7 To live in prayer and contemplation, Untill her husband and my Lord's return. And there we will abide. I do defire you, The which my love and fome neceffity Lor. Madam, with all my heart; I fhall obey you in all fair commands. Por. My people do already know my mind, In place of lord Baffanio and my self. Lor. Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you! Por. I thank you for your wifh, and am well-pleafed To wifh it back on you: fare you well, Now, Balthazar, effica. [Exeunt Jef. and Lor. As I have ever found thee honeft, true, So let me find thee ftill: take this fame letter, In fpeed to Padua ; fee thou render this (14) And look what notes and garments he doth give thee, Bring them, I pray thee, with imagin'd speed Unto the Traject, to the common ferry Which trades to Venice: wafte no time in words, get thee gone; I fhall be there before thee. (14) In Speed to Mantua;] Thus all the old Copies; and thus all the Modern Editors implicitly after them. But 'tis evident to any diligent Reader, that We muft reftore, as I have done, In Speed to Padua: For it was there, and not at Mantua, Bellario liv'd. So afterwards; A Messenger, with. Letters from the Doctor, New come from Padua - -And again, Came you from Padua, from Bellario? And again, It comes from Padua, from Bellario. Besides, Padua, not Mantua, is the Place of Education for the Civil Law in Italy. Por. Come on, Neriffa; I have work in hand, That you yet know not of: we'll fee our husbands, Before they think of us. Ner. Shall they see us ? Por. They fhall, Neriffa; but in fuch a habit, grace; Like a fine bragging youth; and tell quaint lies, That men fhall fwear, I've difcontinued school Ner. Shall we turn to men? Por. Fie, what a question's that, Enter Launcelot and Jeffica. [Exeunt. Laun. Yes, truly for look you, the fins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore, I promife you, I fear you. I was always plain with you; and fo now I fpeak my agitation of the matter: therefore be of good cheer; for truly, I think, you are damn'd: there is but one hope in it that can do you any good, and that is but a kind of baftard hope neither. Jef. Jef. And what hope is that, I pray thee? Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter. Jef. That were a kind of baftard hope, indeed; fo the fins of my mother should be vifited upon me. Laun. Truly, then, I fear, you are damn'd both by father and mother; thus when you fhun Scylla, your father, you fall into Charybdis, your mother: well, you both ways. are gone Jef. I fhall be faved by my husband; he hath made me a chriftian. Laun. Truly, the more to blame he; we were chriftians enough before, e'en as many as could well live one by another: this making of chriftians will raise the price of hogs; if we grow all to be pork-eaters, we shall not fhortly have a rafher on the coals for mony. Enter Lorenzo. Jef. I'll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you fay: here he comes. if you Lor. I fhall grow jealous of you fhortly, Launcelot, wife into corners. thus get my Jef. Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo; Launcelot and I are out; he tells me flatly, there is no mercy for me in heav'n, because I am a Jew's daughter and he fays, you are no good member of the commonwealth; for, in converting Jews to chriftians, you raise the price of pork. Lor. I fhall answer that better to the common-wealth, than you can the getting up of the negro's belly: the Moor is with child by you, Launcelot. Laun. It is much, that the Moor fhould be more than reafon but if she be less than an honest woman, she is indeed more than I took her for. Lor. How every fool can play upon the word! I think, the best grace of wit will fhortly turn into filence, and difcourfe grow commendable in none but parrots. Go in, firrah, bid them prepare for dinner. Laun. That is done, Sir; they have all stomachs. Lor. Lor. Good lord, what a wit-fnapper are you! then bid them prepare dinner. Laun. That is done too, Sir; only, cover is the word. Lor. Will you cover then, Sir? Laun. Not fo, Sir, neither; I know my duty. Lor. Yet more quarrelling with occafion! wilt thou fhew the whole wealth of thy wit in an instant? I pray thee understand a plain man in his plain meaning: go to thy fellows, bid them cover the table, ferve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner. Laun. For the table, Sir, it fhall be ferv'd in; for In reafon he should never come to heav'n. Lor. Even fuch a husband Haft thou of me, as fhe is for a wife. Jef. Nay, but ask my opinion too of that. Jef. Nay, let me praife you, while I have a fto mach. Lor. Lor. No, pray thee, let it ferve for table-talk; Then, how foe'er thou fpeak'ft, 'mong other things, I fhall digeft it. Jef. Well, I'll fet you forth. A CT IV. [Exeunt. SCENE, the Senate-house in VENICE. Enter the Duke, the Senators; Anthonio, Baffanio, and Gratiano, at the Bar. DUKE. HAT, is Anthonio here? WH Ant. Ready, fo please your Grace. Duke. I'm forry for thee; thou art come to anfwer A ftony adverfary, an inhuman wretch Uncapable of pity, void and empty Ant. I have heard, Your Grace hath ta'en great pains to qualifie His rig'rous courfe; but fince he stands obdurate, Out of his envy's reach, I do oppose Duke. Go one, and call the Jew into the Court. Duke. Make room, and let him ftand before our face. Than |