Shy. Then meet me forthwith at the notary's;
Give him direction for this merry bond,
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.

Ant.

[Exit.

Hie thee, gentle Jew. This Hebrew will turn Christian; he grows kind. Bass. I like not fair terms and a villain's mind. Ant. Come on; in this there can be no dismay, My ships come home a month before the day. [Exeunt. Fearful guard-a guard that is the cause of fear.

a

ACT II.

SCENE I.-Belmont. A Room in Portia's House.

Flourish of Cornets. Enter the PRINCE OF MOROCCO, and his Train; PORTIA, NERISSA and other of her Attendants.

Mor. Mislike me not for my complexion,
The shadow'd livery of the burnish'd sun,
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 incision for your love,
Το prove whose blood is reddest, his, or mine.
I tell thee, lady, this aspect 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 solely led
By nice direction of a maiden's eyes:
Besides, the lottery of my destiny

Bars me the right of voluntary choosing:
But, if my father had not scanted me,
And hedg'd me by his wit," to yield myself
His wife who wins me by that means I told you,
Yourself, renowned prince, then stood 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,

a Wit. The word is here used in its ancient sense of mental power in general. To wite, from the Anglo-Saxon witan, is to know.

To try my fortune. By this scimitar,
That slew the Sophy, and a Persian prince
That won three fields of sultan Solyman,
I would o'er-stare the sternest eyes that look,
Outbrave the heart most daring on the earth,
Pluck the young sucking cubs from the she-bear,
for
Yea, mock the lion when he roars 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 so may I, blind fortune leading me,
Miss that which one unworthier may attain,
And die with grieving.

Por.

You must take your chance;
And either not attempt to choose at all,

Or swear, before you choose,-if you choose wrong,
Never to speak to lady afterward

In way of marriage; therefore be advis’d.

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

Mor.

Good fortune then! | Cornets.

To make me bless'd, or cursed'st among men. [Exeunt.

SCENE II.-Venice. A Street.

Enter LAUNCELOT GOBBO.

Laun. Certainly my conscience will serve me to run and tempts me; saying to me,-Gobbo, Launcelot from this Jew, my master: The fiend is at mine elbow, Gobbo, good Launcelot, or good Gobbo, or good Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs, take the start, run away My conscience says,-no; take heed, honest Launcelot; Launcelot Gobbo; do not run scorn running with thy or (as aforesaid) honest

take heed, honest Gobbo;

heels: Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack. Via! says the fiend; away! says the fiend, for the heavens; rouse up a brave mind, says the fiend, and run. Well, my conscience, hanging about the neck of my heart, says very wisely to me, my honest friend, Launcelot, being an honest man's son, or rather an honest woman's son ;-for, indeed, my father did something smack, something grow to, he had a kind of taste; -well, my conscience says, Launcelot, budge not: budge, says the fiend; budge not, says my conscience: Conscience, say I, you counsel well; fiend, say I, you counsel well to be ruled by my conscience I should stay with the Jew my master, who (God bless the mark!) is a kind of devil; and to run away from the Jew I should be ruled by the fiend, who, saving your reverence, is the devil himself: Certainly, the Jew is the very devil incarnation: and, in my conscience, my conscience is a kind of hard conscience, to offer to counsel me to stay with the Jew: The fiend gives the more friendly counsel: I will run, fiend; my heels are at your commandment, I will run.

the

Enter Old GOBBо, with a basket.

Gob. Master, young man, you, I pray you; which is way to master Jew's?

Laun. [Aside.] O Heavens, this is my true-begotten father! who, being more than sand-blind, high-gravel blind, knows me not: I will try conclusions with

him.

a When Pistol says "He hears with ears," Sir Hugh Evans calls the phrase" affectations." Perhaps Launcelot uses "scorn running with thy heels" in the same affected fashion.

For the heavens. This expression is simply, as Gifford states, "a petty oath." It occurs in Ben Jonson and Dekker, Sand-blind-having an imperfect sight, as if there was sand in the eye. Gravel-blind, a coinage of Launcelot's, is the exaggeration of sand-blind.

Gob. Master young gentleman, I pray you which is the way to master Jew's?

Laun. Turn upon 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 house.

Gob. By God's sonties, it will be a hard way to hit. Can you tell me whether one Launcelot that dwells with him dwell with him, or no?

Mark me now

his

Laun. Talk you of young master Launcelot?-[aside]—now will I raise the waters: -Talk you of young master Launcelot? Gob. No master, sir, but a poor man's son: father, though I say it, is an honest exceeding poor man, and, God be thanked, well to live.

Laun. Well, let his father be what a will, we talk of young master Launcelot.

Gob. Your worship's friend, and Launcelot. Laun. But I pray you ergo, old man, ergo, I be seech you, talk you of young master Launcelot. Gob. Of Launcelot, an 't please your mastership. Laun. Ergo, master Launcelot; talk not of master Launcelot, father; for the young gentleman (according to fates and destinies, and such odd sayings, the sisters three, and such branches of learning) is, indeed, deceased; or, as you would say in plain terms, gone to

heaven.

of

Gob. Marry, God forbid! the boy was the very s

my age, my very prop.
Laun. Do I look like a

staff, or a prop?-Do

you

cudgel,

know me,

staff

or a hovel-post,
father?

Gob. Alack the day, I know you not, young gentle

soul!) alive or dead?

Laun. Do you not know me, father?

Gob. Alack, sir, I am sand-blind, I know you not.

his

Laun. Nay, indeed, if

you

had

your eyes you might