546542Clowne. Certainely, my conscience will serue me to runne from

547543this Iewe my Maister: the fiend is at mine elbow, and tempts me,

548544saying to me, Iobbe, Launcelet Jobbe, good Launcelet, or good Iobbe,

C. or

549545or good Launcelet Iobbe, vse your legges, take the start, runne a-

550546way, my conscience sayes no; take heede honest Launcelet, take

551547heede honest Iobbe, or as afore-saide honest Launcelet Iobbe, doe

552548not runne, scorne running with thy heeles; well, the most cora-

553549gious fiend bids me packe, fia sayes the fiend, away sayes the fiend,

554550for the heauens rouse vp a braue minde sayes the fiend, and runne;

555551well, my conscience hanging about the necke of my heart, sayes

556552very wisely to mee: my honest friend Launcelet beeing an honest

557553mans sonne, or rather an honest womans sonne, for indeede my

558554Father did something smacke, something grow to; he had a kinde

559555of tast; well, my conscience sayes Launcelet bouge not, bouge sayes

560556the fiend, bouge not sayes my conscience, conscience say I you

561557counsaile wel, fiend say I you counsaile well, to be ruld by my con-

562558science, I should stay with the Iewe my Maister, (who God blesse

563559the marke) is a kinde of deuill; and to runne away from the Iewe I

564560should be ruled by the fiend, who sauing your reuerence is the de-

565561uill himselfe: certainely the Iewe is the very deuill incarnation, and

566562in my conscience, my conscience is but a kinde of hard consci-

567563ence, to offer to counsaile mee to stay with the Iewe; the fiend

568564giues the more friendly counsaile: I will runne fiend, my heeles

569565are at your commaundement, I will runne.

571567Gobbo. Maister young-man, you I pray you, which is the way

572568to Maister Iewes?

573569Launcelet. O heauens, this is my true begotten Father, who be-

574570ing more then sand blinde, high grauell blinde, knowes me not, I

575571will try confusions with him.

576572Gobbo. Maister young Gentleman, I pray you which is the way

577573to Maister Iewes.

578574Launcelet. Turne vp on your right hand at the next turning,

579575but at the next turning of all on your left; marry at the very next

580576turning turne of no hand, but turne downe indirectly to the Iewes

581577house.

582578Gobbo. Be Gods sonties twill be a hard way to hit, can you tell

583579mee whether one Launcelet that dwels with him, dwell with him

584580or no.

585581Launcelet. Talke you of young Maister Launcelet, marke mee

586582nowe, nowe will I raise the waters; talke you of young Maister

587583Launcelet.

588584Gobbo. No Maister sir, but a poore mans Sonne, his Father

589585though I say't is an honest exceeding poore man, and God bee

590586thanked well to liue.

591587Launce. Well, let his Father be what a will, wee talke of young

592588Maister Launcelet.

593589Gob. Your worships friend and Launcelet sir.

594590Launce. But I pray you ergo olde man, ergo I beseech you, talke

595591you of young Maister Launcelet.

596592Gob. Of Launcelet ant please your maistership.

597593Launce. Ergo Maister Launcelet, talke not of maister Launcelet

598594Father, for the young Gentleman according to fates and deste-

599595nies, and such odd sayings, the sisters three, and such braunches of

600596learning, is indeede deceased, or as you would say in plaine termes,

601597gone to heauen.

602598Gobbo. Marry God forbid, the boy was the very staffe of my

603599age, my very prop.

604600Launcelet. Doe I looke like a cudgell or a houell post, a staffe,

605601or a prop: doe you know me Father.

606602Gobbo. Alacke the day, I knowe you not young Gentleman,

607603but I pray you tell mee, is my boy GOD rest his soule aliue or

608604dead.

609605Launcelet. Doe you not know me Father.

610606Gobbo. Alack sir I am sand blind, I know you not.

611607Launcelet. Nay, in deede if you had your eyes you might fayle

612608of the knowing mee: it is a wise Father that knowes his owne

613609childe. Well, olde man, I will tell you newes of your sonne, giue

614610mee your blessing, trueth will come to light, muder cannot bee

615611hidde long, a mannes Sonne may, but in the ende trueth will

616612out.

617613Gobbo. Pray you sir stand vp, I am sure you are not Launcelet

618614my boy.

C2 Launce.

619615Launce. Pray you let's haue no more fooling, about it, but giue

620616mee your blessing: I am Launcelet your boy that was, your sonne

621617that is, your child that shall be.

622618Gob. I cannot thinke you are my sonne.

623619Launc. I know not what I shall think of that: but I am Launce-

623.1620let the Iewes man, and I am sure Margerie your wife is my mo-

624621ther.

625622Gob. Her name is Margerie in deede, ile be sworne if thou bee

626623Launcelet, thou art mine owne flesh and blood: Lord worshipt

627624might he be, what a beard hast thou got; thou hast got more haire

628625on thy chinne, then Dobbin my philhorse hase on his taile.

629626Launce. It should seeme then that Dobbins taile growes back-

630627ward. I am sure hee had more haire of his taile then I haue of my

631628face when I lost saw him.

632629Gob. Lord how art thou changd: how doost thou and thy Ma-

633630ster agree, I haue brought him a present; how gree you now?

634631Launce. Well, well, but for mine owne part, as I haue set vp my

635632rest to runne away, so I will not rest till I haue runne some ground;

636633my Maister's a very Iewe, giue him a present, giue him a halter, I

637634am famisht in his seruice. You may tell euery finger I haue with

638635my ribs: Father I am glad you are come, giue me your present to

639636one Maister Bassanio, who in deede giues rare newe Lyuories, if I

640637serue not him, I will runne as farre as God has any ground. O rare

641638fortune, heere comes the man, to him Father, for I am a Iewe if I

642639serue the Iewe any longer.

644641Bass. You may doe so, but let it be so hasted that supper be ready

645642at the farthest by fiue of the clocke: see these Letters deliuered,

646643put the Lyueries to making, and desire Gratiano to come anone to

647644my lodging.

648645Launce. To him Father.

649646Gob. God blesse your worship.

650647Bass. Gramercie, wouldst thou ought with me.

651648Gobbe. Heere's my sonne sir, a poore boy.

652649Launce. Not a poore boy sir, but the rich Iewes man that would

653650sir as my Father shall specifie.

654651Gob. He hath a great infection sir, as one would say to serue.

655652Lau. Indeede the short and the long is, I serue the Iewe, & haue

656653a desire as my Father shall specifie.

657654Gob. His Maister and he (sauing your worships reuerence) are

658655scarce catercosins,

659656Lau. To be briefe, the very truth is, that the Iewe hauing done

660657me wrong, dooth cause me as my Father being I hope an old man

661658shall frutifie vnto you.

662659Gob. I haue heere a dish of Doues that I would bestow vppon

663660your worship, and my sute is.

664661Lau. In very briefe, the sute is impertinent to my selfe, as your

665662worship shall knowe by this honest old man, and though I say it,

666663though old man, yet poore man my Father.

667664Bass. One speake for both, what would you?

668665Laun. Serue you sir.

669666Gob. That is the very defect of the matter sir.

670667Bass. I know thee well, thou hast obtaind thy sute,

671668Shylocke thy Maister spoke with me this day,

672669And hath preferd thee, if it be preferment

673670To leaue a rich Iewes seruice, to become

674671The follower of so poore a Gentleman.

675672Clowne. The old prouerb is very well parted betweene my Maister

676673Shylocke and you sir, you haue the grace of God sir, and hee

677674hath enough.

678675Bass. Thou speakst it well; goe Father with thy Sonne

679676Take leaue of thy old Maister, and enquire

680677My lodging out, giue him a Lyuerie

681678More garded then his fellowes: see it done.

682679Clowne. Father in, I cannot get a seruice, no, I haue nere a tong

683680in my head, wel: if any man in Italy haue a fayrer table which

684681dooth offer to sweare vpon a booke, I shall haue good fortune;

685682goe too, heere's a simple lyne of life, heeres a small tryfle of wiues,

686683alas, fifteene wiues is nothing, a leuen widdowes and nine maydes

687684is a simple comming in for one man, and then to scape drowning

688685thrice, and to be in perrill of my life with the edge of a featherbed,

689686heere are simple scapes: well, if Fortune be a woman she's a good

690687wench for this gere: Father come, ile take my leaue of the Iewe in

C3 the

692689Bass. I pray thee good Leonardo thinke on this,

693690These things being bought and orderly bestowed

694691Returne in hast, for I doe feast to night

695692My best esteemd acquaintance, hie thee goe.

696693Leon. My best endeuours shall be done heerein. Exit Leonardo.

698695Grati. Where's your Maister.

699696Leonar. Yonder sir he walkes.

700697Grati. Signior Bassanio.

701698Bass. Gratiano.

702699Gra. I haue sute to you.

703700Bass. You haue obtaind it.

704701Gra. You must not deny me, I must goe with you to Belmont.

705702Bass. Why then you must but heare thee Gratiano,

706703Thou art to wild, to rude, and bold of voyce,

707704Parts that become thee happily enough,

708705And in such eyes as ours appeare not faults

709706But where thou art not knowne; why there they show

710707Somthing too liberall, pray thee take paine

711708To allay with some cold drops of modestie

712709Thy skipping spirit, least through thy wild behauiour

713710I be misconstred in the place I goe to,

714711And loose my hopes.

715712Gra. Signor Bassanio, heare me,

716713Yf I doe not put on a sober habite,

717714Talke with respect, and sweare but now and than,

718715Weare prayer bookes in my pocket, looke demurely,

719716Nay more, while grace is saying hood mine eyes

720717Thus with my hat, and sigh and say amen:

721718Vse all the obseruance of ciuillity

722719Like one well studied in a sad ostent

723720To please his Grandam, neuer trust me more.

724721Bass. Well, we shall see your bearing.

725722Gra. Nay but I barre to night, you shall not gage me

726723By what we doe to night.

727724Bass. No that were pitty,

728725I would intreate you rather to put on

729726Your boldest sute of mirth, for we haue friends

730727That purpose merriment: but far you well,

731728I haue some busines.

732729Gra. And I must to Lorenso and the rest,

733730But we will visite you at supper time. Exeunt.