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Belmont. A room in PORTIA'S house.
[Flourish of cornets. Enter PORTIA, with the PRINCE OF MOROCCO, and their
trains]
PORTIA
T T . T
, ,
, 2->
Go, draw aside | the curt|ains, and | discov||er
,
, , , ,
The seve|ral cask|ets to | this nob|le prince:
,
,
Now make | your choice. \\
MOROCCO
(every "inscription" is hexameter, marked (*))
,
, , , ,
The first | of gold,| who this | inscrip|tion
bears,
,
, , , ,
,
Who choos|eth me,| shall gain | what ma|ny men |
desire. (*)
,
,
, , x
The sec|ond silv|er, which / this prom|ise
carries,
,
, , ,
, ,
Who choos|eth me,| shall get | as much | as he |
deserves. (*)
,
, , ,
,
This third,| dull^lead,| with warn|ing all | as
blunt,
,
, , ,
, ,
Who choos|eth me,| must give | and haz|ard all |
he hath. (*)
, ,
, , ,
How shall | I know | if I | do choose | the
right.
PORTIA
,
, ,
, ,
The one | of them | contains | my pic|ture
prince,
. T T T
, ,
,
If you choose that,| then I | am yours | withal.
MOROCCO
,
, ,
, ,
Some god | direct | my judg|ment, let | me see,
, ,
2 , , ,
I will | survey | the inscrip|tions, back |
again:
T T
T ,
, oo
What says this | leaden | casket?|
,
, , ,
, ,
Who choos|eth me,| must give | and haz|ard all |
he hath. (*)
,
, , ,
,
Must^give,| for what?| For lead,| hazard | for
lead?
,
, , ,
,
This cask|et threat|ens men | that haz|ard all
, ,
, , ,
Do it | in hope | of fair | advant|ages:
,
, T T . T
,
A gold|en mind | stoops not to shows | of dross,
,
, ,
, ,
I'll then | nor give | nor haz|ard aught | for
lead.
,
, , ,
,
What says | the silv|er with | her vir|gin hue?
,
, , ,
, ,
Who choos|eth me,| shall get | as much | as he |
deserves. (*)
,
, . T T
T x
As much | as he | deserves; Pause there |
Morocco,
,
, ,
, ,
And weigh | thy val|ue with | an ev|en hand,
. T T
T , ,
, 2->
If thou best rat|ed by | thy est|ima||tion
,
, , ,
,
Thou dost | deserve | enough,| and yet | enough
,
, , ,
2 ,
May not | extend | so far | as to the | lady:
,
, , ,
, ->
And yet | to be | afeard | of my | deser||ving,
,
2 , ,
, ,
Were | but a weak | disab|ling of | myself.
x
, , ,
,
As much as | I de|serve, Why | that's the | lady.
,
, , ,
, o
I do | in birth | deserve | her, and | in
fort|unes,
,
, , ,
, o
In grac|es, and | in qual|ities | of breed|ing:
(hex with prev)
,
, , ,
,
But more | than these,| in love | I do | deserve.
, 2
T T T ,
,
What if I | strayed no furth|er, but / chose
here?
,
, ,
, ,
Let's^see | once^more | this say|ing graved | in
gold.
,
, , , ,
,
Who choos|eth me | shall gain | what man|y men |
desire: (*)
,
, , ,
x
Why that's | the lad|y, all | the world | desires
her:
, , ,
, ,
From the / four corn|ers of | the earth | they
come
,
, ,
, ,
To kiss | this shrine,| this mort|al-breath|ing
saint.
2 , 2
, ,
, ,
The Hyrcan|ian des|erts, and | the vast|y wilds
,
, 2 , ,
, , ->
Of wide | Arab|ia are | as thor|oughfares || now
, 2
T T T ,
For | princes to | come view fair | Portia:
, 2
, ,
, ,
The wat|ery king|dom, whose | ambit|ious head
,
, ,
, ,
Spits in | the face | of heav|en, is / no bar
,
, ,
, ,
To stop | the for|eign spir|its, but | they come
, ,
. T T T o
As ore | a brook | to see fair Port|ia.
T . T T
, x
, o
One of these three | contains | her heaven|ly
pic|ture.
,
, ,
, ,
,
Is it | like that | lead con|tains her?| 'Twere
damn|ation (hex with prev)
, ,
, , ,
To think | so base | a thought,| it were / too
gross
,
, , 2
, ,
To rib | her ce|recloth | in the ob/scure grave:
,
, ,
, ,
Or shall | I think | in silv|er she's | immured
2 ,
T T . T
, ,
Being ten | times underval|ued to / tried gold;
,
, , ,
,
O sin|ful thought,| never | so rich | a gem
,
, , ,
, 2->
Was set | in worse | than gold!| They have | in
Eng||land
,
, ,
, , ->
A coin | that bears | the fig|ure of | an ang||el
,
, ,
, ,
Stamped | in gold,| but that's | insculped |
upon:
,
, , ,
,
But here | an ang|el in | a gold|en bed
,
, , ,
,
Lies^all | within.| Deliv|er me | the key:
,
, , ,
,
Here do | I choose,| and thrive | I as | I may.
PORTIA
T T
. T 2 ,
T T T
There take it prince,| and if my | form lie there
,
,
Then I | am yours. \\
MOROCCO
,
T T T ,
, ,
O hell!| What have we | here, a | carri|on death,
,
, , ,
, ,
Within | whose^emp|ty eye | there is | a writ|ten
scroll; (hex with prev)
,
,
I'll read | the writ|ing. \\
,
, T T
T
All that | glitters | is not gold,
, ,
T T T
Often | have you | heard that told;
, 2 ,
, __
Many a | man his | life hath | sold
,
T T T ,
But my | outside to | behold;
, ,
, __
Gilded | tombs do | worms en|fold:
,
, ,
__
Had you | been as | wise as | bold,
,
, ,
___
Young in | limbs, in | judgment | old,
,
, , ,
Your ans|wer had | not been | inscrolled,
,
, ,
__
Fare you | well, your | suit is | cold,
,
, ,
__
Cold in|deed, and | labor | lost,
,
, ,
___
Then fare|well heat,| and wel|come frost:
,
, , ,
,
Portia | adieu,| I have | too grieved | a heart
,
, 2 , ,
,
To take | a ted|ious leave:| thus^los|ers part.
[Exit with his train. Flourish of cornets]
PORTIA
,
, , ,
,
A gent|le rid|dance: Draw | the curt|ains, go:
,
, , ,
,
Let^all | of his | complex|ion choose | me so.
[Exeunt]