Imatges de pàgina
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dance ere we are marry'd, that we may lighten our own hearts, and our wives heels.

Leon. We'll have dancing afterwards.

Bene. First, o' my word; therefore, play, mufic, Prince, thou art fad, get thee a wife, get thee a wife; there is no staff more reverend than one tipt with horn. Enter Meffenger.

Melf. My Lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight, And brought with armed men back to Messina.

Bene. Think not on him till to-morrow: I'll devife thee brave punishments for him. Strike up, pipers.

[Dances. [Exeunt omnes.

The

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SCENE, partly at Venice; and partly at Belmont, the feat of Portia upon the continent.

A C T I.

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SCENE I.

A Street in Venice.

Enter Anthonio, Solarino, and Salanio.
Anth. N footh, I know not why I am fo fad.
It wearies me; you fay, it wearies you.
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
What ftuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,
I am to learn

And fuch a want-wit fadnefs makes of me,
That I have much ado to know myself.

Sal. Your mind is toffing on the ocean;
There, where your Argofies with portly fail,
Like figniors and rich burghers on the flood,
Or as it were the pageants of the fea,
Do overpeer the petty traffickers,

That

That curtfy to them, do them reverence,
As they fly by them with their woven wings.

Sola. Believe me, Sir, had I fuch venture forth,
The better part of my affections would

Be with my hopes abroad. I fhould be ftill
Plucking the grafs, to know where fits the wind;
Peering in maps for ports, and peers, and roads;
And every object that might make me fear
Misfortune to my ventures, out of doubt,
Would make me fad.

Sal My wind, cooling my broth,

Would blow me to an ague, when I thought
What harm a wind too great might do at sea.
I fhould not fee the fandy hour-glass run,
But I should think of fhallows and of flats;
And fee my wealthy Andrew dock'd in fand,
Vailing her high top lower than her ribs,
To kifs her burial Should I go to church,
And fee the holy edifice of stone;
And not bethink me strait of dang'rous rocks;
Which, touching but my gentle veffels fide,
Would fcatter all the spices on the stream,
Enrobe the roaring waters with my filks;
And, in a word, but even now worth this,
And now worth nothing? Shall I have the thought
To think on this, and fhall I lack the thought,
That fuch a thing, bechance'd, would make me fad?
But tell not me; I know, Anthonio

Is fad to think upon his merchandise.

Anth. Believe'me, no: I thank my fortune for it, My ventures are not in one bottom trusted,

Nor to one place; nor is my whole eftate

Upon the fortune of this prefent year:
Therefore my merchandize makes me not fad.
Sola. Why then you are in love.

Anth. Fie, fie!

Sola. Not in love neither! then let's fay, you're fad, Because you are not merry; and 'twere as eafy For you to laugh and leap, and fay, you're merry, Because you are not fad. "Now, by two-headed Janus, "Nature hath fram'd firange fellows in her time: "Some that will evermore peep through their eyes,.. VOL. II.

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"And

Wherein my time, fomething too prodigal,
Hath left me gaged: to you, Anthonio,
I owe the moft in money, and in love;
And from your love I have a warranty
T'unburthen all my plots and purposes,
How to get clear of all the debts I owe.
Anth I pray you, good Baffanio, let me know it:
And if it ftand, as you yourfelf still do,
Within the eye of honour, be affur'd,
My purfe, my perfon, my extremest means,
Lic all unlock'd to your occafions.

Bal. 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,
To find the other forth; by vent'ring both,
I oft found both. I urge this childhood proof,
Because what follows is pure innocence.
I owe you much, and, like a witless youth,
That which I owe is loft; but if
you please
To fhoot another arrow that felf way

Which you did fhoot the first, I do not doubt,
As I will watch the aim, or to find both,

Or bring your latter hazard back again,
And thankfully reft debtor for the first.

Anth. You know me well; and herein fpend but

time,

To wind about my love with circumstance;
And, out of doubt, you do me now more wrong,
In making queftion of my uttermoft,

Than if you had made waste of all I have.
Then do but fay to me, what I fhould do,
That in your knowledge may by me be done,
And I am prefs'd unto it: therefore, fpeak.
Ba In Belmont is a lady richly left,
And she is fair, and, fairer than that word,
Of wond'rous virtues. Sometime from her eyes
I did receive fair fpeechlefs meffages.
Her name is Portia, nothing undervalu'd
To Cato's daughter, Brutus' Portia.
Nor is the wide world ign'rant of her worth;
For the four winds blow in from every coaft
Renowned fuitors; and her funny locks

Hang

Hang on her temples like a golden fleece;

Which makes her feat of Belmont, Colchos' ftrond;
And many Jafons come in queft of her.

O my Anthonio, had I but the means
To hold a rival place with one of them,
I have a mind presages me fuch thrift *,
That I fhould questionless be fortunate.

Anth. Thou know'ft, that all my fortunes are at sea,. Nor have I money, nor commodity

To raise a prefent fum: therefore go forth;
Try what my credit can in Venice do;
That fhall be rack'd even to the uttermoft,
To furnish thee to Belmont, to fair Portia :
Go, prefently inquire, and fo will I,
Where money is; and I no queftion make,
To have it of my trust, or for my fake.

[Exeunt

SCENE II. Changes to Belmont.

Three cafkets are fet out, one of gold, another of filver, and another of lead.

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Por. By my troth, Neriffa, my little body is wearyof 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 aught I fee, they are as fick that furfeit with too much, as they that starve with nothing: therefore it is no mean happiness to be feated in the mean; fuperfluity comes fooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer.

Por. Good fentences, and well pronounce'd.
Ner They would be better, if well follow'd.

Por. If to do were as eafy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor mens cottages princes' palaces. He is a good divine that follows his own inftructions: I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than to be one of the twenty to follow my own teaching. The brain may devife laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps o'er

Thrift, for thriving, Mr. Pope.

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