Page:Merchant of Venice (1923) Yale.djvu/106

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But the two rings.

Por.What ring gave you, my lord?

Not that, I hope, which you receiv'd of me.

Bass. If I could add a lie unto a fault,

I would deny it; but you see my finger

Hath not the ring upon it; it is gone.

Por. Even so void is your false heart of truth.

By heaven, I will ne'er come in your bed

Until I see the ring.

Ner.Nor I in yours,

Till I again see mine.

Bass.Sweet Portia,

If you did know to whom I gave the ring,

If you did know for whom I gave the ring,

And would conceive for what I gave the ring,

And how unwillingly I left the ring,

When naught would be accepted but the ring,

You would abate the strength of your displeasure.

Por. If you had known the virtue of the ring,

Or half her worthiness that gave the ring,

Or your own honour to contain the ring,

You would not then have parted with the ring.

What man is there so much unreasonable,

If you had pleas'd to have defended it

With any terms of zeal, wanted the modesty

To urge the thing held as a ceremony?

Nerissa teaches me what to believe:

I'll die for 't but some woman had the ring.

Bass. No, by my honour, madam, by my soul,

No woman had it; but a civil doctor,

Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me,

And begg'd the ring, the which I did deny him,

 201 contain: retain

205 wanted the: who would have so wanted

206 To: as to

ceremony: anything held sacred

210 civil doctor: doctor of civil law 