Por. Why doth the Jew pause? take the forfeiture.
Shy. Give me my principal, and let me go.
Baff. I have it ready for thee; here it is.
Por. He hath refus'd it in the open court;
He shall have merely justice and his bond.
Gra. A Daniel ftill fay I, a fecond Daniel!
I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word.
Shy. Shall I not barely have my principal?
Por. Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture,
To be so taken at thy peril, Jew.
Shy. Why, then the devil give him good of it!
I'll ftay no longer question.
Por. Tarry, Jew,
The law hath yet another hold on you:
It is enacted in the laws of Venice,
If it be prov'd against an alien,
That, by direct or indirect attempts,
He feek the life of any citizen,
The party 'gainst the which he doth contrive
Shall seize on half his goods, the other half
Comes to the privy coffer of the state;
And the offender's life lies in the mercy
Of the duke only, 'gainst all other voice:
In which predicament, I fay, thou stand'ft.
For it appears by manifeft proceeding,
That indirectly, and directly too,
Thou haft contriv'd against the very
life
Of the defendant; and thou haft incurr'd
The danger formally by me rehears'd.
Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the duke.
Gra. Beg that thou may'st have leave to hang thyself ;
And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state,
Thou haft not left the value of a cord;
Therefore, thou must be hang'd at the ftate's charge.
Duke. That thou may'ft fee the diff'rence of our spirit,
I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it:
For half thy wealth, it is Anthonio's ;
The other half comes to the general state,
Which humbleness may drive unto a fine.
Por. Ay, for the ftate; not for Anthonio.
Shy. Nay, take my life and all: pardon not that.
You take my house, when you do take the prop
That doth fuftain my
houfe: you take my
my life,
When you do take the means whereby I live.
Por. What mercy can you render him, Anthonio?
Gra. A halter gratis; nothing elfe, for god's fake.
Anth. So please my lord the duke, and all the court,
To quit the fine from one half of his goods,
I am content; fo he will let me have
Here in the court, of all he dies poffeffed,
Unto his fon Lorenzo and his daughter.
Duke. He fhall do this, or else I do recant
The pardon that I late pronounced here.
Por. Art thou contented, Jew? what dost thou say?
Shy. I am content.
Por. Clerk, draw a deed of gift.
Shy. I pray you, give me leave to go from hence; I am not well; fend the deed after me,
And I will fign it.
Duke. Get thee gone, but do it.
Gra. In christ'ning thou shalt have two godfathers. Had I been judge, thou should'st have had ten more, To bring thee to the gallows, not the font.
Duke. Sir, I entreat you home with we to dinner.
Por. I humbly do defire your grace's pardon;
I must away this night toward Padua,
And it is meet I presently fet forth.
Duke. I'm forry that your leisure serves you not.
Anthonio, gratify this gentleman;
For, in my mind, you are much bound to him.
[Exeunt Duke and his train.
SCENE III.
Baff. Moft worthy gentleman! I and my friend
Have by your wisdom been this day acquitted
Of grievous penalties; in lieu whereof,
Three thousand ducats, due unto the Jew,
We freely cope your courteous pains withal.
Anth. And ftand indebted, over and above,
In love and service to you evermore.
Por. He is well pay'd that is well fatisfy'd;
And I, deliv'ring you, am fatisfy'd,
And therein do account myself well pay'd;
My mind was never yet more mercenary.
I
pray you, know me when we meet again; I wish you well, and fo I take my leave.
Bass. Dear fir, of force I must attempt you
Take fome remembrance of us, for a tribute,
Not as a fee: grant me two things, I pray you,
Not to deny me, and to pardon me.
Por. You press me far, and therefore I will yield.
Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your fake;
And, for your love, I'll take this ring from you.
Do not draw back your hand; I'll take no more,
And you in love shall not deny me this.
Baff. This ring, good fir, alas, it is a trifle; I will not shame myself to give you this.
Por. I will have nothing else but only this; And now, methinks, I have a mind to it.
Baff. There's more on this depends than is the value. The deareft ring in Venice will I give you,
And find it out by proclamation;
Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.
Por. I fee, fir, you are liberal in offers ;
You taught me first to beg, and now, methinks,
You teach me how a beggar fhould be answer'd.
Baff. Good fir, this ring was given me by my wife;
And, when she put it on, she made me vow
That I fhould neither fell, nor give, nor lose it.
Por. That 'fcufe ferves many men to fave their gifts;
And if your wife be not a mad woman,
And know how well I have deferv'd the ring,
She wou'd not hold out enmity for ever
For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you! [Exit, with Neriffa.
Anth. My lord Bassanio, let him have the ring.
Let his defervings, and my love withal,
Be valu'd 'gainst your wife's commandement.
Baff. Go, Gratiano, run and overtake him,
Give him the ring; and bring him, if thou can'ft,
Unto Anthonio's houfe: away, make haste.
Come, you and I will thither presently,
And in the morning early will we both
Fly toward Belmont; come, Anthonio.
Enter Gratiano.
Gra. Fair fir, you are well o'erta'en:
My lord Bafanio, upon more advice,
Hath fent you here this ring, and doth entreat
Your company at dinner.
Por. That cannot be.
Enter Portia, and Neriffa.
Por. Inquire the Jew's house out, give him this deed,
And let him fign it; we'll away to-night,
And be a day before our husbands home:
This deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo.
This ring I do accept moft thankfully,
VOL. II.
And fo, I pray you, tell him: furthermore,
I pray you, fhow my youth old Shylock's house.
Gra. That will I do.
Ner. Sir, I would speak with you.
I'll fee if I can get my husband's ring,
Which I did make him fwear to keep for ever.
[to Portia.
Por. Thou may'ft, I warrant. We shall have old swearing,
That they did give the rings away to men;
But we'll outface them, and outswear them too.
Away, make hafte; thou know'ft where I will tarry.
Ner, Come, good fir, will you show me to this houfe? [Exeunt.
*****
Belmont.
Enter Lorenzo, and Jeffica.
LORENZO.
T
HE moon shines bright: in fuch a night as this,
When the fweet wind did gently kifs the trees,
And they did make no noise; in fuch a night,
Troilus, methinks, mounted the Trojan wall,
And figh'd his foul toward the Grecian tents,
Where Crefid lay that night.
Jef. In fuch a night,
Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew,
And faw the lion's fhadow ere himself;
And ran dismay'd away.
Lor. In fuch a night,
Stood Dido with a willow in her hand
Upon the wild fea-banks, and waft her love
To come again to Carthage.
Jef. In fuch a night,
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