She doth stray about36
By holy crosses37, where she kneels and prays
For happy wedlock hours.
LORENZO Who comes with her?
STEPHANO None but a holy hermit and her maid.
I pray you is my master yet returned?
LORENZO He is not, nor we have not heard from him.
But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica,
And ceremoniously let us prepare
Some welcome for the mistress of the house.
Enter Clown [Lancelet]
LANCELET Sola46, sola! Wo ha, ho! Sola, sola!
LORENZO Who calls?
LANCELET Sola! Did you see Master Lorenzo?
And Master Lorenzo, sola, sola!
LORENZO Leave hollowing50, man! Here.
LANCELET Sola! Where, where?
LORENZO Here.
LANCELET Tell him there’s a post53 come from my master, with
his horn54 full of good news: my master will be here ere
morning.
[Exit]
LORENZO Sweet soul, let’s in56, and there expect their coming.
And yet no matter. Why should we go in?
My friend Stephano, signify58, pray you,
Within the house, your mistress is at hand,
And bring your music60 forth into the air.
[Exit Stephano]
How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
Here will we sit and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears. Soft stillness and the night
Become64 the touches of sweet harmony.
Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven65
They sit
Is thick inlaid with patens66 of bright gold.
There’s not the smallest orb67 which thou behold’st
But in his motion68 like an angel sings,
Still choiring69 to the young-eyed cherubins;
Such harmony is in immortal souls,
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay71
Doth grossly72 close it in, we cannot hear it.
[Enter Musicians]
Come, ho, and wake Diana73 with a hymn!
With sweetest touches pierce your mistress’ ear,
And draw her home with music.
JESSICA I am never merry when I hear sweet music.
Play music
LORENZO The reason is, your spirits77 are attentive.
For do but note a wild and wanton78 herd
Or race79 of youthful and unhandled colts,
Fetching80 mad bounds, bellowing and neighing loud,
Which is the hot condition81 of their blood.
If they but82 hear perchance a trumpet sound,
Or any air83 of music touch their ears,
You shall perceive them make a mutual stand84,
Their savage eyes turned to a modest gaze
By the sweet power of music: therefore the poet86
Did feign87 that Orpheus drew trees, stones and floods,
Since nought so stockish88, hard and full of rage,
But music for time doth change his nature.
The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems92 and spoils.
The motions93 of his spirit are dull as night
And his affections94 dark as Erebus.
Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.
Enter Portia and Nerissa
PORTIA That light we see is burning in my hall.
How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty98 world.
NERISSA When the moon shone, we did not see the candle.
PORTIA So doth the greater glory dim the less.
A substitute shines brightly as a king
Until a king be by102, and then his state
Empties itself, as doth an inland brook
Into the main of waters104. Music! Hark!
Music
NERISSA It is your music, madam, of the house.
PORTIA Nothing is good, I see, without respect106.
Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day.
NERISSA Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam.
PORTIA The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark
When neither is attended110, and I think
The nightingale, if she should sing by day,
When every goose is cackling, would be thought
No better a musician than the wren.
How many things by season114 seasoned are
To their right praise and true perfection!
Peace, ho! The moon sleeps with Endymion116
And would not be awaked.
Music ceases
LORENZO That is the voice,
Or I am much deceived, of Portia.
PORTIA He knows me as the blind man knows the cuckoo,
By the bad voice.
LORENZO Dear lady, welcome home.
PORTIA We have been praying for our husbands’ welfare,
Which speed124, we hope, the better for our words.
Are they returned?
LORENZO Madam, they are not yet,
But there is come a messenger before127,
To signify their coming.
PORTIA 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 tucket132 sounds
LORENZO Your husband is at hand. I hear his trumpet.
We are no telltales, madam; fear you not.
PORTIA 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.
Enter Bassanio, Antonio, Gratiano and their followers
BASSANIO We should hold day with the Antipodes138,
If you would walk in absence of the sun139.
PORTIA Let me give light, but let me not be light140,
For a light wife doth make a heavy141 husband,
And never be Bassanio so for me,
But God sort143 all! You are welcome home, my lord.
BASSANIO I thank you, madam. Give welcome to my friend.
This is the man, this is Antonio,
To whom I am so infinitely bound.
PORTIA You should in all sense be much bound to him,
For, as I hear, he was much bound148 for you.
ANTONIO No more than I am well acquitted of149.
PORTIA Sir, you are very welcome to our house.
It must appear in other ways than words:
Therefore I scant152 this breathing courtesy.
GRATIANO By yonder moon I swear you do me wrong.
To Nerissa
In faith, I gave it to the judge’s clerk.
Would he were gelt155 that had it, for my part,
Since you do take it, love, so much at156 heart.
PORTIA A quarrel, ho, already? What’s the matter?
GRATIANO About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring
That she did give me, whose posy159 was
For all the world like cutler’s poetry
Upon a knife, ‘Love me, and leave me not.’
NERISSA What talk you of the posy or the value?
You swore to me when I did give it you,
That you would wear it till the hour of death
And that it should lie with you in your grave.
Though166 not for me, yet for your vehement oaths,
You should have been respective167 and have kept it.
Gave it a judge’s clerk! But well I know
The clerk will ne’er wear hair on’s face that had it.
GRATIANO He will, an if he live to be a man.
NERISSA Ay, if a woman live to be a man.
GRATIANO Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth,
A kind of boy, a little scrubbèd173 boy,
No higher than thyself, the judge’s clerk,
A prating175 boy, that begged it as a fee.
I could not for my heart deny it him.
PORTIA You were to blame—I must be plain with you—
To part so slightly178 with your wife’s first gift.
A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger
And so riveted180 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 masters185. Now, in faith, Gratiano,
You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief.
An ’twere to me, I should be mad187 at it.
BASSANIO Why, I were best to cut my left hand off
Aside
And swear I lost the ring defending it.
GRATIANO My lord Bassanio gave his ring away
Unto the judge that begged it and indeed
Deserved it too. And then the boy, his clerk,
That took some pains in writing, he begged mine,
And neither man nor master would take aught
But the two rings.
PORTIA What ring gave you my lord?
Not that, I hope, which you received of me.
BASSANIO If I could add a lie unto a fault,
I would deny it. But you see my finger
Hath not the ring upon it. It is gone.
PORTIA Even so void is your false heart of truth.
By heaven, I will ne’er come in your bed
Until I see the ring.
NERISSA Nor I in yours till I again see mine.
BASSANIO Sweet Portia,
If you did know to whom I gave the ring,
If you did know for whom I gave the ring,
And would conceive208 for what I gave the ring,
And how unwillingly I left the ring,
When nought would be accepted but the ring,
You would abate the strength of your displeasure.
PORTIA If you had known the virtue212 of the ring,
Or half her worthiness that gave the ring,
Or your own honour to contain214 the ring,
You would not then have parted with the ring.
What man is there so much unreasonable,
If217 you had pleased to have defended it
With any terms of zeal, wanted218 the modesty
To urge219 the thing held as a ceremony?
Nerissa teaches me what to believe:
I’ll die for’t but some woman had the ring.
BASSANIO No, by mine honour, madam, by my soul,
No woman had it, but a civil doctor223,
Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me
And begged the ring; the which I did deny him
And suffered226 him to go displeased away—
Even he that had held up227 the very life
Of my dear friend. What should I say, sweet lady?
I was enforced to send it after him.
I was beset with shame and courtesy.
My honour would not let ingratitude
So much besmear it232. Pardon me, good lady!
And by these blessèd candles of the night233,
Had you been there, I think you would have begged
The ring of me to give the worthy doctor.
PORTIA Let not that doctor e’er come near my house.
Since he hath got the jewel that I loved,
And that which you did swear to keep for me,
I will become as liberal239 as you.
I’ll not deny him anything I have,
No, not my body nor my husband’s bed.
Know242 him I shall, I am well sure of it.
Lie not a night from home. Watch me like Argus243.
If you do not, if I be left alone,
Now, by mine honour245, which is yet mine own,
I’ll have the doctor for my bedfellow.
NERISSA And I his clerk: therefore be well advised247
How you do leave me to mine own protection.
GRATIANO Well, do you so. Let not me take249 him, then.
For if I do, I’ll mar250 the young clerk’s pen.
ANTONIO I am th’unhappy251 subject of these quarrels.
PORTIA Sir, grieve not you. You are welcome
notwithstanding.
BASSANIO Portia, forgive me this enforcèd wrong,
And in the hearing of these many friends,
I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes,
Wherein I see myself—
PORTIA Mark you but that!
In both my eyes he doubly sees himself258.
In each eye, one. Swear by your double259 self,
And there’s an oath of credit260.
BASSANIO Nay, but hear me.
Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear
I never more will break an oath with thee.
ANTONIO I once did lend my body for thy wealth,—
To Bassanio
Which, but for him that had your husband’s ring,
To Portia
Had quite miscarried266. I dare be bound again,
My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord
Will never more break faith advisedly268.
PORTIA Then you shall be his surety269. Give him this
She gives Antonio the ring
And bid him keep it better than the other.
ANTONIO Here, Lord Bassanio. Swear to keep this ring.
BASSANIO By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor!
PORTIA I had it of him. Pardon, Bassanio,
For, by this ring, the doctor lay with274 me.
NERISSA And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano,
For that same scrubbèd boy, the doctor’s clerk,
In lieu of277 this last night did lie with me.
Shows her ring
GRATIANO Why, this is like the mending of highways
In summer, where the ways are fair279 enough.
What, are we cuckolds280 ere we have deserved it?
PORTIA Speak not so grossly281. You are all amazed.
Here is a letter, read it at your leisure.
She gives a letter
It comes from Padua, from Bellario.
There you shall find that Portia was the doctor,
Nerissa there her clerk. Lorenzo here
Shall witness I set forth as soon as you,
And but e’en287 now returned. I have not yet
Entered my house. Antonio, you are welcome,
And I have better news in store for you
Than you expect. Unseal this letter soon.
Gives him a letter
There you shall find three of your argosies
Are richly292 come to harbour suddenly:
You shall not know by what strange accident
I chancèd on this letter.
ANTONIO I am dumb295.
BASSANIO Were you the doctor and I knew you not?
GRATIANO Were you the clerk that is to make me cuckold?
NERISSA Ay, but the clerk that never means to do it,
Unless he live until he be a man.
BASSANIO Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow.
When I am absent, then lie with my wife.
ANTONIO Sweet lady, you have given me life and living302;
For here I read for certain that my ships
Are safely come to road304.
PORTIA How now, Lorenzo?
My clerk hath some good comforts too for you.
NERISSA Ay, and I’ll give them him without a fee.
There do I give to you and Jessica,
From the rich Jew, a special deed of gift,
After his death, of all he dies possessed of.
LORENZO Fair ladies, you drop manna311 in the way
Of starvèd people.
PORTIA It is almost morning,
And yet I am sure you are not satisfied
Of these events at full314. Let us go in,
And charge us there upon inter’gatories316,
And we will answer all things faithfully.
GRATIANO Let it be so. The first inter’gatory318
That my Nerissa shall be sworn on319 is,
Whether till the next night she had rather stay320,
Or go to bed now, being two hours to day.
But were the day come, I should wish it dark,
Till I were couching323 with the doctor’s clerk.
Well, while I live I’ll fear no other thing
So sore325 as keeping safe Nerissa’s ring.
Exeunt
TEXTUAL NOTES
Q = First Quarto text of 1600
Q2 = Second Quarto text of 1619
F = First Folio text of 1623
F2 = a correction introduced in the Second Folio text of 1632
Ed = a correction introduced by a later editor
SD = stage direction
SH = speech heading (i.e.
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