[Venice]

Enter [Shylock, ] Jew, his man that was the Clown [Launcelot].

[SHYLOCK:]

Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy judge,
The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio:—
What, Jessica!—thou shalt not gormandise,
As thou hast done with me;—What, Jessica!—
And sleep, and snore, and rend apparel out;—(5)
Why, Jessica, I say!

[LAUNCELOT:]

Why, Jessica!

[SHYLOCK:]

Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.

[LAUNCELOT:]

Your worship was wont to tell me, I could do
nothing without bidding.(10)

Enter Jessica.

JESSICA:

Call you? What is your will?

[SHYLOCK:]

I am bid forth to supper, Jessica:
There are my keys.—But wherefore should I go?
I am not bid for love; they flatter me:
But yet I'll go in hate, to feed upon(15)
The prodigal Christian.—Jessica, my girl,
Look to my house.—I am right loath to go;
There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest,
For I did dream of money-bags to-night.

[LAUNCELOT:]

I beseech you, sir, go; my young master doth(20)
expect your reproach.

[SHYLOCK:]

So do I, his.

[LAUNCELOT:]

And they have conspired together,—I will not
say, you shall see a masque; but if you do, then it was
not for nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on Black-(25)
Monday last, at six o'clock i' the morning, falling out
that year on Ash-Wednesday was four year in the
afternoon.

[SHYLOCK:]

What! are there masques? Hear you me, Jessica:
Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum,(30)
And the vile squealing of the wry-neck'd fife,
Clamber not you up to the casements then,
Nor thrust your head into the public street,
To gaze on Christian fools with varnish'd faces:
But stop my house's ears, I mean my casements;(35)
Let not the sound of shallow foppery enter
My sober house.—By Jacob's staff I swear,
I have no mind of feasting forth to-night:
But I will go.—Go you before me, sirrah;
Say, I will come.(40)

[LAUNCELOT:]

I will go before, sir.—
Mistress, look out at window for all this;
There will come a Christian by,
Will be worth a Jewess' eye.

[SHYLOCK:]

What says that fool of Hagar's offspring; ha?(45)

JESSICA:

His words were, Farewell mistress; nothing else.

[SHYLOCK:]

The patch is kind enough; but a huge feeder,
Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day
More than the wild cat: drones hive not with me,
Therefore I part with him; and part with him(50)
To one, that I would have him help to waste
His borrow'd purse.—Well, Jessica, go in;
Perhaps, I will return immediately;
Do as I bid you, shut doors after you:
Fast bind, fast find;(55)
A proverb never stale in thrifty mind.

Exit.

JESSICA:

Farewell; and if my fortune be not cross'd,
I have a father, you a daughter, lost.

Exit.