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GOBBO Here’s my son sir, a poor boy.
LAUNCELOT Not a poor boy sir, but the rich Jew’s man
that would sir as my father shall specify.
GOBBO He hath a great infection sir, (as one would say)
to serve.
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LAUNCELOT Indeed the short and the long is, I serve
the Jew, and have a desire as my father shall specify.
GOBBO His master and he (saving your worship’s
reverence) are scarce cater-cousins, –
LAUNCELOT To be brief, the very truth is, that the Jew
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having done me wrong, doth cause me as my father
(being I hope an old man) shall frutify unto you.
GOBBO I have here a dish of doves that I would bestow
upon you worship, and my suit is –
LAUNCELOT In very brief, the suit is impertinent to
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myself, as your worship shall know by this honest old
man, and though I say it, though old man, yet (poor man) my father.
BASSANIO One speak for both, what would you?
LAUNCELOT Serve you sir.
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GOBBO That is the very defect of the matter sir.
BASSANIO
I know thee well, thou hast obtain’d thy suit, –
Shylock thy master spoke with me this day,
And hath preferr’d thee, if it be preferment
To leave a rich Jew’s service, to become
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The follower of so poor a gentleman.
LAUNCELOT The old proverb is very well parted be
tween my master Shylock and you sir, you have ‘the
grace of God’ sir, and he hath ‘enough’.
BASSANIO
Thou speak’st it well; go father with thy son –
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Take leave of thy old master, and inquire
My lodging out, –
[to his followers] give him a livery
More guarded than his fellows’: see it done.
LAUNCELOT Father in, – I cannot get a service, no! I
have ne’er a tongue in my head: well, if any man in
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Italy have a fairer table which doth offer to swear upon
a book, I shall have good fortune; go to, here’s a simple
line of life, here’s a small trifle of wives, – alas! fifteen
wives is nothing, aleven widows and nine maids is a
simple coming-in for one man, and then to scape
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drowning thrice, and to be in peril of my life with the
edge of a feather-bed, here are simple scapes: well, if
Fortune be a woman she’s a good wench for this gear:
father come, I’ll take my leave of the Jew in the
twinkling. Exit with Old Gobbo.
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BASSANIO I pray thee good Leonardo think on this, –
These things being bought and orderly bestowed
Return in haste, for I do feast to-night
My best-esteem’d acquaintance, hie thee go.
LEONARDO My best endeavours shall be done herein.
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[He leaves Bassanio.]
Enter GRATIANO.
GRATIANO Where’s your master?
LEONARDO Yonder sir he walks. Exit.
GRATIANO Signior Bassanio!
BASSANIO Gratiano!
GRATIANO I have suit to you.
BASSANIO You have obtain’d it.
GRATIANO
You must not deny me, I must go with you to Belmont.
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BASSANIO
Why then you must – but hear thee Gratiano,
Thou art too wild, too rude, and bold of voice,
Parts that become thee happily enough,
And in such eyes as ours appear not faults –
But where thou art not known; – why there they show
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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 misconst’red in the place I go to,
And lose my hopes.
GRATIANO Signior Bassanio, hear me, –
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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’:
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Use all the observance of civility
Like one well studied in a sad ostent
To please his grandam, never trust me more.
BASSANIO Well, we shall see your bearing.
GRATIANO
Nay but I bar to-night, you shall not gauge me
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By what we do to-night.
BASSANIO 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.
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GRATIANO And I must to Lorenzo and the rest,
But we will visit you at supper-time. Exeunt.
2.3 Enter JESSICA and LAUNCELOT the clown.
JESSICA 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
5
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 in talk with thee.
LAUNCELOT Adieu! tears exhibit my tongue, most
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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 something drown my
manly spirit: adieu! Exit.
JESSICA Farewell good Launcelot.
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Alack, what heinous sin is it in me
To be ashamed 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,
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Become a Christian and thy loving wife! Exit.
2.4 Enter GRATIANO, LORENZO, SALERIO and SOLANIO.
LORENZO Nay, we will slink away in supper-time,
Disguise us at my lodging, and return
All in an hour.
GRATIANO We have not made good preparation.
SALERIO We have not spoke us yet of torch-bearers, –
5
SOLANIO ’Tis vile unless it may be quaintly ordered,
And better in my mind not undertook.
LORENZO
’Tis now but four of clock, we have two hours
To furnish us;
Enter LAUNCELOT, with a letter.
friend Launcelot what’s the news?
LAUNCELOT And it shall please you to break up this, it
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shall seem to signify.
LORENZO I know the hand, in faith ’tis a fair hand,
And whiter than the paper it writ on
Is the fair hand that writ.
GRATIANO Love-news in faith.
LAUNCELOT By your leave sir.
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LORENZO Whither goest thou?
LAUNCELOT
Marry sir to bid my old master the Jew to sup tonight
with my new master the Christian.
LORENZO Hold here – take this, tell gentle Jessica
I will not fail he
r, – speak it privately. Exit Launcelot.
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Go gentlemen,
Will you prepare you for this masque to-night?
I am provided of a torch-bearer.
SALERIO Ay marry, I’ll be gone about it straight.
SOLANIO And so will I.
LORENZO Meet me and Gratiano
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At Gratiano’s lodging some hour hence.
SALERIO ’Tis good we do so.
Exeunt Salerio and Solanio.
GRATIANO Was not that letter from fair Jessica?
LORENZO I must needs tell thee all, – she hath directed
How I shall take her from her father’s house,
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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,
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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.
2.5 Enter SHYLOCK the Jew and LAUNCELOT his man that was the clown.
SHYLOCK
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.
5
Why Jessica I say!
LAUNCELOT Why Jessica!
SHYLOCK Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.
LAUNCELOT Your worship was wont to tell me, I could
do nothing without bidding.
Enter JESSICA.
JESSICA Call you? what is your will?
10
SHYLOCK 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,
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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.
LAUNCELOT I beseech you sir go, my young master doth
expect your reproach.
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SHYLOCK So do I his.
LAUNCELOT 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’th’ morning, falling
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out that year on Ash-Wednesday was four year in
th’afternoon.
SHYLOCK
What are there masques? Hear you me Jessica,
Lock up my doors, and when you hear the drum
And the vile squealing of the wry-neck’d fife
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Clamber not you up to the casements then
Nor thrust your head into the public 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 fopp’ry enter
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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.
LAUNCELOT I will go before sir.
Mistress look out at window for all this, –
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There will come a Christian by
Will be worth a Jewes eye. Exit.
SHYLOCK
What says that fool of Hagar’s offspring? ha?
JESSICA
His words were ‘Farewell mistress,’ nothing else.
SHYLOCK
The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder,
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Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day
More than the wild-cat: drones hive not with me,
Therefore I part with him, and part with him
To one that I would have him help to waste
His borrowed purse. Well Jessica go in, –
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Perhaps I will return immediately, –
Do as I bid you, shut doors after you,
Fast bind, fast find. –
A proverb never stale in thrifty mind. Exit.
JESSICA Farewell, – and if my fortune be not crost,
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I have a father, you a daughter, lost. Exit.
2.6 Enter the masquers, GRATIANO and SALERIO.
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 366
