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

upon the continent.

Anth.

A C T I. SCENE I.

Aftreet in Venice.

Enter Anthonio, Solarino, and Salanio.

N footh, I know not why I am so fad.

IN

It wearies me; you fay, it wearies you.
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
What stuff '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 sea,
Do overpeer the petty traffickers,

That curtly 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 should 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 fea.
I should not fee the fandy hour-glafs run,
But I should think of shallows 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 see the holy edifice of ftone;
And not bethink me ftrait of dang'rous rocks;
Which, touching but my gentle veffel's fide,
Would scatter all the fpices on the ftream,
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 shall I lack the thought,
That such a thing, bechanc'd, would make me fad ?
But tell not me ;-I know, Anthonio

Is fad to think upon his merchandize.

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 estate

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 sad, 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 ftrange fellows in her time : "Some that will evermore peep through their eyes, VOL. II. G

"And laugh, like parrots, at a bag-piper; "And others of such vinegar-aspect,

"That they'll not fhow their teeth in way of fmile, Though Neftor fwear the jeft be laughable.

Enter Baffanio, Lorenzo, and Gratiano.

Sal. Here comes Baffanio, your most noble kinfman, Gratiano and Lorenzo: fare ye well;

We leave ye now with better company.

Sola. I would have ftaid till I had made you merry, If worthier friends had not prevented me.

Anth. Your worth is very dear in my regard:
I take it, your own bufinefs calls on you,
And you embrace th' occafion to depart.
Sal. Good morrow, my good Lords.

Bal. Good Signiors both, when fhall we laugh? fay, when?

You grow exceeding ftrange; muft it be fo?

Sal. We'll make our leifures to attend on yours. Sola. My Lord Baffanio, fince you've found Anthonio, We two will leave you; but at dinner-time,

I pray you have in mind where we must meet.

Baff. I will not fail you. [Exeunt Solar. and Sala. Gra. You look not well, Signior Anthonio; You have too much refpect upon the world : They lofe it, that do buy it with much care. Believe me, you are marvellously chang'd.

Anth. I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano, A ftage, where every man must play his part, And mine's a fad one.

Gra. Let me play the fool ;

With mirth, and laughter, let old wrinkles come;
And let my liver rather heat with wine,

Than my heart cool with mortifying groans.

Why should a man, whofe blood is warm within, "Sit like his grandfire cut in alabaster ?

Sleep when he wakes, and creep into the jaundice "By being peevish? I tell thee what, Anthonio, "(I love thee, and it is my love that speaks), "There are a fort of men, whofe vifages "Do cream and mantle like a standing pond; "And do a wilful stillness entertain,

R

"With purpose to be drefs'd in an opinion
"Of wifdom, gravity, profound conceit;
"As who fhould fay, I am Sir Oracle,
"And when I ope my lips, let no dog bark!
"O my Anthonio, I do know of those,
"That therefore only are reputed wife,
"For faying nothing;" who, I'm very fure,
If they fhould fpeak, would almost damn those ears,
Which, hearing them, would call their brothers fools
I'll tell thee more of this another time:

But fifh not with this melancholy bait,
For this fool's gudgeon, this opinion.
Come, good Lorenzo; fare ye well a while;
I'll end my exhortation after dinner.

Lor. Well, we will leave you then till dinner-time. I must be one of these fame dumb wife men; For Gratiano never lets me fpeak.

Gra. Well, keep me company but two years more, Thou shalt not know the found of thine own tongue. Anth. Farewel; I'll grow a talker for this gear. Gra. Thanks, i' faith; for filence is only commend

able

In a neat's tongue dry'd, and a maid not vendible. [Exeunt Gra. and Loren.

Anth. Is that any thing now?

Ba. Gratiano fpeaks an infinite deal of nothing, more than any man in all Venice his reasons are as two grains of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff; you fhall feek all day ere you find them; and when you have them, they are not worth the fearch.

Anth. Well; tell me now, what lady is the fame, To whom you fwore a fecret pilgrimage, That you to-day promis'd to tell me of?

Baff. 'Tis not unknown to you, Anthonio,

How much I have difabled mine eftate,
By fhewing fomething a more fwelling port,

Than my faint means would grant continuance ;
Nor do I now make moan to be abridg'd
From fuch a noble rate; but my chief care

Is to come fairly off from the great debts,

Alluding to what is faid in the gospel, that whosoever shall fay to his brother, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-firt.

Wherein my time, fomething too prodigal,
Hath left me gaged: to you, Anthonio,
I owe the most 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 stand, as you yourself still do, Within the eye of honour, be assur'd, My purfe, my perfon, my extremeft means, Lie all unlock'd to your occafions.

Baff. In my fchool-days, when I had loft one fhaft, I fhot his fellow of the felf-fame flight

The self-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 shoot 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 firft.

Anth. You know me well; and herein spend but time,

To wind about my love with circumstance;

And, out of doubt, you do me now more wrong,
In making question of my uttermost,

Than if you had made wafte of all I have.
Then do but fay to me, what I should do,
That in your knowledge may by me be done,
And I am prefs'd unto it: therefore, fpeak.

Baff. In Belmont is a lady richly left,
And the is fair, and, fairer than that word,
Of wond'rous virtues. Sometimes from her
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

eyes