I would outstare the sternest eyes that look, And so may I, blind fortune leading me, Por. You must take And either not attempt to choose at all, your chance Or swear, before you choose, if you choose wrong, In way of marriage; therefore be advised.1 Mor. Nor will not; come, bring me chance. unto my Por. First, forward to the temple; after dinner, Your hazard shall be made. Mor. Good fortune then! [Cornets. To make me blest, or cursed'st among men. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Venice. A Street. Enter LAUNCELOT GOBBO.2 Laun. Certainly my conscience will serve me to run from this Jew, my master. The fiend is at mine elbow, and tempts me, saying to me, Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot, or good Gobbo, or good Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs, take the start, run away. My conscience says,-no; take heed, honest Launcelot; take heed, honest Gobbo; or, as aforesaid, honest Launcelot Gobbo, do not run; scorn running with thy 1 i. e. be considerate: advised is the word opposite to rash. 2 The old copies read-Enter the Clown alone; and throughout the play, this character is called the Clown at most of his entrances or exits. heels.' Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack; via! says the fiend; away! says the fiend, for the heavens; rouse up a brave mind, says the fiend, and run. Well, my conscience, hanging about the neck of my heart, says very wisely to me, my honest friend Launcelot, being an honest man's son, or rather an honest woman's son; for, indeed, my father did something smack, something grow to, he had a kind of taste;well, my conscience says, Launcelot, budge not; budge, says the fiend; budge not, says my conscience. Conscience, say I, you counsel well; fiend, say I, you counsel well. To be ruled by my conscience, I should stay with the Jew, my master, who (God bless the mark!) is a kind of devil; and to run away from the Jew, I should be ruled by the fiend, who, saving your reverence, is the devil himself. Certainly, the Jew is the very devil incarnation; and, in my conscience, my conscience is but a kind of hard conscience, to offer to counsel me to stay with the Jew. The fiend gives the more friendly counsel. I will run, fiend; my heels are at your commandment; I will run. Enter old GOBBO,2 with a Basket. Gob. Master, young man, you, I pray you; which is the way to master Jew's? Laun. [Aside.] O Heavens, this is my true begotten father! who, being more than sand-blind,3 highgravel blind, knows me not.-I will try conclusions with him. Gob. Master, young gentleman, I pray you, which is the way to master Jew's? Laun. 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 to the Jew's house. 1 In Much Ado about Nothing, we have "O illegitimate construction! I scorn that with my heels." 2 It has been inferred from the name of Gobbo, that Shakspeare designed this character to be represented with a hump-back. 3 "Sund-blind; having an imperfect sight, as if there was sand in the eye, myops." Holyoke's Dictionary. Gob. By God's sonties,' '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 master Launcelot ?Mark me now; [Aside.] now will I raise the waters. -Talk you of young master Launcelot ? Gob. No master, sir, but a poor man's son. His father, though I say it, is an honest, exceeding poor man, and, God be thanked, well to live. of Laun. Well, let his father be what he will, we talk young master Launcelot. Gob. Your worship's friend, and Launcelot, sir. Laun. But I pray you ergo, old man, ergo, I beseech you; talk you of young master Launcelot? Gob. Of Launcelot, an't please your mastership. Laun. Ergo, master Launcelot; talk not of master Launcelot, father; for the young gentleman (according to fates and destinies, and such odd sayings, the sisters three, and such branches of learning) is, indeed, deceased; or, as you would say, in plain terms, gone to heaven. Gob. Marry, God forbid! The boy was the very staff 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 rest his soul!) alive, or dead? Laun. Do you not know me, father? Gob. Alack, sir, I am sand-blind; I know you not. Laun. Nay, indeed, if you had your eyes, you might fail of the knowing me. It is a wise father that knows his own child. Well, old man, I will tell you news of your son. Give me your blessing; truth will come to light; murder cannot be hid long, a man's son may; but, in the end, truth will out. Gob. Pray you, sir, stand up; I am sure you are not Launcelot, my boy. 1 God's sonties was probably a corruption of God's saints; in old language, saunctes. Laun. Pray you, let's have no more fooling about it, but give me your blessing; I am Launcelot, your boy that was, your son that is, your child that shall be. Gob. I cannot think you are my son. Laun. I know not what I shall think of that; but I am Launcelot, the Jew's man; and, I am sure, Margery, your wife, is my mother. Gob. Her name is Margery, indeed. I'll be sworn, if thou be Launcelot, thou art mine own flesh and blood. Lord worshipped might he be! What a beard hast thou got! Thou hast got more hair on thy chin, than Dobbin, my thill-horse, has on his tail. 1 Laun. It should seem, then, that Dobbin's tail grows backward; I am sure he had more hair on his tail, than I have on my face, when I last saw him. Gob. Lord, how art thou changed! How dost thou and thy master agree? I have brought him a present. How 'gree you now? 2 Laun. Well, well; but, for mine own part, as I have set up my rest to run away, so I will not rest till I have run some ground. My master's a very Jew. Give him a present! Give him a halter! I am famished in his service: you may tell every finger I have with my ribs. Father, I am glad you are come; give me your present to one master Bassanio, who, indeed, gives rare new liveries; if I serve not him, I will run as far 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 BASSANIO, with LEONARDO, and other Followers. Bass. You may do so;-but let it be so hasted, that supper be ready at the furthest by five of the clock. See these letters delivered; put the liveries to making; and desire Gratiano to come anon to my lodging. [Exit a servant. 1 i. e. the shaft-horse, sometimes called the thill-horse. 2 "Set up my rest," i. e. determined. See note on All's Well that Ends Well, Act ii. Sc. 2; Romeo and Juliet, Act iv. Sc. 5. Laun. To him, father. Gob. God bless your worship! Bass. Gramercy; would'st thou aught with me? Gob. Here's my son, sir, a poor boy, Laun. Not a poor boy, sir, but the rich Jew's man; that would, sir, as my father shall specify, Gob. He hath a great infection, sir, as one would say, to serve Laun. Indeed, the short and the long is, I serve the Jew, and I have a desire, as my father shall specify, Gob. His master and he (saving your worship's reverence) are scarce cater-cousins. Laun. To be brief, the very truth is, that the Jew, having done me wrong, doth cause me, as my father, being I hope an old man, shall frutify unto you, Gob. I have here a dish of doves, that I would bestow upon your worship; and my suit is, Laun. In very brief, the suit is impertinent to myself, as your worship shall know by this honest old man; and, though I say it, though old man, yet poor man, my father. Bass. One speak for both.-What would you? Gob. This is the very defect of the matter, sir. Bass. I know thee well; thou hast obtained thy suit. Shylock, thy master, spoke with me this day, And hath preferred thee, if it be preferment, To leave a rich Jew's service, to become The follower of so poor a gentleman. Laun. The old proverb is very well parted between my master Shylock and you, sir; you have the grace of God, sir, and he hath enough. Bass. Thou speakest it well. Go, father, with thy son; Take leave of thy old master, and inquire My lodging out.-Give him a livery, [To his followers. More guarded' than his fellows'. See it done. Laun. Father, in.—I cannot get a service, no;-I have ne'er a tongue in my head.-Well; [Looking on 1 i. e. ornamented. |