The Merchant of Venice - Noyemi

By William Shakespeare

    not have me, choose.' He hears merry tales and smiles not. I
fear
    he will prove the weeping philosopher when he grows old,
being so
    full of unmannerly sadness in his youth. I had rather be
married
    to a death's-head with a bone in his mouth than to either of
    these. God defend me from these two!
  NERISSA. How say you by the French lord, Monsieur Le Bon?
  PORTIA. God made him, and therefore let him pass for a man. In
    truth, I know it is a sin to be a mocker, but he- why, he
hath a
    horse better than the Neapolitan's, a better bad habit of
    frowning than the Count Palatine; he is every man in no man.
If a
    throstle sing he falls straight a-cap'ring; he will fence
with
    his own shadow; if I should marry him, I should marry twenty
    husbands. If he would despise me, I would forgive him; for if
he
    love me to madness, I shall never requite him.
  NERISSA. What say you then to Falconbridge, the young baron of
    England?
  PORTIA. You know I say nothing to him, for he understands not
me,
    nor I him: he hath neither Latin, French, nor Italian, and
you 
    will come into the court and swear that I have a poor
pennyworth
    in the English. He is a proper man's picture; but alas, who
can
    converse with a dumb-show? How oddly he is suited! I think he
    bought his doublet in Italy, his round hose in France, his
bonnet
    in Germany, and his behaviour everywhere.
  NERISSA. What think you of the Scottish lord, his neighbour?
  PORTIA. That he hath a neighbourly charity in him, for he
borrowed
    a box of the ear of the Englishman, and swore he would pay
him
    again when he was able; I think the Frenchman became his
surety,
    and seal'd under for another.
  NERISSA. How like you the young German, the Duke of Saxony's
    nephew?
  PORTIA. Very vilely in the morning when he is sober; and most
    vilely in the afternoon when he is drunk. When he is best, he
is
    a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little
    better than a beast. An the worst fall that ever fell, I hope
I
    shall make shift to go without him.
  NERISSA. If he should offer to choose, and choose the right
casket,
    you should refuse to perform your father's will, if you
should
    refuse to accept him. 
  PORTIA. Therefore, for fear of the worst, I pray thee set a
deep
    glass of Rhenish wine on the contrary casket; for if the
devil be
    within and that temptation without, I know he will choose it.
I
    will do anything, Nerissa, ere I will be married to a sponge.
  NERISSA. You need not fear, lady, the having any of these
lords;
    they have acquainted me with their determinations, which is
    indeed to return to their home, and to trouble you with no
more
    suit, unless you may be won by some other sort than your
father's
    imposition, depending on the caskets.
  PORTIA. If I live to be as old as Sibylla, I will die as chaste
as
    Diana, unless I be obtained by the manner of my father's
will. I
    am glad this parcel of wooers are so reasonable; for there is
not
    one among them but I dote on his very absence, and I pray God
    grant them a fair departure.
  NERISSA. Do you not remember, lady, in your father's time, a
    Venetian, a scholar and a soldier, that came hither in
company of
    the Marquis of Montferrat?
  PORTIA. Yes, yes, it was Bassanio; as I think, so was he
call'd.
  NERISSA. True, madam; he, of all the men that ever my foolish
eyes
    look'd upon, was the best deserving a fair lady. 
  PORTIA. I remember him well, and I remember him worthy of thy
    praise.

                         Enter a SERVINGMAN

    How now! what news?
  SERVINGMAN. The four strangers seek for you, madam, to take
their
    leave; and there is a forerunner come from a fifth, the
Prince of
    Morocco, who brings word the Prince his master will be here

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By William Shakespeare

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