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,

To part so slightly with your wife's first gift;

A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger,

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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:
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;

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An 'twere to me, I should be mad at it.

BASS. [Aside.] Why, I were best to cut my left hand off,

And swear I lost the ring defending it.

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GRAT. 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:
And neither man, nor master, would take aught
But the two rings.

POR.
What ring gave you, my lord?
Not that, I hope, which you receiv'd of me.

BASS. If I could add lie unto a fault,

I would deny it; but you see my finger

Hath not the ring upon it: it is gone.

If

POR. Even so void is your false heart of truth.
BASS. Sweet Portia,

you did know to whom I gave the ring,
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.
POR. If you had known the virtue of the ring,
Or half her worthiness that gave the ring,

Or
You would not then have parted with the ring.
What man is there so much unreasonable,

your own honour to contain the ring,

If

you had pleas'd 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.

BASS. No, by mine honour, madam, by my soul,

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No woman had it, but a civil doctor,
Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me,
And begg'd the ring; the which I did deny him,
And suffer'd him to go displeas'd away;

Even he that did uphold 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 honour would not let ingratitude
So much besmear it.

Pardon me, good lady;

For, by these blessed candles of the night,

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Had you been there, I think, you would have begg'd
The ring of me to give the worthy doctor.

POR. Let not that doctor e'er come near my house:

Since he hath got the jewel that I loved,

And that which you did swear to keep for me,

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I will become as liberal as you:

I'll not deny him anything I have.

ANT. I am the unhappy subject of these quarrels.

POR. Sir, grieve not you; you are welcome notwithstanding.

In both my eyes he doubly sees himself:
In each eye, one: swear by your double self,
And there's an oath of credit.

BASS.
Nay, but hear me :
Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear,
I never more will break an oath with thee.

ANT. I once did lend my body for his wealth:
Which, but for him that had your husband's ring,
Had quite miscarried: I dare be bound again,
My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord
Will never more break faith advisedly.
POR. Then you shall be his surety.

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Give him this,

And bid him keep it better than the other.

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ANT. Here, lord Bassanio; swear to keep this ring.
BASS. By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor!
POR. I had it of him.-You are all amazed:

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 here

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Shall witness, I set forth as soon as you,
And but even now return'd; I have not yet

Enter'd my house. Antonio, you are welcome;
And I have better news in store for you,

Than you expect: unseal this letter soon;
There you shall find, three of your argosies
Are richly come to harbour suddenly :

You shall not know by what strange accident
I chanced on this letter.

I am dumb.

ANT.
BASS. Were you the doctor, and I knew you not?

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ANT. Sweet lady, you have given me life, and living; For here I read for certain that my ships

Are safely come to road.

POR.

How now, Lorenzo? My clerk hath some good comfort too for

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you.

NER. Ay, and I'll give them him without a fee. There do I give to you and Jessica,

From the rich Jew, a special deed of gift,

After his death, of all he dies possess'd of.

LOR. Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way Of starved people.

POR.

It is almost morning,

And yet, I am sure, you are not satisfied
Of these events at full. Let us go in ;
And charge us there upon inter'gatories,
And we will answer all things faithfully.

GRAT. Well, while I live I'll fear no other thing
So sore, as keeping safe Nerissa's ring.

SCENE I. On a ship at sea: a tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard.

Enter a Shipmaster and a Boatswain.

MAST. Boatswain !

BOATS. Here, master: what cheer?

MAST. Good, speak to the mariners fall to't, yarely, or we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir.

Enter Mariners.

[Exit.

BOATS. Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts! yare, 5 yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to the master's whistle. Blow, till thou burst thy wind, if room enough!

Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, FERDINAND,

BOATS. Do you not hear him? You mar our labour: keep your cabins: you do assist the storm.

GON. Nay, good, be patient.
BOATS. When the sea is.

Hence! What cares these roarers for 15

the name of king? To cabin: silence! trouble us not.

GON. Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard.

BOATS. None that I more love than myself. You are a counsellor; if you can command these elements to silence, and work the peace of the present, we will not hand a rope more; use your authority: 20 if you cannot, give thanks you have lived so long, and make yourself ready in your cabin for the mischance of the hour, if it so hap. Cheerly, good hearts! Out of our way, I say. [Exit.

GON. I have great comfort from this fellow: methinks he hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is perfect gallows. 25 Stand fast, good Fate, to his hanging: make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage. If he be not born to be hanged, our case is miserable.

Re-enter Boatswain.

BOATS. Down with the topmast! yare! lower, lower!

[Exeunt.

Bring

her to try with main-course. [A cry within.] A plague upon this 30 howling! they are louder than the weather or our office.

Re-enter SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, and GONZALO.

Yet again! what do you here? Shall we give o'er and drown? Have you a mind to sink?

SEB. A plague o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous, incharitable dog!

BOATS. Work you then.

ANT. Hang, cur! hang, you insolent noisemaker!

afraid to be drowned than thou art.

We are less

GON. I'll warrant him for drowning; though the ship were no stronger than a nutshell.

BOATS. Lay her a-hold, a-hold! set her two courses; off to sea again; lay her off.

Enter Mariners wet.

MARINERS. All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost!
BOATS. What, must our mouths be cold?

GON. The king and prince at prayers! let's assist them,
For our case is as theirs.

ANT. We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards : This wide-chapp'd rascal-would thou mightst lie drowning The washing of ten tides!

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GON.

He'll be hang'd yet,