I tell thee, lady, this aspéct of mine Hath fear'd the valiant: by my love I swear, Have loved it too. I would not change this hue, Bars me the right of voluntary choosing: His wife who wins me by that means I told you, For my affection. Moroc. Even for that I thank you : Therefore, I pray you, lead me to the caskets, 2 Hath frightened or terrified. See last note of preceding scene. 3 Portia means that reason and judgment have a voice potential in her matrimonial thoughts. So in Hamlet, iv. 3: "The distracted multitude, I who like not in their judgment, but their eyes." -Nice, here, is dainty or fastidious. 4 A "History of the Wars between the Turks and Persians," translated from the Italian, was published in London in 1595; from which Shakespeare might have learned that “Soffi, an ancient word signifying a wise man," was 'grown to be the common name of the Emperors of Persia." Ismael Sophi is said to have been the founder of what was called the Suffavian dynasty. The same potentate is twice referred to in Twelfth Night.- Solyman the Magnificent had an unfortunate campaign with the Persians in 1535. Pluck the young sucking cubs from the she-bear, And so may I, blind Fortune leading me, Portia. You must take your chance; And either not attempt to choose at all, Or swear, before you choose, if you choose wrong Never to speak to lady afterward In way of marriage; therefore be advised.? Moroc. Nor will not. Come, bring me unto my chance. Portia. First, forward to the temple :8 after dinner Your hazard shall be made. Moroc. Good fortune then! [Exeunt. To make me blest or cursed'st 9 among men. 5 "Alas the while!" "Woe the while!" "Alack a day !" and "Woe worth the day!" were all phrases of the same or of similar import. 6 If they try the question of which is the braver man by a game of dice. -Lichas was the servant or page of Hercules, who ignorantly brought to his master from Dejanira the poisoned shirt. Hercules was a descendant of Alceus, and so is called, in the Greek idiom, Alcides. Advised, again, for cautious or considerate. See page 87, note 33. 8 That is, to the church, to take the oath mentioned just before, and described more particularly in the eighth scene of this Act. Bibles were not kept in private houses in the Poet's time; and such an oath had to be taken on the Bible. 9 Here the force of the superlative in cursed'st retroacts on blest; so that the sense is most blest or most cursed. So in Measure for Measure, iv. 6: "The generous and gravest citizens." SCENE II.-Venice. A Street. Enter LAUNCELOT GOBBO. Laun. Certainly my conscience will serve me to run from this Jew my master. The fiend is at mine elbow, and tempts me, saying to me, Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot, or good Gobbo, or good Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs, take the start, run away. My conscience says, No; take heed, honest Launcelot; take heed, honest Gobbo, or, as aforesaid, honest Launcelot Gobbo; do not run; scorn running with thy heels.1 Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack: Via !2 says the fiend; away! says the fiend; for the Heavens,3 rouse up a brave mind, says the fiend, and run. Well, my conscience, hanging about the neck of my heart, says very wisely to me, My honest friend Launcelot, being an honest man's son, or rather an honest woman's son; for, indeed, my father did something smack, something grow to, he had a kind of taste ; — well, my conscience says, Launcelot, budge not. Budge, says the fiend: budge not, says my conscience. Conscience, say I, you counsel well; fiend, say I, you counsel well: to be ruled by my conscience, I should stay with the Jew my master, who, God bless the mark! is a kind of devil; and, to run away from the Jew, I should be 1 To scorn a thing with the heels appears to have been an old phrase for spurning or kicking at a thing. Shakespeare has the phrase again in Much Ado about Nothing, iii. 4. Launcelot seems to be in chase of a quibble between the heels as used in kicking, and the heels as used in running. 2 "Via!" from the Italian, was much used as a sort of exclamatory imperative, meaning away! or go ahead! 3 For the Heavens was merely a petty oath. To make the fiend conjure Launcelot to do a thing for Heaven's sake, is a specimen of that " acute nonsense" which Barrow makes one of the species of wit. 5 ruled by the fiend, who, saving your reverence, is the Devil himself. Certainly the Jew is the very Devil incarnation; and, in my conscience, my conscience is but a kind of hard conscience, to offer to counsel me to stay with the Jew. The fiend gives the more friendly counsel: I will run, fiend; my heels are at your commandment; I will run. Enter old GOBBO, with a basket. Gob. Master young man, you, I pray you, which is the way to Master Jew's? Laun. [Aside.] O Heavens, this is my true-begotten father! who, being more than sand-blind,“ high-gravel-blind, knows me not. I will try confusions 7 with him. Gob. Master young gentleman, I pray you, which is the way to Master Jew's? 8 Laun. Turn up on your right hand at the next turning, but, at the next turning of all, on your left; marry, at the very next turning turn of no hand, but turn down indirectly to the Jew's house. Gob. By God's sonties,9 'twill be a hard way to hit. Can 4 Saving your reverence is a sort of apologetic phrase for saying something coarse or profane; somewhat like our " If you will allow me to say so." "God save the mark "and" God bless the mark," are phrases of similar import. 5 Incarnation is a blunder, perhaps intentional, for incarnate. 6 Sand-blind is dim-sighted or purblind. The origin of the word seems unknown: perhaps it is a corruption of semi-blind. Of course Launcelot makes it the turning-point of a quibble. 7 To try conclusions is the old phrase for to try experiments. It is not quite clear whether Launcelot's confusions is a blunder for conclusions, or whether it is an intentional parody on the old phrase, by way of joke. 8 Marry was continually used as a colloquial intensive, having the force of verily, indeed, or forsooth; like the Latin heracle and edepol. It grew from a custom of swearing by the Virgin Mary. 9 Sonties is most likely a corruption either of saints or of sanctity. Saunctes is an old form of saints. you tell me whether one Launcelot, that dwells with him, dwell with him or no? Laun. Talk you of young Master Launcelot?—[Aside.] Mark me now; now will I raise the waters.10 -[To him.] Talk you of young Master Launcelot? Gob. No master,11 sir, but a poor man's son: his father, though I say it, is an honest exceeding poor man, and, God be thanked, well to live.12 Laun. Well, let his father be what 'a will, we talk of young Master Launcelot. Gob. Your Worship's friend, and Launcelot, sir. Laun. But I pray you, ergo, old man, ergo, I beseech you, talk you of young Master Launcelot? Gob. Of Launcelot, an't please your mastership. Laun. Ergo, Master Launcelot. Talk not of Master Launcelot, father; for the young gentleman according to Fates and Destinies, and such odd sayings, the Sisters Three, and such branches of learning is, indeed, deceased; or, as you would say in plain terms, gone to Heaven. Gob. Marry, God forbid ! the boy was the very staff of my age, my very prop. Laun. [Aside.] Do I look like a cudgel, or a hovel-post, a staff, or a prop?-[To him.] Do you not know me, father? 10 This seems to mean about the same as "I will have some fun out of him," or "I will come it over him." 11 Master, which we have flattened into mister, formerly meant something as a title of respect. Shakespeare procured from the Heralds' College a coat-of-arms for his father, and had himself no right to be called master till he inherited the rank of gentleman thus conferred. Old Gobbo shrinks from giving his son the title, though he keeps calling him master, not knowing who he is. 12 Well to live is an old phrase meaning the same as our well off. The old man is humorously made to contradict himself. |