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Shakespeare on Stage
American Shakespeare Center, Love's Labour's Lost. To Jun. 15, 2013.
American Shakespeare Center, Return to the Forbidden Planet. To Dec. 1, 2013.
American Shakespeare Center, Twelfth Night. To Jun. 16, 2013.
Folger Shakespeare Library, Twelfth Night. To Jun. 9, 2013.
American Shakespeare Center, The Duchess of Malfi. To Jun. 15, 2013.

The Merchant of Venice (Quarto 1, 1600)

Author: William Shakespeare
Not Peer Reviewed

The Comicall Historie of
or good Launcelet Iobbe, vse your legges, take the start, runne a-
550way, my conscience sayes no; take heede honest Launcelet, take
heede honest Iobbe, or as afore-saide honest Launcelet Iobbe, doe
not runne, scorne running with thy heeles; well, the most cora-
gious fiend bids me packe, fia sayes the fiend, away sayes the fiend,
for the heauens rouse vp a braue minde sayes the fiend, and runne;
555well, my conscience hanging about the necke of my heart, sayes
very wisely to mee: my honest friend Launcelet beeing an honest
mans sonne, or rather an honest womans sonne, for indeede my
Father did something smacke, something grow to; he had a kinde
of tast; well, my conscience sayes Launcelet bouge not, bouge sayes
560the fiend, bouge not sayes my conscience, conscience say I you
counsaile wel, fiend say I you counsaile well, to be ruld by my con-
science, I should stay with the Iewe my Maister, (who God blesse
the marke) is a kinde of deuill; and to runne away from the Iewe I
should be ruled by the fiend, who sauing your reuerence is the de-
565uill himselfe: certainely the Iewe is the very deuill incarnation, and
in my conscience, my conscience is but a kinde of hard consci-
ence, to offer to counsaile mee to stay with the Iewe; the fiend
giues the more friendly counsaile: I will runne fiend, my heeles
are at your commaundement, I will runne.


570
Enter old Gobbo with a basket.
Gobbo. Maister young-man, you I pray you, which is the way
to Maister Iewes?
Launcelet. O heauens, this is my true begotten Father, who be-
ing more then sand blinde, high grauell blinde, knowes me not, I
575will try confusions with him.
Gobbo. Maister young Gentleman, I pray you which is the way
to Maister Iewes.
Launcelet. Turne vp on your right hand at the next turning,
but at the next turning of all on your left; marry at the very next
580turning turne of no hand, but turne downe indirectly to the Iewes
house.
Gobbo. Be Gods sonties twill be a hard way to hit, can you tell
me