Read "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
[Enter SHYLOCK and LAUNCELOT]. SHYLOCK: Well, thou shalt see; thy eyes shall be thy judge, The difference of old Shylock and Bassanio.- What, Jessica!- Thou shalt not gormandize As thou hast done with me- What, Jessica!- And sleep and snore, and rend apparel out- Why, Jessica, I say! LAUNCELOT: Why, Jessica! SHYLOCK: Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call. LAUNCELOT: Your worship was wont to tell me I could do nothing without bidding.
[Enter JESSICA]. JESSICA: Call you? What is your will? SHYLOCK: I am bid forth to supper, Jessica; There are my keys. But wherefore should I go? I am not bid for love; they flatter me; But yet I'll go in hate, to feed upon The prodigal Christian. Jessica, my girl, Look to my house. I am right loath to go; There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest, For I did dream of money-bags to-night. LAUNCELOT: I beseech you, sir, go; my young master doth expect your reproach. SHYLOCK: So do I his. LAUNCELOT: And they have conspired together; I will not say you shall see a masque, but if you do, then it was not for nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on Black Monday last at six o'clock i' th' morning, falling out that year on Ash Wednesday was four year, in th' afternoon.