A fong, whilst Bassanio comments on the caskets to himself.
Baff. So may the outward fhows be leaft themselves; The world is ftill deceiv'd with ornament.
In law, what plea fo tainted and corrupt,
But, being 'feafon'd with a gracious voice,
Obfcures the show of evil? In religion,
What damned error, but fome fober brow
Will bless it, and approve it with a text,
Hiding the groffnefs with fair ornament?
There is no vice fo fimple, but affumes
Some mark of virtue on his outward parts.
How many cowards, whofe hearts are all as falfe
As ftairs of fand, wear yet upon their chins
The beards of Hercules, and frowning Mars;
Who, inward fearch'd, have livers white as milk?
And these affume but valour's excrement,
To render them redoubted. Look on " beauty,
* and fancy dies &c.]-alluding to love's changeableness, being excited by one object, and extinguished by another.
So may &c.]-part of the argument had already paffed in his mind. feafon'd with a gracious voice,]—set off with the charms of oratory. beauty]-artificial.
And you shall fee 'tis purchas'd by the weight;
Which therein works a miracle in nature,
Making them lightest that wear most of it:
So are those crifped fnaky golden locks,
Which make fuch wanton gambols with the wind,
Upon fuppofed fairness, often known
To be the dowry of a fecond head,
The fcull that bred them, in the fepulchre.
Thus ornament is but the 'guiled shore
To a most dangerous fea; the beauteous scarf
Veiling an Indian beauty; in a word,
The feeming truth which cunning times put on
To entrap the wifeft. Therefore, thou gaudy gold,
Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee:
Nor none of thee, thou "ftale and common drudge
'Tween man and man: but thou, thou meager lead,
Which rather threatneft, than doft promise aught,
Thy palenefs moves me more than eloquence,
And here chufe I; Joy be the confequence!
Por. How all the other paffions fleet to air,
As doubtful thoughts, and rafh-embrac'd defpair,
And fhudd'ring fear, and green-ey'd jealousy.
O love, be moderate, allay thy ecitafy,
In measure * rain thy joy, fcant this excess ;
I feel too much thy blefling, make it lefs,
For fear I furfeit !
[Opening the leaden cafket.
Hath come so near creation? Move these eyes?
Or whether, riding on the balls of mine,
Seem they in motion? Here are fever'd lips,
Parted with fugar breath; fo fweet a bar
Should funder fuch sweet friends: Here in her hairs
The painter plays the spider; and hath woven
A golden mesh to entrap the hearts of men,
Fafter than gnats in cobwebs : But her eyes,-
How could he fee to do them? having made one,
Methinks, it should have power to steal both his,
And leave itself unfurnifh'd: Yet look, how far
The fubftance of my praise doth wrong this fhadow
In underprizing it, fo far this fhadow
Doth limp behind the substance.—Here's the scroll,
The continent and fummary of my
fortune.
You that chufe not by the view,
Chance as fair, and chufe as true!
Since this fortune falls to you,
Be content, and feek no new.
If you be well pleas'd with this,
And bold your fortune for your bliss,
Turn you where your lady is,
And claim her with a loving kifs.
A gentle fcroll;-Fair lady, by your leave; [Kiffing ber,
I come by note, to give, and to receive.
Like one of two contending in a prize,
That thinks he hath done well in people's eyes,
Hearing applause, and universal shout
Giddy in fpirit, ftill gazing, in a doubt
Whether thofe peals of praise be his or no ;
So, thrice fair lady, ftand I, even fo;
itfelf-with another-himself unfurnish'd-itself unfinish'd.
As doubtful whether what I fee be true,
Until confirm'd, fign'd, ratify'd by you.
Por. You fee me, lord Baffanio, where I stand,
Such as I am though, for myfelf alone,
I would not be ambitious in
my wifh,
To wish myself much better; yet, for you,
I would be trebled twenty times myself;
A thousand times more fair, ten thousand times
More rich; that to ftand high in your account,
I might in virtues, beauties, livings, friends,
Exceed account: but the full fum of me
Is fum of fomething; which, to term in grofs,
Is an unleffon'd girl, unschool'd, unpractis'd:
Happy in this, fhe is not yet fo old
But she may learn; and happier than this,
She is not bred fo dull but fhe can learn ;
Happiest of all, is, that her gentle fpirit
Commits itself to yours to be directed,
As from her lord, her governor, her king.
Myfelf, and what is mine, to you, and yours
Is now converted but now I was the lord
Of this fair manfion, mafter of my fervants,
Queen o'er myself; and even now, but now,
This house, these servants, and this fame myself,
Are yours, my lord; I give them with this ring;
Which when you part from, lose, or give away,
Let it prefage the ruin of your love,
And be my vantage to exclaim on you.
Baff. Madam, you have bereft me of all words,
Only my blood speaks to you in my veins :
And there is fuch confufion in my powers,
a Is Jum of fomething;]-Is really fomething, not merely ideal, and may be compriz'd in the following defcription-Is fum of nothing. be my vantage]-afford me a fair pretext.
As, after fome oration fairly spoke
By a beloved prince, there doth appear
Among the buzzing pleased multitude;
Where every something, being blent together,
Turns to a wild of nothing, fave of joy,
Expreft, and not exprest: But when this ring
Parts from this finger, then parts life from hence;
O, then be bold to fay, Baffanio's dead.
Ner. My lord and lady, it is now our time,
That have ftood by, and feen our wishes profper,
To cry, good joy; Good joy, my lord, and lady!
Gra. My lord Baffanio, and my gentle lady,
I wish you all the joy that you can wish
For, I am fure, you can with none from me:
And, when your honours mean to folemnize
The bargain of your faith, I do beseech you,
Even at that time I may be marry'd too.
Bass. With all my heart, fo thou canst get a wife.
Gra. I thank your lordship; you have got me one.
My eyes, my lord, can look as swift as yours:
You faw the mistress, I beheld the maid;
You lov'd, I lov'd; for intermiffion
No more pertains to me, my lord, than you.
Your fortune ftood upon the casket there;
And fo did mine too, as the matter falls :
For wooing here, until I fweat again;
And fwearing, till my very roof was dry
With oaths of love; at laft,-if promise last,-
I got a promise of this fair one here,
To have her love, provided that your fortune
Atchiev'd her mistress.
Por. Is this true, Neriffa?
from me :]-that I fhall not share in; or, that will deprive me of any.
for intermiffion]-as to delay, or interruption of our blifs.
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