Shakespeare's First Folio Part 162

By heauen I wil nere come in your bed Vntil I see the Ring

Ner. Nor I in yours, til I againe see mine

Ba.s.s. Sweet Portia, If you did know to whom I gaue the Ring, If you did know for whom I gaue the Ring, And would conceiue for what I gaue the Ring, And how vnwillingly I left the Ring, When nought would be accepted but the Ring, You would abate the strength of your displeasure?

Por. If you had knowne the vertue of the Ring, Or halfe her worthinesse that gaue the Ring, Or your owne honour to containe the Ring, You would not then haue parted with the Ring: What man is there so much vnreasonable, If you had pleas'd to haue defended it With any termes of Zeale: wanted the modestie To vrge the thing held as a ceremonie: Nerrissa teaches me what to beleeue, Ile die for't, but some Woman had the Ring?

Ba.s.s. No by mine honor Madam, by my soule No Woman had it, but a ciuill Doctor, Which did refuse three thousand Ducates of me, And beg'd the Ring; the which I did denie him, And suffer'd him to go displeas'd away: Euen he that had held vp the verie life Of my deere friend. What should I say sweete Lady?

I was inforc'd to send it after him, I was beset with shame and curtesie, My honor would not let ingrat.i.tude So much besmeare it. Pardon me good Lady, And by these blessed Candles of the night, Had you bene there, I thinke you would haue beg'd The Ring of me, to giue the worthie Doctor?

Por. Let not that Doctor ere come neere my house, Since he hath got the iewell that I loued, And that which you did sweare to keepe for me, I will become as liberall as you, Ile not deny him any thing I haue, No, not my body, nor my husbands bed: Know him I shall, I am well sure of it.

Lie not a night from home. Watch me like Argos, If you doe not, if I be left alone, Now by mine honour which is yet mine owne, Ile haue the Doctor for my bedfellow

Nerrissa. And I his Clarke: therefore be well aduis'd How you doe leaue me to mine owne protection

Gra. Well, doe you so: let not me take him then, For if I doe, ile mar the yong Clarks pen

Ant. I am th' vnhappy subiect of these quarrels

Por. Sir, grieue not you, You are welcome notwithstanding

Bas. Portia, forgiue me this enforced wrong, And in the hearing of these manie friends I sweare to thee, euen by thine owne faire eyes Wherein I see my selfe

Por. Marke you but that?

In both my eyes he doubly sees himselfe: In each eye one, sweare by your double selfe, And there's an oath of credit

Bas. Nay, but heare me.

Pardon this fault, and by my soule I sweare I neuer more will breake an oath with thee

Anth. I once did lend my bodie for thy wealth, Which but for him that had your husbands ring Had quite miscarried. I dare be bound againe, My soule vpon the forfeit, that your Lord Will neuer more breake faith aduisedlie

Por. Then you shall be his suretie: giue him this, And bid him keepe it better then the other

Ant. Heere Lord Ba.s.sanio, swear to keep this ring

Ba.s.s. By heauen it is the same I gaue the Doctor

Por. I had it of him: pardon Ba.s.sanio, For by this ring the Doctor lay with me

Ner. And pardon me my gentle Gratiano, For that same scrubbed boy the Doctors Clarke In liew of this, last night did lye with me

Gra. Why this is like the mending of high waies In Sommer, where the waies are faire enough: What, are we Cuckolds ere we haue deseru'd it

Por. Speake not so grossely, you are all amaz'd; Heere is a letter, reade it at your leysure, It comes from Padua from Bellario, There you shall finde that Portia was the Doctor, Nerrissa there her Clarke. Lorenzo heere Shall witnesse I set forth as soone as you, And but eu'n now return'd: I haue not yet Entred my house. Anthonio you are welcome, And I haue better newes in store for you Then you expect: vnseale this letter soone, There you shall finde three of your Argosies Are richly come to harbour sodainlie.

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

Antho. I am dumbe

Ba.s.s. Were you the Doctor, and I knew you not?

Gra. Were you the Clark that is to make me cuckold

Ner. I, but the Clark that neuer meanes to doe it, Vnlesse he liue vntill he be a man

Ba.s.s. (Sweet Doctor) you shall be my bedfellow, When I am absent, then lie with my wife

An. (Sweet Ladie) you haue giuen me life & liuing; For heere I reade for certaine that my s.h.i.+ps Are safelie come to Rode

Por. How now Lorenzo?

My Clarke hath some good comforts to for you

Ner. I, and Ile giue them him without a fee.

There doe I giue to you and Iessica From the rich Iewe, a speciall deed of gift After his death, of all he dies possess'd of

Loren. Faire Ladies you drop Manna in the way Of starued people

Por. It is almost morning, And yet I am sure you are not satisfied Of these euents at full. Let vs goe in, And charge vs there vpon intergatories, And we will answer all things faithfully

Gra. Let it be so, the first intergatory That my Nerrissa shall be sworne on, is, Whether till the next night she had rather stay, Or goe to bed, now being two houres to day, But were the day come, I should wish it darke, Till I were couching with the Doctors Clarke.

Well, while I liue, Ile feare no other thing So sore, as keeping safe Nerrissas ring.

Exeunt.

FINIS. The Merchant of Venice.

As you Like it

Actus primus. Scoena Prima.

Enter Orlando and Adam.

Orlando. As I remember Adam, it was vpon this fas.h.i.+on bequeathed me by will, but poore a thousand Crownes, and as thou saist, charged my brother on his blessing to breed mee well: and there begins my sadnesse: My brother Iaques he keepes at schoole, and report speakes goldenly of his profit: for my part, he keepes me rustically at home, or (to speak more properly) staies me heere at home vnkept: for call you that keeping for a gentleman of my birth, that differs not from the stalling of an Oxe? his horses are bred better, for besides that they are faire with their feeding, they are taught their mannage, and to that end Riders deerely hir'd: but I (his brother) gaine nothing vnder him but growth, for the which his Animals on his dunghils are as much bound to him as I: besides this nothing that he so plentifully giues me, the something that nature gaue mee, his countenance seemes to take from me: hee lets mee feede with his Hindes, barres mee the place of a brother, and as much as in him lies, mines my gentility with my education. This is it Adam that grieues me, and the spirit of my Father, which I thinke is within mee, begins to mutinie against this seruitude.

I will no longer endure it, though yet I know no wise remedy how to auoid it.

Enter Oliuer.

Adam. Yonder comes my Master, your brother

Orlan. Goe a-part Adam, and thou shalt heare how he will shake me vp

Oli. Now Sir, what make you heere?

Orl. Nothing: I am not taught to make any thing

Oli. What mar you then sir?

Orl. Marry sir, I am helping you to mar that which G.o.d made, a poore vnworthy brother of yours with idlenesse

Oliuer. Marry sir be better employed, and be naught a while

Orlan. Shall I keepe your hogs, and eat huskes with them? what prodigall portion haue I spent, that I should come to such penury?

Oli. Know you where you are sir?

Orl. O sir, very well: heere in your Orchard

Oli. Know you before whom sir?