and tempts me, saying to me, Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot, or good Gobbo, or good Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs, take the start, run away: My confcience fays,—no; take beed, boneft Launcelot; take heed, honest Gobbo; or, as aforefaid, honeft Launcelot Gobbo; do not run; scorn running with thy heels: Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack; via! fays the fiend; away! fays the fiend, for the heavens; rouse up a brave mind, says the fiend, and run. Well, my confcience, hanging about the neck of my heart, fays very wifely to me,—my honest friend Launcelot, being an boneft man's fon,—or rather an honest woman's fon;-for, indeed, my father did something fmack, something grow to, he had a kind of tafte;-well, my confcience fays,Launcelot, budge not; budge, fays the fiend; budge not, fays my confcience: Confcience, fay I, you counsel well; fiend, fay I, you counsel well: to be ruled by my confcience, I should stay with the Jew my mafter, who, (God blefs the mark!) is a kind of devil; and, to run away from the Jew, I fhould be ruled by the fiend, who, faving your reverence, is the devil himself: Certainly, the Jew is the very devil incarnation; and, in my conscience, my confcience is but a kind of hard confcience, to offer to counsel me to stay with the Jew: The fiend gives the more friendly counsel: I will run, fiend; my heels are at your 'commandment, I will run.

Enter old GOBBO, with a basket.

Gob. Master, young man, you, I pray you; which is the way to master Jew's?

Laun. [afide.] O heavens, this is my true begotten father! who, being more than fand-blind, high-gravel blind, knows me not :-I will try conclusions with him.

Gob. Master young gentleman, I pray you, which is the way to mafter Jew's?

Laun. Turn up on your right hand, at the next turning, but, at the next turning of all, on your left; marry, at the very next turning, turn of no hand, but turn down indirectly to the Jew's houfe.

Gob. By God's fonties, 'twill be a hard way to hit. Can you tell me whether one Launcelot, that dwells with him, dwell with him, or no?

Laun. Talk you of young master Launcelot ?-Mark me now; [afide.] now will I raise the waters :-Talk you of young mafter Launcelot ?

Gob. No mafter, fir, but a poor man's fon; his father, though I say it, is an honest exceeding poor man, and, God be thanked, well to live.

Laun. Well, let his father be what he will, we talk of young master Launcelot.

Gob. Your worship's friend, and Launcelot, fir.

Laun. But I pray you ergo, old man, ergo, I beseech you; Talk you of young master Launcelot ?

Gob. Of Launcelot, an't please your mastership.

Laun. Ergo, master Launcelot; talk not of master Launcelot, father; for the young gentleman (according to fates and destinies, and fuch odd fayings, the fifters three, and fuch branches of learning,) is, indeed, deceafed; or, as you would fay, in plain terms, gone to heaven.

Gob. Marry, God forbid! the boy was the very staff of

my age, my very prop.

Laun. Do I icok like a cudgel, or a hovel-poft, a staff, or a prop ?-Do you know me, father?

Gob. Alack the day, I know you not, young gentleman: but, I pray you, tell me, is my boy, (God reft his foul!) alive, or dead?

Laun. Do you not know me, father?

Gob. Alack, fir, I am fand-blind, I know you not. Laun. Nay, indeed, if you had your eyes, you might fail of the knowing me: it is a wife father, that knows his own child. Well, old man, I will tell you news of your fon : Give me your bleffing: truth will come to light; murder cannot be hid long, a man's fon may; but, in the end, truth will out.

Gob. Pray you, fir, stand up; I am fure, you are not Launcelot, my boy.

Laun. Pray you, let's have no more fooling about it, but give me your bleffing; I am Launcelot, your boy that was, your fon that is, your child that shall be.

Gob. I cannot think, you are my fon.

Laun. I know not what I fhall think of that: but I am Launcelot, the Jew's man; and, I am fure, Margery, your wife, is my mother.

Gob. Her name is Margery, indeed: I'll be fworn, if thou be Launcelot, thou art mine own flesh and blood. Lord worshipp'd might he be! what a beard haft thou got! thou haft got more hair on thy chin, than_Dobbin my thill-horfe has on his tail.

Laun. It should feem then, that Dobbin's tail grows backward; I aın fure, he had more hair on his tail, than I have on my face, when I laft faw him.

Gob. Lord, how art thou changed! How doft thou and thy master agree? I have brought him a prefent; How 'gree you now?

Laun. Well, well; but, for mine own part, as I have fet up my reft to run away, fo I will not reft till I have run fome ground: my master's a very Jew; Give him a prefent! give him a halter: I am famith'd in his fervice; you may tell every finger I have with my ribs. Father, I am glad you are come; give me your present to one

master Bassanio, who, indeed, gives rare new liveries; if I ferve not him, I will run as far as God has any ground. - rare fortune! here comes the man;-to him father; for I am a Jew, if I ferve the Jew any longer.

Enter BASSANIO, with LEONARDO, and other followers.

Baff. You may do fo;-but let it be so hasted, that fupper be ready at the fartheft by five of the clock: See thefe letters deliver'd; put the liveries to making; and defire Gratiano to come anon to my lodging.

Laun. To him, father.

Gob. God bless your worship!

[Exit a Servant.

Baff. Gramercy; Would'st thou aught with me?
Gob. Here's my fon, fir, a poor boy,-

Laun. Not a poor boy, fir, but the rich Jew's man; that would, fir, as my father shall specify,—

Gob. He hath a great infection, fir, as one would fay, to ferve

Laun. Indeed, the short and the long is, I ferve the Jew, and I have a defire, as my father shall specify,

Gob. His master and he, (faving your worship's reverence,) are scarce cater-coufins :

Laun. To be brief, the very truth is, that the Jew having done me wrong, doth cause me, as my father, being I hope an old man, fhall frutify unto you,——

Gob. I have here a dish of doves, that I would bestow upon your worship; and my suit is,

Laun. In very brief, the fuit is impertinent to myself, as your worship shall know by this honeft old man; and, though I fay it, though old man, yet, poor man, my fa

ther.

Baff. One speak for both ;-What would you?

7

Laun.

Laun. Serve you, fir.

Gob. This is the very defect of the matter, fir.

Baff. I know thee well, thou haft obtain'd thy suit:
Shylock, thy master, spoke with me this day,
And hath preferr'd thee; if it be preferment,
To leave a rich Jew's fervice, to become

The follower of fo poor a gentleman.

Laun. The old proverb is very well parted between my master Shylock and you, fir; you have the grace of God, fir, and he hath enough.

Bass. Thou speak'ft it well: Go, father, with thy fon :-
Take leave of thy old mafter, and enquire

My lodging out :-Give him a livery [to bis followers.
More guarded than his fellows': See it done.

Laun. Father, in:-I cannot get a fervice, no;-I have ne'er a tongue in my head.-Well; [looking on his palm.] if any man in Italy have a fairer table, which doth offer to fwear upon a book.-I shall have good fortune; Go to, here's a fimple line of life! here's a small trifle of wives: Alas, fifteen wives is nothing; eleven widows, and nine maids, is a fimple coming-in for one man and then, to 'scape drowning thrice; and to be in peril of my life with the edge of a feather-bed;-here are fimple 'scapes! Well, if fortune be a woman, the's a good wench for this geer.-Father, coine; I'll take my leave of the Jew in the twinkling of an eye.

[Exeunt LAUNCELOT and old GOBBO,
Baff. I pray thee, good Leonardo, think on this;
These things being bought, and orderly bestow'd,
Return in haste, for I do feast to-night

My best-esteem'd acquaintance; hie thee, 'go.
Leon. My best endeavours shall be done herein,