Something too liberal;-pray thee, take pain

To allay with some cold drops of modesty
Thy skipping spirit; lest, through thy wild behaviour,

I be misconstrued in the place I go to,

And lose my hopes.

Gra. Signior Bassanio, hear me:

If I do not put on a sober habit,

Talk with respect, and swear but now and then,
Wear prayer-books in my pocket, look demurely;
Nay more, while grace is saying, hood mine eyes
Thus with my hat, and sigh, and say, amen;

Use all the observance of civility,

Like one well studied in a sad ostent

To please his grandam, never trust me more.
Bass. Well, we shall see your bearing.

Gra. Nay, but I bar to-night; you shall not gage

me

By what we do to-night.

Bass. No, that were pity;

I would entreat you rather to put on

Your boldest suit of mirth, for we have friends,

That purpose merriment: But fare you well,
I have some business.

Gra. And I must to Lorenzo, and the rest;
But we will visit you at supper-time.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III. The same. A room in SHYLOCK's house.

Enter JESSICA and LAUNCELOT.

Jes. I am sorry, thou wilt leave my father so; Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil,

Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness:
But fare thee well; there is a ducat for thee.
And, Launcelot, soon at supper shalt thou see
Lorenzo, who is thy new master's guest:

Give him this letter; do it secretly,

And so farewell; I would not have my father
See me talk with thee.

Laun. Adieu!-tears exhibit my tongue.Most beautiful pagan, most sweet Jew! If a Christian do not play the knave, and get thee, I am much deceived: But, adieu! these foolish drops do somewhat drown my manly spirit; adieu!

[Exit.

Jes. Farewell, good Launcelot.-
Alack, what heinous sin is it in me,
To be asham'd to be my father's child !
But though I am a daughter to his blood,
I am not to his manners: O Lorenzo,
If thou keep promise, I shall end this strife;
Become a Christian, and thy loving wife.

[Exit.

SCENE IV. The same. A street.

Enter GRATIANO, LORENZO, SALARINO, and
SALANIO.

Lor. Nay, we will slink away at supper-time;
Disguise us at my lodging, and return
All in an hour.

Gra. We have not made good preparation.
Salar. We have not spoke us yet of torch-bearers.

Salan. 'Tis vile, unless it may be quaintly order'd;

And better, in my mind, not undertook.

Lor. 'Tis now but four o'clock; we have two hours

To furnish us:

Enter LAUNCELOT, with a letter.

Friend Launcelot, what's the news?

Laun. An it shall please you to break up this, it shall seem to signify.

Lor. I know the hand: in faith, 'tis a fair hand; And whiter than the paper, it writ on,

Is the fair hand, that writ.

Gra. Love-news, in faith.
Laun. By your leave, sir.
Lor. Whither goest thou ?

Laun. Marry, sir, to bid my old master the Jew to

sup to-night with my new master the Christian.

Lor. Hold here, take this :-tell gentle Jessica,

I will not fail her;-speak it privately; go.-
Gentlemen,

[Exit LAUNCELOT.

Will you prepare you for this masque to-night?
I am provided of a torch-bearer.

Salar. Ay, marry, I'll be gone about it straight.
Salan. And so will I.

Lor. Meet me, and Gratiano,

At Gratiano's lodging some hour hence.

Salar. 'Tis good we do so.

[Exeunt SALAR. and SALAN.

Gra. Was not that letter from fair Jessica ?

Lor. I must needs tell thee all: She hath directed,

How I shall take her from her father's house;
What gold, and jewels, she is furnish'd with;
What page's suit she hath in readiness.
If e'er the Jew her father come to heaven,
It will be for his gentle daughter's sake :

And never dare misfortune cross her foot,
Unless she do it under this excuse,-

That she is issue to a faithless Jew.

Come, go with me; peruse this, as thou goest :
Fair Jessica shall be my torch-bearer.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.-The same. Before SHYLOCK's house.

Enter SHYLOCK and LAUNCELOT.

Shy. Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy judge,

The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio:
What, Jessica!-thou shalt not gormandize,
As thou hast done with me;- What, Jessica!-
And sleep and snore, and rend apparel out ;-
Why, Jessica, I say!

Laun. Why, Jessica!

Shy. Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call. Laun. Your worship was wont to tell me, I could do nothing without bidding.

Enter JESSICA.

Jes. Call you? What is your will?

Shy. I am bid forth to supper, Jessica;
There are my keys:-But wherefore should I go?
I am not bid for love; they flatter me:
But yet I'll go in hate, to feed upon
The prodigal Christian.-Jessica, my girl,
Look to my house :-I am right loath to go;
There is some ill a brewing towards my rest,
For I did dream of money-bags to-night.

Laun. I beseech you, sir, go; my young master doth

expect your reproach. Shy. So do I his.

Laun. And they have conspired together, I will not say, you shall see a masque; but if you do, then it was not for nothing that my nose fell a bleeding on Black-Monday last, at six o'clock i'the morning, falling out that year on Ash-Wednesday was four year in the

afternoon.

Shy. What! are there masques? Hear you me, Jes

sica:

Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum,
And the vile squeaking of the wry-neck'd fife,
Clamber not you up to the casements then,
Nor thrust your head into the publick street,
To gaze on Christian fools with varnish'd faces:
But stop my house's ears, I mean my casements;
Let not the sound of shallow foppery enter
My sober house. --By Jacob's staff I swear,
I have no mind of feasting forth to-night:
But I will go.-Go you before me, sirrah;
Say, I will come.

Laun. I will go before, sir.-
Mistress, look out at a window, for all this;
There will come a Christian by,
Will be worth a Jewess' eye.

[Exit LAUN.

Shy. What says that fool of Hagar's offspring, ha ! Jes. His words were, Farewell, mistress; nothing

else.

Shy. The patch is kind enough; but a huge feeder, Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day More than the wild-cat; drones hive not with me;