To please his grandam, never trust me more. GRA. Nay, but I bar to-night; you shall not gage me By what we do to-night. BASS. No, that were pity; I would entreat you rather to put on Your boldeft fuit of mirth, for we have friends That purpose merriment: But fare you well, I have fome business. GRA. And I must to Lorenzo, and the rest; But we will visit you at supper-time. SCENE III. [Exeunt. The fame. A Room in Shylock's House, Enter JESSICĄ and Launcelot. JES, I am forry, thou wilt leave my father so; Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil, Didst rob it of fome taste of tediousness: But fare thee well; there is a ducat for thee. And, Launcelot, soon at supper shalt thou fee Oftent is a word very commonly used for show among the old dramatick writers, So, in Heywood's Iron Age, 1632: you in those times "Did not affect oftent." Again, in Chapman's tranflation of Homer, edit, 1598, B. VI: " did bloodie vapours raine "For fad oftent," &c. STEEVENS. -your bearing.] Bearing is carriage, deportment. So, in 7 Twelfth-Night: "Take and give back affairs, and their defpatch, STEEVENG, "With such a smooth, discreet, and stable bearing." Lorenzo, who is thy new master's guest: LAUN. Adieu!-tears exhibit my tongue.Most beautiful pagan, -most sweet Jew! If a Chriftian do not play the knave, and get thee, I am much deceived: But, adieu! these foolish drops do fomewhat drown my manly spirit; adieu! (Exit. JES. Farewel, good Launcelot.Alack, what heinous fin is it in me, To be asham'd to be my father's child! But though I am a daughter to his blood, I am not to his manners: O Lorenzo, If thou keep promise, I shall end this strife; Become a Christian, and thy loving wife. (Exit. SCENE IV. The fame. A Street. Enter GRATIANO, LORENZO, SALARINO, and SALANIO. Lor. Nay, we will flink away in supper-time; Disguise us at my lodging, and return All in an hour. 8 and get thee,) I suspect that the waggish Launcelot defigned this for a broken sentence" and get thee"-implying, get thee with child. Mr. Malone, however, supposes him to mean only-carry thee away from thy father's house. STEEVENS. I should not have attempted to explain so easy a passage, if the ignorant editor of the second folio, thinking probably that the word get must neceffarily mean beget, had not altered the text, and fubstituted did in the place of do, the reading of all the old and authentick editions; in which he has been copied by every subsequent GRA. We have not made good preparation. SALAR. We have not spoke us yet of torch bearers.9 SALAN. 'Tis vile, unless it may be quaintly or der'd; And better, in my mind, not undertook. LOR. 'Tis now but four a-clock; we have two hours To furnish us: Enter LAUNCElot, with a letter. Friend Launcelot, what's the news? LAUN. An it shall please you to break up this,* it shall seem to fignify. Lok. I know the hand: in faith, 'tis a fair hand; And whiter than the paper it writ on, Is the fair hand that writ. GRA. Love-news, in faith. LAUN. By your leave, fir. editor. Launcelot is not talking about Jessica's father, but about her future husband. I am aware that, in a subsequent scene, he says to Jeffica, "Marry, you may partly hope your father got you not;" but he is now on another subject. MALONE. From the general cenfure expressed in the preceding note I take leave to exempt Mr. Reed; who, by following the first folio was no sharer in the inexpiable guilt of the second. STEEVENS. 9-torch-bearers.) See the note in Romeo and Juliet, Act I. fc. iv. We have not spoke us yet, &c. i. e. we have not yet bespoke &c. Thus the old copies. It may, however, mean, we have not as yet confulted on the subject of torch-bearers. Mr. Pope reads" spoke as yet." STEEVENS. 2 - to break up this,] To break up was a term in carving. So, in Love's Labour's Loft, Act III. fc. i: Lor. Whither goest thou? Li LAUN. Marry, fir; to bid my old mafter the Jew to sup to night with my new master the Christian. LOR. Hold here, take this:-tell gentle Jessica, I will not fail her;-speak it privately; go.Gentlemen, [Exit LAUNCELOT. Will you prepare you for this masque to-night? I am provided of a torch-bearer. SALAR. Ay, marry, I'll be gone about it straight.. SALAN. And fo will I. LOR. Meet me, and Gratiano, At Gratiano's lodging some hour hence. SALAR. 'Tis good we do fo. [Exeunt Salar. and SALAN, 1 GRA. Was not that letter from fair Jessica? LOR. I must needs tell thee all: She hath directed, How I shall take her from her father's house; What gold, and jewels, she is furnish'd with; What page's fuit she hath in readiness. If e'er the Jew her father come to heaven, It will be for his gentle daughter's fake : And never dare misfortune cross her foot, Unless she do it under this excuse,That she is issue to a faithless Jew. Come, go with me; peruse this, as thou goeft: Fair Jessica shall be my torch-bearer. SCENE V. The fame. Before Shylock's House. Enter SHYLOCK and LAUNCELOT. [Exeunt SHY. Well, thou shalt fee, thy eyes shall be thy judge, The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio:- Why, Jessica, I say! SHr. 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? SHr. I am bid forth to supper, Jeffica; 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. LAUN. I beseech you, fir, go; my young master doth expect your reproach, SHr. So do I his. i T LAUN. And they have conspired together, -І will not fay, you shall see a masque; but if you do, then it was not for nothing that my nose fell a * I am bid forth) I am invited. To bid in old language meant to pray. MALONE. 3 - to feed upon The prodigal Chriftian.] Shylock forgets his resolution. In a former scene he declares he will neither eat, drink, nor pray with Chriftians. Of this circumstance the poet was aware, and meant only to heighten the malignity of the character, by making him depart from his most settled refolve, for the profecution of his revenge. STEEVENS. |