And pluck commiferation of his state From braffy bofoms, and rough hearts of flint; We all expect a gentle anfwer, Jew. Shy. I have poffefs'd your Grace of what I purpose, And by our holy Sabbath have I fworn, To have the due and forfeit of my bond. If you deny it, let the danger light Upon your charter, and your city's freedom! You'll afk me, why I rather chufe to have A weight of carrion flesh, than to receive Three thousand ducats? I'll not anfwer that 3 But fay, it is my humour, is it answer'd ? What if my house be troubl'd with a rat, And I be pleas'd to give ten thousand ducats To have it baned? what, are you anfwer'd yet? Some men there are, love not a gaping pig; Some, that are mad, if they behold a cat ; And others, when the bag-pipe fings i' th' nofe, next line fays, he has answered it, and then spends the 19 following lines to justify and explain his answer. Who can doubt. then, but we should read -Ill Now anfwer that, BY SAYING 'tis my humour.— WARBURTON. Dr. Warburton has mistaken the fenfe. The Jews being asked a queftion which the law does not require him to answer, ftands upon his right, and refuses; but afterwards gratifies his own malignity by fuch anfwers as he knows will aggravate the pain of the enquirer. I will not answer, fays he, as to a lega or ferious question, but fince you want an anfwer, will this serve you? Cannot contain their urine, for affection; Of what it likes, or loaths. Now for your anfwer : 4 Mr. Rowe reads, Of what it likes, or loaths.] Materless Paffion, Mr. Pope has fince copied. I don't know what Word there is to which this Re. lative it is to be referred. Dr. Thirlby would thus adjust the paffage. Cannot contain their Urine; for Matter of Paffion, sways it, &c. And then it is govern'a of Paffton: and the two old Quarto's and Folio's read- -Matters of Paffion, &c. it may be objected, that Affection and Pallion mean the fame Thing. But observe, the Writers of our Author's Age made a Distinction: a Johnson in Sejanus: Must 5 Why be, a whollen bag-pipe.] This incident Shakespear feems to have taken from J. C. Scali ger's Exot. Exercit. against Cardan. A book that our author was well read in, and much indebted to for a great deal of his phyfics: it being then much in vogue, and indeed is excellent, tho' now long fince forgot. In his 344 Exercit. Sect. 6. he has thefe words, Narrabo nunc tibi jocofam Sympathiam Reguli Vafconis Equitis. Is dum viveret audito phormingis fono, urinam illice facere cogebatur.--And to make this jocular story still more ridiculous, Shakespear, I fuppofe, tranflared phorminx by bag pipes. But what would chiefly obierve from hence is this, that as Sta. liger ufes the word Sympathiam which fignifies, and to he interprets it, communem AFFECTIONEM duabus rebus, fo Shakespear And this is certainly right. He tranflates it by AFFEC. ION; He hath ftudied Affection's pathons, knows their Springs and ends. And then, in this place, Affection will fland for that Sympathy or Antipathy of Soul, by which we are provok'd to fhew a Liking or Dijguft in the working of cur Paffions. THEOBALD. Masterless paffion fways it to the mood.] The two old Quarto's and Folio read, MASTERS OF passion. Canno Muft yield to fuch inevitable fhame, A lofing fuit against him. Are you answer'd? Shy. I am not bound to please thee with my anfwer. Baff. Do all men kill the thing they do not love? Shy. Hates any man the thing he would not kill? Baff. Ev'ry offence is not a hate at first. Shy. What, would't thou have a ferpent fting thes twice? Anth. I pray you, 'hink, you queftion with a Jew. As feek to foften that, (than which what's harder!) Baff. For thy three thousand ducats here is fix. I would not draw them, I would have my bond. none? Shy. What judgment fhall I dread, doing no wrong? Because you bought them. Shall I fay to you, There is no force in the decrees of Venice. I ftand for judgment. Anfwer; fhall I have it? Duke. Upon my pow'r I may difmifs this Court, Unlefs Beliario, a learned Doctor, 7 Whom I have fent for to determine this, Come here to day. Sal. My lord, here ftays, without, A meffinger with letters from the Doctor, 6 Duke. Bring us the letters, Many a purchas'd flave.]This argument confidered as uled to the particular perfons, feems conclufive. I fee not how Venetians or Englifemen, while they practife the purchafe and fale of laves can much enforce or demand the law of doing to others as we would that they should do to us. 7 Bellario, a learned Do&or, Whom I have fent for The Doctor and Court are here fomewhat unfkilfully brought together. That the Duke would, on fuch an occafion, confult a Doctor of great reputation, is not unlikely, but how fhould this be foreknown by Portia? Ball. Baff. Good cheer, Anthonio. What, man, courage yetThe Jew fhall have my flesh, blood, bones, and all, Ere thou fhalt lofe for me one drop of blood. Anth. I am a tainted weather of the flock, Meeteft for death: the weakest kind of fruit Drops earliest to the ground, and fo let me. You cannot better be employed, Baffanio, Than to live ftill, and write mine epitaph. SCENE II. Enter Neriffa, dress'd like a lawyer's Clerk. Duke. Came you from Padua, from Bellario? Grace. Baff. Why doft thou whet thy knife fo earnestly? Shy. To cut the forfeit from that bankrupt there. Gra. Not on thy foal, but on thy foul, harsh 8 Few, Thou mak'ft thy knife keen; for no metal can, And for thy life let juftice be accus'd! hang'd for human flaughter, |