Let no such man be trusted.-Mark the music. Enter PORTIA and NERISSA, at a distance. Ner. When the moon shone, we did not see the candle. Ner. It is your music, madam, of the house. How many things by season season'd are Lor. That is the voice, Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia. [Music ceases. Por. He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckoo, By the bad voice. Lor. Dear lady, welcome home. Por. We have been praying for our husbands' welfare, Which speed, we hope, the better for our words. Are they return'd? Lor. Madam, they are not yet; But there is come a messenger before, Por. Go in, Nerissa, Give order to my servants, that they take No note at all of our being absent hence ;— Nor you, Lorenzo;-Jessica, nor you. [A tucket sounds. Lor. Your husband is at hand, I hear his trumpet: -We are no tell-tales, madam; fear you not. Por. This night, methinks, is but the daylight sick, [3] Not absolutely good, but relatively good as it is modified by circum-stances. JOHNSON. [4] Toccata, Ital. a flourish on a trumpet. STEEVENS. It looks a little paler; 'tis a day, Such as the day is when the sun is hid. Enter BASSANIO, ANTONIO, GRATIANO, and their followers. Bass. We should hold day with the Antipodes, Por. Let me give light, but let me not be light; But God sort all!-You are welcome home, my lord. friend. -This is the man, this is Antonio, To whom I am so infinitely bound. to my Por. You should in all sense be much bound to him, For, as I hear, he was much bound for you. Ant. No more than I am well acquitted of. Therefore, I scant this breathing courtesy. [GRATIANO and NERISSA seem to talk apart. Gra. By yonder moon, I swear, you do me wrong; In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk: Would he were gelt that had it, for my part, Since you do take it, love, so much at heart. Por. A quarrel, ho, already? what's the matter? That she did give me ; whose posy was Ner. What talk you of the posy, or the value ? That you would wear it till your hour of death; [5] If you would always walk in the night, it would be day with us, as it is now on the other side of the globe. MALONE. [6] Knives. as Sir J. Hawkins observes, were formerly inscribed by means of aqua fortis, with short sentences in distich. In Decker's Satiromastix Sir Edward Vaughan says, "You shall swear by Phebus, who is your good poets' lord and master, that hereafter you will not hire Horace to give you poesies for rings, or handkerchers, or knives, which you understand not." REED. [7] Respective has the same meaning as respectful. STEEVENS. 8 VOL. II. Gave it a judge's clerk !-but well I know, The clerk will ne'er wear hair on his face that had it. Gra. He will, an if he live to be a man. Ner. Ay, if a woman live to be a man. Gra. Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth, A kind of boy; a little scrubbed boy, No higher than thyself, the judge's clerk; I could not for my heart deny it him. Por. You were to blame, I must be plain with you, To part so slightly with your wife's first gift ; A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger, And rivetted so with faith unto your flesh. I gave my love a ring, and made him swear Never to part with it; and here he stands ; I dare be sworn for him, he would not leave it, Nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth That the world masters. Now, in faith, Gratiano, You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief; An 'twere to me, I should be mad at it. Bass. Why, I were best to cut my left hand off, And swear, I lost the ring defending it. Gra. My lord Bassanio gave his ring away Unto the judge that begg'd it, and, indeed, Deserv'd it too; and then the boy, his clerk, That took some pains in writing, he begg'd mine And neither man, nor master, would take aught But the two rings. Por. What ring gave you, my lord? Not that, I hope, which you receiv'd from me I would deny it; but you see, my finger Hath not the ring upon it, it is gone. Por. Even so void is your false heart of truta, By heaven, I will ne'er come in your bed Until I see the ring. Ner. Nor I in yours, Till I again see mine. If you did know to whom I gave the ring, When nought would be accepted but the ring, [Aside. You would abate the strength of your displeasure. Who did refuse three thousand ducats of me, Even he that had held up the very life Of my dear friend. What should I say, sweet lady? I was enforc'd to send it after him; I was beset with shame and courtesy ; My honour would not let ingratitude So much besmear it: Pardon me, good lady; Had you been there, I think, you would have begg'd The ring of me to give the worthy doctor. Por. Let not that doctor e'er come near my house : Since he hath got the jewel that I lov'd, And that which you did swear to keep for me, I'll not deny him any thing I have, No, not my body, nor my husband's bed: Know him I shall, I am well sure of it: Lie not a night from home; watch me, like Argus : Now, by mine honour, which is yet my own, I'll have that doctor for my bed fellow. Ner. And I his clerk; therefore be well advis'd, How you do leave me to mine own protection. Gra. Well, do you so: let not me take him then ; For, if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen. Ant. I am the unhappy subject of these quarrels. Por. Sir, grieve not you; You are welcome notwithstanding. Bass. Portia, forgive me this enforced wrong; And, in the hearing of these many friends, I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes, Por. Mark you but that! In both my eyes he doubly sees himself: Bass. Nay, but hear me : Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear, Ant. I once did lend my body for his wealth;8 Por. Then you shall be his surety: Give him this; And bid him keep it better than the other. Ant. Here, lord Bassanio; swear to keep this ring. Bass. By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor! Por. I had it of him: pardon me Bassanio; For by this ring the doctor lay with me. Ner. And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano; For that same scrubbed boy, the doctor's clerk, In lieu of this, last night did lie with me. Gra. Why, this is like the mending of highways In summer, where the ways are fair enough: What are we cuckolds, ere we have deserv'd it? Por. Speak not so grossly.-You are all amaz'd : Here is a letter, read it at your leisure; It comes from Padua, from Bellario: There you shall find, that Portia was the doctor; Shall witness, I set forth as soon as you, You shall not know by what strange accident [8] For his advantage; to obtain his happiness. Wealth was, at that time, the term opposite to adversity or calamity. JOH.- -So, in The Litany In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our wealth." STEEV. |