568Clo. Certainely, my conscience will serue me to run

569from this Iew my Maister: the fiend is at mine elbow,

570and tempts me, saying to me, Iobbe, Launcelet Iobbe, good

571Launcelet, or good Iobbe, or good Launcelet Iobbe, vse

572your legs, take the start, run awaie: my conscience saies

573no; take heede honest Launcelet, take heed honest Iobbe,

574or as afore-said honest Launcelet Iobbe, doe not runne,

575scorne running with thy heeles; well, the most coragi-

576ous fiend bids me packe, fia saies the fiend, away saies

577the fiend, for the heauens rouse vp a braue minde saies

578the fiend, and run; well, my conscience hanging about

579the necke of my heart, saies verie wisely to me: my ho-

580nest friend Launcelet, being an honest mans sonne, or ra-

581ther an honest womans sonne, for indeede my Father did

582something smack, something grow too; he had a kinde of

583taste; wel, my conscience saies Lancelet bouge not, bouge

584saies the fiend, bouge not saies my conscience, conscience

585say I you counsaile well, fiend say I you counsaile well,

586to be rul'd by my conscience I should stay with the Iew

587my Maister, (who God blesse the marke) is a kinde of di-

588uell; and to run away from the Iew I should be ruled by

589the fiend, who sauing your reuerence is the diuell him-

590selfe: certainely the Iew is the verie diuell incarnation,

591and in my conscience, my conscience is a kinde of hard

592conscience, to offer to counsaile me to stay with the Iew;

593the fiend giues the more friendly counsaile: I will runne

594fiend, my heeles are at your commandement, I will

595runne.

597Gob. Maister yong-man, you I praie you, which is the

598waie to Maister Iewes?

599Lan. O heauens, this is my true begotten Father, who

600being more then sand-blinde, high grauel blinde, knows

601me not, I will trie confusions with him.

602Gob. Maister yong Gentleman, I praie you which is

603the waie to Maister Iewes.

604Laun. Turne vpon your right hand at the next tur-

605ning, but at the next turning of all on your left; marrie

606at the verie next turning, turne of no hand, but turn down

607indirectlie to the Iewes house.

608Gob. Be Gods sonties 'twill be a hard waie to hit, can

609you tell me whether one Launcelet that dwels with him,

610dwell with him or no.

611Laun. Talke you of yong Master Launcelet, marke

612me now, now will I raise the waters; talke you of yong

613Maister Launcelet?

614Gob. No Maister sir, but a poore mans sonne, his Fa-

615ther though I say't is an honest exceeding poore man,

616and God be thanked well to liue.

617Lan. Well, let his Father be what a will, wee talke of

618yong Maister Launcelet.

619Gob. Your worships friend and Launcelet.

620Laun. But I praie you ergo old man, ergo I beseech you,

621talke you of yong Maister Launcelet.

622Gob. Of Launcelet, ant please your maistership.

623Lan. Ergo Maister Lancelet, talke not of maister Lance-

624let Father, for the yong gentleman according to fates and

625destinies, and such odde sayings, the sisters three, & such

626branches of learning, is indeede deceased, or as you

627would say in plaine tearmes, gone to heauen.

628Gob. Marrie God forbid, the boy was the verie staffe

629of my age, my verie prop.

630Lau. Do I look like a cudgell or a houell-post, a staffe

631or a prop: doe you know me Father.

632Gob. Alacke the day, I know you not yong Gentle-

633man, but I praie you tell me, is my boy God rest his soule

634aliue or dead.

635Lan. Doe you not know me Father.

636Gob. Alacke sir I am sand blinde, I know you not.

637Lan. Nay, indeede if you had your eies you might

638faile of the knowing me: it is a wise Father that knowes

639his owne childe. Well, old man, I will tell you newes of

640your son, giue me your blessing, truth will come to light,

641murder cannot be hid long, a mans sonne may, but in the

642end truth will out.

643Gob. Praie you sir stand vp, I am sure you are not

644Lancelet my boy.

645Lan. Praie you let's haue no more fooling about

646it, but giue mee your blessing: I am Lancelet your

647boy that was, your sonne that is, your childe that

648shall be.

649Gob. I cannot thinke you are my sonne.

650Lan. I know not what I shall thinke of that: but I am

651Lancelet the Iewes man, and I am sure Margerie your wife

652is my mother.

653Gob. Her name is Margerie indeede, Ile be sworne if

654thou be Lancelet, thou art mine owne flesh and blood:

655Lord worshipt might he be, what a beard hast thou got;

656thou hast got more haire on thy chin, then Dobbin my

657philhorse has on his taile.

658Lan. It should seeme then that Dobbins taile

659growes backeward. I am sure he had more haire of his

660taile then I haue of my face when I lost saw him.

661Gob. Lord how art thou chang'd: how doost thou

662and thy Master agree, I haue brought him a present; how

663gree you now?

664Lan. Well, well, but for mine owne part, as I haue set

665vp my rest to run awaie, so I will not rest till I haue run

666some ground; my Maister's a verie Iew, giue him a pres-

667ent, giue him a halter, I am famisht in his seruice. You

668may tell euerie finger I haue with my ribs: Father I am

669glad you are come, giue me your present to one Maister

670Bassanio, who indeede giues rare new Liuories, if I serue

671not him, I will run as far as God has anie ground. O rare

672fortune, here comes the man, to him Father, for I am a

673Iew if I serue the Iew anie longer.

675Bass. You may doe so, but let it be so hasted that

676supper be readie at the farthest by fiue of the clocke:

677see these Letters deliuered, put the Liueries to mak-

678ing, and desire Gratiano to come anone to my lodg-

679ing.

680Lan. To him Father.

681Gob. God blesse your worship.

682Bass. Gramercie, would'st thou ought with me.

683Gob. Here's my sonne sir, a poore boy.

684Lan. Not a poore boy sir, but the rich Iewes man that

685would sir as my Father shall specifie.

686Gob. He hath a great infection sir, as one would say

687to serue.

688Lan. Indeede the short and the long is, I serue the

689Iew, and haue a desire as my Father shall specifie.

690Gob. His Maister and he (sauing your worships reue-

691rence) are scarce catercosins.

692Lan. To be briefe, the verie truth is, that the Iew

693hauing done me wrong, doth cause me as my Father be-

694ing I hope an old man shall frutifie vnto you.

695Gob. I haue here a dish of Doues that I would bestow

696vpon your worship, and my suite is.

697Lan. In verie briefe, the suite is impertinent to my

698selfe, as your worship shall know by this honest old man,

699and though I say it, though old man, yet poore man my

700Father.

701Bass. One speake for both, what would you?

702Lan. Serue you sir.

703Gob. That is the verie defect of the matter sir.

704Bass. I know thee well, thou hast obtain'd thy suite,

705Shylocke thy Maister spoke with me this daie,

706And hath prefer'd thee, if it be preferment

707To leaue a rich Iewes seruice, to become

708The follower of so poore a Gentleman.

709Clo. The old prouerbe is verie well parted betweene

710my Maister Shylocke and you sir, you haue the grace of

711God sir, and he hath enough.

712Bass. Thou speak'st it well; go Father with thy Son,

713Take leaue of thy old Maister, and enquire

714My lodging out, giue him a Liuerie

715More garded then his fellowes: see it done.

716Clo. Father in, I cannot get a seruice, no, I haue nere

717a tongue in my head, well: if anie man in Italie haue a

718fairer table which doth offer to sweare vpon a booke, I

719shall haue good fortune; goe too, here's a simple line

720of life, here's a small trifle of wiues, alas, fifteene wiues

721is nothing, a leuen widdowes and nine maides is a sim-

722ple comming in for one man, and then to scape drow-

723ning thrice, and to be in perill of my life with the edge

724of a featherbed, here are simple scapes: well, if Fortune

725be a woman, she's a good wench for this gere: Father

726come, Ile take my leaue of the Iew in the twinkling.

728Bass. I praie thee good Leonardo thinke on this,

729These things being bought and orderly bestowed

730Returne in haste, for I doe feast to night

731My best esteemd acquaintance, hie thee goe.

732Leon. My best endeuors shall be done herein. Exit Le.

734Gra. Where's your Maister.

735Leon. Yonder sir he walkes.

736Gra. Signior Bassanio.

737Bas. Gratiano.

738Gra. I haue a sute to you.

739Bass. You haue obtain'd it.

740Gra. You must not denie me, I must goe with you to

741Belmont.

742Bass. Why then you must: but heare thee Gratiano,

743Thou art to wilde, to rude, and bold of voyce,

744Parts that become thee happily enough,

745And in such eyes as ours appeare not faults;

746But where they are not knowne, why there they show

747Something too liberall, pray thee take paine

748To allay with some cold drops of modestie

749Thy skipping spirit, least through thy wilde behauiour

750I be misconsterd in the place I goe to,

751And loose my hopes.

752Gra. Signor Bassanio, heare me,

753If I doe not put on a sober habite,

754Talke with respect, and sweare but now and than,

755Weare prayer bookes in my pocket, looke demurely,

756Nay more, while grace is saying hood mine eyes

757Thus with my hat, and sigh and say Amen:

758Vse all the obseruance of ciuillitie

759Like one well studied in a sad ostent

760To please his Grandam, neuer trust me more.

761Bas. Well, we shall see your bearing.

762Gra. Nay but I barre to night, you shall not gage me

763By what we doe to night.

764Bas. No that were pittie,

765I would intreate you rather to put on

766Your boldest suite of mirth, for we haue friends

767That purpose merriment: but far you well,

768I haue some businesse.

769Gra. And I must to Lorenso and the rest,

770But we will visite you at supper time. Exeunt.