Troilus, methinks, mounted the Trojan walls, 5 And sighed his soul toward the Grecian tents, Where Cressid lay that night.

Jess.

In such a night,

Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew;
And saw the lion's shadow ere himself,

And ran dismay'd away.

Lor.

In such a night,

10 Stood Dido with a willow in her hand

Upon the wild sea-banks, and waved her love

To come again to Carthage.

20

25

And with an unthrift love did run from Venice,
As far as Belmont.

Did young Lorenzo swear he lov'd her well;
Stealing her soul with many vows of faith,
And ne'er a true one.

Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew,
Slander her love, and he forgave it her.

Jess. I would out-night you, did no body come;
But, hark, I hear the footing of a man.

Enter STEPHANO.

Lor. Who comes so fast in silence of the night?
Steph. A friend.

ACT v.-8. Himself, or more properly spelt him self, is different from the Reflective Pronoun himself now in use. The word self as an independent Pronoun is now lost; it is only retained as an Affix. Shakspere used it freely like the German selbst, from which it is derived, as Act I.

Scene 1, "To shoot another arrow that self way."

11. Her love is the Dative for to her love. 23. Out-night.-A word coined for the occasion, with a comic reference to the words "in such a night," seven times repeated in the foregoing dialogue.

Lor. A friend? what friend? your name, I pray you,

friend.

Steph. Stephano is my name and I bring word,

My mistress will before the break of day
30 Be here at Belmont; she doth stray about
By holy crosses, where she kneels and prays
For happy wedlock hours.

35

Lor.

Who comes with her?

Steph. None, but a holy hermit, and her maid.

I pray you, is my master yet return'd?

Lor. He is not, nor we have not heard from him.
But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica,

And ceremoniously let us prepare

Some welcome for the mistress of the house.

Enter LAUNCELOT.

Laun. Sola, sola, wo ha, ho, sola, sola!

Lor. Who calls?

Laun. Sola! Did you see Master Lorenzo, and Mistress
Lorenzo sola, sola!

Lor. Leave hollaing, man; here.

Laun. Sola! Where, where?

Lor. Here.

Laun. Tell him there's a post come from my master, with his horn full of good news; my master will be here ere morning.

[Exit.

Lor. Sweet soul, let's in, and there expect their coming.

40 And yet no matter;-Why should we go in ?
My friend Stephano, signify, I pray you,
Within the house, your mistress is at hand :
And bring your music forth into the air.
How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!

45 Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears; soft stillness, and the night,
Become the touches of sweet harmony.

Sit, Jessica.

Look how the floor of Heaven

[Exit STEPH.

46. In implies rest, and into, motion, but the distinction is not always cbserved.

Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold.

50 There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st
But in his motion like an angel sings,
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubims:
Such harmony is in immortal souls ;

But whilst this muddy vesture of decay

55 Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.—

60

Enter MUSICIANS.,

Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn ;
With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear,
And draw her home with music.

Jes. I am never merry when I hear sweet music.

Lor. The reason is your spirits are attentive:
For do but note a wild and wanton herd,

Or race of youthful and unhandled colts,

Fetching mad bounds, bellowing, and neighing loud,
Which is the hot condition of their blood;
65 If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound,
Or any air of music touch their ears,

You shall perceive them make a mutual stand,
Their savage eyes turn'd to a modest gaze,

[Music.

By the sweet power of music: Therefore, the poet
70 Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods;
Since nought so stockish, hard, and full of rage,
But music for the time doth change his nature;
The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,
75 Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus :

Let no such man be trusted.-Mark the music.

50. Compare Milton, Paradise Lost, v. 177, ff.

59. Merry means here thoughtless, inat

tentive. (See note on Goldsmith, Des. Vill. 136.)

67. Mutual is used rather vaguely by Shakspere for general.

Enter PORTIA and NERISSA at a distance.

Por. That light we see is burning in my

hall.

80 How far that little candle throws his beams!

So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

Ner. When the moon shone we did not see the candle.

Por. So doth the greater glory dim the less:
A substitute shines brightly as a king,

85 Until a king be by; and then his state

Empties itself, as doth an inland brook
Into the main of waters. Music hark!
Ner. It is your music, madam, of the house.
Por. Nothing is good, I see, without respect;
90 Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day.
Ner. Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam.
Por. The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark,
When neither is attended; and, I think,

The nightingale, if she should sing by day,
95 When every goose is cackling, would be thought
No better a musician than the wren.
How many things by season season'd are

To their right praise and true perfection!-
Peace! How the moon sleeps with Endymion,

100 And would not be awaked!

Lor.

That is the voice,

Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia.

[Music ceases.

Por. He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckoo, By the bad voice.

Lor..

Dear lady, welcome home.

Por. We have been praying for our husband's welfare, 105 Which speed, we hope, the better for our words.

Are they return'd?

Lor.

Madam, they are not yet;

89. Nothing is good without respect.-The meaning of these words becomes clear from lines 97, 98. JOHNSON explains "Not abso

lutely, but relatively good, as it is modified by circumstances.

Give order to my servants, that they take 110 No note at all of our being absent hence; Nor you, Lorenzo :-Jessica, nor you.

[A tucket sounds. Lor. Your husband is at hand; I hear his trumpet:

We are no tell-tales, madam ; fear you not.

Por. This night, methinks, is but the daylight sick.

115 It looks a little paler; 'tis a day

Such as the day is when the sun is hid.

Enter BASSANIO, ANTONIO, GRATIANO, and their Followers. Bass. We should hold day with the Antipodes,

If you would walk in absence of the sun.

Por. Let me give light, but let me not be light;

120 For a light wife doth make a heavy husband,
And never be Bassanio so for me;

But God sort all !-You are welcome home, my lord.
Bass. I thank you, madam : give welcome to my friend.—
This is the man, this is Antonio,

125 To whom I am so infinitely bound.

Por. You should in all sense be much bound to him,
For, as I hear, he was much bound for you.

Ant. No more than I am well acquitted of.
Por. Sir, you are very welcome to our house;
130 It must appear in other ways than words,
Therefore, I scant this breathing courtesy.

[GRA. and NER. seem to talk apart. Gra. By yonder moon, I swear you do me wrong; In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk; Would he were gelt that had it, for my part, 135 Since you do take it, love, so much at heart.

Por. A quarrel, ho, already? what's the matter?
Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring

131. I scant this breathing courtesy, i.e., I cut short this mere verbal compliment.