It is almost morning,
And yet I am sure you are not satisfied
Of these events at full. Let us go in;
And charge us there upon inter'gatories,
And we will answer all things faithfully.

How now, Lorenzo!
My clerk hath some good comforts too for you.

Speak not so grossly. You are all amazed:
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 even but ...

I had it of him: pardon me, Bassanio;
For, by this ring, the doctor lay with me.

Then you shall be his surety. Give him this
And bid him keep it better than the other.

Mark you but that!
In both my eyes he doubly sees himself;
In each eye, one: swear by your double self,
And there's an oath of credit.

Sir, grieve not you; you are welcome notwithstanding.

Let not that doctor e'er come near my house:
Since he hath got the jewel that I loved,
And that which you did swear to keep for me,
I will become as liberal as you;
I'll not deny him any thing I have,
No, not my body nor ...

If you had known the virtue of the ring,
Or half her worthiness that gave the ring,
Or your own honour to contain the ring,
You would not then have parted with the ring.
What man is there so much unreasonable,
If you had pleased to have defended it
With ...

Even so void is your false heart of truth.
By heaven, I will ne'er come in your bed
Until I see the ring.

What ring gave you my lord?
Not that, I hope, which you received of me.

You were to blame, I must be plain with you,
To part so slightly with your wife's first gift:
A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger
And so riveted with faith unto your flesh.
I gave my love a ring and made him swear
Never to part ...

A quarrel, ho, already! what's the matter?

Sir, you are very welcome to our house:
It must appear in other ways than words,
Therefore I scant this breathing courtesy.

You should in all sense be much bound to him.
For, as I hear, he was much bound for you.

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 lord.

This night methinks is but the daylight sick;
It looks a little paler: 'tis a day,
Such as the day is when the sun is hid.

Go in, Nerissa;
Give order to my servants that they take
No note at all of our being absent hence;
Nor you, Lorenzo; Jessica, nor you.

We have been praying for our husbands' healths,
Which speed, we hope, the better for our words.
Are they return'd?

He knows me as the blind man knows the cuckoo,
By the bad voice.

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 ...

Nothing is good, I see, without respect:
Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day.

So doth the greater glory dim the less:
A substitute shines brightly as a king
Unto the king be by, and then his state
Empties itself, as doth an inland brook
Into the main of waters. Music! hark!

That light we see is burning in my hall.
How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

Aside to NERISSA Thou mayst, I warrant.
We shall have old swearing
That they did give the rings away to men;
But we'll outface them, and outswear them too.
Aloud
Away! make haste: thou knowist where I will tarry.

That cannot be:
His ring I do accept most thankfully:
And so, I pray you, tell him: furthermore,
I pray you, show my youth old Shylock's house.

Inquire the Jew's house out, give him this deed
And let him sign it: we'll away to-night
And be a day before our husbands home:
This deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo.

That 'scuse serves many men to save their gifts.
An if your wife be not a mad-woman,
And know how well I have deserved the ring,
She would not hold out enemy for ever,
For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you!

I see, sir, you are liberal in offers
You taught me first to beg; and now methinks
You teach me how a beggar should be answer'd.

I will have nothing else but only this;
And now methinks I have a mind to it.

You press me far, and therefore I will yield.
To ANTONIO
Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your sake;
To BASSANIO
And, for your love, I'll take this ring from you:
Do not draw back your hand; I'll take no more;
And you in love ...

He is well paid that is well satisfied;
And I, delivering you, am satisfied
And therein do account myself well paid:
My mind was never yet more mercenary.
I pray you, know me when we meet again:
I wish you well, and so I take my leave.

I humbly do desire your grace of pardon:
I must away this night toward Padua,
And it is meet I presently set forth.

Clerk, draw a deed of gift.

Art thou contented, Jew? what dost thou say?

What mercy can you render him, Antonio?

Ay, for the state, not for Antonio.

Tarry, Jew:
The law hath yet another hold on you.
It is enacted in the laws of Venice,
If it be proved against an alien
That by direct or indirect attempts
He seek the life of any citizen,
The party 'gainst the which he doth contrive
Shall seize one half ...

Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture,
To be so taken at thy peril, Jew.

He hath refused it in the open court:
He shall have merely justice and his bond.

Why doth the Jew pause? take thy forfeiture.

Therefore prepare thee to cut off the flesh.
Shed thou no blood, nor cut thou less nor more
But just a pound of flesh: if thou cut'st more
Or less than a just pound, be it but so much
As makes it light or heavy in the substance,
Or ...

Soft!
The Jew shall have all justice; soft! no haste:
He shall have nothing but the penalty.

Thyself shalt see the act:
For, as thou urgest justice, be assured
Thou shalt have justice, more than thou desirest.

Tarry a little; there is something else.
This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood;
The words expressly are 'a pound of flesh:'
Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh;
But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed
One drop of Christian blood, thy ...

And you must cut this flesh from off his breast:
The law allows it, and the court awards it.

A pound of that same merchant's flesh is thine:
The court awards it, and the law doth give it.

Your wife would give you little thanks for that,
If she were by, to hear you make the offer.

You, merchant, have you any thing to say?

It is not so express'd: but what of that?
'Twere good you do so much for charity.