Enter Shylock and Launcelot.



Shy. Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy judge,
The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio: -
What, Jessica! - thou shalt not gormandize,
As thou hast done with me; - What, Jessica! -
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 I could do nothing without bidding.

Enter Jessica.



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 loth to go:
There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest,
For I did dream of money-bags to-night.

Lau. 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 squeaking 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, sir. Mistress, look out at window, for all this;
There will come a Christian by,
Will be worth a Jewess' eye.
[Exit.

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.