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The Merchant of Venice

Act III, Scene 4

Belmont. A room in PORTIA'S house.
 
[Enter PORTIA, NERISSA, LORENZO, JESSICA, and BALTHASAR]
 
LORENZO
       ,           ,            x      ,          ,
      Madam,| although | I speak it | in your | presence,
            ,       ,      ,        ,         ,
      You have | a nob|le and | a true | conceit
       .  T   T   T  2     ,         ,       T     T   T
      Of godlike am|ity, which | appears | most strongly
           ,        ,         ,        ,          ,
      In bear|ing thus | the ab|sence of | your lord.
           ,         ,         ,          ,           x
      But if | you knew | to whom | you show | this honor,
            ,        ,     ,          ,        ,
      How true | a gent|leman | you send | relief,
            ,       ,    2    ,     ,          ,
      How dear | a lov|er of my | lord your | husband,
          ,          ,          ,       ,         ,
      I know | you would | be proud|er of | the work
            ,     ,      ,      ,        ,         2->
      Than cust|omar|y bount|y can | enforce || you.
 
PORTIA
         ,      ,        ,         ,       ,
      I nev|er did | repent | for do|ing good,
            ,          ,     ,    2     ,
      Nor shall | not^now:| for in com|panions
            ,        ,           ,           ,         x
      That do | converse | and waste | the time | together,
              ,          ,        ,       ,         ,
      Whose^souls | do bear | an eq|ual yoke | of love,
              ,         ,         ,        ,    ,
      There must | be needs | a like | propor|tion
          ,      ,         ,         ,          x
      Of lin|eaments,| of man|ners, and | of spirit;
              ,          ,            ,       ,   ,
      Which makes | me think | that this | Anton|io
       ,           ,      ,      ,        ,
      Being | the bos|om lov|er of | my lord,
             ,          ,         ,        ,       ,
      Must needs | be like | my lord.| If it | be so,
           ,       ,         ,        ,         ,
      How lit|tle is | the cost | I have | bestowed
           ,      ,          ,         ,        ,
      In purch|asing | the semb|lance of | my soul;
            ,          ,          ,       ,     ,
      From out | the state | of hell|ish cru|elty,
             ,           ,          ,        ,       ,
      This comes | too near | the prais|ing of | myself,
             ,         ,              ,   ,        ,
      Therefore | no more | of it:/ hear oth|er things
         ,     ,       ,       ,          ,
      Loren|zo I | commit | into | your hands,
           ,      ,         ,       ,        ,
      The hus|bandry | and man|age of | my house,
         ,          ,         ,               ,    ,
      Until | my lord's | return;| for mine^/own part
          ,       T     Tx       T         ,       ,
      I have | toward heaven breathed | a sec|ret vow,
           ,          x          ,      ,     ,
      To live | in prayer | and con|templa|tion,
       ,        ,       ,      ,       ,
      Only | attend|ed by | Neris|sa here,
         ,         ,        ,          ,         ,
      Until | her hus|band and | my lord's | return:
             ,      ,      x     T    T    T
      There is | a mon|astery | two miles off,
            ,           ,      ,       ,       ,        ->
      And there | will we | abide.| I do | desire || you
       ,      2   ,         ,    ,    ,
      Not | to deny | this im|posi|tion,
            ,          ,          ,       ,     ,
      The which | my love | and some | neces|sity
       T    T  . T
      Now lays upon | you.
 
LORENZO
                             x           ,         ,
                           Madam,| with all | my heart,
          ,       ,              ,    ,         ,
      I shall | obey | you in / all fair | commands.
 
PORTIA
           ,      ,       ,      ,         ,
      My peop|le do | alread|y know | my mind,
            ,        ,         ,         ,     ,
      And will | acknow|ledge you | and Jes|sica
           ,          ,        ,  2   ,        ,
      In place | of Lord | Bassan|io and | myself.
           ,         ,          ,           ,       ,
      And so | farewell,| till we | shall meet | again.
 
LORENZO
        T      T     .   T       ,      .  T   T  T
      Fair thoughts and hap|py hours | attend on you.
 
JESSICA
          ,          ,          ,     ,           ,
      I wish | your la|dyship^|all heart's | content.
 
PORTIA
          ,          ,           ,               ,     ,
      I thank | you for | your wish,| and am / well pleased
           ,         ,        ,        2      ,     ,  2
      To wish | it back | on you:| fare you well | Jessica. ??
 
[Exeunt JESSICA and LORENZO]
            ,     ,        2        x     ,           ,        ,
      Now Balth|asar,| as I have / ever found | thee hon|est true,
          ,         ,           ,       T    T    T     ,
      So let | me find | thee still:| Take this same | letter, (hex with prev)
           ,          ,       2    ,      ,      ,
      And use | thou all | the endeav|or of | a man,
           ,         ,    2   ,          ,        ,
      In speed | to Man|tua, see | thou rend|er this
       ,  2       ,          ,    ,           ,  2
      Into my | cousin's | hand, Doc/tor Bel|lario,
            ,           ,          ,       2     ,      ,
      And look | what notes | and gar|ments he doth | give thee,
        ,              ,           ,      ,         ,
      Bring them | I pray | thee with | imag|ined speed
       ,  2        ,        ,        ,        ,
      Unto the | tranect,| to the | common | ferry
               ,         ,         ,      T   T   .   T
      Which trades | to Ven|ice; Waste | no time in words,
           ,           ,    ,      2       ,        ,
      But get | thee gone.| I shall be | there be|fore thee.
 
BALTHASAR
       ,         ,         ,        ,         ,
      Madam,| I go | with all | conven|ient speed.
 
[Exit]
 
PORTIA
            ,      ,      ,          ,         ,
      Come on | Neris|sa, I | have work | in hand
            ,          ,         ,     ,      2       ,
      That you | yet^know | not^of;| we'll see^our | husbands
          ,           ,         ,
      Before | they think | of us?
 
NERISSA
                                     ,           ,
                                   Shall they | see us?
 
PORTIA
             ,        ,       ,         ,        x
      They shall | Neris|sa: but | in such | a habit,
             ,            ,         ,        ,      ,
      That they | shall think | we are | accomp|lished
             ,         ,           ,          ,     x
      With that | we lack;| I'll hold | thee an|y wager
        ,    2        ,       ,         T    T    T
      When we are | both ac|coutred | like young men,
             ,           ,   2    ,       ,        ,
      I'll prove | the pret|tier fel|low of | the two,
            ,        ,        ,          ,       ,
      And wear | my dag|ger with | the brav|er grace,
            ,         ,            ,         ,         ,
      And speak | between | the change | of man | and boy,
         2     ,      ,            T   T    T        ,
      With a reed | voice, and | turn two minc|ing steps
       ,        ,        ,           ,          ,
      Into | a man|ly stride;| and speak | of frays
        T  .   T    T         ,      .    T     T     T
      Like a fine brag|ging youth:| and tell quaint lies
           ,    ,      ,         ,          ,
      How hon|orab|le lad|ies sought | my love,
            ,      ,               ,    ,          ,
      Which^I | deny|ing, they / fell sick | and died,
          ,          ,       ,           ,        ,
      I could | not do | withal:| then I'll | repent,
            ,         ,      ,       2         ,       ,
      And wish | for all | that, that I | had not | killed them;
            ,      ,          ,      ,           ,
      And twen|ty of | these pun|y lies | I'll tell,
            ,            ,      2      ,      ,         ,
      That men | shall swear | I have dis|contin|ued school
         ,    .    T    T    T       2    ,         ,
      Above | a twelvemonth: I | have within | my mind
          ,        ,       ,                ,         ,
      A thous|and raw | tricks of | these brag|ging Jacks,
            ,          ,
      Which I | will prac|tice.
 
NERISSA
                                 ,         2     ,        ,
                                Why,| shall we turn | to men?
 
PORTIA
       ,              ,           ,
      Fie, what | a ques|tion's that?  \\
           ,           ,        ,       ,      ,
      If thou | wert near | a lewd | inter|preter:
            ,           ,          ,         ,         ,
      But come,| I'll tell | thee all | my whole | device
           ,       ,        ,             ,          ,
      When I | am in | my coach,| which stays | for us
                 ,    ,          ,          ,       ,
      At the / park gate;| and there|fore haste | away,
           ,          ,        ,       ,        ,
      For we | must meas|ure twen|ty miles | today.
 
[Exeunt]

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