Befides, the lottery of my destiny
Bars me the right of voluntary chufing.
father had not fcanted me,
(7) And hedg'd me by his wit to yield myself

But if my

His wife, who wins me by that means I told you;
Yourself, renowned Prince, then flood as fair,
As any comer I have look'd on yet,

For my affection.

Mar. Ev'n for that I thank you;

Therefore, I pray you, lead me to the caskets
To try my fortune. By this fcimitar,
That flew the Sophy (8) and a Perfian Prince,
That won three fields of Sultan Solyman,
I would out-ftare the fterneft eyes that look,
Out-brave the heart moft daring on the earth,
Pluck the young fucking cubs from the she-bear,
Yea, mock the lion when he roars for prey,
To win thee, lady. But, alas the while!
If Hercules and Lichas play at dice
Which is the better man, the greater throw
May turn by fortune from the weaker hand :
So is Alcides beaten by his page; (9)
And fo may I, blind fortune leading me,
Mifs that, which one unworthier may attain
And die with grieving.

(1) And hedg'd me by his wit-] I fuppofe we may fafely read, and bedz'd me by his will. Confined me by his will.

(3) That flew the Sophy, &c.] Shakespeare seldom escapes well when he is entangled with Geography The Prince of Morocco muft have travelled far to kill the Sophy of Perfia,

(9) So is Alc des beaten by his Rage.] Though the whole Set of Edit ons concur in this Reading, it is corrupt at bottom. Let us look into the Poet's Drift, and the hiftory of the Perfons mentioned in the Context, If Hercules (fays he) and Lichas, were to play at dice for the Decifion of their Superiority, Lichas the weaker Man might have the better Caft of the Two. But how then is Alcides beaten by his rage? The Poet means no more, than, if Lic has had the better Throw, fo might Hercules himself be beaten by Licbas. And who was He, but a poor unfortunate Servant of Hercules, that unknowingly brought his Mafter the envenomed Shirt, dipt in the blood of the Centaur, Neffus, and was thrown headlong into the Sea for his pains? This one Circumstance of Lichas's Quality known fufficiently afcertains the Emendation, I have fubitituted page instead of rese.

THEOBALD.

Per.

Por. You must take your chance, And either not attempt to chufe at all, Or fwear, before chufe, if you chufe you Never to speak to lady afterward

wrong,

In way of marriage. Therefore be advis'd. ()

Mor. Nor will not. Come, bring me to my chance. Por. Firft, forward to the temple. After dinner Your hazard fhall be made,

Mor. Good fortune then,

[Cornets.

To make me bleft, or curfed'fl among men! [Exeunt.

Laun

SCENE II

Changes to Venice.

Enter Launcelot alone.

Ertainly, my confcience will ferve me to run from this Jew my mafter. The fiend is at mine elbow, and tempts me, faying to me, Gobbs, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot, or good Gobbo, or good Launcelot Gobbo, ufe your legs, take the ftart, run away. My confcience fays, no; take heed, honest Launcelot ; take heed, honest Gobbo; or, as aforefaid, honeft Launcelot Gobbo, do not run; fcorn running with thy heels. Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack; via! fays the fiend; away! fays the fiend; for the heav'ns roufe up a brave mind, fays the fiend, and run. Well; my confcience, hanging about the neck of my heart, fays very wifely to me, my honeft friend Launcelot, being an honeft man's fon, or rather an honeft woman's fon (for, indeed, my father did fomething finack, fomething grow to: he had a kind of taste.).

well, any confcience fays, budge not; budge, fays the fiend; budge not, fays my confcience; confcience, fay I, you counsel ill; fiend, fay I, you counsel ill. To be rul'd by my confcience, I fhould ftay with the Jew my mafter, who, God bless the mark, is a kind of devil; and to run away from the Jew, I fhould be

(1) Therefore be advis'd.] Therefore be not precipitant; confider well what we are to do. Advis'd is the word oppofite to rafb. ruled

fuled by the fiend, who, faving your reverence, is the devil himself. Certainly, the Jew is the very devil in carnal; and in my conscience, my confcience is but a kind of hard confcience, to offer to counfel me to stay with the few. The fiend gives the more friendly counfel; I will run, fiend, my heels are at your commandment, 1 will run.

Enter old Gobbo, with a basket.

Gob. Mafter young man, you, I pray you, which is the way to Mafter Jew's?

Laun. [afide.] O heav'ns, this is my true begotten father, who being more than fand blind, high-gravelblind, knows me not.I will try conclufions with him (2)

Gob Mafter young Gentleman, I pray you, which is the way to mafter Jew's?

Laun. (3) Turn up, on your right hand at the next turning, but, at the next turning of all on your left; marry, at the very next turning turn of no hand, but turn down indirectly unto the Jew's house.

Gob. By God's fonties, 'twill be a hard way to hit can you tell me whether one Launcelot, that dwells with him, dwell with him or no?

Laun. Talk you of young Mafter Launcelot? (mark me now, [afide] now will I raise the waters ;) talk you of

young

Mafter Launcelot ?

Gob. No mafter, Sir, but a poor man's fon. His

(2) Try conclufions.] Two of the quarto's read confufions, which is certainly right, because the first thing Launce does, is to confufe his father by the directions he gives him. Mr. STEEVENS. So the old Quarto. This firft Folio, by a mere blunder, reads, try confufions, which, because it makes a kind of pa'try jeft, has been copied by all the Editors.

(3) Turn up, on your right hand, &c.] This arch and perplexed direction, to puzzle the enquirer, seems to imitate that of <yrus to Demea in the Brothers of Terence.

ubi eas præterieris,

Ad finiftram bac rectâ plateâ : ubi ad Dianæ veneris,

Ito ad dextram prius quem ad portam venias, &c.

WARBURTON.

father,

father, though I fay't, is an honeft exceeding poor man, and, God be thanked, well to live,

Laun. Well, let his father be what he will, we talk of young Mafter Launcelot.

Gob. Your worship's friend and Launcelot, Sir.

Laun But, I pray you ergo, old man ; ergo, I befeech you, talk you of young Mafter Launcelot ?

Gob. Of Launcelot, an't please your mafter fhip. Laun. Ergo, Master Launcelot; talk not of Mafter Launcelot, father, for the young gentleman according to fates and deftinies, and fuch odd fayings, the fifters: three, and fuch branches of learning, is, indeed, deceafed; or, as you would say, in plain terms, gone to heav'n.

Gob. Marry, God forbid the boy was the very ftaff of my age, my very prop.

Laun. Do I look like a cudgel, or a hovel-post, a staff or a prop? do you know me, father?

Gob. Alack the day, I know you not, young gentleman; but, I pray you, tell me, is my boy, God reft his foul, alive or dead?

Laun. Do you not know me, father?

Gob. Alack, Sir, I am fand-blind, I know you not. Laun. Nay, indeed, if you had your eyes, you might fail of the knowing me: it is a wife father, that knows his own child. Well, old man, I will tell you news of your fon. Give me your bleffing. Truth will come to light. Murder cannot be hid long; a man's fon may; but in the end, truth will out.

Gob. Pray you, Sir, ftand up. I am fure, you are not Launcelot my boy.

Laun. Pray you, lets have no more fooling about it, but give me your bleffing: I am Launcelot, your boy that was, your fon that is, your child that fhall be. (4)

(4) Your chill that ball be.] Launce, by your child that shall be, means, that his duty to his father fhall, for the future, fhew him to be his child. It was rather become neceffery for him to fay fomething of that fort, after all the tricks he had been playing him.

Mr. STEEVENS. The diftinction between boy and fon is obvious, but child feems to have had fome meaning which is now loft.

Gab.

Gob. I cannot think you are my fon.

Laun. I know not, what I fhall think of that: but I am Launcelot the Jew's man, and, I am fure, Margery. your wife is my mother.

Gob. Her name is Margery indeed I'll be fworn, if thou be Launcelot, thou art my own flesh and blood. Lord worshipp'd might he be! what a beard haft thou got! thou hast got more hair on thy chin, than Dobbin my Thill-horfe has on his tail.

Laun. It fhould feem then, that Dobbin's tail grows backward; I am fure, he had more hair on his tail, than I had on my face, when I last saw him.

Gob. Lord, how art thou chang'd. How doft thou and thy mafter agree? I have brought him a prefent ; how agree you now?

Laun. Well, well; but for mine own part, as I have fet up my reft to run away, so I will not reft 'till I have run fome ground. My maftér's a very few. Give him a prefent! give him a halter: I am famifh'd in his service. You may tell every finger I have with my ribs. Father, I am glad you are come; give me your prefent to one mafter Baffanio, who, indeed, gives rare new liveries; if I ferve him not, I will run as tar as God has any ground. O rare fortune, here comes the man; to him, father-for I am a Jew, if I serve the Jew any longer.

Enter Baffanio with Leonardo, and a follower or

Ball. You

two more.

may do fo.But let it be so hafted, that fupper be ready at the fartheft by five of the clock. See thefe letters deliver'd, put the liveries to making, and defire Gratiano to come anon to my lodging.

Laun. To him, father.

Gob. God bless your worship!

Baff. Gramercy, would't thou aught with me?

Gob. Here's my fön, Sir, a poor boy..

Laun. Not a poor boy, Sir, but the rich Jew's man,

that would, Sir, as my father fhall specify,

Gob. He hath a great infection, Sir, as one would say, to ferve,

Laun.