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Deat. Why, then, my coufin, Margaret, and Urfula, Have been deceiv'd; for they did fwear you did. Bene. They fwore you were almost fick for me. Beat. They fwore you were well-nigh dead for me. Bene. 'Tis no matter; then you do not love me? Beat, No, truly, but in friendly recompence.

Leon. Come, coufin, I am fure you love the gentle

man.

Claud. And I'll be fworn upon't that he loves her ; For here's a paper written in his hand,

A halting fonnet of his own pure brain,
Fashion'd to Beatrice.

Hero. And here's another,

Writ in my coufin's hand, stolen from her pocket,
Containing her affection unto Benedick.

Bene. A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts; come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take thee for pity.

Beat. I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield upon great perfuafion, and partly to fave your life; for, as I was told, you were in a confumption. Bene. Peace, I will ftop your mouth.

[Kiffing her. Pedro. How doft thou, Benedick, the married man? Bene. I'll tell thee what, Prince; a college of witcrackers cannot flout me out of my humour. Doft thou think I care for a fatyr, or an epigram? No: " If a "man will be beaten with brains, he fhall wear no"thing handfome about him." In brief, fince I do

purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can fay against it; and therefore never flout at me for what I have faid against it; for man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclufion. For thy part, Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee; but in that thou art like to be my kinsman, live unbruis'd, and love my coufin.

Claud, I had well hoped thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, that I might have cudgell'd thee out of thy fingle life, to make thee a double dealer; which, out of queftion, thou wilt be, if my coufin do not look exceeding narrowly to thee.

Bene. Come, come, we are friends; let's have a

dance

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

Leon. We'll have dancing afterwards.

Bene. Firft, 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.

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

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

The

The MERCHANT of VENICE.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

fuiters

DUKE of Venice.
Morochius, a
Moorish prince, to Por-
Prince of Arragon, tia.
Anthonio the merchant of
Venice.

Baflanio, his friend, in love
with Portia.

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Portia, an heires of great quality and fortune.

Salanio, friends to An-Neriffa, confident to Portia.

Solarino, thonio and Baf-
Gratiano, fanio.

Lorenzo, in love with Jefica.
Shylock, a Jew.

Tubal, a few, his friend.
Launcelot, a clown, fervant
to the Jew.

Jeftica, daughter to Shylock.

Senators of Venice, officers, Jailor, Servants, and other Attendants.

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

feat of

Anth.

ACTI.

SCENE I.

A ftreet in Venice.

Enter Anthonio, Solarino, and Salanio.

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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 stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,
I am to learn

And fuch a want-wit sadness 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,

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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 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 fea.
I fhould not fee the fandy hour-glafs run,
But I fhould 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 fpices 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 thall 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 estate
Upon the fortune of this present 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 easy 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 strange fellows in her time: "Some that will evermore peep through their eyes, VOL. II.

K

"And

"And laugh, like parrots, at a bag-piper;

"And others of fuch vinegar-afpect,

"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 kinsman, 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.
Bal. I will not fail you.

t

[Exeunt Solar. and Sala. Gra. You look not well, Signior Anthonio; You have too much respect upon the world: They lose it, that do buy it with much care. Bélieve me you are marvellously change'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 fhould a man, whose 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 ftillness entertain,

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