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• The Merchant of Venice: Dramatis PersonÆ.
• Act I.
• Scene I.—: Venice. a Street.
• Scene II.—: Belmont. a Room Inportia’shouse.
• Scene III.—: Venice. a Public Place.
• Act II.
• Scene I.—: Belmont. a Room Inportia’shouse.
• Scene II.—: Venice. a Street.
• Scene III.—: The Same. a Room Inshylock’shouse.
• Scene IV.—: The Same. a Street.
• Scene V.—: The Same. Beforeshylock’shouse.
• Scene VI.—: The Same.
• Scene VII.—: Belmont. a Room Inportia’shouse.
• Scene VIII.—: Venice. a Street.
• Scene IX.—: Belmont. a Room Inportia’shouse.
• Act III.
• Scene I.—: Venice. a Street.
• Scene II.—: Belmont. a Room Inportia’shouse.
• Scene III.—: Venice. a Street.
• Scene IV.—: Belmont. a Room Inportia’shouse.
• Scene V.—: The Same. a Garden.
• Act IV.
• Scene I.—: Venice. a Court of Justice.
• Scene II.—: The Same. a Street.
• Act V.
• Scene I.—: Belmont. the Avenue Toportia’shouse.

Scene V.—

The Same. BeforeShylock’sHouse.

EnterShylockandLauncelot.

Shy.

Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy judge,

The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio:—

What, Jessical—thou shalt not gormandize,

As thou hast done with me;—What, Jessical—

And sleep and snore, and rend apparel out—

Why, Jessica, I say!

Laun.

Why, Jessica!

Shy.

Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.

Laun.

Your worship was wont to tell me that

I could do nothing without bidding.

EnterJessica.

Jes.

Call you? What is your will?

Shy.

I am bid forth to supper, Jessica:

There are my keys. But wherefore should I go?

I am not bid for love; they flatter me:

But yet I’ll go in hate, to feed upon

The prodigal Christian. Jessica, my girl,

Look to my house. I am right loath to go:

There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest,

For I did dream of money-bags to-night.

Laun.

I beseech you, sir, go: my young master doth expect your reproach.

Shy.

So do I his.

Laun.

And they have conspired together: I will not say you shall see a masque; but if you do, then it was not for nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on Black-Monday last, at six o’clock i’ the morning, falling out that year on Ash-Wednesday was four year in the afternoon.

Shy.

What! are there masques? Hear you me, Jessica:

Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum,

And the vile squealing of the wry-neck’d fife,

Clamber not you up to the casements then,

Nor thrust your head into the public street

To gaze on Christian fools with varnish’d faces,

But stop my house’s ears, I mean my casements;

Let not the sound of shallow foppery enter

My sober house. By Jacob’s staff I swear

I have no mind of feasting forth to-night;

But I will go. Go you before me, sirrah;

Say I will come.

Laun.

I will go before, air. Mistress, look out at window, for all this;

• There will come a Christian by,
• Will be worth a Jewess’ eye.

[ExitLauncelot.

Shy.

What says that fool of Hagar’s offspring, ha?

Jes.

His words were, ‘Farewell, mistress;’ nothing else.

Shy.

The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder;

Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day

More than the wild cat: drones hive not with me;

Therefore I part with him, and part with him

To one that I would have him help to waste

His borrow’d purse. Well, Jessica, go in:

Perhaps I will return immediately:

Do as I bid you; shut doors after you:

‘Fast bind, fast find,’

A proverb never stale in thrifty mind.

[Exit.

Jes.

Farewell; and if my fortune be not crost,

I have a father, you a daughter, lost.

[Exit.