Lor.
Madam, although I speak it in your presence,
You have a noble and a true conceit
Of God-like amity; which appears most strongly
In bearing thus the absence of your lord.
But if you knew to whom you shew this honour,
How true a gentleman you send relief to,
How dear a lover of my lord your husband;
I know, you would be prouder of the work,
Than customary bounty can enforce you.

Por.
I never did repent of doing good,
And shall not now; for in companions
That do converse and waste the time together,
Whose souls do bear an equal yoke of love,
There must be needs a like proportion
Of lineaments, of manners, and of spirit;
Which makes me think, that this Anthonio,
Being the bosom-lover of my lord,
Must needs be like my lord. If it be so,
How little is the cost I have bestowed,
In purchasing the semblance of my soul
From out the state of hellish cruelty?
This comes too near the praising of my self;(21) ^note


Therefore, no more of it: hear other things.—
Lorenzo, I commit into your hands
The husbandry and manage of my house,
Until my lord's return. For mine own part,
I have tow'rd heaven breath'd a secret vow,
To live in prayer and contemplation,

Only attended by Nerissa here,
Untill her husband and my lord's return.
There is a monastery two miles off,
And there we will abide. I do desire you,
Not to deny this imposition:
The which my love and some necessity
Now lays upon you.

Lor.
Madam, with all my heart;
I shall obey you in all fair commands.

Por.
My people do already know my mind;
And will acknowledge you and Jessica
In place of lord Bassanio and my self.
So fare you well, 'till we shall meet again.

Lor.
Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you!

Jes.
I wish your ladyship all heart's content.

Por.
I thank you for your wish, and am well pleas'd
To wish it back on you: fare you well, Jessica. [Exeunt Jes. and Lor.
Now, Balthazar,
As I have ever found thee honest, true,
So let me find thee still: take this same letter,
And use thou all th' endeavour of a man,
In speed to Padua; see thou render this(22) ^note
Into my cousin's hand, Doctor Bellario;
And look what notes and garments he doth give thee,
Bring them, I pray thee, with imagin'd speed
Unto the Traject, to the common ferry
Which trades to Venice: waste no time in words,
But get thee gone; I shall be there before thee.

Bal.
Madam, I go with all convenient speed. [Exit.

Por.
Come on, Nerissa; I have work in hand,
That you yet know not of: we'll see our husbands
Before they think of us.

Ner.
Shall they see us?

Por.
They shall, Nerissa; but in such a habit,
That they shall think we are accomplished
With what we lack. I'll hold thee any wager,
When we are both apparell'd like young men,
I'll prove the prettier fellow of the two,
And wear my dagger with the braver grace;
And speak between the change of man and boy,
With a reed voice; and turn two mincing steps
Into a manly stride; and speak of frays,
Like a fine bragging youth; and tell quaint lies,
How honourable ladies sought my love,
Which I denying, they fell sick and dy'd,
I could not do with all: then I'll repent,
And wish, for all that, that I had not kill'd them.
And twenty of these puny lies I'll tell;
That men shall swear, I've discontinued school
Above a twelve-month. I have in my mind
A thousand raw tricks of these bragging jacks,
Which I will practise.

Ner.
Shall we turn to men?

Por.
Fie, what a question's that,
If thou wert near a lewd interpreter!
But come, I'll tell thee all my whole device
When I am in my coach, which stays for us
At the park-gate; and therefore haste away,
For we must measure twenty miles to day. [Exeunt. Enter Launcelot and Jessica.

Laun.

Yes, truly: for, look you, the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore, I promise you, I fear you. I was always plain with you; and so now I speak my agitation of the matter: therefore be of good cheer; for truly, I think, you are damn'd: there is but one hope in it that can do you any good, and that is but a kind of bastardhope neither.

Jes.

And what hope is that, I pray thee?

Laun.

Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter.

Jes.

That were a kind of bastard hope, indeed; so the sins of my mother should be visited upon me.

Laun.

Truly, then, I fear, you are damn'd both by father and mother; thus when you shun Scylla, (23) ^note

Jes.

I shall be saved by my husband; he hath made me a christian.

Laun.

Truly, the more to blame he; we were christians enough before, e'en as many as could well live one by another: this making of christians will raise the price of hogs; if we grow all to be pork-eaters, we shall not shortly have a rasher on the coals for mony.

Jes.

I'll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you say: here he comes.

Lor.

I shall grow jealous of you shortly, Launcelot, if you thus get my wife into corners.

Jes.

Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo; Launcelot and I are out; he tells me flatly, there is no mercy for me in heav'n, because I am a Jew's daughter: and he says, you are no good member of the common-wealth; for, in converting Jews to christians, you raise the price of pork.

Lor.

I shall answer that better to the common-wealth, than you can the getting up of the negro's belly: the Moor is with child by you, Launcelot.

Laun.

It is much, that the Moor should be more than

reason: but if she be less than an honest woman, she is indeed more than I took her for.

Lor.

How every fool can play upon the word! I think, the best grace of wit will shortly turn into silence, and discourse grow commendable in none but parrots. Go in, sirrah, bid them prepare for dinner.

Laun.

That is done, Sir; they have all stomachs.

Lor.

Good lord, what a wit-snapper are you! then bid them prepare dinner.

Laun.

That is done too, Sir; only cover is the word.

Lor.

Will you cover then, Sir?

Laun.

Not so, Sir, neither; I know my duty.

Lor.

Yet more quarrelling with occasion! wilt thou shew the whole wealth of thy wit in an instant? I pray thee, understand a plain man in his plain meaning: go to thy fellows, bid them cover the table, serve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner.

Laun.

For the table, Sir, it shall be serv'd in; for the meat, Sir, it shall be covered; for your coming in to dinner, Sir, why, let it be as humours and conceits shall govern.

Lor.
O dear discretion, how his words are suited!
The fool hath planted in his memory
An army of good words; and I do know
A many fools that stand in better place,
Garnish'd like him, that for a tricksie word
Defie the matter: how far'st thou, Jessica?
And now, good sweet, say thy opinion,
How dost thou like the lord Bassanio's wife?

Jes.
Past all expressing: it is very meet,
The lord Bassanio live an upright life.
For, having such a Blessing in his lady,
He finds the joys of heaven here on earth:
And if on earth he do not merit it,
In reason he should never come to heav'n.
Why, if two Gods should play some heav'nly march,
And on the wager lay two earthly women,
And Portia one, there must be something else
Pawn'd with the other; for the poor rude world

Hath not her fellow.

Lor.
Even such a husband
Hast thou of me, as she is for a wife.

Jes.
Nay, but ask my opinion too of that.

Lor.
I will anon: first, let us go to dinner.

Jes.
Nay, let me praise you, while I have a stomach.

Lor.
No, pray thee, let it serve for table-talk;
Then, howsoe'er thou speak'st, 'mong other things,
I shall digest it.

Jes.
Well, I'll set you forth. [Exeunt.

Previous section