ACT 2
Scene 2

...cursed’st among men!
Enter Lancelet Gobbo the Clown, alone.
Certainly my conscience will serve me to
run from this Jew my master. The fiend is at mine
elbow and tempts me, saying to me “Gobbo,
Lancelet Gobbo, good Lancelet,” or “good Gobbo,”
or “good Lancelet Gobbo, use your legs, take
the start, run away.” My conscience says “No. Take
heed, honest Lancelet, take heed, honest Gobbo,”
or, as aforesaid, “honest Lancelet Gobbo, do not
run; scorn running with thy heels.” Well, the most
courageous fiend bids me pack. “Fia!” says the
fiend. “Away!” says the fiend. “For the heavens,
rouse up a brave mind,” says the fiend, “and run!”
Well, my conscience, hanging about the neck of my
heart, says very wisely to me “My honest friend
Lancelet, being an honest man’s son”—or rather,
an honest woman’s son, for indeed my father did
something smack, something grow to—he had a
kind of taste—well, my conscience says “Lancelet,
budge not.” “Budge,” says the fiend. “Budge not,”
says my conscience. “Conscience,” say I, “you
counsel well.” “Fiend,” say I, “you counsel well.”
To be ruled by my conscience, I should stay with the
Jew my master, who (God bless the mark) is a kind
of devil; and to run away from the Jew, I should be
ruled by the fiend, who (saving your reverence) is
the devil himself. Certainly the Jew is the very devil
incarnation, and, in my conscience, my conscience
is but a kind of hard conscience 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.

...to Master Jew’s?
aside
O heavens, this is my true begotten
father, who being more than sandblind, high gravelblind,
knows me not. I will try confusions with him.

...to Master Jew’s?
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 house.

...him or no?
Talk you of young Master Lancelet? Aside.
Mark me now, now will I raise the waters.—Talk
you of young Master Lancelet?

...well to live.
Well, let his father be what he will, we talk
of young Master Lancelet.

...and Lancelet, sir.
But I pray you, ergo, old man, ergo, I beseech
you, talk you of young Master Lancelet?

...please your mastership.
Ergo, Master Lancelet. Talk not of Master
Lancelet, father, for the young gentleman, according
to Fates and Destinies, and such odd sayings, the
Sisters Three, and such branches of learning, is
indeed deceased, or, as you would say in plain
terms, gone to heaven.

...my very prop.
aside
Do I look like a cudgel or a hovel-post,
a staff or a prop?—Do you know me, father?

...alive or dead?
Do you not know me, father?

...know you not.
Nay, indeed, if you had your eyes, you might
fail of the knowing me. It is a wise father that
knows his own child. Well, old man, I will tell you
news of your son. He kneels.
Give me your blessing.
Truth will come to light, murder cannot be hid
long—a man’s son may, but in the end, truth will
out.

...Lancelet my boy.
Pray you, let’s have no more fooling about
it, but give me your blessing. I am Lancelet, your
boy that was, your son that is, your child that shall
be.

...are my son.
I know not what I shall think of that; but I
am Lancelet, the Jew’s man, and I am sure Margery
your wife is my mother.

...on his tail.
standing up
It should seem, then, that
Dobbin’s tail grows backward. I am sure he had
more hair of his tail than I have of my face when I
last saw him.

...’gree you now?
Well, well. But for mine own part, as I have
set up my rest to run away, so I will not rest till I
have run some ground. My master’s a very Jew.
Give him a present! Give him a halter. I am
famished in his service. 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 serve not him, I
will run as far as God has any ground. O rare
fortune, here comes the man! To him, father, for I
am a Jew if I serve the Jew any longer.

...to my lodging.
To him, father.

...a poor boy—
Not a poor boy, sir, but the rich Jew’s man,
that would, sir, as my father shall specify—

...say, to serve—
Indeed, the short and the long is, I serve the
Jew, and have a desire, as my father shall specify—

...are scarce cater-cousins—
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, shall frutify unto
you—

...my suit is—
In very brief, the suit is impertinent to
myself, as your Worship shall know by this honest
old man, and though I say it, though old man yet
poor man, my father—

...What would you?
Serve you, sir.

...poor a gentleman.
The old proverb is very well parted between
my master Shylock and you, sir: you have “the
grace of God,” sir, and he hath “enough.”

...See it done.
Father, in. I cannot get a service, no! I have
ne’er a tongue in my head! Well, studying his palm
if any man in Italy have a fairer table which doth
offer to swear upon a book—I shall have good
fortune, go to! Here’s a simple line of life. Here’s a
small trifle of wives—alas, fifteen wives is nothing;
eleven widows and nine maids is a simple coming-in
for one man—and then to ’scape drowning
thrice, and to be in peril 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 gear.
Father, come. I’ll take my leave of the Jew in the
twinkling.
Lancelet and old Gobbo exit.

Scene 3

...at supper time.
Enter Jessica and Lancelet Gobbo.

...talk with thee.
Adieu. Tears exhibit my tongue, most beautiful
pagan, most sweet Jew. If a Christian do not
play the knave and get thee, I am much deceived.
But adieu. These foolish drops do something drown
my manly spirit. Adieu.

...Farewell, good Lancelet.
Lancelet exits.

Scene 4

...To furnish us.
Enter Lancelet.

...what’s the news?
An it shall please you to break up this, it
shall seem to signify.
Handing him Jessica’s letter.

...news, in faith!
By your leave, sir.

...Whither goest thou?
Marry, sir, to bid my old master the Jew to
sup tonight with my new master the Christian.

...here, take this.
Giving him money.

...Speak it privately.
Lancelet exits.

Scene 5

...be my torchbearer.
Enter Shylock, the Jew, and Lancelet, his man that was, the Clown.

...Jessica, I say!
Why, Jessica!

...bid thee call.
Your Worship was wont to tell me I could
do nothing without bidding.

...money bags tonight.
I beseech you, sir, go. My young master
doth expect your reproach.

...do I his.
And they have conspired together—I will
not say you shall see a masque, but if you do, then it
was not for nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on
Black Monday last, at six o’clock i’ th’ morning,
falling out that year on Ash Wednesday was four
year in th’ afternoon.

...I will come.
I will go before, sir. Aside to Jessica.
Mistress,
look out at window for all this.
There will come a Christian by
Will be worth a Jewess’ eye.
He exits.

ACT 3
Scene 5

...twenty miles today.
Enter Lancelet, the Clown, and Jessica.
Yes, truly, for look you, the sins of the father
are to be laid upon the children. Therefore I
promise you I fear you. I was always plain with you,
and so now I speak my agitation of the matter.
Therefore be o’ good cheer, for truly I think you
are damned. There is but one hope in it that can do
you any good, and that is but a kind of bastard hope
neither.

...I pray thee?
Marry, you may partly hope that your father
got you not, that you are not the Jew’s daughter.

...visited upon me!
Truly, then, I fear you are damned both by
father and mother; thus when I shun Scylla your
father, I fall into Charybdis your mother. Well, you
are gone both ways.

...me a Christian.
Truly the more to blame he! We were Christians
enow before, e’en as many as could well live
one by another. This making of Christians will
raise the price of hogs. If we grow all to be pork
eaters, we shall not shortly have a rasher on the
coals for money.

...by you, Lancelet.
It is much that the Moor should be more
than reason; but if she be less than an honest
woman, she is indeed more than I took her for.

...prepare for dinner.
That is done, sir. They have all stomachs.

...them prepare dinner.
That is done too, sir, only “cover” is the
word.

...cover, then, sir?
Not so, sir, neither! I know my duty.

...in to dinner.
For the table, sir, it shall be served in; for
the meat, sir, it shall be covered; for your coming in
to dinner, sir, why, let it be as humors and conceits
shall govern.
Lancelet exits.

ACT 5
Scene 1

...of the house.
Enter Lancelet, the Clown.
Sola, sola! Wo ha, ho! Sola, sola!

... Who calls?
Sola! Did you see Master Lorenzo? Master
Lorenzo, sola, sola!

...holloaing, man! Here.
Sola! Where, where?

... Here!
Tell him there’s a post come from my master
with his horn full of good news. My master will
be here ere morning, sweet soul.
Lancelet exits.