as this,

When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees, And they did make no noise,-in such a night, Troilus, methinks, mounted the Trojan walls, And sigh'd his soul toward the Grecian tents, Where Cressid lay that night.

JES.
In such a night,
Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew,
And saw the lion's shadow ere himself,
And ran dismay'd away.

LOR.
In such a night,
Stood Dido, with a willow in her hand,
Upon the wild sea-banks, and waft her love
To come again to Carthage.

JES.

In such a night, Medea gather'd the enchanted herbs That did renew old son.

LOR.

In such a night,

Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew,

And with an unthrift love did run from Venice,

As far as Belmont.

Did
young Lorenzo swear he lov'd her well;
Stealing her soul with many vows of faith,
And ne'er a true one.

LOR.

In such a night, Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew, Slander her love, and he forgave it her.

JES. I would out-night you, did no body come; But, hark, I hear the footing of a man.

LOR. 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 LAUNCELOT.

LAUN. Sola, sola! wo ha, ho! sola, sola!
LOR. Who calls?

LAUN. Sola! Did you see master Lorenzo, and mistress Lorenzo? sola, sola!

LOR. Leave hollaing, man; here.
LAUN. Sola! Where? where?
LOR. Here.

LAUN. Tell him there's a post come from my master, with his horn full of good news; my master will be here ere morning.

[Exit.

LOR. Sweet soul, let's in, and there expect their coming;

And yet no matter:-Why should we go in?
My friend Stephano, signify, I pray you,
Within the house, your mistress is at hand:
And bring your music 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,
Become the touches of sweet harmony.
Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven
Is thick inlaid with patines + of bright gold.
There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st,
But in his motion like an angel sings,
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins: "
Such harmony is in immortal souls ;(2)
But, whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.—

Enter Musicians.

Come, ho! and wake Diana with a hymn;
With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear,
And draw her home with music.
[Music.

JES. I am never merry when I hear sweet music.

LOR. The reason is, your spirits are attentive:

(*) First folio omits, I, and for Stephano, reads, Stephen.
(t) First folio, pattens.
(1) First folio, in it.

a Sola, sola! wo ha, ho! sola, sola!] Launcelot is imitating the horn of the courier, or "post," as he was called, who always wore that appendage suspended from his neck. Thus, in "The Untrussing of The Humourous Poet: "

"The King will hang a horn about thy neck,
And make a Post of thee."

So, also, in Ben Jonson's "Silent Woman," Act II. Sc. 2:-
"Enter Truewit with his horn.

I had no other way to get in but by feigning to be a post."

b Cherubins:] This, and not cherubims, (or, properly, cherubim,) was the frequent orthography in Shakespeare's time.

[loud,

For do but note a wild and wanton herd,
Or race of youthful and unhandled colts,
Fetching mad bounds, bellowing, and neighing
Which is the hot condition of their blood,
If they but hear, perchance, a trumpet sound,
Or
any air of music touch their ears,

poet

You shall perceive them make a mutual stand,
Their savage eyes turn'd to a modest gaze,
By the sweet power of music. Therefore, the
[floods;
Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and
Since nought so stockish, hard, and full of rage,
But music for the* time doth change his nature.
The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus:

Let no such man be trusted.-Mark the music.

Enter PORTIA and NERISSA at a distance.

POR. That light we see is burning in my hall: How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. NER. When the moon shone, we did not see the candle.

POR. So doth the greater glory dim the less: A substitute shines brightly as a king, Until a king be by; and then his state Empties itself, as doth an inland brook Into the main of waters. Music hark!

NER. It is your music, madam, of the house. POR. Nothing is good, I see, without respect; Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day.

NER. Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam. POR. The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark,

When neither is attended; 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 season season'd are
To their right praise, and true perfection!-
Peace, ho! the moon sleeps with Endymion,
And would not be awak'd!
[Music ceases.

(*) First folio omits, the.

d

c Nothing is good, I see, without respect;] By respect, in this place, is meant, regard, attention, consideration. When the mind is pre-engaged, it is influenced but little by the beautiful in nature

or in art :

"The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark,
When neither is attended."

d Peace, ho! the moon sleeps with Endymion,-] All the old copies read,

"Peace! how the moon sleeps," &c.

The emendation is Malone's; and, after the examples of this exclamation which he has cited from other plays, can hardly be disputed.

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, Therefore, I scant this breathing courtesy. GRA. [TO NERISSA.] By yonder moon, I swear you do me wrong;

a A tucket- A tucket meant a flourish on a trumpet, perhaps from the Italian toccata, or the Spanish tocár; tocár trompeta, to sound a trumpet.

b I hear his trumpet:] In the time of Shakespeare it was customary for persons of distinction, when visiting, to be accompanied by a trumpeter, who announced their approach by a flourish on his instrument. To this practice we often find allusions in contemporary writers.

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.
POR. A quarrel, ho, already! what's the
matter?

GRA. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring
That she did give me; whose poesy was
For all the world, like cutlers' poetry
Upon a knife, Love me, and leave me not !*

NER. What talk you of the poesy, or the value?
You swore to me, when I did give it you,
That you would wear it till your* hour of death;
And that it should lie with you in your grave:
Though not for me, yet for your vehement oaths,
You should have been respective, and have kept it.
Gave it a judge's clerk !-no, God's my judge!
The clerk will ne'er wear hair on's face that
had it.

d

GRA. He will, an if he live to be a man.
NER. Ay, if a woman live to be a man.
GRA. Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth,—

A kind of boy; a little scrubbed boy,

No higher than thyself, the judge's clerk ;
A prating boy, that begg'd it as a fee;
I could not for my heart deny it him.

[you,

POR. You were to blame, I must be plain with To part so slightly with your wife's first gift; A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger, And riveted so† 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 masters. Now, in faith, Gratiano, You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief; An't were to me, I should be mad at it.

BASS. Why, I were best to cut my left hand off,

And swear, I lost the ring defending it.

[Aside.

GRA. My lord Bassanio gave his ring away Unto the judge that begg'd it, and, indeed, Deserv'd it too; and then the boy, his clerk, That took some pains in writing, he begg'd mine: And neither man, nor master, would take aught But the two rings.

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
Hath not the ring upon it, it is gone.
POR. Even so void is your false heart of truth.

Sweet Portia,

Till I again see mine.

If

BASS.

you did know to whom I gave the ring, If you did know for whom I gave the ring, And would conceive 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. POR. If you had known the virtue of the ring, Or half her worthiness that gave the ring, Or your own honour to contain the ring, You would not then have parted with the ring. What man is there so much unreasonable, you had pleas'd to have defended it With any terms of zeal, wanted the modesty To the thing held as a ceremony? Nerissa teaches me what to believe;

If

urge

I'll die for 't, but some woman had the ring.
BASS. No, by mine honour, madam, by my soul,
No woman had it, but a civil doctor,(3)
Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me,
And begg'd the ring; the which I did deny him,
And suffer'd him to go displeas'd away;

Even he that had held Of my dear friend. lady?

the

up very life What should I say, sweet

I was enforc'd to send it after him ;

I was beset with shame and courtesy ;

My honour would not let ingratitude

So much besmear it. Pardon me, good lady;
For,* by these blessed candles of the night,

Ilad you been there, I think, you would have begg'd

The ring of me to give the worthy doctor.

POR. Let not that doctor e'er come near my house :

Since he hath got the jewel that I lov'd,
And that which you did swear to keep for me,
I will become as liberal as you;
I'll not deny him anything I have,
No, not my body, nor my husband's bed:
Know him I shall, I am well sure of it:
Lie not a night from home; watch me,
If
you do not, if I be left alone,
Now, by mine honour, which is yet mine own,
I'll have that doctor for my bedfellow.

like Argus ;

NER. And I his clerk; therefore be well advis'd, How you do leave me to mine own protection. GRA. Well, do you so: let not me take him then,

For, if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen. ANT. I am the unhappy subject of these quarrels.

POR. Sir, grieve not you; you are welcome notwithstanding.

BASS. Portia, forgive me this enforced wrong; And, in the hearing of these many friends, I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes, Wherein I see myself,

POR.

Mark you but that!
In both my eyes he doubly sees himself:
In each eye, one:-swear by your double self,
And there's an oath of credit.

BASS.
Nay, but hear me :
Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear,
I never more will break an oath with thee.
ANT. I once did lend my body for his* wealth;"
Which, but for him that had your husband's ring,
Had quite miscarried: I dare be bound again,
My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord
Will never more break faith advisedly.
POR. Then you shall be his surety.
this;

Give him

And bid him keep it better than the other. ANT. Here, lord Bassanio; swear to keep this ring.

BASS. By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor!

POR. I had it of him: pardon me,† Bassanio; For by this ring the doctor lay with me.

NER. And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano; For that same scrubbed boy, the doctor's clerk, In lieu of this, last night did lie with me.

GRA. Why, this is like the mending of high

ways

In summer, where the ways are fair enough:
What are we cuckolds, ere we have deserv'd it?
POR. Speak not so grossly.-You are al
amaz'd:

Here is a letter, read it at your
leisure ;
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'en now return'd; I have not yet
Enter'd my house.-Antonio, you are welcome;
And I have better news in store for you,
Than you expect: unseal this letter soon;
There you shall find, three of your argosies
Are richly come to harbour suddenly:
You shall not know by what strange accident
I chanced on this letter.

(*) First folio, And.

a Contain the ring.-] Hold or retain the ring.

b For his wealth;] That is, for his weal, advantage, prosperity. "Wealth," Johnson says, "was, at that time, the term opposite to

(t) First folio, the.

(*) First folio, thy.

(t) First folio omits, me. adversity, or calamity." Thus, in the "Litany:""In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our wealth."

BASS. Were you the doctor, and I knew you not? GRA. Were you the clerk, that is to make me cuckold?

NER. Ay, but the clerk that never means to do it,

Unless he live until he be a man.

BASS. Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow; When I am absent, then lie with my wife.

ANT. Sweet lady, you have given me life, and living; a

For here I read for certain, that my ships
Are safely come to road.

POR.

How now, Lorenzo?

My clerk hath some good comforts too for you. NER. Ay, and I'll give them him without a fee.

There do I give to you and Jessica,

Life, and living;] Living signified riches, resources, &c. See Note (d), p. 203.

From the rich Jew, a special deed of gift,
After his death, of all he dies possess'd of.
LOR. Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way
Of starved people.
POR.
It is almost morning,
And yet, I am sure, you are not satisfied
Of these events at full. Let us go in ;
And charge us there upon inter'gatories,
And we will answer all things faithfully.

GRA. Let it be so. The first inter❜gatory,
That my Nerissa shall be sworn on, is,
Whether till the next night she had rather stay,
Or go to bed now, being two hours to day:
But were the day come, I should wish it dark,
That I were couching with the doctor's clerk.
Well, while I live, I'll fear no other thing

So sore, as keeping safe Nerissa's ring. [Exeunt.

(*) First folio, Till.