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Which rather threatneft, than doft promise aught,
5. Thy plainness moves me more than eloquence;
And here chufe I; joy be the confequence!

Por. How all the other paffions fleet to air,
As doubtful thoughts, and rafh-embrac'd defpair,
And fhudd'ring fear, and green-ey'd jealousie.
O love, be moderate, allay thy ecftafie;
In measure rain thy joy, fcant this excefs,
I feel too much thy bleffing, make it lefs,
For fear I furfeit.

[Opening the leaden casket.

Ball. What find I here?
Fair Portia's counterfeit ? what Demy-god

Hath come fo near creation? move these eyes?
Or whether, riding on the balls of mine,
Seem they in motion? here are fever'd lips
Parted with fugar breath; fo fweet a bar

Should funder fuch fweet friends: here in her hairs
The painter plays the spider, and hath woven
A golden mesh t' intrap the hearts of men,
Fafter than gnats in cobwebs: but her eyes,
How could he fee to do them? having made one,
Methinks, it should have power to steal both his,
And leave itself unfinish'd: yet how far

The substance of my praise doth wrong this shadow
In underprizing it; fo far this fhadow

Doth limp behind the Subftance. Here's the scrowl, The continent and fummary of my fortune.

!

5 Thy palenefs moves me more than eloquence ;] Baffanio is difpleas'd at the golden casket for its gawdinefs, and the filver one for its paleness; but, what! is he charm'd with the leaden one for having the very fame quality that difpleas'd him in the filver? The poet certainly wrote,

Thy Plainnefs moves me more than eloquence: This characterizes the lead from the filver, which palenefs does not, they being both pale. Befides, there is a beauty in the antithefis between plainnefs and eloquence; between palenefs and eloquence none.

faid before of the leaden-casket,

This third dull lead, with warning all as blunt.
VOL. II.

L

So it is

You

You that chufe not by the view,
Chance as fair, and chufe as true:
Since this fortune falls to you,
Be content, and feek no new.
If you be well pleas'd with this,
And bold your fortune for your bliss,
Turn you where your Lady is,
And claim her with a loving kiss.

A gentle fcrowl; fair lady, by your leave;

[Kiffing her.

I come by note to give, and to receive.
Like one of two contending in a Prize,
That thinks he hath done well in people's eyes;
Hearing applaufe and univerfal fhout,
Giddy in fpirit, gazing ftill in doubt,
Whether thofe peals of praise be his or no;
So (thrice-fair lady) ftand I, even fo,
As doubtful whether what I fee be true,
Until confirm'd, fign'd, ratify'd by you.

Por. You fee me, lord Bafanio, where I ftand,
Such as I am; tho' for my felf alone,
I would not be ambitious in my Wish,
To wish my self much better; yet for you,
I would be trebled twenty times my felf,

A thousand times more fair; ten thousand times
More rich; that, to ftand high in your account,
I might in virtues, beauties, livings, friends,
Exceed account: but the full fum of me

"Is fome of fomething, which, to term in grofs, Is an unleffon'd girl, unfchool'd, unpractis'd: Happy in this, fhe is not yet so old

But the may learn; more happy then in this,
She is not bred fo dull but fhe can learn;

6 Is SUM of fomething,-] We fhould read, soME of fome thing, i. e. only a piece or part only of an imperfect account. Which the explains in the following line.

Happiest

Happiest of all, is, that her gentle fpirit
Commits it felf to yours to be directed,
As from her lord, her governor, her King:
My felf, and what is mine, to you and yours
Is now converted. But now I was the Lord
Of this fair manfion, mafter of my fervants,
Queen o'er my self; and even now, but now,
This house, these fervants, and this fame my felf
Are yours, my lord: I give them with this ring,
Which, when you part from, lofe or give away,
Let it prefage the ruin of your love,

And be my vantage to exclaim on you.

Baff. Madam, you have bereft me of all words,
Only my blood speaks to you in my veins
And there is fuch Confufion in my pow'rs,
As, after fome oration fairly spoke
By a beloved Prince, there doth appear
Among the buzzing pleased multitude;
Where every fomething, being blent together,
Turns to a wild of nothing, fave of joy
Expreft, and not expreft. But when this ring
Parts from this finger, then parts life from hence;
O, then be bold to fay, Baffanio's dead.

Ner. My lord and lady, it is now our time,
That have stood by, and feen our wishes profper,
To cry, good joy, good joy, my lord and lady!
Gra. My lord Baffanio, and my gentle lady,
I wish you all the joy that you can with;
For, I am fure, you can wifh none from me:
And when your honours mean to folemnize
The bargain of your faith, I do beseech you,
Ev'n at that time I may be married too.

Baff. With all my heart, fo thou canft get a wife.
Gra. I thank your lordship, you have got me one.
My eyes, my lord, can look as fwift as yours;
You faw the mistress, I beheld the maid

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7 You lov'd, I lov'd; for intermiffion
No more pertains to me, my lord, than you.
Your fortune ftood upon the casket there;
And fo did mine too, as the matter falls:
For wooing here until I fweat again,
And fwearing, till my very roof was dry
With oaths of love; at last, if promise last,
I got a promise of this fair one here,
To have her love, provided that
Atchiev'd her mistress.

Por. Is this true, Neriffa?

your fortune

Ner. Madam, it is, fo you ftand pleas'd withal. Baff. And do you, Gratiano, mean good faith? Gra. Yes, faith, my lord.

Baff. Our Feast shall be much honour'd in your

marriage.

Gra. We'll play with them, the first boy for a thousand Ducats.

Ner. What, and stake down?

Gra. No, we fhall ne'er win at that sport, and ftake down.

But who comes here? Lorenzo and his Infidel?
What, and my old Venetian friend, Salanio?

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Enter Lorenzo, Jeffica, and Salanio.

Baff. Lorenzo and Salanio, welcome hither
If that the youth of my new Interest here
Have power to bid you welcome. By your leave,
I bid my very friends and country-men,
(Sweet Portia) welcome.

Por. So do I, my Lord; they are intirely welcome. Lor. I thank your honour; for my part, my lord, My purpose was not to have feen you here;

But meeting with Salanio by the way,

7 A comma here fet exactly right, by Mr. Theobald.

He

He did intreat me, paft all faying nay,
To come with him along.

Sal. I did, my lord,

And I have reason for't; Signior Anthonio
Commends him to you.

I

Baff. Ere I ope his letter,

[Gives Baffanio a Letter.

pray you tell me how my good friend doth. Sal. Not fick, my lord, unless it be in mind; Nor well, unless in mind; his letter there

Will fhew you his estate. [Baffanio opens the letter. Gra. Neriffa, cheer yond" ftranger: Bid her wel

come.

Your hand, Salanio; what's the news from Venice?
How doth that royal merchant, good Anthonio?
I know, he will be glad of our Success:

We are the Jafons, we have won the fleece.

Sal. Would you had won the fleece, that he hath loft!

Por. There are fome fhrewd Contents in yond fame paper,

That fteal the colour from Baffanio's cheek:

Some dear Friend dead; elfe nothing in the world
Could turn fo much the constitution

Of any conftant man. What, worse and worse!
With leave, Bassanio, I am half your felf,
And I must have the half of any thing
That this fame Paper brings you.
Baff. O fweet Portia !

Here are a few of the unpleasant'ft words
That ever blotted paper. Gentle lady,
When I did first impart my love to you,
I freely told you, all the wealth I had
Ran in my veins, I was a gentleman;
And then I told you true; and yet, dear lady,
Rating myself at nothing, you fhall fee
How much I was a braggart: when I told you,
My state was nothing, Ifhould then have told you,

L 3

That

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