195Enter Portia with her waiting woman Nerissa. 196Portia. By my troth
Nerrissa, my little body is a wea
- 197rie of this great world.
198Ner. You would be
sweet Madam, if your mi
series
199were in the
same abundance as your good fortunes are:
200and yet for ought I
see, they are as
sicke that
surfet with
201too much, as they that
starue with nothing; it is no
smal
202happine
sse therefore to bee
seated in the meane,
super
- 203fluitie comes
sooner by white haires, but competencie
205Portia. Good
sentences, and well pronounc'd.
206Ner. They would be better if well followed.
207Portia. If to doe were as ea
sie as to know what were
208good to doe, Chappels had beene Churches, and poore
209mens cottages Princes Pallaces: it is a good Diuine that
210followes his owne in
stru
ctions; I can ea
sier teach twen
- 211tie what were good to be done, then be one of the twen
- 212tie to follow mine owne teaching: the braine may de
- 213ui
se lawes for the blood, but a hot temper leapes ore a
214colde decree,
such a hare is madne
sse the youth, to
skip
215ore the me
shes of good coun
saile the cripple; but this
216rea
son is not in fa
shion to choo
se me a hu
sband: O mee,
217the word choo
se, I may neither choo
se whom I would,
218nor refu
se whom I di
slike,
so is the wil of a liuing daugh
- 219ter curb'd by the will of a dead father: it is not hard
Ner- 220rissa, that I cannot choo
se one, nor refu
se none.
221Ner. Your father was euer vertuous, and holy men
222at their death haue good in
spirations, therefore the lot
- 223terie that hee hath deui
sed in the
se three che
sts of gold,
224siluer, and leade, whereof who choo
ses his meaning,
chooses
The Merchant of Venice. 163
225choo
ses you, wil no doubt neuer be cho
sen by any right
- 226ly, but one who you
shall rightly loue: but what warmth
227is there in your a
ffe
ction towards any of the
se Princely
228suters that are already come?
229Por. I pray thee ouer-name them, and as thou name
st 230them, I will de
scribe them, and according to my de
scrip
- 231tion leuell at my a
ffe
ction.
232Ner. Fir
st there is the Neopolitane Prince.
233Por. I that's a colt indeede, for he doth nothing but
234talke of his hor
se, and hee makes it a great appropria
- 235tion to his owne good parts that he can
shoo him him
- 236selfe: I am much afraid my Ladie his mother plaid fal
se
238Ner. Than is there the Countie Palentine.
239Por. He doth nothing but frowne (as who
should
240say, and you will not haue me, choo
se: he heares merrie
241tales and
smiles not, I feare hee will proue the weeping
242Phylo
sopher when he growes old, being
so full of vn
- 243mannerly
sadne
sse in his youth.) I had rather to be marri
- 244ed to a deaths head with a bone in his mouth, then to ei
- 245ther of the
se: God defend me from the
se two.
246Ner. How
say you by the French Lord, Moun
sier
248Pro. God made him, and therefore let him pa
sse for a
249man, in truth I know it is a
sinne to be a mocker, but he,
250why he hath a hor
se better then the Neopolitans, a bet
- 251ter bad habite of frowning then the Count Palentine, he
252is euery man in no man, if a Tra
ssell
sing, he fals
straight
253a capring, he will fence with his own
shadow. If I
should
254marry him, I
should marry twentie hu
sbands: if hee
255would de
spi
se me, I would forgiue him, for if he loue me
256to madne
sse, I
should neuer requite him.
257Ner. What
say you then to
Fauconbridge, the yong
259Por. You know I
say nothing to him, for hee vnder
- 260stands not me, nor I him: he hath neither
Latine,
French,
261nor
Italian, and you will come into the Court &
sweare
262that I haue a poore pennie-worth in the
English: hee is a
263proper mans pi
cture, but alas who can conuer
se with a
264dumbe
show? how odly he is
suited, I thinke he bought
265his doublet in
Italie, his round ho
se in
France, his bonnet
266in
Germanie, and his behauiour euery where.
267Ner. What thinke you of the other Lord his neigh
- 269Por. That he hath a neighbourly charitie in him, for
270he borrowed a boxe of the eare of the
Englishman, and
271swore he would pay him againe when hee was able: I
272thinke the
Frenchman became his
suretie, and
seald vnder
274Ner. How like you the yong
Germaine, the Duke of
276Por. Very vildely in the morning when hee is
sober,
277and mo
st vildely in the afternoone when hee is drunke:
278when he is be
st, he is a little wor
se then a man, and when
279he is wor
st, he is little better then a bea
st: and the wor
st 280fall that euer fell, I hope I
shall make
shift to goe with
- 282Ner. If he
should o
ffer to choo
se, and choo
se the right
283Ca
sket, you
should refu
se to performe your Fathers will,
284if you
should refu
se to accept him.
285Por. Therefore for feare of the wor
st, I pray thee
set
286a deepe gla
sse of Reini
sh-wine on the contrary Ca
sket,
287for if the diuell be within, and that temptation without,
288I know he will choo
se it. I will doe any thing
Nerrissa 289ere I will be married to a
spunge.
290Ner. You neede not feare Lady the hauing any of
291the
se Lords, they haue acquainted me with their deter
- 292minations, which is indeede to returne to their home,
293and to trouble you with no more
suite, vnle
sse you may
294be won by
some other
sort then your Fathers impo
siti
- 295on, depending on the Ca
skets.
296Por. If I liue to be as olde as
Sibilla, I will dye as
297cha
ste as
Diana: vnle
sse I be obtained by the manner
298of my Fathers will: I am glad this parcell of wooers
299are
so rea
sonable, for there is not one among them but
300I doate on his verie ab
sence: and I wi
sh them a faire de
- 302Ner. Doe you not remember Ladie in your Fa
- 303thers time, a
Venecian, a Scholler and a Souldior that
304came hither in companie of the Marque
sse of
Mount- 306Por. Yes, yes, it was
Bassanio, as I thinke,
so was hee
308Ner. True Madam, hee of all the men that euer my
309fooli
sh eyes look'd vpon, was the be
st de
seruing a faire
311Por. I remember him well, and I remember him wor
- 314Ser. The foure Strangers
seeke you Madam to take
315their leaue: and there is a fore-runner come from a
fift,
316the Prince of
Moroco, who brings word the Prince his
317Mai
ster will be here to night.
318Por. If I could bid the
fift welcome with
so good
319heart as I can bid the other foure farewell, I
should be
320glad of his approach: if he haue the condition of a Saint,
321and the complexion of a diuell, I had rather hee
should
322shriue me then wiue me. Come
Nerrissa,
sirra go before;
323whiles wee
shut the gate vpon one wooer, another
324knocks at the doore.
Exeunt.