[Act 2, Scene 2]
Enter the Clowne alone.
Clo.
Certainely, my conscience will serue me to run
from this Iew my
Maister: the fiend is at mine elbow,
[550]
and tempts me, saying to
me,
Iobbe,
Launcelet
Iobbe
, good
Launcelet, or good
Iobbe, or good
Launcelet Iobbe, vse
your legs, take the start, run awaie: my conscience saies
no; take heede honest
Launcelet, take
heed honest
Iobbe,
or as
afore‑said honest
Launcelet Iobbe, doe
not runne,
[555]
scorne running with thy heeles; well, the most
coragi
ous fiend bids me packe,
fia saies the fiend, away saies
the fiend, for the
heauens rouse vp a braue minde saies
the fiend, and run; well,
my conscience hanging about
the necke of my heart, saies verie
wisely to me: my ho
[560]
nest friend
Launcelet, being an honest mans sonne, or
ra
ther an honest womans sonne, for indeede my Father
did
something smack, something grow too; he had a kinde of
taste; wel, my conscience saies
Lancelet
bouge not, bouge
saies the
siend
fiend
, bouge not saies my conscience, conscience
[565]
say I you
counsaile well, fiend say I you counsaile well,
to be rul'd by
my conscience I should stay with the
Iew
my Maister, (who God blesse the marke) is a kinde of
di
uell; and to run away from the
Iew I should be ruled by
the fiend, who sauing your
reuerence is the diuell him
[570]
selfe: certainely the
Iew is the verie diuell incarnation,
and
in my conscience, my conscience is a kinde of hard
conscience,
to offer to counsaile me to stay with the
Iew;
the fiend giues the more friendly counsaile: I will
runne
fiend, my heeles are at your commandement, I will
[575]
runne.
Enter old Gobbo with a
Basket.
Gob.
Maister yong‑man, you I praie you, which is the
waie to
Maister
Iewes?
Lan.
O heauens, this is my true begotten Father, who
being more then
sand‑blinde, high grauel blinde, knows
[580]
me not, I will
trie confusions with him.
Gob.
Maister yong Gentleman, I praie you which is
the waie to Maister
Iewes.
Laun.
Turne vpon your right hand at the next tur
ning but at the next turning of all on your left; marrie
[585]
at the verie next turning, turne of no hand, but turn down
indirectlie to the
Iewes house.
Gob.
Be Gods sonties 'twill be a hard waie to hit, can
you tell me
whether one
Launcelet that dwels with him,
dwell with him or no.
Laun.
[590]
Talke you of yong Master
Launcelet, marke
me now, now will I raise the waters; talke you of yong
Maister
Launcelet?
Gob.
No Maister sir, but a poore mans sonne, his Fa
ther
though I say't is an honest exceeding poore man,
[595]
and God be
thanked well to liue.
Lan.
Well, let his Father be what a will, wee talke of
yong Maister
Launcelet.
Gob.
Your worships friend and
Launcelet.
Laun.
But I praie you
ergo old man,
ergo I beseech you,
[600]
talke you of yong
Maister
Launcelet.
Gob.
Of
Launcelet, ant please your maistership.
Lan.
Ergo Maister
Lancelet,
talke not of maister
Lance
let
Father, for the yong gentleman according to fates and
destinies, and such odde sayings, the sisters three, & such
[605]
branches of learning, is indeede deceased, or as you
would
say in plaine tearmes, gone to heauen.
Gob.
Marrie God forbid, the boy was the verie staffe
of my age, my
verie prop.
Lau.
Do I look like a cudgell or a houell‑post, a staffe
[610]
or a
prop: doe you know me Father.
Gob.
Alacke the day, I know you not yong Gentle
man, but I
praie you tell me, is my boy God rest his soule
aliue or
dead.
Lan.
Doe you not know me Father.
Gob.
[615]
Alacke sir I am sand blinde, I know you not.
Lan.
Nay, indeede if you had your eies you might
faile of the knowing
me: it is a wise Father that knowes
his owne childe. Well, old
man, I will tell you newes of
your son, giue me your blessing,
truth will come to light,
[620]
murder cannot be hid long, a mans
sonne may, but in the
end truth will out.
Gob.
Praie you sir stand vp, I am sure you are not
Lancelet my boy.
Lan.
Praie you let's haue no more fooling about
[625]
it, but giue mee your
blessing: I am
Lancelet your
boy that
was, your sonne that is, your childe that
shall be.
Gob.
I cannot thinke you are my sonne.
Lan.
I know not what I shall thinke of that: but I am
[630]
Lancelet the
Iewes
man, and I am sure
Margerie your wife
is
my mother.
Gob.
Her name is
Margerie indeede, Ile be sworne if
thou be
Lancelet, thou art mine owne
flesh and blood:
Lord worshipt might he be, what a beard hast
thou got;
[635]
thou hast got more haire on thy chin, then Dobbin my
philhorse has on his taile.
Lan.
It should seeme then that Dobbins taile
growes backeward. I am
sure he had more haire of his
taile then I haue of my face when
I lost saw him.
Gob.
[640]
Lord how art thou chang'd: how doost thou
and thy Master agree,
I haue brought him a present; how
gree you now?
Lan.
Well, well, but for mine owne part, as I haue set
vp my rest to
run awaie, so I will not rest till I haue run
[645]
some ground; my
Maister's a verie
Iew, giue him a
pre
sent, giue him a halter, I am famisht in his
seruice. You
may tell euerie finger I haue with my ribs: Father
I am
glad you are come, giue me your present to one Maister
Bassanio, who indeede giues rare new
Liuories, if I serue
[650]
not him, I will run as far as God has anie ground. O rare
fortune, here comes the man, to him Father, for I am a
Iew if I serue the
Iew
anie longer.
Enter Bassanio with a follower
or two.
Bass.
You may doe so, but let it be so hasted that
supper be readie at
the farthest by fiue of the clocke:
[655]
see these Letters
deliuered, put the Liueries to mak
ing, and desire
Gratiano to come anone to my
lodg
ing.
Lan.
To him Father.
Gob.
God blesse your worship.
Bass.
[660]
Gramercie, would'st thou ought with me.
Gob.
Here's my sonne sir, a poore boy.
Lan.
Not a poore boy sir, but the rich
Iewes man
that
would sir as my Father shall specifie.
Gob.
He hath a great infection sir, as one would say
[665]
to serue.
Lan.
Indeede the short and the long is, I serue the
Iew, and haue a desire as my Father shall specifie.
Gob.
His Maister and he (sauing your worships reue
rence) are
scarce caterco
ins.
Lan.
[670]
To be briefe, the verie truth is, that the
Iew
hauing done me wrong, doth cause me as my Father
be
ing I hope an old man shall frutifie vnto you.
Gob.
I haue here a dish of Doues that I would bestow
vpon your
worship, and my suite is.
Lan.
[675]
In verie briefe, the suite is impertinent to my
selfe, as your
worship shall know by this honest old man,
and though I say it,
though old man, yet poore man my
Father.
Bass.
One speake for both, what would you?
Lan.
[680]
Serue you sir.
Gob.
That is the verie defect of the matter sir.
Bass.
I know thee well, thou hast obtain'd thy suite,
Shylocke thy Maister spoke with me this
daie,
And hath prefer'd thee, if it be preferment
[685]
To leaue a rich
Iewes seruice, to become
The follower of so poore a Gentleman.
Clo.
The old prouerbe is verie well parted betweene
my Maister
Shylocke and you sir, you haue the grace of
God sir, and he hath enough.
Bass.
[690]
Thou speak'st well; go Father with thy Son,
Take leaue of thy old Maister, and enquire
My lodging out, giue him a Liuerie
More garded then his fellowes: see it done.
Clo.
Father in, I cannot get a seruice, no, I haue nere
[695]
a tongue in
my head, well: if anie man in
Italie haue a
fairer table which doth offer to sweare vpon a booke, I
shall haue good fortune; goe too, here's a simple line
of
life, here's a small trifle of wiues, alas, fifteene wiues
is
nothing, a leuen widdowes and nine maides is a sim
[700]
ple
comming in for one man, and then to scape drow
ning
thrice, and to be in perill of my life with the edge
of a
featherbed, here are simple scapes: well, if Fortune
be a
woman, she's a good wench for this gere: Father
come, Ile take
my leaue of the
Iew in the twinkling.
Exit Clowne.
Bass.
[705]
I praie thee good
Leonardo thinke on this,
These things being bought and orderly bestowed
Returne in haste, for I doe feast to night
My best esteemd acquaintance, hie thee goe.
Leon.
My best endeuors shall be done herein.
Exit. Le.
Enter Gratiano.
Gra.
[710]
Where's your Maister.
Leon.
Yonder sir he walkes.
Gra.
Signior
Bassanio.
Bas.
Gratiano.
Gra.
I haue a sute to you.
Bass.
[715]
You haue obtain'd it.
Gra.
You must not denie me, I must goe with you to
Belmont.
Bass.
Why then you must: but heare thee
Gratiano,
Thou art to wilde, to rude, and bold of voyce,
[720]
Parts that become thee happily enough,
And in such eyes as ours appeare not faults;
But where they are not knowne, why there they show
Something too liberall, pray thee take paine
To allay with some cold drops of modestie
[725]
Thy skipping spirit, least through thy wilde behauiour
I be misconsterd in the place I goe to,
And loose my hopes.
Gra.
Signor
Bassanio, heare me,
If I doe not put on a sober habite,
[730]
Talke with respect, and sweare but now and than,
Weare prayer bookes in my pocket, looke demurely,
Nay more, while grace is saying hood mine eyes
Thus with my hat, and sigh and say Amen:
Vse all the obseruance of ciuillitie
[735]
Like one well studied in a sad ostent
To please his Grandam, neuer trust me more.
Bas.
Well, we shall see your bearing.
Gra.
Nay but I barre to night, you shall not gage me
By what we doe to night.
Bas.
[740]
No that were pittie,
I would intreate you rather to put on
Your boldest suite of mirth, for we haue friends
That purpose merriment: but far you well,
I haue some businesse.
Gra.
[745]
And I must to
Lorenso and the rest,
But we will visite you at supper time.
Exeunt.
