For the close night doth play the run-away,
And we are staid for at Baffanio's feast.
Jeff. I will make fast the doors, and gild my felf
With some more ducats, and be with you strait.
Gra. Now by my hood, a Gentile, and no Jew.
Lor. Beshrew me, but I love her heartily;
For the is wife, if I can judge of her;
And fair she is, if that mine eyes be true;
And true she is, as the hath prov'd her self;
And therefore like her self, wife, fair, and true,
Shall the be placed in my constant foul.
What, art thou come? on, gentlemen, away;
Our masquing mates by this time for us stay. [Exit.
Gra. Signior Anthonio,
Anth. Fie, Gratiano, where are all the rest?
'Tis nine o'clock, our friends all stay for you;
No masque to night; the wind is come about,
Bassanio presently will go aboard;
I have sent twenty out to feek for you.
Gra. I'm glad on't; I defire no more delight
Than to be under fail, and gone to night.
SCENE changes to Belmont.
Enter Portia with Morochius, and both their trains. Por.
Go, draw afide the curtains, and discover
The sev'ral caskets to this noble Prince. Now make your choice. [Three caskets are discovered. Mor. The first of gold, which this inscription bears,
Who chuseth me, sball gain what many men defire.
The second silver, which this promise carries,
Who chuseth me, shall get as much as he deserves.
This third, dull lead, with warning all as blunt,
Who chuseth me, must give and hazard all he hath.
How shall I know, if I do chuse the right?
Por. The one of them contains my picture, Prince;
If you chuse that, then I am yours withal.
Mor. Some God direct my judgment! let me see,
I will survey th' inscriptions back again;
What says this leaden casket?
Who chuseth me, must give and hazard all he hath.
Must give, for what? for lead? hazard for lead?
This casket threatens. Men, that hazard all,
Do it in hope of fair advantages :
A golden mind stoops not to shows of dross;
I'll then not give, nor hazard, ought for lead.
What says the filver, with her virgin hue?
Who chuseth me, shall get as much as he deserves.
As much as he deserves? pause there, Morochius;
And weigh thy value with an even hand.
If thou be'ft rated by thy estimation,
Thou dost deserve enough; and yet enough
May not extend so far as to the lady;
And yet to be afraid of my deserving,
Were but a weak disabling of my self.
As much as I deserve?
I do in birth deserve her, and in fortunes,
In graces, and in qualities of breeding:
But more than these, in love I do deserve.
What if I stray'd no farther, but chose here?
Let's see once more this saying grav'd in gold.
Who chuseth me, shall gain what many men defire.
Why, that's the lady; all the world defires her :
From the four corners of the earth they come
To kiss this shrine, this mortal breathing faint.
Th' Hyrcanian deserts, and the vastie wilds
Of wide Arabia, are as thorough-fares now,
For Princes to come view fair Portia.
The wat'ry kingdom, whose ambitious head
Spits in the face of heaven, is no bar
To stop the foreign spirits; but they come
As o'er a brook, to see fair Portia.
One of these three contains her heav'nly picture.
Is't like, that lead contains her? 'twere damnation,
VOL. II.
To think so base a thought: it were too grofs
To rib her fearcloth in the obscure grave.
Or shall I think, in silver she's immur'd,
Being ten times undervalu'd to try'd gold ?
O finful thought, never fo rich a gem
Was set in worse than gold! they have in England
A coin, that bears the figure of an angel
Stamped in gold, but that's insculpt upon:
But here an angel in a golden bed
Lyes all within. Deliver me the key;
Here do I chuse, and thrive I as I may!
Por. There take it, Prince, and if my form lye
[Unlocking the gold casket.
Mor. O hell! what have we here? a carrion death,
Within whose empty eye there is a scrowl:
I'll read the writing.
All that glisters is not gold,
Often have you heard that told;
Many a man bis life bath fold,
But my outside to behold.
Gilded wood may worms infold
Had you been as wife as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old,
Your answer had not been inscrol'd
Fare you well, your fuit is cold.
Mor. Cold, indeed, and labour loft: Then farewel, heat; and welcome, froft: Portia, adieu; I have too griev'd a heart
To take a tedious leave: thus losers part.
Por. A gentle riddance: draw the curtains; go
Let all of his complexion chuse me fo.
SCENE changes to Venice.
Enter Solarino and Salanio.
WHY, man, I faw Baffanio under fail;
is Gratiano gone along;
And in their ship, I'm sure, Lorenzo is not,
Sola. The villain Jew with outcries rais'd the Duke,
Who went with him to search Bassanio's ship.
Sal. He came too late, the ship was under fail;
But there the Duke was giv'n to understand,
That in a Gondola were seen together
Lorenzo and his am'rous Jeffica:
Besides, Anthonio certify'd the Duke,
They were not with Baffanio in his ship.
Sola. I never heard a paffion so confus'd,
So strange, outrageous, and so variable,
As the dog Jew did utter in the streets;
My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter!
Fled with a christian? O my christian ducats!
Justice, the law, my ducats, and my daughter!
A fealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats,
Of double ducats, stoln from me by my daughter!
And jewels, two stones, rich and precious stones,
Stoln by my daughter! justice! find the girl;
She hath the ftones upon her, and the ducats.
Sal. Why, all the boys in Venice follow him,
Crying his stones, his daughter, and his ducats.
Sola. Let good Anthonio look, he keep his day;
Or he shall pay for this.
Sal. Marry, well remember'd.
I reason'd with a Frenchman yesterday,
Who told me, in the narrow seas, that part
The French and English, there miscarried
A vessel of our country richly fraught:
I thought upon Anthonio, when he told me,
And with'd in filence, that it were not his.
Sola. You were best to tell Anthonio what you hear, Yet do not fuddenly, for it may grieve him.
Sal. A kinder Gentleman treads not the earth.
Isaw Bassanio and Anthonio part.
Baffanio told him, he would make some speed
Of his returns he answer'd, do not so,
Slubber not business for my fake, Baffanio,
But stay the very riping of the time;
And for the Jew's bond, which he hath of me,
Let it not enter in your mind of love:
Be merry, and employ your chiefeft thoughts
To courtship, and such fair oftents of love,
As shall conveniently become you there.
And even there, his eye being big with tears,
Turning his face, he put his hand behind him,
And with affection wond'rous sensible
He wrung Baffanio's hand, and so they parted.
Sola. I think, he only loves the world for him.
I pray thee, let us go and find him out,
And quicken his embraced heaviness
With some delight or other.
Sal. Do we so.
SCENE changes to Belmont.
Enter Nerissa with a Servant.
UICK, quick, I pray thee, draw the curtain
strait; The Prince of Arragon has ta'en his oath,
And comes to his election presently.
Enter Arragon, his train, Portia.
The Gaskets are discover'd.
Por. Behold, there stand the caskets, noble Prince; If you chuse that, wherein I am contain'd, Strait shall our nuptial rites be folemniz'd: But if you fail, without more speech, my lord, You must be gone from hence immediately.
Ar. I am enjoin'd by oath t' observe three things; First, never to unfold to any one Which casket 'twas I chose; next, if I fail Of the right casket, never in my life To woo a maid in way of marriage: Last, if I fail in fortune of my choice, Immediately to leave you and be gone. Por. To these injunctions every one doth swear, That comes to hazard for my worthless self. Ar. And fo have I addrest me; fortune now To my heart's hope! gold, filver, and base lead.
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