For do but note a wild and wanton herd, If they but hear, perchance, a trumpet sound, Or any air of music touch their ears, You shall perceive them make a mutual stand, By the sweet power of music. Therefore, the poet Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils ; And his affections dark as Erebus : Let no such man be trusted.—Mark the music. Enter PORTIA and NERISSA at a distance. POR. That light we see is burning in my hall: How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. NER. When the moon shone, we did not see the candle. POR. So doth the greater glory dim the less: A substitute shines brightly as a king, Until a king be by; and then his state Into the main of waters. Music! hark! NER. It is your music, madam, of the house. The nightingale, if she should sing by day, LOR. [Music ceases. That is the voice, Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia. POR. He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckoo, By the bad voice. POR. We have been praying for our husbands' welfare, Which speed, we hope, the better for our words. Give order to my servants, that they take No note at all of our being absent hence; you, Lorenzo :-Jessica, nor you. [A tucket sounds. Nor you not. FOR. This night, methinks, is but the daylight sick. 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. BASS. We should hold day with the Antipodes, If you would walk in absence of the sun. POR. 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 : But God sort all !—You are welcome home, my lord. BASS. I thank you, madam : give welcome to my friend.→ This is the man, this is Antonio, To whom I am so infinitely bound. POR. You should in all sense be much bound to him, For, as I hear, he was much bound for you. ANT. No more than I am well acquitted of. POR. Sir, you are very welcome to our house : It must appear in other ways than words, Therefore, I scant this breathing courtesy. GRA. [TO NERISSA.] By yonder moon, I swear, you do me wrong; In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk. N 442554 POR. A quarrel, ho, already! what's the matter? For all the world, like cutlers' poetry Upon a knife, Love me, and leave me not! NER. What talk you of the poesy, or the value ? That you would wear it till your hour of death; NER. Ay, if a woman live to be a man. GRA. Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth, A kind of boy; a little scrubbed boy, No higher than thyself, the judge's clerk; A prating boy, that begg'd it as a fee; I could not for my heart deny it him. POR. You were to blame, I must be plain with you, BASS. Why, I were best to cut my left hand off, And swear, I lost the ring defending it. GRA. My lord Bassanio gave his ring away Unto the judge that begg'd it, and, indeed, Deserv'd it too; and then the boy, his clerk, That took some pains in writing, he begg'd mine: [Aside. |