To live in prayer and contemplation,
Only attended by Nerifja here,

Until her husband and my lord's return.
There is a monaftery two miles off,

And there we will abide. I do defire you,
Not to deny this impofition:

The which my love and fome neceffity
Now lays upon you.

Lor. Madam, with all my heart;

I shall obey you in all fair commands.

Por. My people do already know my mind,
And will acknowledge you and Jeffica
In place of lord Bassanic and myself.

So fare you well, 'till we fhall meet again.

Lor. Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you! Jef. I wish your ladyship all heart's content.

Per. I thank you for your with, and am well-pleafed To wish it back on you; fare you well, Jelica.

Now, Balthazar,

[Exeunt Jef. and Lor.

As I have ever found thee honeft, true,

So let me find thee ftill: take this fame letter,
And use thou all th' endeavour of a man,

In fpeed to Padua; fee thou render this (14)
Into my coufin's hand, Doctor Bellario;

And look what notes and garments he doth give thee,
Bring them, I pray thee, with imagin'd speed
Unto the Traject, to the common ferry

Which trades to Venice: wafte no time in words,.
But
get thee gone; I fhall be there before thee.
Balth. Madam, I go with all convenient fpeed. [Exit.

(14) In Speed 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 lived. So afterwards; A Menger, with Letters from the Doctor, new And again, Came you from Padua, from BelAnd again, It comes from Padua, from Bellario. Befides, Padua, not Mantua, is the Place of Education for the Civil Law in Italy.

come from Padua. lario?

Por.

Por. Come on, Neriffa; I have work in hand, That you yet know not of: we'll see our hufbands, Before they think of us.

Ner. Shall they fee us?

Por. They fhall, Neria; but in fuch a habit,
That they fhall think we are accomplished
With what we lack. I'll hold thee any wager,
When we are both apparell'd like young men,
I'll prove the prettier fellow of the two,
And wear my dagger with the braver grace;
And fpeak between the change of man and boy,
With a reed voice; and turn two mincing fteps
Into a manly ftride; and speak of frays,
Like a fine bragging youth; and tell quaint lies,
How honourable ladies fought my love,
Which I denying, they fell fick and dy'd,
I could not do with all: then I'll repent,
And wish, for all that, that I had not kill'd them.
And twenty of thefe puny lies I'll tell :

That men fhall fwear, I've difcontinued school
Above a twelve-month. I have in my mind
A thoufand raw tricks of these bragging jacks,
Which I will practise.

Ner. Shall we turn to men ?

Por. Fie, 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 hafte away,
For we must meafure twenty miles to-day.

Enter Launcelot and Jeffica.

[Exeunt

Laun. Yes, truly for look you, the fins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore, I promise 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,

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 christian.

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 fhall not fhortly have a rafher on the coals for money.

Enter Lorenzo.

fe. I'll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you fay: here he comes.

Lor. I fhall grow jealous of you fhortly, Launcelot, if you thus wife into corners. get my Jef. 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 Jerus 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 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 filence, and difcourfe grow commendable in none but parrots. Go in, firrah, bid them prepare for dinner.

Laun. That is done, Sir; they have all ftomachs.

Lor.

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 fhew the whole wealth of thy wit in an inftant? 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
the meat, Sir, it fhall be covered; for your coming in
to dinner, Sir, why, let it be as humours and conceits
fhall govern.
[Exit Laun.
Lor. O dear discretion, how his words are fuited!
The fool hath planted in his memory
An army of good words; and I do know
A many fools that ftand in better place,
Garnish'd like him, that for a tricky word
Defy the matter: how far'ft thou, Jefica?
And now, good sweet, fay thy opinion,
How doft thou like the lord Bafanio's wife?
Jef. Paft all expreffing: it is very meet,
The lord Baffanio live an upright life.
For, having fuch a bleffing in his lady,
He finds the joys of heaven here on earth:
And if on earth he do not merit it,

In reafon he should never come to heav'n.
Why, if two Gods fhould play fome heav'nly match,
And on the wager lay two earthly women,
And Portia one, there must be fomething elfe
Pawn'd with the other; for the poor rude world
Hath not her fellow.

Lor. Even fuch a husband

Haft thou of me, as fhe is for a wife,

Jef. Nay, but ask my opinion too of that.
Lor. I will anon: first, let us go to dinner.
Jef. Nay, let me praise you, while I have a ftomach.
Lor. No, pray thee, let it ferve for table-talk;

Then,

Then, howfoe'er thou fpeak'ft, 'mong other things,

I fhall digeft it.

Jef. Well, I'll fet you forth.

[Exeunt.

A C T IV.

SCENE, the Senate-house in VENICE.

Enter the Duke, the Senators; Anthonio, Bassanio, and Gratiano, at the Bar.

DUKE.

HAT, is Anthonio here?

WHAT

Anth. Ready, fo please your Grace.

Duke. I'm forry for thee; thou art come to answer A ftony adverfary, an inhuman wretch

Uncapable of pity, void and empty

From any dram of mercy.

Anth. I have heard

Your Grace hath ta'en great pains to qualify

His rig'rous courfe; but fince he ftands obdurate,
And that no lawful means can carry me

Out of his envy's reach, I do oppofe
My patience to his fury; and am arm'd
To fuffer, with a quietnefs of fpirit,
The very tyranny and rage of his.

Duke. Go one, and call the Jew into the court.
Sal. He's ready at the door: he comes, my lord.

Enter Shylock.

Duke. Make room, and let him ftand before our face.

Shylock, the world thinks, and I think fo too,

That thou but lead'ft this fashion of thy malice
To the laft hour of act; and then 'tis thought,
Thou'lt fhew thy mercy and remorfe more ftrange

Than