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You are all amaz'd:

Portia. Speak not so grossly.
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,

Shall witness I set forth as soon as you,
And even but 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. 2

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Bassanio. 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.

Bass. Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow :

When I am absent, then, lie with my wife.

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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. 4

Por.

How now, Lorenzo?

My clerk hath some good comforts, too, for you.

Ner. Ay, and I 'Il 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.

Lorenzo. 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. 5 Let us go in; And charge us there upon inter'gatories, And we will answer all things faithfully.

1. i. e. richly laden.

4. i. e. to anchor. A road is ground

2. This letter came into my pos- where ships may anchor. session.

3. i. e. riches, fortune.

Merchant of Venice.

5. These events are not yet quite clear to you.

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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 stay,
Or go to bed now, being two hours to day?
But were the day come, I should wish it dark,
That 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.

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1. So sore, to such a degree, so much.

[Exeunt.

LEIPZIG: PRINTED BY FERBER & SEYDEL.

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DRAMATIS PERSONE.

SIR PETER TEAZLE.
SIR OLIVER SURFACE.

SIR BENJAMIN BACKBITE.

JOSEPH SURFACE.

CHARLES SURFACE.

CRABTREE.

CARELESS.

ROWLEY.

MOSES.

SNAKE.

TRIP.

SIR HARRY BUMPER.

SIR TOBY.

Servant to CHARLES.

Servant to JOSEPH,

SIR PETER'S Servant.

LADY SNEERWELL'S Servant.

LADY TEAZLE.

MRS. CANDOUR.

LADY SNEERWELL.

MARIA.

LADY TEAZLE's Maid.

Ladies, Guests, &c. &c.

ACT I.

SCENE I. LADY SNEERWELL's House. Toilette table; two arm chairs; four small chairs.

LADY SNEERWELL discovered finishing her toilet at the dressing table; SNAKE drinking chocolate at table.

L. SNEERW. The paragraphs, you say, Mr. Snake, were: all inserted?

SNAKE. They were, madam; and as I copied them myself in a feigned hand, there can be no suspicion whence they came. L. SNEERW. Did you circulate the report of Lady Brittle's intrigue with Captain Boastall?

SNAKE. That's in as fine a train as your ladyship could wish. In the common course of things, I think it must reach Mrs. Clackett's ears within four and twenty hours; and then, you know, the business is as good as done.

L. SNEERW. Why, truly, Mrs. Clackett has a very pretty talent, and a great deal of industry.

SNAKE. True, madam, and has been tolerably successful in her day. To my knowledge she has been the cause of six matches being broken off, and three sons disinherited; of four forced elopements, and as many.close confinements; nine separate maintenances, and two divorces. Nay, I have more than once traced her causing a tête-à-tête in the Town and Country Magazine, when the parties, perhaps, had never seen each other's face before in the course of their lives.

L. SNEERW. She certainly has talents, but her manner is gross.

SNAKE. T is very true. She generally designs well, has a free tongue, and a bold invention; but her colouring is too dark, and her outlines often extravagant. She wants that delicacy of tint, and mellowness 2 of sneer, which distinguishes your ladyship's scandal.

L. SNEERW. You are partial, Snake.

SNAKE. Not in the least-every body allows that Lady Sneerwell can do more with a word or a look than many can with the most laboured detail, even when they happen to have a little truth on their side to support it. (they rise)

1. Matches, engagements to be 2. Expressions borrowed from married. painting.

School for Scandal.

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