The Merchant of Venice (The Jew of Venice) · chunk 37 of 39
Shakespeare, William · published 1600 · first performed or written 1596 [1596-1598] (Annals) comedy · Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men T32 Rings and jewels as tokens typicality 0.88 · 495 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T32: ring, ti, gave, finger, jewel, lady, lord, love, invisible, away.
I thank you Madam, give welcome to my friend, this is the man, this is Anthonio, to whom I am so infinitely bound. You should in all sense be much bound to him, for as I hear he was much bound for you. No more than I am well acquitted of. Sir, you are very welcome to our house: it must appear in other ways than words, therefore I scant this breathing courtesy. By yonder moon I swear you do me wrong, infaith I gave it to the judges Clerk, would he were gelt that had it for my part, since you do take it Love so much at heart. A quarrel ho already, what's the matter? About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring that she did give me, whose posy was for all the world like Cutler's poetry upon a knife, Love me, and leave me not. What talk you of the posy or the value: You swore to me when I did give you, that you would wear it till your hour of death, and that it should lie with you in your grave, though not for me, yet for your vehement oaths, you should have been respective and have kept it. Gave it a judges Clerk: no Gods my judge the Clerk will near wear hair on's face that had it. He will, and if he live to be a man. ay, if a woman live to be a man. Now by this hand I gave it to a youth, a kind of boy, a little scrubbed boy, no higher than thyself, the judges Clerk, a prating boy that begged it as a fee, I could not for my heart deny it him. You were to blame, I must be plain with you, to part so slightly with your wives first gift, a thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger, and so riveted with faith unto your flesh. I gave my Love a ring, and made him swear never to part with it, and here he stands: I dare be sworn for him he would not leave it, nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth that the world masters. Now in faith Gratiano you give your wife too unkind a cause of grief, and 'twere to me I should be mad at it. Why I were best to cut my left hand off, and swear I lost the ring defending it. My Lord Bassanio gave his ring away unto the judge that begged it, and indeed deserved it to? and then the boy his Clerk that took some pains in writing, he begged mine, and neither man nor master would take aught but the two rings. What ring gave you my Lord? Not that I hope which you received of me. 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.
nodes 1729–1785 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 37 of 39 in this edition
Length
495 words · 593 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T32 — Rings and jewels as tokenscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.879 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T33 · seed 44: T32 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
I thank you Madam, giue welcome to my friend, this is the man, this is Anthonio, to whom I am ſo infinitely bound. You ſhould in all ſence be much bound to him, for as I heare he was much bound for you. No more then I am well acquitted of. Sir, you are very welcome to our houſe: it muſt appeare in other wayes then words, therefore I ſcant this breathing curteſie. By yonder moone I ſweare you doe me wrong, infaith I gaue it to the Iudges Clarke, vvould he were gelt that had it for my part, ſince you doe take it Loue ſo much at hart. A quarrell hoe already, what's the matter? About a hoope of gold, a paltry ring that ſhe did giue me, whoſe poſie was for all the world like Cutlers poetry vpon a knife, Loue me, and leaue me not. What talke you of the poſie or the valew: You ſwore to me when I did giue you, that you would weare it till your houre of death, and that it ſhould lie with you in your graue, though not for me, yet for your vehement oathes, you ſhould haue beene reſpectiue and haue kept it. Gaue it a Iudges Clarke: no Gods my Iudge the Clarke will nere weare haire ons face that had it. He will, and if he liue to be a man. I, if a woman liue to be a man. Now by this hand I gaue it to a youth, a kind of boy, a little ſcrubbed boy, no higher then thy ſelfe, the Iudges Clarke, a prating boy that begd it as a fee, I could not for my hart deny it him. You were to blame, I muſt be plaine with you, to part ſo ſlightly with your wiues firſt gift, a thing ſtuck on with oaths vpon your finger, and ſo riueted with faith vnto your fleſh. I gaue my Loue a ring, and made him ſweare neuer to part with it, and heere he ſtands: I dare be ſworne for him he would not leaue it, nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth that the world maiſters. Now in faith Gratiano you giue your wife too vnkind a cauſe of griefe, and twere to me I ſhould be mad at it. Why I were beſt to cut my left hand off, and ſweare I loſt the ring defending it. My Lord Baſſanio gaue his ring away vnto the Iudge that begd it, and indeede deſeru'd it to? and then the boy his Clarke that tooke ſome paines in writing, he begd mine, and neither man nor maiſter would take ought but the two rings. What ring gaue you my Lord? Not that I hope which you receau'd of me. If I could add a lie vnto a fault, I would deny it: but you ſee my finger hath not the ring vpon it, it is gone.