ACT 2
[Enter SHYLOCK and LAUNCELOT]
SHYLOCK
Well, thou shalt see, thy eyes shall be thy judge,
Well, you will come to learn, through your own eyes,
The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio:--
The difference working for Shylock and Bassanio; –
What, Jessica!--Thou shalt not gormandise,
[Aside, calling to Jessica]
Hey, Jessica!
[Back, talking to Laucelot]
– You will not eat as much
As thou hast done with me:--What, Jessica!--
As you have done with me, –
[Aside]
Oi, Jessica!
And sleep and snore, and rend apparel out;--
[Back]
And deeply sleep, and wear your garments out. –
Why, Jessica, I say!
[Aside]
Where are you, Jessica!
LAUNCELOT
Why, Jessica!
Hey, Jessica!
SHYLOCK
Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.
Who said that you could call for her? I didn’t.
LAUNCELOT
Your worship was wont to tell me that
My lord, you’ve always told me that
I could do nothing without bidding.
I can’t do anything without asking.
[Enter Jessica]
JESSICA
Call you? What is your will?
Did you just call for me? What do you want?
SHYLOCK
I am bid forth to supper, Jessica:
I’ve been invited out for supper, Jessica;
There are my keys. But wherefore should I go?
Here are my keys. But, then, why bother going?
I am not bid for love; they flatter me:
It’s not a friendly invite, merely flattery.
But yet I'll go in hate, to feed upon
But still, I’ll go in spite to eat the food
The prodigal Christian. Jessica, my girl,
The lavish Christian offers. Jessica,
Look to my house. I am right loath to go:
Take good care of my house. I’d rather stay here.
There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest,
Bad omens are occurring to upset me:
For I did dream of money-bags to-night.
I dreamt of cash last night, and that’s unlucky.
LAUNCELOT
I beseech you, sir, go: my young master doth expect
I encourage you to go to dinner, sir. My new master expects
your reproach.
you to reproach him.
SHYLOCK
So do I his.
As I expect him to do the same.
LAUNCELOT
An they have conspired together, I will not say you
I don’t know of their plans, so cannot tell you
shall see a masque; but if you do, then it was not
if it will be a masquerade party. But if it is, then it wasn’t
for nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on
a coincidence that my nose started bleeding
Black-Monday last at six o'clock i' the morning,
last Easter Monday at six o’clock in the morning,
falling out that year on Ash-Wednesday was four
just as it did on Ash Wednesday four years ago
year, in the afternoon.
in the afternoon.
SHYLOCK
What, are there masques? Hear you me, Jessica:
What, they’ll be wearing masks? Now, listen, Jessica:
Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum
Lock up my doors, and when you hear the drum
And the vile squealing of the wry-necked fife,
And awful screeching from the bent-necked flute,
Clamber not you up to the casements then,
Don’t climb up to the swinging double windows
Nor thrust your head into the public street
Nor stick your head outside to see the streets
To gaze on Christian fools with varnished faces,
And watch the foolish Christians wearing masks,
But stop my house's ears, I mean my casements:
But block the sounds by closing up my windows.
Let not the sound of shallow foppery enter
Don’t let the sounds of juvenile behaviour
My sober house. By Jacob's staff, I swear,
Get in my sombre house. I swear, by Jacob,
I have no mind of feasting forth to-night:
I’ve no desire tonight to feast and party;
But I will go. Go you before me, sirrah;
But I will go. Head out before me sir;
Say I will come.
Tell them I’ll come.
LAUNCELOT
I will go before, sir. Mistress, look out at
I’ll go on ahead, sir. Madam, look out of the
window, for all this, there will come a Christian by,
the window, despite his statements, a Christian will come by
will be worth a Jewess' eye.
worth looking at by a Jew’s daughter.
[Exit]
SHYLOCK
What says that fool of Hagar's offspring, ha?
What is that fool saying about a Gentile’s children?
JESSICA
His words were 'Farewell mistress;' nothing else.
He said, “Goodbye, my lady”; nothing more.
SHYLOCK
The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder;
That clown is kind enough, but eats too much;
Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day
He works at snails-pace, and sleeps by day
More than the wild-cat: drones hive not with me;
More than a wildcat: that won’t do for me.
Therefore I part with him, and part with him
So I will let him leave from my employ
To one that would have him help to waste
To one who willingly will let him waste
His borrowed purse. Well, Jessica, go in;
His borrowed money. Jessica, go inside;
Perhaps I will return immediately:
Perhaps I might return here right away.
Do as I bid you; shut doors after you:
Do as I tell you; shut the doors behind you:
Fast bind, fast find;
And quickly lock the things you want to keep;
A proverb never stale in thrifty mind.
A worthy saying to a mind that’s cheap.
[Exit]
JESSICA
Farewell; and if my fortune be not crost,
Goodbye, and if good luck is to be had,
I have a father, you a daughter, lost.
You’ll lose your daughter, and I’ll lose my dad.
[Exit]
