heels. Well, the moft courageous fiend bids me pack; Via! fays the fiend; Away! fays the fiend; for the heav'ns roufe up a brave mind, fays the fiend, and run. Well, my confcience, hanging about the neck of my heart, fays very wifely to me, My honeft friend Launcelot, being an honeft man's fon, or rather an honeft woman's fon- (for indeed my father did fomething fmack, fomething grow to; he had a kind of tafte;)-well, my confcience fays, Budge not; Budge, fays the fiend; Budge not, fays my confcience; Confcience, fay I, you counfel ill; Fiend, fay I, you counfel ill. To be rul'd by my confcience, I fhould tay with the Jew my mafter, who, God blefs the mark, is a kind of devil; and to run away from the Jew, I should be ruled by the fiend, who, faving your reverence, is the devil himself. Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnal; and in my confcience, my confcience is but a kind of hard confcience, to offer to counfel me to stay with the Jew. The fiend gives the more friendly counfel; I will run, fiend, my heels are at your command1; ment, I will run. Enter old Gobbo, with a basket. Gob. Mafter young man, you, I pray you, which is the way to Mafter Jew's? Laun. O heav'ns, this is my true-begotten father, who being more than fand-blind, high-gravel-blind, knows me not; I will try confufions with him. Gob. Mafter young Gentleman, I pray you, which is the way to Mafter Jew's? Laun. Turn up, on your right-hand at the next turning, but, at the next turning of all, on your left; marry, at the very next turning turn of no hand, but turn down, indirectly to the Jew's houfe. Gob. By God's fonties, 'twill be a hard way to hit : tell me whether one Launcelot, that dwells with him, dwell with him or no? can you Laun. Talk you of young Mafter Launcelot? (mark me now, now will I raise the waters); talk you of young Mafter Launcelot ? Gob. No Mafter, Sir, but a poor man's fon. His father, though I fay 't, is an honeft exceeding poor man, and, God be thanked, well to live. of Laun. Well, let his father be what he will, we talk young Mafter Launcelot. Gob. Your Worfhip's friend and Launcelot, Sir. Laun. But I pray you ergo, old man; ergo, I befeech you, talk you of young Mafter Launcelot ? Gob. Of Launcelot, an't please your Mastership. Laun. Ergo, Mafter Launcelot; talk not of Master Launcelot, father, for the young gentleman (according to fates and deftinies, and fuch odd fayings, the fisters three, and fuch branches of learning) is indeed deceafed; or, as you would fay, in plain terms, gone to heav'n. Gob. Marry, God forbid! the boy was the very ftaff of my age, my very prop. Laun. Do I look like a cudgel, or a hovel-poft, a ftaff or a prop? Do you know me, father? Gob. Alack the day, I know you not, young gentleman; but, I pray you, tell me, is my boy, God reft his foul, alive or dead? Laun. Do you not know me, father? Gob. Alack, Sir, I am fand-blind, I know you not. Laun. Nay, indeed, if you had your eyes, you might fail of the knowing me: it is a wife father that knows his own child. Well, old man, I will tell you news of your fon; give me your bleffing, truth will come to light; murder cannot be hid long, a man's fon may; but in the end, truth will out. Gob. Pray you, Sir, ftand up; I am fure you are not Launcelot my boy. Laun. Pray you, let's have no more fooling about it, but give me your bleffing; I am Launcelot, your boy that was, your fon that is, your child that fhall be. Gob. I cannot think you are my fon. Laun. I know not what I fhall think of that: but I am Launcelot the Jew's man, and, I am fure, Margery wife is my mother. your Gob. Her name is Margery, indeed. I'll be fworn, if thou be Launcelot, thou art my own flesh and blood : Lord worshipp'd might he be? what a beard haft thou got! thou haft got more hair on thy chin, than Dobbin my thill-horfe has on his tail. Laus. It fhould feem then, that Dobbin's tail grows backward; I am fure he had more hair on his tail, than I have on my face, when I laft faw him. Gob. Lord, how art thou chang'd! how doft thou and thy mafter agree? I have brought him a prefent; how agree you now? fet Laun. Well, well. But for mine own part, as I have up my reft to run away, fo I will not reft till I have run fome ground. My mafter's a very Jew: give him a prefent! give him a halter: I am famifh'd in his fervice. You may tell every finger I have with my ribs. Father, I am glad you are come; give me your prefent to one Mafter Baffanio, who indeed gives rare new liveries; if I ferve him not, I will run as far as God has any ground. O rare fortune, here comes the man; to him, father, for I am a Jew, if I ferve the Jew any longer. Enter Baffanio with Leonardo, and a follower or two more. Ball. You may do fo; but let it be fo hafted, that fupper be ready at the fartheft by five of the clock: fee: thefe letters deliver'd, put the liveries to making, and defire Gratiano to come anon to my lodging. Laun. To him, father. Gob. God blefs your Worship! Baff. Gramercy, wouldft thou aught with me? Laun. Not a poor boy, Sir, but the rich Jew's man, that would, Sir, as my father fhall fpecify, Gob. He hath a great infection, Sir, as one would fay, to ferve. Laun. Indeed, the fhort and the long is, I ferve the Jew, and have a defire, as my father fhall fpecify,Gob. His mafter and he, faving your Worfhip's reverence, are scarce catercoufins. Laun. To be brief, the very truth is, that the Jew, having done me wrong, doth caufe me, as my father, being I hope an old man, fhall frutify unto you, Gob. I have here a difh of doves, that I would bestow upon your Worship; and my fuit is Laun. In very brief, the fuit is impertinent to myfelf, as your Worship fhall know by this honeft old man; and, though I fay it, though old man, yet poor man my father. Baff. One fpeak for both, what would you? Gob. This is the very defect of the matter, Sir. of Laun. The old proverb is very well parted between my mafter Shylock and you, Sir; you have the grace God, Sir, and he hath enough. Baff. Thou fpeak'ft it well; go, father, with thy fon: Take leave of thy old mafter, and inquire My lodging out; give him a livery, More guarded than his fellows: fee it done. Laun. Father, in; I cannot get a fervice, no? I have ne'er a tongue in my head? well, if any man in Italy have a fairer table*, which doth ****** offer to fwear upon a book, I fhall have good fortune; go to, here's a fimple line of life; here's a fmall trifle of wives. Alas, fifteen wives is nothing, eleven widows and nine maids is a fimple coming-in for one man! and then to 'fcape drowning thrice, and to be in peril of any life with the edge of a feather-bed, here are fimple 'fcapes! well, if fortune be a woman, fhe's a good wench for this geer. Father, come; I'll take my leave of the Jew in the twinkling of an eye. [Exeunt. Laun, and Gob. Ball. I pray thee, good Leonardo, think on this. These things being bought and orderly bestowed, Return in hafte, for I do feaft to-night My beft-esteem'd acquaintance; hie thee, go. SCENE III. Gra. Where is your mafter? Looking on his own hand, Enter Gratiano. [Ex. Leonardo. Gra. Signior Baffanio, Bal. Gratiano ! Gra. I have a fuit to you.. Baff. You have obtain❜d it. Gra. You must not deny me; I must go with you to Belmont. Bal. Why, then you muft: but hear thee, Gratiano, Thou art too wild, too rude, and bold of voice; Parts that become thee happily enough, And in fuch eyes as ours appear not faults; But where thou art not known, why, there they shew Thy skipping spirit; left, through thy wild behaviour, And lofe my hopes. Gra. Signior Baffanio, hear me. If I do not put on a fober habit, Talk with respect, and fwear but now and then, Like one well ftudied in a fad oftent To please his grandam; never trust me more. Gra. Nay, but I bar to-night, you shall not gage me By what we do to-night. Baff. No, that were pity. I would intreat you rather to put on Your boldeft fuit of mirth, for we have friends I have fome bufinefs. Gra. And I must to Lorenzo and the reft: But we will visit you at fupper-time. SCENE IV. [Exeunt Changes to Shylock's house. Enter Jeffica and Launcelot. Jef. I'm forry thou wilt leave my father fo; Our houfe is hell, and thou, a merry devil, Didft rob it of fome tafte of tedioufnefs; |
