have (6) a fairer table, which doth offer to fwear upon My best-esteem'd acquaintance; hie thee, go. Enter Gratiano. Gra. Where is your master? Leon. Yonder, Sir, he walks ; Gra. Signior Baffanio, Baff. Gratiano! Gra. I have a fuit to you. Baff. You have obtain❜d it. [Ex. Leonardo, Gra. You must not deny me, I must go with you to Belmont. Baff. Why, then you muft: but hear thee, Gratiano, Thou art too wild, too rude, and bold of voice; (6) Well, if any Man in Italy have &c.] The Pofition of the Words makes the Sentence fomewhat obfcure: Their natural Order should be This. Well, if any Man in Italy, which doth offer to fwear upon a Book, have a fairer Table, I shall have good Luck. And the Humour of the Paffage feems This. Launcelot, a Joaker, and defignedly a Blunderer, fays the very Reveife of what he should do: which is, That if no Man in Italy, who would offer to take his Oath upon it, bath a fairer Table than He, he all have good Fortune. The Banter may, partly, be on Chiromancy in general: but it is very much in Characer for Launcelot, who is a hungry Serving-man, to confider his Table before his Line of Life, or any other Points of For tune, Parts, Parts, that become thee happily enough, But where thou art not known, why, there they fhew Thy skipping fpirit; left, through thy wild behaviour, And lofe my hopes. Gra. Signior Baffanio, hear me. Talk with respect, and fwear but now and then, Like one well ftudied in a fad oftent To please his grandam; never trust me more. Gra. Nay, but I bar to night, you fhall not gage me By what we do to night. Baff. No, that were pity. I would entreat you rather to put on Your boldeft fuit of mirth, for we have friends I have fome business. Gra. And I must to Lorenzo and the rest: But we will vifit you at fupper-time. [Exeunts SCENE changes to Shylock's House. Enter Jeffica and Launcelot. Jef TM forry, thou wilt leave my father fo; I' Our houfe is hell, and thou, a merry devil,, Didft rob it of fome tafte of tediousness; But fare thee well, there is a ducat for thee. See See me talk with thee. Laun. Adieu! tears exhibit my tongue; most beautiful Pagan, moft fweet Jew! if a chriftian did not play the knave and get thee, I am much deceiv'd ; but, adieu these foolish drops do fomewhat drown my manly fpirit: adieu ! Jef. Farewel, good Launcelot. SCENE, the STREET. [Exit. [Exit. Enter Gratiano, Lorenzo, Solarino, and Salanio. Lor. N guife us at my lodging, and return all in an AY, we will flink away in fupper-time, dif hour. Gra. We have not made good preparation. Sal. We have not spoke us yet of torch-bearers. Sola. 'Tis vile, unless it may be quaintly ordered, And better in my mind not undertook. Lor. "Tis now but four a-clock, we have two hours To furnish us. Friend Launcelot, what's the news? Enter Launcelot, with a letter. Laun. An' it fhall please you to break up this, it shall feem to fignifie. 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 mafter the Jew to fup to night with my new mafter the chriftian. Lar. Hold, here, take this; tell gentle Feica, I will not fail her; fpeak it privately. Go. Gentlemen, will you prepare for this mafque to night? I am provided of a torch-bearer. [Exit Laun.' Sal. Ay, marry, I'll be gone about it strait. Sola. And fo will I. Lor. Meet me, and Gratiano, At Gratiano's lodging fome hour hence. [Exit. Gra. Was not that letter from fair Feffica? Come, go with me; perufe this, as thou goeft; Fair Feffica fhall be my torch-bearer. SCENE, Shylock's House. Enter Shylock and Launcelot. [Exeunt. Shy.XELL, thou shalt fee, thy eyes fhall be thy Sby. W judge, The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio. What, effica! thou shalt not gormandize, As thou haft done with me what, Feffica! And fleep and fnore, and rend apparel out. Why, effica! I fay. Laun. Why, Jeffica! Shy. Who bids thee call? I did not bid thee call. Laun. Your worship was wont to tell me, that I could do nothing without bidding. Enter Jeffica. Jef. Call you? what is your will? Shy Shy. I am bid forth to fupper, Jeffica; Laun. I beseech you, Sir, go; my young master doth expect your reproach. Shy. So do I his. Laun. And they have confpired together, I will not fay, you fhall fee a mafque; but if you do, then it was not for nothing that my nofe fell a bleeding on black monday laft, at fix a-clock i'th' morning, falling out that year on Afh-Wednesday was four year in the af Shy. What! are there mafques? hear you me, Jessica. Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum, And the vile fqueaking of the wry-neck'd fife, Clamber not you up to the cafements then, Nor thruft your head into the publick street, To gaze on chriftian fools with varnish'd faces: But top my houfe's ears; I mean, my casements; Let not the found of fhallow foppery enter My fober house. By Jacob's staff, I swear, I have no mind of feasting forth to night: But I will go; go you before me, firrah: Say, I will come. Laun. I will go before, Sir. Mistress, look out at window, for all this; Will be worth a Jewess' eye. [Exit Laun. Shy. What fays that fool of Hagar's off-fpring, ha? Jef. His words were, farewel, miftrefs; nothing else. Shy. The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder: Snail-flow in profit, but he fleeps by day More than the wild cat; drones hive not with me, |