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Enter the Clown [LAUNCELOT GOBBO] alone.
LAUNCELOT
1 Certainly my conscience will serve me to
2 run from this Jew my master. The fiend is at mine
3 elbow and tempts me saying to me "Gobbo,
4 Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot," or "good Gobbo,"
5 or "good Launcelot Gobbo, use your
6 legs, take the start, run away." My conscience
7 says "No; take heed, honest Launcelot; take heed,
8 honest Gobbo," or, as aforesaid, "honest Launcelot
9 Gobbo; do not run; scorn running with thy heels."
10 Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack:
11 "Fia!" says the fiend; "away!" says the fiend;
12 "for the heavens, rouse up a brave mind," says the
13 fiend, "and run." Well, my conscience, hanging
14 about the neck of my heart, says very wisely to me
15 "My honest friend Launcelot, being an honest
16 man's son," or rather an honest woman's son; for,
17 indeed, my father did something smack, something
18 grow to, he had a kind of taste; well, my conscience
19 says "Launcelot, budge not." "Budge," says
20 the fiend. "Budge not," says my conscience.
21 "Conscience," say I, "you counsel well;" "Fiend,"
22 say I, "you counsel well." To be ruled by my
23 conscience, I should stay with the Jew my master,
24 who, God bless the mark, is a kind of devil; and, to
25 run away from the Jew, I should be rul'd by the
26 fiend, who, saving your reverence, is the devil himself.
27 Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnation;
28 and, in my conscience, my conscience is but a
29 kind of hard conscience, to offer to counsel me to
30 stay with the Jew. The fiend gives the more
31 friendly counsel: I will run, fiend; my heels are at your
32 commandement; I will run.
Enter Old GOBBO, with a basket.
GOBBO
33 Master young man, you, I pray you, which is the way
34 to master Jew's?
LAUNCELOT [Aside.]
35 O heavens, this is my true-begotten father!
36 who, being more than sand-blind, high-gravel blind,
37 knows me not: I will try confusions
38 with him.
GOBBO
39 Master young gentleman, I pray you, which is the way
40 to master Jew's?
LAUNCELOT
41 Turn up on your right hand at the next turning, but,
42 at the next turning of all, on your left; marry, at
43 the very next turning, turn of no hand, but turn
44 down indirectly to the Jew's house.
GOBBO
45 By God's sonties, 'twill be a hard way to hit. Can
46 you tell me whether one Launcelot,
47 that dwells with him, dwell with him or no?
LAUNCELOT
48 Talk you of young Master Launcelot?
[Aside.]
49 Mark me now; now will I raise the waters. Talk you
50 of young Master Launcelot?
GOBBO
51 No master, sir, but a poor man's son: his father,
52 though I say it, is an honest exceeding poor man
53 and, God be thanked, well to live.
LAUNCELOT
54 Well, let his father be what a' will, we talk of
55 young Master Launcelot.
GOBBO
56 Your worship's friend and Launcelot, sir.
LAUNCELOT
57 But I pray you, ergo, old man, ergo, I beseech you,
58 talk you of young Master Launcelot?
GOBBO
59 Of Launcelot, an't please your mastership.
LAUNCELOT
60 Ergo, Master Launcelot. Talk not of Master
61 Launcelot, father; for the young gentleman,
62 according to Fates and Destinies and such odd
63 sayings, the Sisters Three and such branches of
64 learning, is indeed deceased, or, as you would say
65 in plain terms, gone to heaven.
GOBBO
66 Marry, God forbid! the boy was the very staff of my
67 age, my very prop.
LAUNCELOT
68 Do I look like a cudgel or a hovel-post, a staff or
69 a prop? Do you know me, father?
GOBBO
70 Alack the day, I know you not, young gentleman:
71 but, I pray you, tell me, is my boy, God rest his
72 soul, alive or dead?
LAUNCELOT
73 Do you not know me, father?
GOBBO
74 Alack, sir, I am sand-blind; I know you not.
LAUNCELOT
75 Nay, indeed, if you had your eyes, you might fail of
76 the knowing me: it is a wise father that knows his
77 own child. Well, old man, I will tell you news of
78 your son: give me your blessing: truth will come
79 to light; murder cannot be hid long; a man's son
80 may, but at the length truth will out.
GOBBO
81 Pray you, sir, stand up: I am sure you are not
82 Launcelot, my boy.
LAUNCELOT
83 Pray you, let's have no more fooling about it, but
84 give me your blessing: I am Launcelot, your boy
85 that was, your son that is, your child that shall
86 be.
GOBBO
87 I cannot think you are my son.
LAUNCELOT
88 I know not what I shall think of that: but I am
89 Launcelot, the Jew's man, and I am sure Margery your
90 wife is my mother.
GOBBO
91 Her name is Margery, indeed: I'll be sworn, if thou
92 be Launcelot, thou art mine own flesh and blood.
93 Lord worshipped might he be! what a beard hast thou
94 got! thou hast got more hair on thy chin than
95 Dobbin my fill-horse has on his tail.
LAUNCELOT
96 It should seem, then, that Dobbin's tail grows
97 backward: I am sure he had more hair of his tail
98 than I have of my face when I last saw him.
GOBBO
99 Lord, how art thou changed! How dost thou and thy
100 master agree? I have brought him a present. How
101 'gree you now?
LAUNCELOT
102 Well, well: but, for mine own part, as I
103 have set up my rest to run away, so I will not rest
104 till I have run some ground. My master's a very
105 Jew: give him a present! give him a halter:
106 I am famished in his service; you may tell every
107 finger I have with my ribs. Father, I am glad you
108 are come: give me your present to one Master
109 Bassanio, who, indeed, gives rare new liveries:
110 if I serve not him, I will run as far as God has any
111 ground. O rare fortune! here comes the man: to
112 him, father; for I am a Jew, if I serve the Jew any
113 longer.
Enter BASSANIO with a follower or two,
[including LEONARDO].
BASSANIO
114 You may do so; but let it be so hasted that supper
115 be ready at the farthest by five of the clock. See
116 these letters delivered; put the liveries to making,
117 and desire Gratiano to come anon to my
118 lodging.
GOBBO
120 God bless your worship!
BASSANIO
121 Gramercy! wouldst thou aught with me?
GOBBO
122 Here's my son, sir, a poor boy,—
LAUNCELOT
123 Not a poor boy, sir, but the rich Jew's man; that
124 would, sir, as my father shall specify—
GOBBO
125 He hath a great infection, sir, as one would
126 say, to serve—
LAUNCELOT
127 Indeed, the short and the long is, I serve the Jew,
128 and have a desire, as my father shall
129 specify—
GOBBO
130 His master and he, saving your worship's reverence,
131 are scarce cater-cousins—
LAUNCELOT
132 To be brief, the very truth is that the Jew, having
133 done me wrong, doth cause me, as my father, being, I
134 hope, an old man, shall frutify unto you—
GOBBO
135 I have here a dish of doves that I would bestow upon
136 your worship, and my suit is—
LAUNCELOT
137 In very brief, the suit is impertinent to myself, as
138 your worship shall know by this honest old man; and,
139 though I say it, though old man, yet
140 poor man, my father.
BASSANIO
141 One speak for both. What would you?
GOBBO
143 That is the very defect of the matter, sir.
BASSANIO
144 I know thee well; thou hast obtain'd thy suit:
145 Shylock thy master spoke with me this day,
146 And hath preferr'd thee, if it be preferment
147 To leave a rich Jew's service, to become
148 The follower of so poor a gentleman.
LAUNCELOT
149 The old proverb is very well parted between my
150 master Shylock and you, sir: you have the grace of
151 God, sir, and he hath enough.
BASSANIO
152 Thou speak'st it well. Go, father, with thy son.
153 Take leave of thy old master and inquire
154 My lodging out.
[To a servant.]
154 Give him a livery
155 More guarded than his fellows': see it done.
LAUNCELOT
156 Father, in. I cannot get a service, no; I have
157 ne'er a tongue in my head. Well, if any man in
158 Italy have a fairer table which doth offer to swear
159 upon a book, I shall have good fortune. Go to,
160 here's a simple line of life: here's a small trifle
161 of wives: alas, fifteen wives is nothing! eleven
162 widows and nine maids is a simple coming-in for one
163 man: and then to 'scape drowning thrice, and to be
164 in peril of my life with the edge of a feather-bed;
165 here are simple scapes. Well, if Fortune be a
166 woman, she's a good wench for this gear. Father,
167 come; I'll take my leave of the Jew in the twinkling of an eye.
Exit [Launcelot with Old Gobbo].
BASSANIO
168 I pray thee, good Leonardo, think on this:
169 These things being bought and orderly bestow'd,
170 Return in haste, for I do feast tonight
171 My best-esteem'd acquaintance: hie thee, go.
LEONARDO
172 My best endeavours shall be done herein.
GRATIANO
173 Where is your master?
LEONARDO
174 Yonder, sir, he walks.
GRATIANO
175 Signior Bassanio!
GRATIANO
177 I have a suit to you.
BASSANIO
177 You have obtain'd it.
GRATIANO
178 You must not deny me: I must go with you
179 to Belmont.
BASSANIO
180 Why then you must. But hear thee, Gratiano;
181 Thou art too wild, too rude and bold of voice;
182 Parts that become thee happily enough
183 And in such eyes as ours appear not faults;
184 But where thou art not known, why, there they show
185 Something too liberal. Pray thee, take pain
186 To allay with some cold drops of modesty
187 Thy skipping spirit, lest through thy wild behavior
188 I be misconst'red in the place I go to,
189 And lose my hopes.
GRATIANO
189 Signior Bassanio, hear me:
190 If I do not put on a sober habit,
191 Talk with respect and swear but now and then,
192 Wear prayer-books in my pocket, look demurely,
193 Nay more, while grace is saying, hood mine eyes
194 Thus with my hat, and sigh and say "amen,"
195 Use all the observance of civility,
196 Like one well studied in a sad ostent
197 To please his grandam, never trust me more.
BASSANIO
198 Well, we shall see your bearing.
GRATIANO
199 Nay, but I bar tonight: you shall not gauge me
200 By what we do tonight.
BASSANIO
200 No, that were pity:
201 I would entreat you rather to put on
202 Your boldest suit of mirth, for we have friends
203 That purpose merriment. But fare you well:
204 I have some business.
GRATIANO
205 And I must to Lorenzo and the rest:
206 But we will visit you at supper-time.
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