1751The husbandry and mannage of my house,

1752Vntill my Lords returne; for mine owne part

1753I haue toward heauen breath'd a secret vow,

1754To liue in prayer and contemplation,

1755Onely attended by Nerrissa heere,

1756Vntill her husband and my Lords returne:

1757There is a monastery too miles off,

1758And there we will abide. I doe desire you

1759Not to denie this imposition,

1760The which my loue and some necessity

1761Now layes vpon you.

1762Lorens. Madame, with all my heart,

1763I shall obey you in all faire commands.

1764Por. My people doe already know my minde,

1765And will acknowledge you and Iessica

1766In place of Lord Bassanio and my selfe.

1767So far you well till we shall meete againe.

1768Lor. Faire thoughts & happy houres attend on you.

1769Iessi. I wish your Ladiship all hearts content.

1770Por. I thanke you for your wish, and am well pleas'd

1771To wish it backe on you: faryouwell Iessica. Exeunt.

1772Now Balthaser, as I haue euer found thee honest true,

1773So let me finde thee still: take this same letter,

1774And vse thou all the indeauor of a man,

1775In speed to Mantua, see thou render this

1776Into my cosins hand, Doctor Belario,

1777And looke what notes and garments he doth giue thee,

1778Bring them I pray thee with imagin'd speed

1779Vnto the Tranect, to the common Ferrie

1780Which trades to Venice; waste no time in words,

1781But get thee gone, I shall be there before thee.

1782Balth. Madam, I goe with all conuenient speed.

1783Por. Come on Nerissa, I haue worke in hand

1784That you yet know not of; wee'll see our husbands

1785Before they thinke of vs?

1786Nerrissa. Shall they see vs?

1787Portia. They shall Nerrissa: but in such a habit,

1788That they shall thinke we are accomplished

1789With that we lacke; Ile hold thee any wager

1790When we are both accoutered like yong men,

1791Ile proue the prettier fellow of the two,

1792And weare my dagger with the brauer grace,

1793And speake betweene the change of man and boy,

1794With a reede voyce, and turne two minsing steps

1795Into a manly stride; and speake of frayes

1796Like a fine bragging youth: and tell quaint lyes

1797How honourable Ladies sought my loue,

1798Which I denying, they fell sicke and died.

1799I could not doe withall: then Ile repent,

1800And wish for all that, that I had not kil'd them;

1801And twentie of these punie lies Ile tell,

1802That men shall sweare I haue discontinued schoole

1803Aboue a twelue moneth: I haue within my minde

1804A thousand raw tricks of these bragging Iacks,

1805Which I will practise.

1806Nerris. Why, shall wee turne to men?

1807Portia. Fie, what a questions that?

1808If thou wert nere a lewd interpreter:

1809But come, Ile tell thee all my whole deuice

1810When I am in my coach, which stayes for vs

1811At the Parke gate; and therefore haste away,

1812For we must measure twentie miles to day. Exeunt.

1814Clown. Yes truly; for looke you, the sinnes of the Fa-

1815ther are to be laid vpon the children, therefore I promise

1816you, I feare you, I was alwaies plaine with you, and so

1817now I speake my agitation of the matter: therfore be of

1818good cheere, for truly I thinke you are damn'd, there is

1819but one hope in it that can doe you anie good, and that is

1820but a kinde of bastard hope neither.

1821Iessica. And what hope is that I pray thee?

1822Clow. Marrie you may partlie hope that your father

1823got you not, that you are not the Iewes daughter.

1824Ies. That were a kinde of bastard hope indeed, so the

1825sins of my mother should be visited vpon me.

1826Clow. Truly then I feare you are damned both by fa-

1827ther and mother: thus when I shun Scilla your father, I

1828fall into Charibdis your mother; well, you are gone both

1829waies.

1830Ies. I shall be sau'd by my husband, he hath made me

1831a Christian.

1832Clow. Truly the more to blame he, we were Christi-

1833ans enow before, e'ne as many as could wel liue one by a-

1834nother: this making of Christians will raise the price of

1835Hogs, if wee grow all to be porke-eaters, wee shall not

1836shortlie haue a rasher on the coales for money.

1838Ies. Ile tell my husband Lancelet what you say, heere

1839he comes.

1840Loren. I shall grow iealous of you shortly Lancelet,

1841if you thus get my wife into corners?

1842Ies. Nay, you need not feare vs Lorenzo, Launcelet

1843and I are out, he tells me flatly there is no mercy for mee

1844in heauen, because I am a Iewes daughter: and hee saies

1845you are no good member of the common wealth, for

1846in conuerting Iewes to Christians, you raise the price

1847of Porke.

1848Loren. I shall answere that better to the Common-

1849wealth, than you can the getting vp of the Negroes bel-

1850lie: the Moore is with childe by you Launcelet?

1851Clow. It is much that the Moore should be more then

1852reason: but if she be lesse then an honest woman, shee is

1853indeed more then I tooke her for.

1854Loren. How euerie foole can play vpon the word, I

1855thinke the best grace of witte will shortly turne into si-

1856lence, and discourse grow commendable in none onely

1857but Parrats: goe in sirra, bid them prepare for dinner?

1858Clow. That is done sir, they haue all stomacks?

1859Loren. Goodly Lord, what a witte-snapper are you,

1860then bid them prepare dinner.

1861Clow. That is done to sir, onely couer is the word.

1862Loren. Will you couer than sir?

1863Clow. Not so sir neither, I know my dutie.

1864Loren. Yet more quarrellng with occasion, wilt thou

1865shew the whole wealth of thy wit in an instant; I pray

1866thee vnderstand a plaine man in his plaine meaning: goe

1867to thy fellowes, bid them couer the table, serue in the

1868meat, and we will come in to dinner.

1869Clow. For the table sir, it shall be seru'd in, for the

1870meat sir, it shall bee couered, for your comming in to

1871dinner sir, why let it be as humors and conceits shall go-

1872uerne. Exit Clowne.

1873Lor. O deare discretion, how his words are suted,

1874The foole hath planted in his memory

1875An Armie of good words, and I doe know

1876A many fooles that stand in better place,

1877Garnisht like him, that for a tricksie word

1878Defie the matter: how cheer'st thou Iessica,

1879And now good sweet say thy opinion,