With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear, And draw her home with musick.

Jes. I am never merry, when I hear sweet musick. [Musick. Lor. 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;
If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound,
Or any air of musick 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 musick: Therefore, the
[floods:

poet

Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and
Since nought so stockish, hard, and full of rage,
But musick for the time doth change his nature:
The man that hath no musick in himself,
Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,
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 musick.

Enter Portia and Nerissa, at a distance. Por. That light we see, is burning in my hall. How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

Ner. When the moon shone, we did not see the candle.

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

Ner. It is your musick, madam, of the house. Por. Nothing is good, I see, without respect; Methinks, it sounds much sweeter than by day. Ner. Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam. Por. The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark, When neither is attended; and, I think, The nightingale, if she should sing by day, 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, hoa! the moon sleeps with Endymion, And would not be awak'd! [Musick ceases. That is the voice,

Lor.

Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia.
Por. He knows me, as the blind man knows
By the bad voice.
Lor.

[the cuckoo,

Dear lady, welcome home.

Por. We have been praying for our husbands' welfare,

[friend.-[him.

P. You should in all sense be much bound to For, as I hear, he was much bound for you. Ant. No more than I am well acquitted of. Por. Sir, you are very welcome to our house: It must appear in other ways than words, Therefore, I scant1 this breathing courtesy.

[Gratiano and Nerissa seem to talk apart. G. By yonder moon, I swear, you do me wrong; In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk. Por. A quarrel, ho, already? what's the matter? Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring 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.

Ner. What talk you of the posy, or the value?
You swore to me, when I did give it you,
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 oatlis,
You should have been respective, and have
kept it.

Gave it a judge's clerk!-but well I know,
The clerk will ne'er wear hair on his face, that
Gra. He will, an if he live to beaman. [had it.
Ner. Ay, if a woman live to be a man.
Gra. Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth,-
A kind of boy; a little scrubbed boy,
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.

P. You were to blame, I must be plain with you,
To part so slightly with your wife's first gift;
A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger,
And riveted so with faith upon 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,
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.

Lor.

But there is come a messenger before,
To signify their coming.

Por.
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 tucket1 sounds.

1 A flourish on a trumpet.

Gra. My lord Bassanio gave his ring away Unto the judge that begg'd it, and indeed, Deserv'd it too; and then the boy his clerk, That took some pains in writing, he begg'd mine: And neither man, nor master, would take aught But the two rings.

1 Spare. 8 Formerly inscribed on knives by aqua2 Verbal 4 Particular.

[fortis.

pleasure.

Por. If you had known the virtue of the ring, 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 pleas'd to have defended it 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.

B. No, by mine honour, madam, by my soul, No woman had, but a civil doctor,

[lady?

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 displeas'd away;
Even he that had held up the very life
Of my dear friend. What should I say, sweet
I was enfore'd 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;
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.

Mark you but that In both mine eyes he doubly sees himself: In each eye, one:-swear by your double self, And there's an oath of credit.

Bass. Nay, but hear me: Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear, I never more will break an oath with thee.

Ant. I once did lend my body for his wealth1: Which, but for him that had your husband's ring,

!

[To Portia. Had quite miscarried: I dare be bound again, My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord Will never more break faith advisedly. P. Then you shall be his surety: Give him this; And bid him keep it better than the other. Ant. Here, lord Bassanio, swear to keep this ring.

Bass. By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor.

Por. I had it of him. You are all amazed: Here is a letter, read it at your leisure; 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 but even now returned; I have not yet 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: You shall not know by what strange accident I chanced on this letter.

Ant.

I am dumb.

B. Were you the doctor, and I knew you not? Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow; When I am absent, then lie with my wife.

Ant. Sweet lady, you have given me life, and

living;

Since he hath got the jewel that I lov'd,

Are safely come to road.

Por.

How now, Lorenzo?

I will become as liberal as you:

I'll not deny him any thing I have,

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

Lie not a night from home; watch me, like If you do not, if I be left alone,

[Argus:

Now, by mine honour, which is yet my own, I'll have that doctor for my bedfellow..

Ner. And I his clerk; therefore, be well advis'd, How you do leave me to mine own protection. Gra. Well, do you so: let not me take him then. Ant. I am the unhappy subject of these

quarrels.

Por. Sir, grieve not you; You are welcome notwithstanding.

Act First. SCENE I.

AN ORCHARD, NEAR OLIVER'S HOUSE.
Enter Orlando and Adam.

Orl. As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeath'd me: By will, but a poor thousand crowns; and, as thou say'st, charged my brother, on his blessing, to breed me well: and there begins my sadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and report speaks goldenly of his profit; for my part, he keeps me rustically at home, or, to speak more properly, stays me here at home unkept: For call you that keeping for a gentleman of my birth that differs not from the stalling of an ox? His horses are bred better: for, besides that they are fair with their feeding, they are taught their manage, and to that end riders dearly hired; but I, his brother, gain nothing under him but growth; for the which his animals on his dunghills are as much bound to him as I. Besides this nothing that he so plentifully gives me, the something that nature gave me, his countenance seems to take from me: he lets me feed with his hinds, bars me the place of a brother, and, as much as in him lies, mines my gentility with my education. This is it, Adam, that grieves me; and the spirit of my father, which I think is within me, begins to mutiny against this servitude: I will no longer endure it, though yet I know no wise remedy how to avoid it.

Enter Oliver.

Adam. Yonder comes my master, your brother. Orl. Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how he will shake me up.

Oli. Now, sir, what make you here?
Orl. Nothing: I am not taught to make any
Oli. What mar you then, sir?
[thing.

Orl. Marry, sir, I am helping you to mar that which God made, a poor unworthy brother of yours, with idleness.

Oli. Marry, sir, be better employ'd, and be naught awhile.

Orl. Shall I keep your hogs, and eat husks with them? What prodigal portion have I spent, that I should come to such penury?

Oli. Know you where you are, sir?
Orl. O, sir, very well: here in your orchard.
Oli, Know you before whom, sir?

Orl. Ay, better than he I am before knows me. I know you are my eldest brother; and, in the gentle condition of blood, you should so know me: The courtesy of nations allows you my better, in that you are the first-born; but the same tradition takes not away my blood, were there twenty brothers betwixt us; I have as much of my father in me, as you; albeit, I confess your coming before me is nearer to his reverence.

Oli. What, boy!

Orl. Come, come, elder brother, you are too

young in this.

of

Oli. Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain?
Orl. I am no villain1: I am the youngest son

Sir Rowland de Bois; he was my father, and he is thrice a villain, that says, such a father begot villains: Wert thou not my brother, I would not take this hand from thy throat, till this other hand pulled out thy tongue for saying so; thou hast railed on thyself.

Adam. Sweet masters, be patient; for your father's remembrance, be at accord, Oli. Let me go, I say.

Orl. I will not, till I please: you shall hear me. My father charged you in his will to give me good education: you have trained me like a peasant, obscuring and hiding from me all gentleman-like qualities: the spirit of my father grows strong in me, and I will no longer endure it; therefore allowme such exercises as may become agentleman, orgive me the poor allottery my father left me by testament; with that I will go buy my fortunes. on the double meaning of the word,worthless fellow-and and a man of low extraction.