THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 5.1

Belmont. Avenue to PORTIA'S house.

[Enter LORENZO and JESSICA]

LORENZO The moon shines bright: in such a night 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 Troyan walls

And sigh'd his soul toward the Grecian tents, 5

Where Cressid lay that night.

JESSICA In such a night

Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew

And saw the lion's shadow ere himself

And ran dismay'd away. 10

LORENZO 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.

JESSICA In such a night 15

Medea gather'd the enchanted herbs

That did renew old AEson.

LORENZO In such a night

Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew

And with an unthrift love did run from Venice 20

As far as Belmont.

JESSICA In such a night

Did young Lorenzo swear he loved her well,

Stealing her soul with many vows of faith

And ne'er a true one.

LORENZO In such a night 25

Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew,

Slander her love, and he forgave it her.

JESSICA I would out-night you, did no body come;

But, hark, I hear the footing of a man.

[Enter STEPHANO]

LORENZO Who comes so fast in silence of the night? 30

STEPHANO A friend.

LORENZO A friend! what friend? your name, I pray you, friend?

STEPHANO Stephano is my name; and I bring word

My mistress will before the break of day

Be here at Belmont; she doth stray about 35

By holy crosses, 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 return'd? 40

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 LAUNCELOT]

LAUNCELOT Sola, sola! wo ha, ho! sola, sola! 45

LORENZO Who calls?

LAUNCELOT Sola! did you see Master Lorenzo?

Master Lorenzo, sola, sola!

LORENZO Leave hollaing, man: here.

LAUNCELOT Sola! where? where? 50

LORENZO Here.

LAUNCELOT 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]

LORENZO Sweet soul, let's in, and there expect their coming. 55

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! 60

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: 65

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;

But whilst this muddy vesture of decay 70

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]

JESSICA I am never merry when I hear sweet music. 75

LORENZO The reason is, your spirits are attentive:

For do but note a wild and wanton herd,

Or race of youthful and unhandled colts,

Fetching mad bounds, bellowing and neighing loud,

Which is the hot condition of their blood; 80

If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound,

Or any air of music touch their ears,

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 poet 85

Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones and floods;

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 moved with concord of sweet sounds, 90

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]

PORTIA That light we see is burning in my hall. 95

How far that little candle throws his beams!

So shines a good deed in a naughty 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 100

Unto the king be by, and then his state

Empties itself, as doth an inland brook

Into the main of waters. Music! hark!

NERISSA It is your music, madam, of the house.

PORTIA Nothing is good, I see, without respect: 105

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 attended, and I think

The nightingale, if she should sing by day, 110

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 115

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. 120

LORENZO Dear lady, welcome home.

PORTIA We have been praying for our husbands' healths,

Which speed, we hope, the better for our words.

Are they return'd?

LORENZO Madam, they are not yet;

But there is come a messenger before,

To signify their coming. 125

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 tucket sounds]

LORENZO Your husband is at hand; I hear his trumpet: 130

We are no tell-tales, 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 Antipodes, 135

If you would walk in absence of the sun.

PORTIA 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. 140

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 bound for you. 145

ANTONIO No more than I am well acquitted of.

PORTIA Sir, you are very welcome to our house:

It must appear in other ways than words,

Therefore I scant this breathing courtesy.

GRATIANO [To NERISSA] By yonder moon I swear you do me wrong; 150

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.

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

GRATIANO About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring 155

That she did give me, whose posy 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, 160

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, 165

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 scrubbed boy, 170

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.

PORTIA You were to blame, I must be plain with you,

To part so slightly with your wife's first gift: 175

A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger

And so riveted 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 180

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 'twere to me, I should be mad at it.

BASSANIO [Aside] Why, I were best to cut my left hand off 185

And swear I lost the ring defending it.

GRATIANO My Lord Bassanio gave his ring away

Unto the judge that begg'd it and indeed

Deserved it too; and then the boy, his clerk,

That took some pains in writing, he begg'd mine; 190

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, 195

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. 200

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 205

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.

PORTIA If you had known the virtue of the ring, 210

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,

If you had pleased to have defended it 215

With any terms of zeal, wanted the modesty

To urge 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 my honour, madam, by my soul, 220

No woman had it, but a civil doctor,

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 displeased away;

Even he that did uphold the very life 225

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 it. Pardon me, good lady; 230

For, by these blessed candles of the night,

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

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, 235

And that which you did swear to keep for me,

I will become as liberal as you;

I'll not deny him any thing I have,

No, not my body nor my husband's bed:

Know him I shall, I am well sure of it: 240

Lie not a night from home; watch me like Argus:

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.

NERISSA And I his clerk; therefore be well advised 245

How you do leave me to mine own protection.

GRATIANO Well, do you so; let not me take him, then;

For if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen.

ANTONIO I am the unhappy subject of these quarrels.

PORTIA Sir, grieve not you; you are welcome notwithstanding. 250

BASSANIO 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--

PORTIA Mark you but that! 255

In both my eyes he doubly sees himself;

In each eye, one: swear by your double self,

And there's an oath of credit.

BASSANIO Nay, but hear me:

Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear 260

I never more will break an oath with thee.

ANTONIO 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 265

Will never more break faith advisedly.

PORTIA Then you shall be his surety. Give him this

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! 270

PORTIA I had it of him: pardon me, Bassanio;

For, by this ring, the doctor lay with me.

NERISSA 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. 275

GRATIANO Why, this is like the mending of highways

In summer, where the ways are fair enough:

What, are we cuckolds ere we have deserved it?

PORTIA Speak not so grossly. You are all amazed:

Here is a letter; read it at your leisure; 280

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 even but now return'd; I have not yet 285

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: 290

You shall not know by what strange accident

I chanced on this letter.

ANTONIO I am dumb.

BASSANIO Were you the doctor and I knew you not?

GRATIANO Were you the clerk that is to make me cuckold? 295

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 bed-fellow:

When I am absent, then lie with my wife.

ANTONIO Sweet lady, you have given me life and living; 300

For here I read for certain that my ships

Are safely come to road.

PORTIA How now, Lorenzo!

My clerk hath some good comforts too for you.

NERISSA Ay, and I'll give them him without a fee. 305

There do I give to you and Jessica,

From the rich Jew, a special deed of gift,

After his death, of all he dies possess'd of.

LORENZO Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way

Of starved people. 310

PORTIA 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.

GRATIANO Let it be so: the first inter'gatory 315

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. 320

Well, while I live I'll fear no other thing

So sore as keeping safe Nerissa's ring.

[Exeunt]

LORENZO	The moon shines bright: in such a night 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 Troyan walls
	And sigh'd his soul toward the Grecian tents,	5
	Where Cressid lay that night.

JESSICA	In such a night
	Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew
	And saw the lion's shadow ere himself
	And ran dismay'd away.	10

LORENZO		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.

JESSICA	In such a night	15
	Medea gather'd the enchanted herbs
	That did renew old AEson.

LORENZO	In such a night
	Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew
	And with an unthrift love did run from Venice	20
	As far as Belmont.

JESSICA		In such a night
		Did young Lorenzo swear he loved her well,
		Stealing her soul with many vows of faith
		And ne'er a true one.

LORENZO	In such a night	25
	Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew,
	Slander her love, and he forgave it her.

JESSICA		I would out-night you, did no body come;
		But, hark, I hear the footing of a man.
		[Enter STEPHANO]

STEPHANO	Stephano is my name; and I bring word
	My mistress will before the break of day
	Be here at Belmont; she doth stray about	35
	By holy crosses, where she kneels and prays
	For happy wedlock hours.

STEPHANO		None but a holy hermit and her maid.
		I pray you, is my master yet return'd?	40

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 LAUNCELOT]

LAUNCELOT		Sola! did you see Master Lorenzo?
		Master Lorenzo, sola, sola!

LAUNCELOT		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]

LORENZO	Sweet soul, let's in, and there expect their coming.	55
	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!	60
	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:	65
	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;
	But whilst this muddy vesture of decay	70
	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]

LORENZO	The reason is, your spirits are attentive:
	For do but note a wild and wanton herd,
	Or race of youthful and unhandled colts,
	Fetching mad bounds, bellowing and neighing loud,
	Which is the hot condition of their blood;	80
	If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound,
	Or any air of music touch their ears,
	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 poet	85
	Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones and floods;
	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 moved with concord of sweet sounds,	90
	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]

PORTIA	That light we see is burning in my hall.	95
	How far that little candle throws his beams!
	So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

PORTIA	So doth the greater glory dim the less:
	A substitute shines brightly as a king	100
	Unto the king be by, and then his state
	Empties itself, as doth an inland brook
	Into the main of waters. Music! hark!

PORTIA		Nothing is good, I see, without respect:	105
		Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day.

PORTIA	The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark,
	When neither is attended, and I think
	The nightingale, if she should sing by day,	110
	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	115
	And would not be awaked.
	[Music ceases]

PORTIA		He knows me as the blind man knows the cuckoo,
		By the bad voice.	120

PORTIA		We have been praying for our husbands' healths,
		Which speed, we hope, the better for our words.
		Are they return'd?

LORENZO	Madam, they are not yet;
	But there is come a messenger before,
	To signify their coming.	125

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 tucket sounds]

LORENZO		Your husband is at hand; I hear his trumpet:	130
		We are no tell-tales, 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 Antipodes,	135
		If you would walk in absence of the sun.

PORTIA	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.	140

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 bound for you.	145

PORTIA		Sir, you are very welcome to our house:
		It must appear in other ways than words,
		Therefore I scant this breathing courtesy.