My friend Stephano, signify, I pray you, [exit Stephano. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears; soft stillness, and the night, Become the touches of sweet harmony. : Sit, Jessica look, how the floor of heaven Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn; Jes. I am never merry, when I hear sweet [music. music. Lor. The reason is, your spirits are attentive: Since nought so stockish, hard, and full of rage, Por. So doth the greater glory dim the less: Ner. It is your music, madam, of the house. Por. Nothing is good, I see, without respect; Methinks, it sounds much sweeter than by day. Ner. Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam. Por. The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark. When neither is attended; and, I think, The nightingale, if she should sing by day, When every goose is cackling, would be thought No better a musician than the wren. How many things by season season'd are To their right praise, and true perfection!Peace, hoa! the moon sleeps with Endymion, And would not be awak'd! [music ceases. [lord. 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 Bass. I thank you, madam: give welcome to This is the man, this is Antonio, [my friend. To whom I am so infinitely bound. Por. You should in all sense be much bound to For, as I hear, he was much bound for you. [him, 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. [Gratiano and Nerissa seem to talk apart. Gra. By yonder moon, I swear, you do me In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk: [wrong. Would he were gelt that had it, for my part, Since you do take it, love, so much at heart. Por. A quarrel, ho, already? what's the matter? Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring That she did give me; whose posy was For all the world, like cutler's poetry Upon a knife, love me, and leave me not.' Ner. What talk you of the posy, or the value? You swore to me, when I did give it you, That you would wear it till your hour of death; And that it should lie with you in your grave: Though not for me, yet for your vehement oaths, You should have been respective, and have kept it. Gave it a judge's clerk!-but well I know, [it. The clerk will ne'er wear hair on his face, that had Gra. He will, an if he live to be a man. 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 To part so slightly with your wife's first gift; A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger, [you, And riveted so with faith unto your flesh. Bass. Why, I were best to cut my left hand off, And swear, I lost the ring defending it. [aside. 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: And neither man, nor master, would take aught But the two rings. Por. What ring gave you, my lord? Por. Even so void is your false heart of truth. Ner. Nor I in yours, Till I again see mine. Bass. Sweet Portia, If you did know to whom I gave the ring, Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me, [lady? I was beset with shame and courtesy; Por. Let not that doctor e'er come near my Lie not a night from home; watch me like Argus: If you do not, if I be left alone, Now, by mine honour, which is yet mine own, I'll have that doctor for my bedfellow. Ner. And I his clerk; therefore be well advis'd How you do leave me to mine own protection. Gra. Well, do you so: let not me take him theu; For, if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen. Ant. I am the unhappy subject of these quarrels. Por. Sir, grieve not you; you are welcome notwithstanding. Bass. Portia, forgive me this enforced wrong; And, in the hearing of these many friends I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes Wherein I see myself, Por. Mark you but that! In both my eyes he doubly sees himself, Bass. Nay, but hear me: swear, I never more will break an oath with thee. Por. Then you shall be his surety: give him this; And bid him keep it better than the other. [ring. Ant. Here, lord Bassanio; swear to keep this Bass. By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor! Por. I had it of him: pardon me, Bassanio; For by this ring the doctor lay with me. Ner. And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano; For that same scrubbed boy, the doctor's clerk, In lieu of this, last night did lie with me. Gra. Why, this is like the mending of highways In summer, where the ways are fair enough: What! are we cuckolds, ere we have deserv'd it? Por. Speak not so grossly.-You are all amaz'd: 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 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. ; [not? Ant. I am dumb. Ner. 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. Ant. Sweet lady, you have given me life and For here I read for certain that my ships [living; Are safely come to road. Por. How now, Lorenzo? My clerk hath some good comforts too for you. Ner. Ay, and I'll give them him without a fee. There do I give to you and Jessica 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 And we will answer all things faithfully. Sampson, servants to Capulet. Gregory, S Abram, Servant to Montague. An Apothecary. Three Musicians. Chorus. Boy; Page to Paris; Peter; an Officer. Lady Montague, wife to Montague. Lady Capulet, wife to Capulet. Citizens of Verona; several Men and Women, relations to both houses; Maskers, Guards, Watchmen, and Attendants. SCENE, during the greater part of the play, in Verona; once in the fifth act, at Mantua. ACT I. SCENE I. A PUBLIC PLACE. Enter Sampson and Gregory, armed with swords and bucklers. Sam. GREGORY, o'my word, we'll not carry coals. Sam. I strike quickly, being moved. Gre. But thou art not quickly moved to strike. tague's. Gre. That shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes to the wall. Sam. True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall:therefore I will push Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall. Gre. The quarrel is between our masters, and us their men. Sam. 'Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant; when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids; I will cut off their heads. Gre. The heads of the maids? Sam. The heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt. Gre. They must take it in sense, that feel it. Sam. Me they shall feel, while I am able to stand: and, 'tis known, I am a pretty piece of flesh. Gre. 'Tis well, thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been poor John. Draw thy tool; here come two of the house of the Montagues. Enter Abram and Balthasar. Sam. My naked weapon is out; quarrel, I will back thee. Gre. How? turn thy back, and run? Gre. No, marry: I fear thee! Sam. Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin. Gre. I will frown, as I pass by; and let them take it as they list. Sam. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them; which is a disgrace to them, if they bear Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? [it. Sam. I do bite my thumb, sir. Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir Sam. No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I bite my thumb, sir. Gre. Do you quarrel, sir? Abr. Quarrel sir? no, sir. Sam. If you do, sir, I am for you; I serve as good a man as you. Abr. No better. Enter Benvolio, at a distance. Gre. Say-better; here comes one of my master's kinsmen. Sam. Yes, better, sir. Tyb. What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate | Towards him I made; but he was 'ware of me, the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee; Prince. Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage Cast by their grave beseeming ornaments, Ben. Here were the servants of your adversary, And stole into the covert of the wood : I, measuring his affections by my own,- Mon. Many a morning hath he there been seen, Ben. My noble uncle, do you know the cause? Enter Romeo, at a distance. Ben. See, where he comes: so please you step Ben. Good morrow, cousin. Ben. But new struck nine. Rom. Ah me! sad hours seem long. Was that my father that went hence so fast? hours? Rom. Not having that, which, having, makes Rom. Out of her favour, where I am in love. Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will! love : Why then, O brawling love! O loving hate! |