Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear
I never more will break an oath with thee.

Ant. I once did lend my body for his wealth ;
Which, but for him that had your husband's ring,
Had quite miscarried: I dare be bound again,
My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord
Will never more break faith advisedly.

250

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

255

Ant. Here, Lord Bassanio; swear to keep this ring. Bass. By heaven, 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 lie with me.

Gra. Why, this is like the mending of highways
In summer, where the ways are fair enough:
What, are we cuckolds ere we have deserved it?
Por. Speak not so grossly. You are all amazed:
Here is a letter; read it at your leisure;
It comes from Padua, from Bellario:

There you shall find that Portia was the doctor,
Nerissa 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. Antonio, you are welcome;
And I have better news in store for you

249 [To Bass. Rowe, reading as Ff.
his] Qq. thy Ff. the or that Grant
White conj.

258 me] om. Ff.

262 this] thee Grant White.

260

265

270

264 where] when Singer, ed. 2 (Collier

MS.). See note (XVI).

265 it?] it. Q2F1•

272 even but] Qq. but eu'n Ff.

Than you expect: unseal this letter soon;
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.

275

Bass. Were you the doctor and I knew you not? 280 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.

Bass. Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow : When I am absent, then lie with my wife.

285

Ant. Sweet lady, you have given me life and living; For here I read for certain that my ships

Are safely come to road.

Por.

My clerk hath some good comforts too for you.

How now, Lorenzo!

Ner. Ay, and I'll give them him without a fee. There do I give to you and Jessica,

290

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 am sure you are not satisfied
Of these events at full. Let us go in;
And charge us there upon inter'gatories,
And we will answer all things faithfully.

275 Than] Then Q1F1Q3Q4 279 (he reades) Collier MS.

281 cuckold?] cuckold. QF1.

288 road] Pope. Rode QqF. Rodes F2

Rhodes FF4. Roades Collier MS.

289 too] to QF1.

293 possess'd of] possest off Q1

296 I am] Ime Q1

297 Let us] Let's Q1-
298 upon] on Rowe.

295

inter'gatories] intergotories QQ2 intergatories FF2Q3Q4 interrogatories F3F4.

Gra. Let it be so the first inter'gatory

That my Nerissa 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,
That I were couching with the doctor's clerk.
Well, while I live I'll fear no other thing
So sore as keeping safe Nerissa's ring.

300 inter❜gatory]

intergotory Q1Q2 (Cap.). intergory Q (Dev.). intergatory FFQ3Q4. interrogatory FF4. 303 bed now,] Q1Q3Q4 bed now Q2

bed, now Ff.

300

305

[Exeunt.

305 That] Q. Till Q2 Ff Q3Q4
doctor's] om. Qı

NOTES.

NOTE I.

DRAMATIS PERSONE. "The Actors Names' were first given in the third Quarto, and repeated in Q. A new list was given by Rowe. The spelling of the name Salanio varies between 'Salanio' and 'Solanio;' that of Salarino between 'Salerino,' 'Saleryno,' 'Salirino,' 'Salino' and 'Solarino.' The preponderance of authority seems to favour the spelling given in our text, and we have not thought it worth while to mention each variation as it occurs. Antonio is spelt throughout 'Anthonio,' Balthasar 'Balthazar' or 'Balthazer,' and Launcelot 'Lancelet' or 'Launcelet,' in the old editions. See note (IX).

NOTE II.

I. 3. 129. A breed for barren metal. Pope says in a note: "The old editions (two of 'em) have it, A bribe of barren metal.' This reading is not found in any copy that we have seen of Quarto or Folio, or of either edition of Rowe.

NOTE III.

11. 2. 52. Mr Knight remarks this sentence is usually put interrogatively, contrary to the punctuation of all the old copies, which is not to be so utterly despised as the modern editors would pretend.' Mr Grant White follows Mr Knight, and has a long note justifying the punctuation. Mr Dyce's remark that the sentence is a repetition of the preceding interrogation, at line 42, seems conclusive as to the sense. Nothing is more frequent than the omission of the note of interrogation in the older editions, apparently from a paucity of type.

NOTE IV.

II. 7. 77. The Folios have 'Flo. Cornets' at the beginning of the next scene after 'Enter Salarino and Solanio.' Rowe, Pope, Theobald, Hanmer, Warburton, and Johnson (ed. 1765) omitted all notice of this stage direction. Capell transferred it to the beginning of Scene 7. Mr Dyce added, 'Cornets' at the end of the scene also. We have adopted the suggestion, as the Prince's leaving the stage would naturally be accompanied with the same pomp as his entrance.

NOTE V.

II. 8. 42. In the copy of Capell's edition which he gave to Trinity College Library, he has put a comma after 'mind' in red ink. Johnson marked the passage with an asterisk as probably corrupt.

NOTE VI.

II. 9. 68. Mr Staunton in a note to The Taming of the Shrew, Act 1. Sc. I, mentions, on Sir F. Madden's authority, that 'I wis' is undoubtedly derived from the Saxon adverb 'gewis,' but in the thirteenth century 'ge' was changed to 'y' or 'i,' and in the latter end of the fifteenth it was probably held to be equivalent to the German 'Ich weiss.' There can be no doubt that Shakespeare spelt it 'I wis' and used it as two words, pronoun and verb.

NOTE VII.

III. 2. 61. Johnson says that Roberts's Quarto reads then for thou. It is not so in Capell's copy, or in the Duke of Devonshire's, and is probably a misprint.

NOTE VIII.

III. 2. 66. Johnson follows Hanmer in reading 'Reply' as a stage direction. It is true that the words 'Reply reply' stand in the margin of the old copies, but they are printed like the song in italics, and seem to be required as part of it by the rhythm and (if we read eye with the Quartos) by the rhyme also. Capell prefixes 1 v. to 'Tell me, &c.', and 2 v. to 'It is engender'd...' He says that "the words 'reply, reply' show it to be a song in two parts or by two voices, followed by a chorus of divers assistant voices which 'all' indicates."

VOL. II.

29