Autonio, the Merchant of Venice.

Bassanio, his friend.

Salanio,
Salarino,

Gratiano,

}

Friends to Antonio and Bassanie.

Lorenzo, in love with Jessica.

Shylock, a Jew:

Tubal, a Jew, his friend.

Launcelot Gobbo, a clown, servant to Shylock. Old Gobbo, father to Launcelot.

Salerio, a messenger from Venice,

Leonardo, servant to Bassanio.

Magnificoes of Venice, Officers of the Court of Justice, Jailer, Servants, and other Attendants.

SCENE, partly at Venice, and partly at Belmont, the Seat of Portia, on the Continent.

ACT I

SCENE I.

1 Venice. A Street.

Enter ANTONIO, SALARINO, and SALANIO.

Ant. In sooth, I know not why I am so sad;
It wearies me; you say, 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 such a want wit sadness makes of me,
That I have much ado to know myself.

Salar. Your mind is tossing on the ocean;
There, where your argosies with portly sail,
Like signiors and rich burghers of the flood,
Or as it were the pageants of the sea,
Do overpeer the petty traffickers,

That curt'sy to them, do them reverence,

As they fly by them with their woven wings.. Salan. Believe me, Sir, had I such venture forth,

The better part of my affections would

Be with my hopes abroad. I should be still
Plucking the grass, to know were sits the wind;
Peering in maps, for ports, and piers, and roads;
And every object, that might make me fear
Misfortune to my ventures, out of doubt,
Would make me sad.

Salar. My wind, cooling my broth,
Would blow me to an ague, when I thought
What harm a wind too great might do at sea.
I should not see the sandy hourglass run,
But I should think of shallows and of flats;
And see my wealthy Andrew dock'd in sand,
Vailing her high-top lower than her ribs,
To kiss her burial. Should I go to church,
And see the holy edifice of stone,

And not bethink me straight of dangerous rocks?
Which touching but my gentle vessel's side,'
Would scatter all her spices on the stream;
Eurobe the roaring waters with my silks;
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, bechauc'd, would make me sad?

But, tell not me: I know, Antonio

Is sad to think upon his merchandize.

Ant. 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 sað.“ Salan. Why then you are in love.

Ant. Fie, fie!

Salan. Not in love neither? Then let's say,

Because you are not
For you, to laugh,

Because you are not

merry: and 'twere as easy and leap, and say, you are merry,

sad. Now, by two-headed Janus,

Nature hath fram'd strange fellows in her time:

Some that will evermore peep through their eyess And laugh, like parrots, at a bag-piper;

And other of such vinegar aspect,

That they'll not show their teeth in way of smile,

Though Nestor swear the jest be laughable.

Enter BASSANIO, LORENZO, and Gratiano. Salan. Here comes Bassanio, your most noble kinsman,

Gratiano, and Lorenzo: Fare you well;
We leave you now with better company.

Salar. I would have staid till I had made you merry,

If worthier friends had not prevented me.
Ant. Your worth is very dear in my regard.
I take it, your own business calls on you,
And you embrace the occasion to depart.
Salar. Good morrow, my good Lords.
Bass. Good Siguiors both, when shall we laugh?
Say, when?

You grow exceeding strange; Must it be so?
Salar. We'll make our leisures to attend on

yours.

[Exeunt SALARINO and SALANIÓ. Lor. My Lord Bassanio, since you have found Antonio,

We two will leave you: but, at dinner time,
I pray you, have in mind where we must meet.
Bass. I will not fail you.

Gra. You look not well, Signior Antonio ;
You have too much respect upon the world;
They lose it, that do buy it with much care.
Believe me, you are marvellously chang'd.

Ant. I hold the world but as the world, Gra

tiano;

Asstage, where every man must play a part,
And mine a sad 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, whose blood is warm within,
Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster?

Sleep when he wakes? and creep into the jaundice
By being peevish? I tell thee what, Antonio,
I love thee, and it is my love that speaks;
There are a sort of men, whose visages
Do cream and mantle, like a standing pond;
And do a wilful stillness entertain,

With purpose to be dress'd in an opinion
Of wisdom, gravity, profound conceit;
As who should say, I am Sir Oracle,
And, when I ope my lips, let no dog bark!
O, my Antonio, I do know of these,
That therefore only are reputed wise,

For saying nothing; who, I am very sure,

If they should speak, would almost damn those ears, Which hearing them, would call their brothers, fools.

I'll tell thee more of this another time:

But fish 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 same dumb wise men,
For Gratiano never lets me speak.

Gra. Well, keep me company but two years more, Thou shalt not know the sound of thine own

tongue.