Page:Merchant of Venice (1923) Yale.djvu/46

32

a-bleeding on Black-Monday last, at six o'clock

i' the morning, falling out that year on Ash-

Wednesday was four year in the afternoon.

Shy. What! are there masques? Hear you me, Jessica:

Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum,

And the vile squealing of the wry-neck'd fife,

Clamber not you up to the casements then,

Nor thrust your head into the public street

To gaze on Christian fools with varnish'd faces,

But stop my house's ears, I mean my casements;

Let not the sound of shallow foppery enter

My sober house. By Jacob's staff I swear

I have no mind of feasting forth to-night;

But I will go. Go you before me, sirrah;

Say I will come.

Laun. I will go before, sir. Mistress, look out

at window, for all this;

There will come a Christian by,

Will be worth a Jewess' eye.

[Exit Launcelot.]

Shy. What says that fool of Hagar's offspring, ha?

Jes. His words were, 'Farewell, mistress;' nothing else.

Shy. The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder;

Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day

More than the wild cat: drones hive not with me;

Therefore I part with him, and part with him

 25 Black-Monday: Easter Monday

26, 27 falling out, etc.: mere nonsense

30 wry-neck'd: played with the head twisted

33 with varnish'd faces: wearing painted masks (or perhaps painted with cosmetics)

35 foppery: folly

36 Jacob's staff: ''cf. Gen. 32. 10; Heb. 11. 21''

37 forth: out

43 Jewess' eye; cf. n.

44 Hagar's; ''cf. Gen. 16.''

46 patch: ''the dress of fools, hence term of contempt; cf. cross-patch''

47 profit: acquired proficiency, training 