life and living;
For here I read for certain, that my ships
Are safely come to road.

Por. How now, Lorenzo ?
My clerk hath some good comforts too for you.

Ner. Ay, and I'll give them him without a fee.
There do I give to you and Jessica,
From the rich Jew, a special Deed of Gift,
After his death, of all he dies possess’d of.

Lor. Fair ladies, you drop Manna in the way
Of starved people.

Por. It is almost morning,
And yet, I'm sure, you are not satisfy'd
Of these events at full. Let us go in,
And charge us there upon interr'gatories,
And we will answer all things faithfully.

Gra. Let it be so: the first interrogatory,
That my Nerisa shall be sworn on, is,
Whether 'till the next night she had rather stay,
Or go to bed now, being two hours to day.
But were the day come, I should wish it dark,
'Till I were couching with the Doctor's clerk.
Well, while I live, I'll fear no other thing
So fore, as keeping safe Nerisa's ring.

[Excunt omnes.

Love's LABOUR's loft.

A

C O M E D Y.

GA

Boyet, Lords, attending upon the Princess of France.

FERDINAND, King of Navarre,
Biron,
Longaville,

three Lords, attending upon the King in his Dumain,

retirement.
Macard,
Don Adriano de Armado, a fantastical Spaniard.
Nathaniel, a Curate.
Dull, a Constable.
Holofernes, a Schoolmaster.
Costard, a Clown.
Moth, Page to Don Adriano de Armado.
A Forefter,

Princess of France.
Rosaline,
Maria, Ladies, attending on the Princess.
Catharine,
Jaquenetta, a Country Wench.

, .

Officers, and others, Attendants upon the King and

Princess.

SCENE, the King of Navarre's Palace, and

the Country near it.