Could turn fo much the conftitution

With an unquiet foul. You fhall have gold

Of any conftant man. What, worfe and worfe?-To pay the petty debt twenty times over :

With leave, BaTanio; I am half yourself,
And I must freely have the half of any thing
That this fame paper brings you.

Baff. O fweet Portia,

Here are a few of the unpleasant'st words,
That ever blotted paper! Gentle lady,
When I did first impart my love to you,

When it is paid, bring your true friend along :
My maid Neritfa, and myfelf, mean time,
Will live as maids and widows. Come, away;

For you fhall hence upon your wedding-day :
Bid your friends welcome, fhew a merry cheer;
Since you are dear bought, I will love you dear.--
But let me hear the letter of your friend.

Baff. [reads.] "Sweet Bafianio, my thips have "all mitcarry'd, my creditors grow cruel, my "eftate is very low, my bond to the Jew is for"feit; and fince, in paying it, it is impoffible I "fhould live, all debts are cleared between you you" and me, if I might but fee you at my death: "notwithstanding, use your pleasure: if your love "do not perfuade you to come, let not my letter." P. O love, difpatch all bufinefs, and be gone. Baj. Since I have your good leave to go away, I will make hafte: but, 'till I come again,

I freely told you, all the wealth I had
Ran in my veins, I was a gentleman;
And then I told you true: and yet, dear lady,
Rating myself at nothing, you shall fee
How much I was a braggart: When I told you
My state was nothing, I should then have told
That I was worfe than nothing; for, indeed,
I have engag'd myself to a dear friend,
Engag'd my friend to his meer enemy,
To feed my means. Here is a letter, lady;
The paper as the body of my friend,
And every word in it a gaping wound,
Jtfuing life-blood-But is it true, Salerio?

Have all his ventures fail'd? What, not one hit?
From Tripolis, from Mexico, and England,
From Litbon, Barbary, and India ?
And not one vellel 'fcape the dreadful touch
Of merchant-marring rocks?

Sale. Not one, my lord.

Befides, it fhould appear, that if he had
The prefent money to difcharge the Jew,
He would not take it: Never did I know
A creature, that did bear the fhape of man,
So keen and greedy to confound a man:
He plies the duke at morning, and at night;
And doth impeach the freedom of the ftate,
If they deny him juftice: twenty merchants,
The duke himself, and the magnificoes
Of greatest port, have all perfuaded with him;
But none can drive him from the envious plea
Of forfeiture, of juftice, and his bond.

[fwear,

Jef. When I was with him, I have heard him
To Tubal, and to Chus, his countrymen,
That he would rather have Anthonio's flefh,
Than twenty times the value of the fum
That he did owe him: and I know, my lord,
If law, authority, and power deny not,
It will go hard with poor Anthonio.

Por. Is it your dear friend, that is thus in trouble
Baff. The dearest friend to me, the kindeft man,
The beit condition'd and unweary'd spirit
In doing courtefies; and one in whom
The ancient Roman honour more appears,
Than any that draws breath in Italy.

Por. What fum owes he the Jew ?
Baff. For me, three thoufand ducats.
Por. What, no more?

Pay him fix thoufand, and deface the bond;
Double x thoutand, and then treble that,
Before a friend of this defcription
Shall lofe a hair thorough Baifanio's fault.
First, go with me to church, and call me wife;
And then away to Venice to your friend;
For never fhall you lie by Portia's fide

1 i. e. fo foolish.

Shy. I'll have my bond; speak not againft my
I have fworn an oath, that I will have my bond:
Thou call'dft me dog, before thou had'it a cause;
But, fince I am a dog, beware my fangs :
The duke fhall grant me justice.--I do wonder,
Thou naughty gaoler, that thou art so fond'.
To come abroad with him at his request.
Asth. I pray thee, hear me fpeak.

Shy. I'll have my bond; I will not hear thee (peak:
I'll have my bond; and therefore speak no more.
I'll not be made a foft and dull-ey'd fool-2,
To fhake the head, relent, and figh, and yield
To chriftian interceffors. Follow not;
I'll have no fpeaking; I will have my bond.
[Exit Shylock.

Sal. It is the most impenetrable cur,
That ever kept with men.

Anth. Let him alone;

I'll follow him no more with bootlefs prayers.
He feeks my life; his reafon well I know;

I oft deliver'd from his forfeitures

Many that have at times made moan to me,
Therefore he hates me.

Sala. I am fure, the duke

Will never grant this forfeiture to hold.

Auth. The duke cannot deny the courfe of law,
For the commodity that strangers have
With us in Venice; if it be deny'd,
Will much impeach the juftice of the state;
Since that the trade and profit of the city
Confifteth of all nations. Therefore go:
'Thefe griefs and loffes have fo 'bated me,

Enter Launcelot, and Jellica.

Loun. Yes, truly:-for, look you, the fins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore, I promife you, I fear you. I was always plain with you, and fo now I ipeak my agitation of the matter: Therefore be of good cheer; for, truly, I think, you are damn'd. There is but one hope in it that can do you any good; and that is but a kind of a bastard hope neither.

Jef. And what hope is that, I pray thee?

Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter.

Jef. That were a kind of baflard hope, indeed; fo the fins of my mother thall be vifited Jupon me.

Laun. Truly then I fear you are damn'd both by father and mother: thus when I thun Scylla, your father, I fall into Charybdis, your mother, well, you are gone both ways.

For the fenfe of the word do in this place, fee note 4, p. 77.

Jef. I fhall be faved by my husband; he hath thou fhew the whole wealth of thy wit in an in made me a Chriftian.

Laun. Truly, the more to blame he: we were Chriftians enough before; e'en as many as could weil live one by another: This making of Chriftians will raife the price of hogs; if we grow all to be pork-eaters, we shall not shortly have a rasher on the coals for money.

Enter Lorenzo.

Jef. I'll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you fay; here he comes.

Lor. I fhall grow jealous of you fhortly, Launcelot, if you thus get my wife into corners.

Jef. Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo; Launcelot and I are out: he tells me flatly, there is no mercy for me in heaven, because I am a Jew's daughter; and he fays, you are no good member of the commonweakh; for in converting Jews to Chriftians, you raife the price of pork.

ftant? I pray thee, understand a plain man in his plain meaning: go to thy fellows; bid them cover the table, ferve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner..

Laun. For the table, fir, it fhall be ferv'd in ;
for the meat, fir, it fhall be covered; for your
coming in to dinner, fir, why, let it be as humours
and conceit fhail govern.
[Exit Laun.

Lor. O dear difcretion, how his words are fuited!
The fool hath planted in his memory
An army of good words: And I do know
A many fools, that stand in better place,
Garnish'd like him, that for a tricky word
Defy the matter. How cheer'ft thou, Jeffica?
And now, good sweet, fay thy opinion,
How doft thou like the lord Baffanio's wife?
J. Paft ail expreffing: it is very meet,
The lord Baffanio live an upright life;

Lor. I fhall anfwer that better to the common-For, having fuch a bleffing in his lady,
wealth, than you can the getting up of the negro's He finds the joys of heaven here on earth:
belly: the Moor is with child by you, Launcelot.
Laun. It is much, that the Moor should be more
than reafon but if the be less than an honest wo-
man, fhe is, indeed, more than I took her for.

Lor. How every fool can play upon the word! I think the best grace of wit will fhortly turn into filence; and difcourfe grow commendable in none ly but parrots-Go in, firrah; bid them prepare for dinner.

Laun. That is done, fir; they have all ftomachs. Ler. Goodly lord, what a wit-inapper are you! then bid them prepare dinner.

Laun. That is done too, fir; only, cover is the word.

Lor. Will you cover then, fir?

Laun. Not fo, fir, neither; I know my duty.
Lor. Yet more quarrelling with occafion! wilt

And, if on earth he do not mean it, it
Is reafon he should never come to heaven.
Why, if two gods fhould play fome heavenly match,
And on the wager lay two earthly women,
And Portia one, there must be something elfe
Pawn'd with the other; for the poor rude world
Hath not her fellow.

Lor. Even fuch a husband
Haft thou of me, as fhe is for a wife.

Jef. Nay, but afk my opinion too of that.
Lor. I will anon; firft let us go to dinner.
Jj. Nay, let me praife you, while I have a
ftomach.

Lor. No, pray thee, let it ferve for table-talk;
Then, how foe'er thou speak'it, 'mong other things
I thall digeft it.

Jef. Well, I'll fet you forth.

[Exeunt,

A CT

IV.

To fuffer, with a quietness of spirit,
The very tyranny and rage of his.

Duke. Go one, and call the Jew into the court.
Sal. He's ready at the door: he comes, my lord,
Enter Shylock.

Duke. Make room, and let him ftand before our
face.-

Shylock, the world thinks, and I think so too,'
That thou but lead'ft this fashion of thy malice
To the laft hour of act; and then, 'tis thought,
Thou'lt fhew thy mercy, and remorse more strange
Than is thy ftrange apparent cruelty:
And, where 2 thou now exact'ft the penalty,
(Which is a pound of this poor merchant's flesh)
Thou wilt not only lose the forfeiture,
But, touch'd with human gentleness and love,
Forgive a moiety of the principal;

Envy in this place means hatred or malice. 2 Where for whereas.

Glar

Shy. What judgment fhall I dread, doing no
You have among you many a purchas'd slave,
Which, like your affes, and your dogs, and mulès,
You ufe in abject and in flavish parts,

[pofe; Because you bought them :-Shall I fay to you,
I pur-Let them be free, marry them to your heirs?
Why fweat they under burdens? let their beds
Be made as foft as yours, and let their palates
Be feafon'd with fuch viands? you will anfwer,
The flaves are ours:-So do I answer you:
The pound of fieth, which I demand of him,
Is dearly bought, is mine, and I will have it:
If you deny me, fie upon your law!

! Perhaps we should read a felling or Swollen bagpipe. 2 To queftion is to converfe. 3 i. e. hatred.

Duke. This letter from Bellario doth commend
A young and learned doctor to our court:
Where is he?

Ner. He attendeth here hard by,

To know your answer, whether you'll admit him.
Duke. With all my heart :-fome three or four
of you,

Go give him courteous conduct to this place.-
Mean time, the court fhall hear Bellario's letter.

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;

And earthly power doth then fhew likeft God's,
When mercy feasons juftice: Therefore, Jew,
Though juftice be thy plea, confider this,
That, in the courfe of juftice, none of us
Should fez falvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that fame prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much,
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this ftrict court of Venice
Muft needs give fentence 'gainst the merchant there.
Shy. My deeds upon my head! I crave the law,
The penalty and forfeit of my bond.
Por. Is he not able to discharge the money?
Ball. Yes, here I tender it for him in the court

"Your grace shall understand, that, at the re"ceipt of your letter, I am very fick : but at the in"ftant that your meffenger came, in loving vifita❝tion was with me a young doctor of Rome, his "name is Balthazar: 1 acquainted him with the "caufe in controverfy between the Jew and An"thonio the merchant: we turn'd o'er many "books together: he is furnish'd with my opi-Yea, twice the fum: if that will not fuffice, "nion; which, bettered with his own learning, I will be bound to pay it ten times o'er, "(the greatnefs whereof I cannot enough com-On forfeit of my hands, my head, my heart. If this will not fuffice, it must appear "mend) comes with him, at my importunity, to "fill up your grace's requeft in my ftead. I be- That malice bears down truth 2. And I befeech you "feech you, let his lack of years he no impedi-Wreft once the law to your authority: "ment to let him lack a reverend eftimation; To do a great right, do a little wrong; " for I never knew fo young a body with fo old And curb this cruel devil of his will. "an head. I leave him to your gracious accept❝ance, whofe trial fhall better publifh his com"mendation."

Enter Portia, drefs'd like a doctor of Laws. Duke. You hear the learn'd Bellario, what he writes;

And here, I take it, is the doctor come.---
Give me your hand: Came you em old Bellario:
Por. I did, my lord.

Duke. You are welcome: take your place.
Are you acquainted with the difference
That holds this prefent question in the court?

Por. I am informed thoroughly of the cause.
Which is the merchant here, and which the Jew
Duke. Anthonio and old Shylock, both stand
forth.

Por. Is your name Shylock?

Shy. Shylock is my name.

[nice

Por. It muft not be; there is no power in Ve
Can alter a decree established:
'Twill be recorded for a precedent;
And many an error, by the fame example,
Will ruth into the ftate: it cannot be.

Shy. A Daniel come to judgment! yea, a Da

niel!

O wife young judge, how do I honour thee!
Por. I pray you, let me look upon the bond.
Sby. Here 'tis, moft reverend doctor, here it is.
Por. Shylock, there's thrice thy money offer'd
thee.

Shy. An oath, an oath, I have an oath in heaven;
Shall I lay perjury upon my foul?
No, not for Venice.

Por. Why, this bond is forfeit ;
And lawfully by this the Jew may, claim

A pound of flesh, to be by him cut off
Nearest the merchant's heart :-Be merciful;

Por. Of a ftrange nature is the fuit you follow ; Take thrice thy money; bid me tear the bond.

Cannot impugn I you, as you do proceed.—

Yet in fuch rule, that the Venetian law

You ftand within his danger, do you not?

[To Anth.

Anth. Ay, fo he fays.

Por. Do you confefs the bond?

Anth. I do.

Por. Then muft the Jew be merciful.

Shy. On what compulsion muft I? tell me that.
Por. The quality of mercy is not train'd;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blefs'd;
It bleffeth him that gives, and him that takes :
'Tis mightiest in the mightieft; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
His fcepter fhews the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majeíty,
Wherem doth fit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this fcepter'd fway,

Shy. When it is paid according to the tenour.-
It doth appear you are a worthy judge;

You know the law, your expofition
Hath been most found: I charge you by the law,
Whereof you are a well-deferving pillar,
Proceed to judgment: by my foul I fwear,
There is no power in the tongue of man
To alter me: I ftay here on my bond.

Anth. Moft heartily I do befeech the court
To give the judgment.

Por. Why then, thus it is.

You must prepare your bofom for his knife.
Shy. O noble judge! O excellent young man!
Por. For the intent and purpofe of the law
Hath full relation to the penalty,
Which here appeareth due upon the bond.

Shy. 'Tis very true: wife and upright judge!
How much more elder art thou than thy looks!
Por. Therefore lay bare your bofom.

1 i. e. oppofe you. 2 Meaning, that malice oppreffes honesty.

Shy.