Enter Lorenzo and Jessica.LORENZO The moon shines bright. In such a night as this, When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees And they did make no noise, in such a night Troilus, methinks, mounted the Trojan walls5 And sighed his soul toward the Grecian tents Where Cressid lay that night.JESSICA In such a night Did Thisbe fearfully o’ertrip the dew And saw the lion’s shadow ere himself10 And ran dismayed away.LORENZO In such a night Stood Dido with a willow in her hand Upon the wild sea-banks, and waft her love To come again to Carthage.JESSICA 15 In such a night Medea gathered the enchanted herbs That did renew old Aeson.LORENZO In such a night Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew,20 And with an unthrift love did run from Venice As far as Belmont.JESSICA In such a night Did young Lorenzo swear he loved her well,
183
The Merchant of Venice
ACT 5. SC. 1
Stealing her soul with many vows of faith,25 And ne’er a true one.LORENZO In such a night Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew, Slander her love, and he forgave it her.JESSICA I would out-night you did nobody come,30 But hark, I hear the footing of a man.Enter ⌜Stephano,⌝ a Messenger.LORENZO Who comes so fast in silence of the night?STEPHANO A friend.LORENZO A friend? What friend? Your name, I pray you, friend.STEPHANO 35 Stephano is my name, and I bring word My mistress will before the break of day Be here at Belmont. She doth stray about By holy crosses, where she kneels and prays For happy wedlock hours.LORENZO 40 Who comes with her?STEPHANO None but a holy hermit and her maid. I pray you, is my master yet returned?LORENZO He is not, nor we have not heard from him.— But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica,45 And ceremoniously let us prepare Some welcome for the mistress of the house.Enter ⌜Lancelet, the⌝ Clown.LANCELET Sola, sola! Wo ha, ho! Sola, sola!LORENZO Who calls?LANCELET Sola! Did you see Master Lorenzo? Master50 Lorenzo, sola, sola!
185
The Merchant of Venice
ACT 5. SC. 1
LORENZO Leave holloaing, man! Here.LANCELET Sola! Where, where?LORENZO Here!LANCELET Tell him there’s a post come from my master55 with his horn full of good news. My master will be here ere morning, sweet soul.⌜Lancelet exits.⌝LORENZO, ⌜to Jessica⌝ Let’s in, and there expect their coming. And yet no matter; why should we go in?— My friend ⌜Stephano,⌝ signify, I pray you,60 Within the house, your mistress is at hand, And bring your music forth into the air.⌜Stephano exits.⌝ How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank. Here will we sit and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears; soft stillness and the night65 Become the touches of sweet harmony. Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven Is thick inlaid with patens of bright gold. There’s not the smallest orb which thou behold’st But in his motion like an angel sings,70 Still choiring to the young-eyed cherubins. Such harmony is in immortal souls, But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.⌜Enter Stephano and musicians.⌝ Come, ho! and wake Diana with a hymn.75 With sweetest touches pierce your mistress’ ear, And draw her home with music.⌜Music plays.⌝JESSICA I am never merry when I hear sweet music.LORENZO The reason is, your spirits are attentive. For do but note a wild and wanton herd
187
The Merchant of Venice
ACT 5. SC. 1
80 Or race of youthful and unhandled colts, Fetching mad bounds, bellowing and neighing loud, Which is the hot condition of their blood, If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound, Or any air of music touch their ears,85 You shall perceive them make a mutual stand, Their savage eyes turned to a modest gaze By the sweet power of music. Therefore the poet Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods,90 Since naught so stockish, hard, and full of rage, But music for the time doth change his nature. The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;95 The motions of his spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as ⌜Erebus.⌝ Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.Enter Portia and Nerissa.PORTIA That light we see is burning in my hall. How far that little candle throws his beams!100 So shines a good deed in a naughty world.NERISSA When the moon shone we did not see the candle.PORTIA So doth the greater glory dim the less. A substitute shines brightly as a king Until a king be by, and then his state105 Empties itself as doth an inland brook Into the main of waters. Music, hark!NERISSA It is your music, madam, of the house.PORTIA Nothing is good, I see, without respect. Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day.
189
The Merchant of Venice
ACT 5. SC. 1
NERISSA 110 Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam.PORTIA The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark When neither is attended, and I think The nightingale, if she should sing by day When every goose is cackling, would be thought115 No better a musician than the wren. How many things by season seasoned are To their right praise and true perfection! Peace—how the moon sleeps with Endymion And would not be awaked!⌜Music ceases.⌝LORENZO 120 That is the voice, Or I am much deceived, of Portia.PORTIA He knows me as the blind man knows the cuckoo, By the bad voice.LORENZO Dear lady, welcome home.PORTIA 125 We have been praying for our husbands’ welfare, Which speed we hope the better for our words. Are they returned?LORENZO Madam, they are not yet, But there is come a messenger before130 To signify their coming.PORTIA Go in, Nerissa. Give order to my servants that they take No note at all of our being absent hence— Nor you, Lorenzo—Jessica, nor you.⌜A trumpet sounds.⌝LORENZO 135 Your husband is at hand. I hear his trumpet. We are no tell-tales, madam, fear you not.PORTIA This night methinks is but the daylight sick;
191
The Merchant of Venice
ACT 5. SC. 1
It looks a little paler. ’Tis a day Such as the day is when the sun is hid.Enter Bassanio, Antonio, Gratiano, and their followers.BASSANIO 140 We should hold day with the Antipodes If you would walk in absence of the sun.PORTIA Let me give light, but let me not be light, For a light wife doth make a heavy husband, And never be Bassanio so for me.145 But God sort all! You are welcome home, my lord.⌜Gratiano and Nerissa talk aside.⌝BASSANIO I thank you, madam. Give welcome to my friend. This is the man, this is Antonio, To whom I am so infinitely bound.PORTIA You should in all sense be much bound to him,150 For as I hear he was much bound for you.ANTONIO No more than I am well acquitted of.PORTIA Sir, you are very welcome to our house. It must appear in other ways than words; Therefore I scant this breathing courtesy.GRATIANO, ⌜to Nerissa⌝ 155 By yonder moon I swear you do me wrong! In faith, I gave it to the judge’s clerk. Would he were gelt that had it, for my part, Since you do take it, love, so much at heart.PORTIA A quarrel ho, already! What’s the matter?GRATIANO 160 About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring That she did give me, whose posy was
193
The Merchant of Venice
ACT 5. SC. 1
For all the world like cutler’s poetry Upon a knife, “Love me, and leave me not.”NERISSA What talk you of the posy or the value?165 You swore to me when I did give ⌜it⌝ you That you would wear it till your hour of death, And that it should lie with you in your grave. Though not for me, yet for your vehement oaths, You should have been respective and have kept it.170 Gave it a judge’s clerk! No, God’s my judge, The clerk will ne’er wear hair on ’s face that had it.GRATIANO He will, an if he live to be a man.NERISSA Ay, if a woman live to be a man.GRATIANO Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth,175 A kind of boy, a little scrubbèd boy, No higher than thyself, the judge’s clerk, A prating boy that begged it as a fee. I could not for my heart deny it him.PORTIA You were to blame, I must be plain with you,180 To part so slightly with your wife’s first gift, A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger, And so riveted with faith unto your flesh. I gave my love a ring and made him swear Never to part with it, and here he stands.185 I dare be sworn for him he would not leave it Nor pluck it from his finger for the wealth That the world masters. Now, in faith, Gratiano, You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief. An ’twere to me I should be mad at it.BASSANIO, ⌜aside⌝ 190 Why, I were best to cut my left hand off And swear I lost the ring defending it.
195
The Merchant of Venice
ACT 5. SC. 1
GRATIANO My Lord Bassanio gave his ring away Unto the judge that begged it, and indeed Deserved it, too. And then the boy, his clerk,195 That took some pains in writing, he begged mine, And neither man nor master would take aught But the two rings.PORTIA What ring gave you, my lord? Not that, I hope, which you received of me.BASSANIO 200 If I could add a lie unto a fault, I would deny it, but you see my finger Hath not the ring upon it. It is gone.PORTIA Even so void is your false heart of truth. By heaven, I will ne’er come in your bed205 Until I see the ring!NERISSA, ⌜to Gratiano⌝ Nor I in yours Till I again see mine!BASSANIO Sweet Portia, If you did know to whom I gave the ring,210 If you did know for whom I gave the ring, And would conceive for what I gave the ring, And how unwillingly I left the ring, When naught would be accepted but the ring, You would abate the strength of your displeasure.PORTIA 215 If you had known the virtue of the ring, Or half her worthiness that gave the ring, Or your own honor to contain the ring, You would not then have parted with the ring. What man is there so much unreasonable,220 If you had pleased to have defended it With any terms of zeal, wanted the modesty To urge the thing held as a ceremony? Nerissa teaches me what to believe: I’ll die for ’t but some woman had the ring!
197
The Merchant of Venice
ACT 5. SC. 1
BASSANIO 225 No, by my honor, madam, by my soul, No woman had it, but a civil doctor, Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me And begged the ring, the which I did deny him And suffered him to go displeased away,230 Even he that had held up the very life Of my dear friend. What should I say, sweet lady? I was enforced to send it after him. I was beset with shame and courtesy. My honor would not let ingratitude235 So much besmear it. Pardon me, good lady, For by these blessèd candles of the night, Had you been there, I think you would have begged The ring of me to give the worthy doctor.PORTIA Let not that doctor e’er come near my house!240 Since he hath got the jewel that I loved, And that which you did swear to keep for me, I will become as liberal as you: I’ll not deny him anything I have, No, not my body, nor my husband’s bed.245 Know him I shall, I am well sure of it. Lie not a night from home. Watch me like Argus. If you do not, if I be left alone, Now by mine honor, which is yet mine own, I’ll have that doctor for ⌜my⌝ bedfellow.NERISSA 250 And I his clerk. Therefore be well advised How you do leave me to mine own protection.GRATIANO Well, do you so. Let not me take him, then, For if I do, I’ll mar the young clerk’s pen.ANTONIO I am th’ unhappy subject of these quarrels.
199
The Merchant of Venice
ACT 5. SC. 1
PORTIA 255 Sir, grieve not you. You are welcome notwithstanding.BASSANIO Portia, forgive me this enforcèd wrong, And in the hearing of these many friends I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes,260 Wherein I see myself—PORTIA Mark you but that! In both my eyes he doubly sees himself, In each eye one. Swear by your double self, And there’s an oath of credit.BASSANIO 265 Nay, but hear me. Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear I never more will break an oath with thee.ANTONIO I once did lend my body for his wealth, Which but for him that had your husband’s ring270 Had quite miscarried. I dare be bound again, My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord Will never more break faith advisedly.PORTIA Then you shall be his surety. Give him this,⌜Giving Antonio a ring.⌝ And bid him keep it better than the other.ANTONIO 275 Here, Lord Bassanio, swear to keep this ring.BASSANIO By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor!PORTIA I had it of him. Pardon me, Bassanio, For by this ring, the doctor lay with me.NERISSA And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano,280 For that same scrubbèd boy, the doctor’s clerk, In lieu of this, last night did lie with me.⌜She shows a ring.⌝
201
The Merchant of Venice
ACT 5. SC. 1
GRATIANO Why, this is like the mending of highways In summer, where the ways are fair enough! What, are we cuckolds ere we have deserved it?PORTIA 285 Speak not so grossly.—You are all amazed.⌜She hands a paper to Bassanio.⌝ Here is a letter; read it at your leisure. It comes from Padua from Bellario. There you shall find that Portia was the doctor, Nerissa there, her clerk. Lorenzo here290 Shall witness I set forth as soon as you, And even but now returned. I have not yet Entered my house.—Antonio, you are welcome, And I have better news in store for you Than you expect. Unseal this letter soon.⌜Handing him a paper.⌝295 There you shall find three of your argosies Are richly come to harbor suddenly. You shall not know by what strange accident I chancèd on this letter.ANTONIO I am dumb.BASSANIO 300 Were you the doctor and I knew you not?GRATIANO Were you the clerk that is to make me cuckold?NERISSA Ay, but the clerk that never means to do it, Unless he live until he be a man.BASSANIO, ⌜to Portia⌝ Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow.305 When I am absent, then lie with my wife.ANTONIO Sweet lady, you have given me life and living; For here I read for certain that my ships Are safely come to road.
203
The Merchant of Venice
ACT 5. SC. 1
PORTIA How now, Lorenzo?310 My clerk hath some good comforts too for you.NERISSA Ay, and I’ll give them him without a fee.⌜Handing him a paper.⌝ There do I give to you and Jessica, From the rich Jew, a special deed of gift, After his death, of all he dies possessed of.LORENZO 315 Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way Of starvèd people.PORTIA It is almost morning, And yet I am sure you are not satisfied Of these events at full. Let us go in,320 And charge us there upon inter’gatories, And we will answer all things faithfully.GRATIANO Let it be so. The first inter’gatory That my Nerissa shall be sworn on is Whether till the next night she had rather stay325 Or go to bed now, being two hours to day. But were the day come, I should wish it dark Till I were couching with the doctor’s clerk. Well, while I live, I’ll fear no other thing So sore as keeping safe Nerissa’s ring.They exit.
The Merchant of Venice: 
