Enter GRATIANO and SALARINO, masqued.

Gra. This is the pent-house1, under which Lorenzo Desired us to make a stand.

Salar.

His hour is almost past.

Gra. And it is marvel he out-dwells his hour,2 For lovers ever run before the clock.

Salar. O, ten times faster Venus' pigeons 3 fly
To seal love's bonds new made, than they are wont
To keep obliged faith unforfeited! 4

Gra. That ever holds: who riseth from a feast,
With that keen appetite that he sits down? 5
Where is the horse that doth untread again 6
His tedious measures with the unbated fire
That he did pace them first? All things that are,
Are with more spirit chased than enjoyed.

How like a younker 7, or a prodigal,8

The scarfed bark puts from her native bay,

1 Pent-house.] A shed against a wall, with a roof of one slope. French, pente, downward slope.

Out-dwells.] Awaits the completion of.

3 Venus' pigeons.] Venus was represented with her son Cupid in a chariot drawn by doves.

To keep obliged faith.] To maintain undishonoured their bond of faith after it has been contracted.

5 That he sits down.] That he sits down with. Such elliptical phraseology was in Shakspeare's time allowed to be good colloquial English. See note 2, p. 124.

• Untread again.] Tread back again; retrace his tedious steps with all the spirit that he paced them with the first time.

7

Ayounker.] A gay young fellow.

A prodigal.] See the parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke xv. 3o 'Which hath devoured thy living with harlots.'

9 Scarfed.] Dressed with streamers.

Hugged and embraced by the strumpet wind!
How like a prodigal doth she return;

With over-weathered ribs, and ragged sails,
Lean, rent, and beggared by the strumpet wind!

Enter LORENZO.

Salar. Here comes Lorenzo; more of this hereafter.

Lor. Sweet friends, your patience 2 for my long abode : Not I, but my affairs, have made you wait.

When you shall please to play the thieves for wives,
I'll watch as long for you then.-— Approach;

Here dwells my father Jew; Ho! who's within?

Enter JESSICA, above, in boy's clothes.

Jes. Who are you? Tell me, for more certainty, Albeit I'll swear that I do know your tongue.

Lor. Lorenzo, and thy love,3

Jes. Lorenzo, certain; and my love, indeed; For who love I 4 so much? and now who knows

But you, Lorenzo, whether I am yours?

5

Lor. Heaven and thy thoughts are witness that thou

art.

Jes. Here, catch this casket; it is worth the pains.

I am glad 'tis night, you do not look on me,6
For I am much ashamed of my exchange:

1 Over-weathered.] All weather-beaten.

2 Your patience.] I entreat your patience for my long tarrying. 3 Love.] Lover.-Jessica in her next speech uses Lorenzo's word to denote him as the object of her love.

Who love I.] Who for whom, and I for me, are common irregularities in Shakspeare.

5 Yours.] Your love; the object of your love.

• You do not look on me.] So that you cannot see me well : for I am much ashamed of this exchange of woman's apparel for a page's suit.

But love is blind, and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that themselves commit;
For if they could, Cupid himself1 would blush
To see me thus transformed to a boy.

Lor. Descend, for you must be my torchbearer.
Jes. What, must I hold a candle to my shames?
They in themselves, good sooth, are too too light.2
Why, 'tis an office of discovery 3, love;

And I should be obscured.

Lor.

3

So are you, sweet,

Even in the lovely garnish of a boy.

But come at once;

For the close night doth play the runaway,"
And we are staid for at Bassanio's feast.

Jes. I will make fast the doors, and gild myself
With some more ducats, and be with you straight.
[Exit, from above.
Gra. Now, by my hood 5, a Gentile 6 and no Jew.
Lor. Beshrew me7, but I love her heartily:
For she is wise, if I can judge of her;

1 Cupid himself.] That is, though himself a boy.

2 Too too light.] Much too conspicuous.-Jessica has here a punning reference to lightness or levity of conduct.

An office of discovery.] The office of a torch-bearer is for showing what is in the way, whereas I ought to be shaded with concealment. 4 The close night.] The secret stealthy night itself is running away. By my hood.] Gratiano wore a hood for concealment, and takes occasion to swear, as a monk might do, by his hood, that is, by his monastic character.

5

A gentile.] That is, a maiden of genteel spirit, and no niggard like a Jew. Gentile is the feminine of a French adjective.

'Beshrew me.] Curse me, let me be accursed, if I do not love her. Othello (iii. 3) uses the still stronger language 'Perdition catch my soul, but I do love thee!'

And fair she is, if that1 mine eyes be true;
And true she is, as she hath proved herself;
And therefore, like herself 2, wise, fair, and true,
Shall she be placed in my constant soul.

Enter JESSICA, below.

What, art thou come?-On, gentlemen, away;
Our masquing mates by this time for us stay.

[Exit, with JEs. and SALAR.

Enter ANTONIO.

Ant. Who's there?

Gra. Signior Antonio?

Ant. Fie, fie, Gratiano! where are all the rest?
'Tis nine o'clock; our friends all stay for you:
No masque to-night 3; the wind is come about;
Bassanio presently will go aboard:

I have sent twenty out to seek for you.

Gra. I am glad on't 4; I desire no more delight Than to be under sail and gone to-night.

1

[Exeunt.

1 If that.] In this old form of speech, if had, no doubt, its original meaning of an imperative, that is, gif or give, grant, suppose that circumstance; but in grammatical analysis the two words may be taken together as a complex conjunction..

2 Like herself.] In her true likeness, or as she really is,

3 No masque to-night.] Antonio seeing Gratiano with a mask tells him that there will be no masque to-night, for the wind has come round favourably for Bassanio's departure to Belmont.

4 On't.] A corruption for of it.

SCENE VII.

Belmont. A room in Portia's House.

Flourish of Cornets. Enter PORTIA, with the PRINCE
OF MOROCCO, and both their Trains.

Por. Go, draw aside the curtains, and discover
The several caskets to this noble prince:

Now make your choice.

Mor. The first, of gold, who this inscription bears:

Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire.

The second, silver, which this promise carries :

W. chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves,

This third, dull lead, with warning all as blunt : 1
Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.

How shall I know if I do choose the right?

Por. The one of them contains 2 my picture, prince,
If you choose that, then I am yours withal.3
Mor. Some god direct my judgment! Let me see.
I will survey the inscriptions back again : 4

What

says this leaden casket?

Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.

Must give For what? for lead? hazard for lead?
This casket threatens: Men that hazard all

1 All as blunt.] Quite as rude or ungenteel as the lead itself. 2 Contains.] Supply which or that as nominative; the one of them which contains, &c. One is objective in apposition to the demonstrative that in the next line. The suppression of a relative pronoun of the nominative case is a frequent usage with Shakspeare, and is still tolerated, though not approved, in poetry.

3 Withal.] Along with the picture. Yours is a possessive pronoun, nominative case.

Back again.] In reverse order.