Since nought so stockish, hard, and full of rage, The motions of his spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted.-Mark the music. [Music again. Enter PORTIA and NERISSA, at a distance. Por. That light we see is burning in my hall. How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. Ner. When the moon shone, we did not see the candle. Ner. It is your music, madam, of the house. The nightingale, if she should sing by day, How many things by season season'd are To their right praise, and true perfection!— Peace! now the moon sleeps with Endymion', [Music ceases. And would not be awak'd! Lor. That is the voice, Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia. Por. He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckoo, By the bad voice. Lor. Dear lady, welcome home. "" "Now seems to have been 7 Peace! Now the moon sleeps with Endymion,] misprinted how in the old copies, and modern editors, not knowing what to do with it, have usually converted it into an interjection ho! Portia is assigning a reason for the cessation of the music, viz. because it will awake the moon now sleeping with Endymion. The emendation of how to "now" is made in the corr. fo. 1632. Por. We have been praying for our husbands' welfare, Which speed, we hope, the better for our words. Give order to my servants, that they take [A tucket sounded'. 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; It looks a little paler: 'tis a day, Such as the day is when the sun is hid. If Enter BASSANIO, ANTONIO, GRATIANO, and their Followers. Bass. We should hold day with the Antipodes, you will walk in absence of the sun. Por. Let me give light, but let me not be light; For a light wife doth make a heavy husband, And never be Bassanio so for me: But God sort all!-You are welcome home, my lord. Bass. I thank you, madam. Give welcome to my friend: This is the man, this is Antonio, To whom I am so infinitely bound. 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. Por. Sir, you are very welcome to our house: It must appear in other ways than words; Gra. [To NERISSA.] 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. 8 Por. A quarrel, ho, already! what's the matter? for our husbands' WELFARE,] The 4to. by Roberts has health; while the 4to. by Heyes and the folio concur in "welfare." 9A TUCKET Sounded.] From the Italian toccata, which Florio, in his "World of Words," 1611, construes a prelude in music; but in general toccata means only a touch, a trial. Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring Ner. What talk you of the poesy, or the value ? Ner. Ay, if a woman live to be a man. Gra. Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth, I could not for my heart deny it him. Por. You were to blame, I must be plain with you, Bass. [Aside.] 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, That took some pains in writing, he begg'd mine; 1 That she did give To me ;] The preposition is from the corr. fo. 1632, and is necessary to the line: it had most likely dropped out in the press. 2 - like cutlers' poetry] i. e. The poetry cutlers inscribed upon knives. 3 - till YOUR hour of death,] The folio, 1623, reads "till the hour of death:" both quartos "your." 4 no, God's my judge,] This is the oldest reading, as it stands in the two quartos. The folio, perhaps in consequence of the statute of James I., substituted "but well I know." And neither man, nor master, would take aught Por. What ring, gave you, my lord? Not that, I hope, which you receiv'd of me. Bass. If I could add a lie unto a fault, I would deny it; but you see, my finger Por: Even so void is your false heart of truth. Until I see the ring. Ner. Till I again see mine. Nor I in your's, Sweet Portia, Bass. Bass. No, by mine honour, madam, by my soul, No woman had it; but a civil doctor, Which 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? 5 Or your own honour to CONTAIN the ring,] So all the old copies and rightly, "contain" having been used in Shakespeare's time for retain, to which it was altered in the corr. fo. 1632. This was a change of language introduced between the date when the play was written, and when the old corrector inserted his emendations, an interval of about half a century. 6 to go displeas'd away,] The 4to. by Roberts, inverts the order of the words, reading, "away displeas'd." I was enforc'd to send it after him: I was beset with shame and courtesy; So much besmear it. Pardon me, good lady, Had you been there, I think, you would have begg'd Por. Let not that doctor e'er come near my house. 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. Lie not a night from home; watch me like Argus; Now, by mine honour, which is yet mine own, Ner. And I his clerk; therefore, be well advis'd Gra. Well, do you so: let not me take him, then; For, if I do, I'll mar the clerk's pen. young Ant. I am th' unhappy subject of these quarrels. Por. Sir, grieve not you; you are welcome notwithstanding. 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; In each eye, one :-swear by your double self, Bass. I never more will break an oath with thee. Ant. I once did lend my body for his wealth, 8 7 I'll have THAT doctor] Folio, 1623, "I'll have the doctor." |