Shakespeare's First Folio Part 153

Enter Anthonio.

Ant. Who's there?

Gra. Signior Anthonio?

Ant. Fie, fie, Gratiano, where are all the rest?

'Tis nine a clocke, our friends all stay for you, No maske to night, the winde is come about, Ba.s.sanio presently will goe aboord, I haue sent twenty out to seeke for you

Gra. I am glad on't, I desire no more delight Then to be vnder saile, and gone to night.

Exeunt.

Enter Portia with Morrocho, and both their traines.

Por. Goe, draw aside the curtaines, and discouer The seuerall Caskets to this n.o.ble Prince: Now make your choyse

Mor. The first of gold, who this inscription beares, Who chooseth me, shall gaine what men desire.

The second siluer, which this promise carries, Who chooseth me, shall get as much as he deserues.

This third, dull lead, with warning all as blunt, Who chooseth me, must giue and hazard all he hath.

How shall I know if I doe choose the right?

How shall I know if I doe choose the right

Por. The one of them containes my picture Prince, If you choose that, then I am yours withall

Mor. Some G.o.d direct my iudgement, let me see, I will suruay the inscriptions, backe againe: What saies this leaden casket?

Who chooseth me, must giue and hazard all he hath.

Must giue, for what? for lead, hazard for lead?

This casket threatens men that hazard all Doe it in hope of faire aduantages: A golden minde stoopes not to showes of drosse, Ile then nor giue nor hazard ought for lead.

What saies the Siluer with her virgin hue?

Who chooseth me, shall get as much as he deserues.

As much as he deserues; pause there Morocho, And weigh thy value with an euen hand, If thou beest rated by thy estimation Thou doost deserue enough, and yet enough May not extend so farre as to the Ladie: And yet to be afeard of my deseruing, Were but a weake disabling of my selfe.

As much as I deserue, why that's the Lady.

I doe in birth deserue her, and in fortunes, In graces, and in qualities of breeding: But more then these, in loue I doe deserue.

What if I strai'd no farther, but chose here?

Let's see once more this saying grau'd in gold.

Who chooseth me shall gaine what many men desire: Why that's the Lady, all the world desires her: From the foure corners of the earth they come To kisse this shrine, this mortall breathing Saint.

The Hircanion deserts, and the vaste wildes Of wide Arabia are as throughfares now For Princes to come view faire Portia.

The waterie Kingdome, whose ambitious head Spets in the face of heauen, is no barre To stop the forraine spirits, but they come As ore a brooke to see faire Portia.

One of these three containes her heauenly picture.

Is't like that Lead containes her? 'twere d.a.m.nation To thinke so base a thought, it were too grose To rib her searecloath in the obscure graue: Or shall I thinke in Siluer she's immur'd Being ten times vndervalued to tride gold; O sinfull thought, neuer so rich a Iem Was set in worse then gold! They haue in England A coyne that beares the figure of an Angell Stampt in gold, but that's insculpt vpon: But here an Angell in a golden bed Lies all within. Deliuer me the key: Here doe I choose, and thriue I as I may

Por. There take it Prince, and if my forme lye there Then I am yours

Mor. O h.e.l.l! what haue we here, a carrion death, Within whose emptie eye there is a written scroule; Ile reade the writing.

All that glisters is not gold, Often haue you heard that told; Many a man his life hath sold But my outside to behold; Guilded timber doe wormes infold: Had you beene as wise as bold, Yong in limbs, in iudgement old, Your answere had not beene inscrold, Fareyouwell, your suite is cold, Mor. Cold indeede, and labour lost, Then farewell heate, and welcome frost: Portia adew, I haue too grieu'd a heart To take a tedious leaue: thus loosers part.

Enter.

Por. A gentle riddance: draw the curtaines, go: Let all of his complexion choose me so.

Exeunt.

Enter Salarino and Solanio.

Flo. Cornets

Sal. Why man I saw Ba.s.sanio vnder sayle; With him is Gratiano gone along; And in their s.h.i.+p I am sure Lorenzo is not

Sol. The villaine Iew with outcries raisd the Duke.

Who went with him to search Ba.s.sanios s.h.i.+p

Sal. He comes too late, the s.h.i.+p was vndersaile; But there the Duke was giuen to vnderstand That in a Gondilo were seene together Lorenzo and his amorous Iessica.

Besides, Anthonio certified the Duke They were not with Ba.s.sanio in his s.h.i.+p

Sol. I neuer heard a pa.s.sion so confusd, So strange, outragious, and so variable, As the dogge Iew did vtter in the streets; My daughter, O my ducats, O my daughter, Fled with a Christian, O my Christian ducats!

Iustice, the law, my ducats, and my daughter; A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats, Of double ducats, stolne from me by my daughter, And iewels, two stones, two rich and precious stones, Stolne by my daughter: iustice, finde the girle, She hath the stones vpon her, and the ducats

Sal. Why all the boyes in Venice follow him, Crying his stones, his daughter, and his ducats

Sol. Let good Anthonio looke he keepe his day Or he shall pay for this

Sal. Marry well remembred, I reason'd with a Frenchman yesterday, Who told me, in the narrow seas that part The French and English, there miscaried A vessell of our countrey richly fraught: I thought vpon Anthonio when he told me, And wisht in silence that it were not his

Sol. You were best to tell Anthonio what you heare.

Yet doe not suddainely, for it may grieue him

Sal. A kinder Gentleman treads not the earth, I saw Ba.s.sanio and Anthonio part, Ba.s.sanio told him he would make some speede Of his returne: he answered, doe not so, Slubber not businesse for my sake Ba.s.sanio, But stay the very riping of the time, And for the Iewes bond which he hath of me, Let it not enter in your minde of loue: Be merry, and imploy your chiefest thoughts To courts.h.i.+p, and such faire ostents of loue As shall conueniently become you there; And euen there his eye being big with teares, Turning his face, he put his hand behinde him, And with affection wondrous sencible He wrung Ba.s.sanios hand, and so they parted

Sol. I thinke he onely loues the world for him, I pray thee let vs goe and finde him out And quicken his embraced heauinesse With some delight or other

Sal. Doe we so.

Exeunt.

Enter Nerrissa and a Seruiture.

Ner. Quick, quick I pray thee, draw the curtain strait, The Prince of Arragon hath tane his oath, And comes to his election presently.

Enter Arragon, his traine, and Portia. Flor. Cornets.

Por. Behold, there stand the caskets n.o.ble Prince, If you choose that wherein I am contain'd, Straight shall our nuptiall rights be solemniz'd: But if thou faile, without more speech my Lord, You must be gone from hence immediately

Ar. I am enioynd by oath to obserue three things; First, neuer to vnfold to any one Which casket 'twas I chose; next, if I faile Of the right casket, neuer in my life To wooe a maide in way of marriage: Lastly, if I doe faile in fortune of my choyse, Immediately to leaue you, and be gone

Por. To these iniunctions euery one doth sweare That comes to hazard for my worthlesse selfe

Ar. And so haue I addrest me, fortune now To my hearts hope: gold, siluer, and base lead.

Who chooseth me must giue and hazard all he hath.

You shall looke fairer ere I giue or hazard.

What saies the golden chest, ha, let me see.

Who chooseth me, shall gaine what many men desire: What many men desire, that many may be meant By the foole mult.i.tude that choose by show, Not learning more then the fond eye doth teach, Which pries not to th' interior, but like the Martlet Builds in the weather on the outward wall, Euen in the force and rode of casualtie.

I will not choose what many men desire, Because I will not iumpe with common spirits, And ranke me with the barbarous mult.i.tudes.

Why then to thee thou Siluer treasure house, Tell me once more, what t.i.tle thou doost beare; Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserues: And well said too; for who shall goe about To cosen Fortune, and be honourable Without the stampe of merrit, let none presume To weare an vndeserued dignitie: O that estates, degrees, and offices, Were not deriu'd corruptly, and that cleare honour Were purchast by the merrit of the wearer; How many then should couer that stand bare?