THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Act 2 Scene 5

(Enter Shylock the Jew and his man that was, Lancelot the clown)
l1l	Shylock	 Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy judge,
l2l		The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio.
l3l		(Calling)
		 What, Jessica!
		(To Lancelot)
		 Thou shalt not gormandize
l4l		As thou hast done with me.
		(Calling)
		 What, Jessica!
l5l		(To Lancelot)
		 And sleep and snore and rend apparel out.
l6l		(Calling)
		 Why, Jessica, I say!
	Lancelot	
		( 6B calling)
		 Why, Jessica!
l7l	Shylock	Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.
l8l	Lancelot	 Your worship was wont to tell me I could do
l9l		nothing without bidding.
		(Enter Jessica)
l10l	Jessica	(to Shylock)
		 Call you? What is your will?
l11l	Shylock	I am bid forth to supper, Jessica.
l12l		There are my keys. But wherefore should I go?
l13l		I am not bid for love. They flatter me,
l14l		But yet I’ll go in hate, to feed upon
l15l		The prodigal Christian. Jessica, my girl,
l16l		Look to my house. I am right loath to go.
l17l		There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest,
l18l		For I did dream of money-bags tonight.
l19l	Lancelot	 I beseech you, sir, go. My young master doth
l20l		expect your reproach.
l21l	Shylock	So do I his.
l22l	Lancelot	And they have conspired together. I will not
l23l		say you shall see a masque, but if you do, then it was
l24l		not for nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on Black
l25l		Monday last at six o’clock i’ th’ morning, falling out
l26l		that year on Ash Wednesday was four year in
l27l		th’ afternoon.
l28l	Shylock	 What, are there masques? Hear you me, Jessica,
l29l		Lock up my doors# and when you hear the drum
l30l		And the vile squealing of the wry-necked fife,
l31l		Clamber not you up to the casements then,
l32l		Nor thrust your head into the public street
l33l		To gaze on Christian fools with varnished faces,
l34l		But stop my house’s ears—I mean my casements.
l35l		Let not the sound of shallow fopp’ry enter
l36l		My sober house. By Jacob’s staff I swear
l37l		I have no mind of feasting forth tonight.
l38l		But I will go.
		(To Lancelot)
		 Go you before me, sirrah.
l39l		Say I will come.
	Lancelot	I will go before, sir.
l40l		(Aside to Jessica)
		 Mistress, look out at window for all this.
l41l		There will come a Christian by
l42l		Will be worth a Jewe|s eye.
		(Exit)
l43l	Shylock	(to Jessica)
		 What says that fool of Hagar’s offspring, ha?
l44l	Jessica	His words were “Farewell, mistress”# nothing else.
l45l	Shylock	The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder,
l46l		Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day
l47l		More than the wildcat. Drones hive not with me#
l48l		Therefore I part with him, and part with him
l49l		To one that I would have him help to waste
l50l		His borrowed purse. Well, Jessica, go in.
l51l		Perhaps I will return immediately.
l52l		Do as I bid you. Shut doors after you.
l53l		Fast bind, fast find—
l54l		A proverb never stale in thrifty mind.
		(Exit at one door)
l55l	Jessica	 Farewell# and if my fortune be not crossed,
l56l		I have a father, you a daughter lost.
		(Exit at another door)