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57
Gifts of rich value. ‘Til now,° I’ve not seen > As of yet / Up to this time
So hopeful° an ambassador of love. 58 {likely} > promising
A day in spring has never come° so sweet {in April never came}
To show the bounty of summer’s approach 59
As this forerunner° comes before his lord. {fore-spurrer} 60

—Portia
No more, I pray thee. I am half afeared° / afraid
Thou wilt say anon he is some kin to thee ° / he is your cousin
Thou spend’st such lavish wit° in praising him. 61 / your finest wit / such high-blown wit
Come, come, Nerissa, this° I long to see, / for
One from Cupid’s post, come so gracefully.° {mannerly}

—Nerissa [aside]
62 63
Bassanio! [wishfully] Lord Love—if thy will it be!° / Lord of Love, O let it be!

Exeunt

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words and praise)
57. {Yet, I have not seen} / I have not yet seen / As of yet, I’ve not seen
yet: as of yet, heretofore
58. / So promising a harbinger° of love / courier / messenger
59. {To show how costly summer was at hand} / To show how fully summer was at hand
costly: lavish, full, bountiful
60. fore-spurrer: a forerunner who comes on a horse.
61. {Thou spend’st such high-day wit in praising him} / Thou spend’st thy Sunday best in praising him.
high-day: holiday, fit for a high holy day or a Sunday; high-blown, lavish, extravagant
high-day wit: language befitting a special day,
62. The line found in Q1 reads: ‘Bassanio Lord, love if thy will it be.’ Most editors reject this punctuation and
follow the sensible emendation of Rowe, which reads: ‘Bassanio, Lord Love, if thy will it be! The punctuation in Q1
refers the term ‘Lord’ to Bassanio (Lord Bassanio), rather than it being a reference to Cupid (Lord love), who is
mentioned in the previous line. Another possibility is that Nerissa is making a plea to God, the Lord, in hopes of
Bassanio’s arrival: ‘Bassanio, Lord—love if they will it be.’
/ Bassanio! [please] Lord—[let there be] love if thy will it be! / if it’s meant to be!
/ [Please let it be] Bassanio, Lord, [and let there be] love, if they will it be!
/ O Lord, Bassanio—if thy will it be!
/ Bassanio, Lord of Love, I pray it be [See Additional Notes, 2.9.100]
63. The question begged by this line is: How might Nerissa come to know, or even surmise, that Bassanio was a
suitor, and likely to arrive in Belmont?—likely enough for her to wish it. Her delighted mention of Bassanio, and
her plea to Cupid (or God) for it to be Bassanio, tells us that she was not only expecting his arrival but was hoping
for it. (Bassanio’s arrival also portends the arrival of Gratziano, which may what Nerissa was really hoping for).
[See Essays: The Lottery]