And I will go and purse the ducats straight;
See to my house, left in the fearful guard
Of an unthrifty knave; and presently
I will be with you.

Anth. Hie thee, gentle Jew.

[Exit's

This Hebrew will turn Chriftian; he grows kind.
Baff. I like not fair terms, and a villain's mind.
Anth. Come on; in this there can be no difmay,
My ships come home a month before the day. [Exeunt,

Enter the Prince of Morocco, and three or four Followers accordingly; with PORTIA, NERISSA, and her Train. Flourish Cornets.

Morocco.

MISLIKE me not for my complexion,
The fhadow'd livery of the burnish'd fun,
To whom I am a neighbour, and near bred.
Bring me the fairest creature northward born,
Where Phoebus' fire scarce thaws the icicles,
And let us make incifion for your love,
To prove whose blood is reddeft, his, or mine.
I tell thee, lady, this afpect of mine

Hath fear'd the valiant; by my love, I swear,
The best regarded virgins of our clime

Have lov'd it too: I would not change this hue,
Except to steal your thoughts, my gentle queen.
Por. In terms of choice I am not folely led
By nice direction of a maiden's eyes:
Befides, the lottery of my destiny

Bars me the right of voluntary chufing:
But, if my father had not scanted me,
And hedg'd me by his will, to yield myself

His wife, who wins me by that means I told you,
Yourfelf, renowned prince, then ftood as fair,

As any comer I have look'd on yet,
For my affection.

Mor. Even for that I thank you;

Therefore, I pray you, lead me to the caskets,
To try my fortune. By this fcimitar,—
That flew the Sophy, and a Perfian prince,
That won three fields of Sultan Solyman,-
I would out-ftare the fterneft eyes that look,
Out-brave the heart most daring on the earth,
Pluck the young fucking cubs from the fhe bear,
Yea, mock the lion when he roars for prey,
To win thee, lady: But, alas the while!
If Hercules and Lichas play at dice
Which is the better man, the greater throw
May turn by fortune from the weaker hand:
So is Alcides beaten by his page;

And fo may I, blind fortune leading me,
Mifs that which one unworthier may attain,
And die with grieving.

Por. You must take your chance;

And either not attempt to chufe at all,
Or fwear, before you chufe,-if you chufe
Never to speak to lady afterward

In way of marriage; therefore be advis'd.

wrong,

Mor. Nor will not; come, bring me unto my chance. Por. First, forward to the temple; after dinner

Your hazard fhall be made.

Mor. Good fortune then!

To make me bleft, or cursed'st among men.

SCENE II. A Street in Venice.

Enter LAUNCELOT GOBBO.

[Cornets. Exeunt.

Laun. Certainly my confcience will ferve me to run from this Jew my mafter: The fiend is at mine elbow and tempts me, faying to me, Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot, or good Gobbo, or good Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs, take the start, run away: My confcience fays,

no; take heed, honeft Launcelot, take heed, honeft Gobbo; or, as aforefaid, honeft Launcelot Gobbo; do not run; scorn running with thy heels: Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack; via! fays the fiend; away! fays the fiend, for the heavens; 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 honest friend Launcelot, being an honeft man's fon, or rather an honest woman's fon;-for, indeed, my father did fomething fmack, fomething grow to, he had a kind of taste ;well, my confcience fays, Launcelot, budge not; budge, fays the fiend; budge not, fays my confcience: Confcience, fay I, you counfel well; fiend, fay I, you counfel well: to be rul'd by my confcience, I fhould stay with the Jew my master, who, God blefs the mark, is a kind of devil; and, to run away from the Jew, I fhould be rul'd by the fiend, who, faving your reverence, is the devil himself: Certainly, the Jew is the very devil incarnation; and, in my confcience, my confcience is but a kind of hard confcience, to offer to counsel me to stay with the Jew: The fiend gives the more friendly counfel; I will run, fiend: my heels are at your commandment, I will run.

Enter old GOBBO, his Father, with a Basket. Gob. Mafter, young man, you, I pray you, which is the way to master Jew's?...

Laun. [Afide.] O heavens, this is my true-begotten father! who, being more than fand-blind, high-gravel blind, knows me not; I will try conclufions with him. Gob. Mafter, young gentleman, I pray you, which is the way to master 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. Can you tell me whether one Launcelot, that dwells with him, dwell with him, or no?

i

Ļaun. Talk you of young master Launcelot?-Mark me now, [afide.now will I raise the waters:-Talk you of young mafter Launcelot?

Gob.

Gob. No master, fir, but a poor man's fon; his father, though I fay it, is an honeft exceeding poor man, and, God be thanked, well to live.

Laun. Well, let his father be what he will, we talk of young mafter Launcelot.

Gob. Your worship's friend, and Launcelot, fir.

Laun. But I pray you ergo, old man, ergo, I beseech you: Talk you of young malter 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 fifters three, and fuch branches of learning) is, indeed, deceased; or, as you would fay, in plain terms, gone to heaven.

Gob. Marry, God forbid! the boy was the very staff of my age, my very prop.

Laun. Do I look like a cudgel, or a hovel-post, a staff, 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, fir, 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, fir, 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 shall 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, your wife, is my mother.

Gob. Her name is Margery, indeed: I'll be fworn, if thou be Launcelot, thou art my own flesh and blood.

В 2

Lord

Lord worshipp'd might he be! what a beard haft thou got! thou haft got more hair on thy chin, than Dobbin thrill-horfe has on his tail.

my

Laun. 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 thou art chang'd! How doft thou and thy master agree? I have brought him a prefent; How agree you now?

Laun. Well, well; but, for mine own part, as I have fet 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 rib I have with my fingers. Father, I am glad you are come; give me your present to one mafter Baffanio, who, indeed, gives rare new liveries; if I ferve not him, 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 BASSANIO with LEONARDO, and a Follower or

two more.

Baff. You may do fo;-but let it be fo hafted, that fupper be ready at the fartheft by five of the clock: See thefe letters delivered; put the liveries to making; and defire Gratiano to come anon to my lodging.

Laun. To him, father.

Gob. God bless your worship!

Baff Gramercy: Would't thou aught with me?
Gob. Here's my fon, fir, a poor boy,-

Laun. Not a poor boy, fir, but the rich Jew's man : that would, fir, as my father shall specify,

Gob. He hath a great infection, fir, 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 shall specify,

Gob. His mafter and he (faving your worship's reverence), are scarce cater-coufins.

Laun. To be brief, the very truth is, that the Jew

having