"Who chufeth me,must give and hazard all he hath."----
I'll none of thee, thou pale and common drudge
'Tween man and man!-But thou, thou meagre

lead,

Which rather threat'neft, than doft promise aught,
Thy plainnefs moves me more than eloquence,
And here chufe I; Joy be the confequence!

Por. How all the other paffions fleet to air!
As doubtful thoughts, and rash embrac'd defpair,
And shudd'ring fear, and green-ey'd jealousy !
O love, be moderate, allay thy ecstacy;
I feel too much thy bleffing; make it less,
For fear I furfeit !

Bass. (Opening the leaden cafket.) What find I
here?

Fair Portia's counterfeit! What demi-god
Has come fo near creation ?---Here's the fcroll,
The continent and fummary of my fortune.

(Reads) You that chufe not by the view,

Chance as fair, and chufe as true!
Since this fortune falls to you,

Be content, and feek no new.

If you be well pleas'd with this,
And hold your fortune for your bliss,
Turn you where your lady is,
And claim her with a loving kiss.

A gentle

A gentle fcroll ----Fair lady, by your leave;
I come by note, to give, and to receive;
Yet doubtful whether what I fee be true,
Until confirm'd, fign'd, ratifi'd by you.

[Kissing her hand.

Por. You see me, lord Baffanio, where I stand, Such as I am: though, for myself alone,

I would not be ambitious in my wish,
To wish myself much better; yet, for you,
I would be trebled twenty times myself;

A thousand times more fair, ten thousand times
More rich;

That only to stand high in your account,
I might in virtues, beauties, livings, friends,
Exceed account. But now I was the lord
Of this fair mansion, master of my fervants,
Queen o'er myself; and even now, but now,
This house, these servants, and this fame myself,
Are
yours, my lord.

Bass. Madam, you have bereft me of all words.

Ner. My lord and lady, it is now our time, That have stood by, and feen our wishes profper, To cry, good joy! Good joy, my lord, and lady!

Gra. My lord Baffanio, and my gentle lady,
I wish you all the joy that you can wish;
For I am fure, you can wish none from me:
And, when your honors mean to folemnize

The bargain of your faith, I do beseech you,
Ev'n at that time I may be marry'd too.

Bass. With all my heart, fo thou canft get a wife.

Gra. I thank your lordship; you have got me

one.

My eyes, my lord, can look as fwift as yours:
You saw the mistress, I beheld the maid;
You lov'd, I lov'd; for intermiffion

No more pertains to me, my lord, than you.
Your fortune ftood upon the cafkets there;'
And fo did mine too, as the matter falls:
For wooing here, until my roof was dry.
With oaths of love; at laft,----if promise last,----
I got a promise of this fair one here,

To have her love, provided that your fortune
Achiev'd her mistress.

Por. Is this true, Neriffa?

Ner. Madam, it is, fo you ftand pleas'd withal. Bass. And do you Gratiano, mean good faith? -Gra. Yes, 'faith, my lord.

! Bass. Our feaft fhall be much honor'd in your marriage.

Gra. But who comes here? Lorenzo, and his

infidel?

What, and my old Venetian friend, Salerio? ?...

Enter

Enter LORENZO, JESSICA, and SALERIO.

Bass: Lorenzo, and Salerio, welcome hither;

If that the youth of my new interest here

Have power to bid you welcome :----By your leave, I bid my very friends and countrymen,

Sweet Portia, welcome."

Por. They're welcome all. Nerissa cheer yon
ftranger,

Fair Jeffica; bid her and her Lorenzo
Sojourn with us at Belmont, till her father
Shall turn his anger to forgiving love.

Sale. My Lord Baffanio, Signor Antonio

Commends him to you.

I

[Gives BASS. a letter.

Bass. Ere I ope his letter,

pray you tell me how my good friend doth.

Sale. Not fick, my lord, unless it be in mind; Nor well, unless in mind: his letter there Will fhew you his estate.

Gra. Well my Salerio, what's the news from Venice?

How doth that royal merchant, good Antonio? I know he will be glad of our fuccefs;

We are the Jasons, we have won the fleece.

Sale. Would you had won the fleece that he

hath loft!

H 2

Por.

Por. There are fome fhrewd contents in yon'

fame paper,

That steal the color from Baffanio's cheek :

Some dear friend dead; else nothing in the world
Could turn fo much the conftitution

Of any constant man. What, worse and worse!
With leave, Baffanio; I am half yourself,
And I must freely have the half of any thing
That this fame paper brings you.

Bass. Ofweet Portia,

Here are a few of the unpleafant'ft words,
That ever blotted paper! Gentle lady,
When I did firft impart my love to you,
I freely told you, all the wealth I had
Ran in my veins, I was a gentleman;
And then I told you true and yet, dear lady,
Rating myself at nothing, you shall fee
How much I was a braggart. When I told you
My state was nothing, I fhould then have told you
That I was worfe than nothing; for, indeed,
I have engag'd myself to a dear friend,
Engag'd my friend to his mere enemy,
To feed my means. Here is a letter, lady;
The paper as the body of my friend,
And every word in it a gaping wound,

Iffuing life-blood.-But is it true Salerio?

Have all his ventures fail'd? What, not one hit?

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