Baff. In my School-Days, when I had loft one Shaft, I fhot his Fellow of the felf-fame Flight The felf-fame way, with more advised Watch, I owe you much, and like a wilful Youth, Anth. You know me well, and herein fpend but Time Nor is the wide World ignorant of her Worth; Anth. Thou know'ft that all my Fortunes are at Sea, VOL. II. That shall be rack'd even to the uttermoft, SCENE II. Belmont. [Exeunt. Three Caskets are set out, one of Gold, another of Silver, and another of Lead. Enter Portia and Neriffa. Por. By my Troth, 'Neriffa, my little Body is weary of this great World. Ner. You would be, fweet Madam, if your Miferies were in the fame Abundance as your good Fortunes are; and yet, for ought I fee, they are as fick that furfeit with too much, as they that ftarve with nothing; therefore it is no small Happiness to be feated in the Mean; Superfluity comes fooner by white Hairs, but Competency lives longer. Por. Good Sentences, and well pronounc'd. Ner. They would be better, if well follow'd. Por. If to do were as eafie as to know what were good to do, Chappels had been Churches, and poor Mens Cottages Princes Palaces: It is a good Divine that follows his own Inftructions; I can eafier teach twenty what were good to be done, than to be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching. The Brain may devife Laws for the Blood, but a hot Temper leaps o'er a cold Decree ; fuch a Hare is Madnefs the Youth, to skip o'er the Mefhes of good Counsel the Cripple. But this Reason is not in Fashion to chufe me a Husband: O me, the Word chufe! I may neither chufe whom I would, nor refufe whom I diflike, fo is the Will of a living Daughter curb'd by the Will of a dead Father: Is it not hard, Neriffa, that I cannot chufe one, nor refuse none? Ner. Your Father was ever Virtuous, and holy Men at their Death have good Inspirations; therefore the Lottery that he hath devifed in thefe three Chefts of Gold, Silver, and Lead, whereof, who chufes his Meaning, chufes you, will no doubt never be chofen by any rightly, but one who you fhall rightly love. But what Warmth is there in your Affection towards any of these Princely Suters that are already come ? Por. Por. I pray thee over-name them, and as thou nam'ft them, I will defcribe them, and according to my Description, level at my Affection. Ner. First there is the Neapolitan Prince. Por. Ay, that's a Colt indeed, for he doth nothing but talk of his Horfe, and he makes it a great Appropriation to his own good Parts that he can thoo him himself: I am much afraid my Lady his Mother plaid falfe with a Smith. Ner. Then is there the County Palentine. Por. He doth nothing but frown, as who should fay, and you will not have me, chufe: He hears merry Tales and fmiles not, I fear he will prove the weeping Philofopher when he grows old, being fo full of unmannerly Sadnefs in his Youth. I had rather to be married to a Death's Head with a Bone in his Mouth, than to either of thefe. God defend me from these two. Ner. How fay you by the French Lord, Monfieur Le Boun? Por. God made him, and therefore let him pafs fora Man; in truth I know it is Sin to be a Mocker; but he! why he hath a Horfe better than the Neapolitan's, a better bad Habit of Frowning than the Count Palentine, he is every Man in no Man, if a Taffel fing, he falls ftraight a Capring; he will fence with his own Shadow; if I fhould marry him, I fhould marry twenty Husbands; if he would defpife me, I would forgive him, för if he love me to Madness, I fhould never requite him. Ner. What say you then to Fauconbridge, the young Baron of England? Por. You know I fay nothing to him, for he understands not me, nor I him; he hath neither Latin, French, nor Italian, and you will come into the Court and fwear that I have a poor Penny-worth in English; he is a proper Man's Picture, but alas who can converfe with a dumb Show? How odly he is suited! I think he bought his Doublet in Italy, his round Hofe in France, his Bonnet in Germany, and his Behaviour every where. Ner. What think you of the other Lord his Neighbour? Por. That he hath a neighbourly Charity in him, for he borrow'd a Box of the Ear of the English-man, and fwore he would pay him again when he was able. I think the French-man became his Surety, and fealed under for a nother. Ner How like you the young German, the Duke of Saxony's Nephew? Por. Very vildly in the Morning when he is fober, and most vildly in the Afternoon when he is drunk; when he is beft, he is a little worse than a Man, and when he is worft, he is little better than a Beaft; and the worft Fall that ever fell, I hope I fhall make shift to go without him. Ner. If he fhould offer to chufe, and chufe the right Casket, you should refufe to perform your Father's Will, if you should refuse to accept him. Por. Therefore for fear of the worst, I pray thee fet a deep Glafs of Rhenifh Wine on the contrary Casket, for if the Devil be within, and the Temptation without, I know he will chufe it. I will do any thing, Neriffa, e'er I will be marry'd to a Spunge. Ner. You need not fear Lady the having any of these Lords, they have acquainted me with their Determination, which is indeed to return to their Home, and to trouble you with no more Suits, unless you may be won by fome other fort than your Father's Impofition, depending on the Caskets. Por. If I live to be as old as Sibilla, I will die as chafte as Diana, unless I be obtain'd by the manner of my Fa ther's Will I am glad this Parcel of Wooers are fo reafonable, for there is not one among them but I doat on his very Abfence, and wish them a fair Departure. Ner. Do you not remember, Lady, in your Father's time, a Venetian, a Scholar and a Soldier that came hither in Company of the Marquifs of Mountferrat? Por. Yes, yes, it was Baffanio, as I think, fo was he call'd. Ner. True Madam, he of all the Men that ever my foolish Eyes look'd upon, was the best deferving a fair Lady. Por. I remember him well, and I remember him worthy of thy Praise. Enter Enter a Servant. Ser. The four Strangers feek you, Madam, to take their Leave; and there is a Fore-runner come from a fifth, The Prince of Morocco, who brings Word the Prince his Mafter will be here to Night. Por. If I could bid the Fifth welcome with fo good Heart as I can bid the other four farewel, I fhould be glad of his Approach; if he have the Condition of a Saint, and the Complexion of a Devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me. Come Neriffa, Sirrah go before; whiles we fhut the Gate upon one Wooer, another knocks at the Door. [Exeunt. SCENE III. Venice. Enter Baffanio and Shylock. Shy. Three thousand Ducats, well. Shy. Anthonio fhall become bound, well, Baff. May you ftead me? Will you pleasure me? Shall I know your Anfwer? Shy. Three thoufand Ducats for three Months, And Anthonio bound. ry? Baff. Your Anfwer to that. Shy. Anthonio is a good Man. Baff. Have you heard any Imputation to the contra Shy. No, no, no, no; my Meaning in faying he is a good Man, is to have you understand me, that he is fufficient; yet his Means are in fuppofition: He hath an Argofie bound to Tripolis, another to the Indies; I understand moreover upon the Ryalto, he hath a third at Mexico, a fourth for England, and other Ventures he hath squandred Abroad. But Ships are but Boards, Sailers but Men; there be Land Rats, and, Water Rats, Water Thieves and Land Thieves, I mean Pyrates; and then there is the Peril of Waters, Winds, and Rocks; the Man is notwithstanding fufficient; three thousand Ducats, I think I may take his Bond. F 3 B |