SCENE V. The same. A garden. The Merchant of Venice  Shakespeare homepage  |  Merchant of Venice  | Act 3, Scene 5 

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 Enter LAUNCELOT and JESSICA  LAUNCELOT  Yes, truly; for, look you, the sins of the father 

 are to be laid upon the children: therefore, I 

 promise ye, I fear you. I was always plain with 

 you, and so now I speak my agitation of the matter: 

 therefore be of good cheer, for truly I think you 

 are damned. There is but one hope in it that can do 

 you any good; and that is but a kind of bastard 

 hope neither. 

 JESSICA  And what hope is that, I pray thee? 

 LAUNCELOT  Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you 

 not, that you are not the Jew's daughter. 

 JESSICA  That were a kind of bastard hope, indeed: so the 

 sins of my mother should be visited upon me. 

 LAUNCELOT  Truly then I fear you are damned both by father and 

 mother: thus when I shun Scylla, your father, I 

 fall into Charybdis, your mother: well, you are 

 gone both ways. 

 JESSICA  I shall be saved by my husband; he hath made me a 

 Christian. 

 LAUNCELOT  Truly, the more to blame he: we were Christians 

 enow before; e'en as many as could well live, one by 

 another. This making Christians will raise the 

 price of hogs: if we grow all to be pork-eaters, we 

 shall not shortly have a rasher on the coals for money. 



 Enter LORENZO  JESSICA  I'll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you say: here he comes. 

 LORENZO  I shall grow jealous of you shortly, Launcelot, if 

 you thus get my wife into corners. 

 JESSICA  Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo: Launcelot and I 

 are out. He tells me flatly, there is no mercy for 

 me in heaven, because I am a Jew's daughter: and he 

 says, you are no good member of the commonwealth, 

 for in converting Jews to Christians, you raise the 

 price of pork. 

 LORENZO  I shall answer that better to the commonwealth than 

 you can the getting up of the negro's belly: the 

 Moor is with child by you, Launcelot. 

 LAUNCELOT  It is much that the Moor should be more than reason: 

 but if she be less than an honest woman, she is 

 indeed more than I took her for. 

 LORENZO  How every fool can play upon the word! I think the 

 best grace of wit will shortly turn into silence, 

 and discourse grow commendable in none only but 

 parrots. Go in, sirrah; bid them prepare for dinner. 

 LAUNCELOT  That is done, sir; they have all stomachs. 

 LORENZO  Goodly Lord, what a wit-snapper are you! then bid 

 them prepare dinner. 

 LAUNCELOT  That is done too, sir; only 'cover' is the word. 

 LORENZO  Will you cover then, sir? 

 LAUNCELOT  Not so, sir, neither; I know my duty. 

 LORENZO  Yet more quarrelling with occasion! Wilt thou show 

 the whole wealth of thy wit in an instant? I pray 

 tree, understand a plain man in his plain meaning: 

 go to thy fellows; bid them cover the table, serve 

 in the meat, and we will come in to dinner. 

 LAUNCELOT  For the table, sir, it shall be served in; for the 

 meat, sir, it shall be covered; for your coming in 

 to dinner, sir, why, let it be as humours and 

 conceits shall govern. 



 Exit  LORENZO  O dear discretion, how his words are suited! 

 The fool hath planted in his memory 

 An army of good words; and I do know 

 A many fools, that stand in better place, 

 Garnish'd like him, that for a tricksy word 

 Defy the matter. How cheerest thou, Jessica? 

 And now, good sweet, say thy opinion, 

 How dost thou like the Lord Bassanio's wife? 

 JESSICA  Past all expressing. It is very meet 

 The Lord Bassanio live an upright life; 

 For, having such a blessing in his lady, 

 He finds the joys of heaven here on earth; 

 And if on earth he do not mean it, then 

 In reason he should never come to heaven 

 Why, if two gods should play some heavenly match 

 And on the wager lay two earthly women, 

 And Portia one, there must be something else 

 Pawn'd with the other, for the poor rude world 

 Hath not her fellow. 

 LORENZO  Even such a husband 

 Hast thou of me as she is for a wife. 

 JESSICA  Nay, but ask my opinion too of that. 

 LORENZO  I will anon: first, let us go to dinner. 

 JESSICA  Nay, let me praise you while I have a stomach. 

 LORENZO  No, pray thee, let it serve for table-talk; 

 '	Then, howso'er thou speak'st, 'mong other things 

 I shall digest it. 

 JESSICA  Well, I'll set you forth. 



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