The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

when I did give it you,
     That you would wear it till the hour of death
     And that it should lie with you in your grave.
      Though 166 not for me, yet for your vehement oaths,
     You should have been respective 167 and have kept it.
     Gave it a judge’s clerk! But well I know
     The clerk will ne’er wear hair on’s face that had it.
    GRATIANO    He will, an if he live to be a man.
    NERISSA    Ay, if a woman live to be a man.
    GRATIANO    Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth,
     A kind of boy, a little scrubbèd 173 boy,
     No higher than thyself, the judge’s clerk,
     A prating 175 boy, that begged it as a fee.
     I could not for my heart deny it him.
    PORTIA    You were to blame—I must be plain with you—
     To part so slightly 178 with your wife’s first gift.
     A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger
     And so riveted 180 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 185 . Now, in faith, Gratiano,
     You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief.
     An ’twere to me, I should be mad 187 at it.
    BASSANIO    Why, I were best to cut my left hand off
    Aside
         And swear I lost the ring defending it.
    GRATIANO    My lord Bassanio gave his ring away
     Unto the judge that begged it and indeed
     Deserved it too. 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.
    PORTIA    What ring gave you my lord?
     Not that, I hope, which you received of me.
    BASSANIO    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.
    PORTIA    Even so void is your false heart of truth.
     By heaven, I will ne’er come in your bed
     Until I see the ring.
    NERISSA    Nor I in yours till I again see mine.
    BASSANIO    Sweet Portia,
     If you did know to whom I gave the ring,
     If you did know for whom I gave the ring,
     And would conceive 208 for what I gave the ring,
     And how unwillingly I left the ring,
     When nought would be accepted but the ring,
     You would abate the strength of your displeasure.
    PORTIA    If you had known the virtue 212 of the ring,
     Or half her worthiness that gave the ring,
     Or your own honour to contain 214 the ring,
     You would not then have parted with the ring.
     What man is there so much unreasonable,
      If 217 you had pleased to have defended it
     With any terms of zeal, wanted 218 the modesty
     To urge 219 the thing held as a ceremony?
     Nerissa teaches me what to believe:
     I’ll die for’t but some woman had the ring.
    BASSANIO    No, by mine honour, madam, by my soul,
     No woman had it, but a civil doctor 223 ,
     Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me
     And begged the ring; the which I did deny him
     And suffered 226 him to go displeased away—
     Even he that had held up 227 the very life
     Of my dear friend. What should I say, sweet lady?
     I was enforced to send it after him.
     I was beset with shame and courtesy.
     My honour would not let ingratitude
     So much besmear it 232 . Pardon me, good lady!
     And by these blessèd candles of the night 233 ,
     Had you been there, I think you would have begged
     The ring of me to give the worthy doctor.
    PORTIA    Let not that doctor e’er come near my house.
     Since he hath got the jewel that I