THE MERCHANT OF VENICE


ACT I



SCENE I      Venice. A street.


[Enter ANTONIO, SALARINO, & SALANIO]

ANTONIO      In sooth, I know nt y I am so sad:
It wearies me; U say it wearies U;
bt how I caught it, found it, / came by it,
wot stuff 'tis made of, wrof it is born,
I am 2 learn;
& such a want-wit sadness makes of me,
That I hv much ado 2 know myself.

SALARINO      Ur mind is tossing on d ocean;
thr, wr Ur argosies wiv portly sail,
Like signiors & rich burghers on d flood,
Or, as it were, d pageants of d sea,
Do overpeer d petty traffickers,
That curtsy 2 them, do them reverence,
As they fly by them wiv thr woven wings.

SALANIO      Believe me, sir, had I such venture 4th,
The better part of my affections wud
Be wiv my hopes abroad. I shud b still
Plucking d grass, 2 know wr sits d wind,
Peering in maps 4 ports & piers & roads;
& every object th@ might make me fear
Mis4tune 2 my ventures, out of doubt
Wud make me sad.

SALARINO      My wind cooling my broth
Wud blow me 2 an ague, when I thought
wot harm a wind 2 gr8 @ C might do.
I shud nt C d s&y hour-glass run,
bt I shud think of shallows & of flats,
& C my wealthy &rew dock'd in s&,
Vailing her high-top lower than her ribs
To kiss her burial. Shud I go 2 church
& C d holy edifice of stone,
& nt bethink me str8 of dangerous rocks,
Which touching bt my gentle vesselz side,
Wud scatter all her spices on d stream,
Enrobe d roaring waters wiv my silks,
&, in a word, bt even now worth this,
& now worth nothing? shl I hv d thought
To think on this, & shl I lack d thought
That such a thing bechanced wud make me sad?
bt tell nt me; I know, Antonio
Is :-( 2 think upon his merch&ise.

ANTONIO      Believe me, no: I thank my 4tune 4 it,
My ventures R nt in one bottom trusted,
Nor 2 one place; nor is my whole estate
Upon d 4tune of this present year:
thr4e my merch&ise makes me nt sad.

SALARINO      y, then U R in luv.

ANTONIO      Fie, fie!

SALARINO      nt in luv neither? Then let us say U R sad,
Because U R nt merry: & 'twere as easy
4 U 2 laugh & leap & say U R merry,
Because U R nt sad. Now, by two-headed Janus,
Nature hath framed strange fellows in her time:
sum th@ will evermore peep through thr eyes
& laugh like parrots @ a bag-piper,
& other of such vinegar aspect
That they'll nt show thr teeth in way of smile,
Though Nestor swear d jest b laughable.

[Enter BASSANIO, LORENZO, & GRATIANO]

SALANIO      Here comes Bassanio, Ur most noble kinsman,
Gratiano & Lorenzo. Fare ye well:
We leave U now wiv better company.

SALARINO      I wud hv stay'd till I had made U merry,
If worthier friends had nt prevented me.

ANTONIO      Ur worth is very dear in my regard.
I take it, Ur own business calls on U
& U embrace d occasion 2 depart.

SALARINO      Good mrw, my good lords.

BASSANIO      Good signiors both, when shl we laugh? say, when?
U grow exceeding strange: must it b so?

SALARINO      We'll make r leisures 2 attend on Urs.

[Exeunt Salarino & Salanio]

LORENZO      My Lord Bassanio, since U hv found Antonio,