Shy. Ay, his breast : So fays the bond ;-Doth it not, noble judge? Shy. I have them ready. [charge, Por. Have by fome furgeon, Shylock, on your Shy. I cannot find it; 'tis not in the bond. [fay? Baff. Anthonio, I am married to a wife, [that, Por. Your wife would give you little thanks for Gra. I have a wife, whom, I proteit, I love; Would, any of the ftock of Barrabas Had been her husband, rather than a Christian! We trifle time; I pray thee, purfue fentence. The court awards it, and the law doth give it. [breaft; Por. And you must cut this fiefsh from off his The law allows it, and the court awards it. Sby. Mott learned judge !—A fentence; come, Per. Tarry a little,there is fomething elfe. Sky. I take this offer then;-pay the bond thrice, And let the Chriftian go. Buff. Here is the money. The Jew thall have all juftice;-foft! no hafte ;- G-a. O Jew! an upright judge, a learned judge? Gra. A Daniel, ftill fay I; a fecond Daniel!— Shy. Why then the devil give him good of it! Por. Tarry, Jew; The law hath yet another hold on you. a The party, gainft the which he doth contrive, Gra. Beg, that thou may'ft have leave to hang thyfelf: And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state, I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it : The You take my houfe, when you do take the prop Por. What mercy can you render him, Anthonio? I am content, fo he will let me have Upon his death, unto the gentleman, That lately ftole his daughter. Not to deny me, and to pardon me. Por. You prefs me far, and therefore I will Baff. This ring, good fir,-alas, it is a trifle; the value. The deareft ring in Venice will I give you, Only for this, I pray you, pardon me. l'or. I fee, fir, you are liberal in offers: Two things provided more,--That, for this favour, You taught me first to beg, and now, methinks, He prefently become a Chriftian; The other, that he do record a git, Here in the court, of all he dies poflefs'd, Unto his fon Lorenzo, and his daughter. The pardon that I late pronounced here. Duke. He thall do this, or elic I do recant [fay? Por. Art thou contented, Jew? what doft thou For. Clerk, draw a deed of gift. You teach me how a beggar fhould be anfwer'd. And, when the put it on, the made me vow, An if your wife be not a mad-woman, Shy. I pray you, give me leave to go from hence, She would not hold out enemy for ever, I am not well; fend the deed after me, And I will fign it. Dake. Get thee gone, but do it. For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you! Gra. In christening, thou shalt have two god-Let his defervings, and my love withal, [more, fath.rs; [Exit Shylock. Duke. I am forry, that your leifure ferves you not. Por. He is well paid, that is well fatisfy'd; I wish you well, and fo I take my leave. Baj. Dear fir, of force I must attempt you further; Take fome remembrance of us, for a tribute, Be valu'd 'gainft your wife's communement. Por. Enquire the Jew's houfe out, give him And let him fign it; we'll away to-night, 1 i. e, a jury of twelve men, to condemn thee to be hanged. 2 Meaning, your grace's pardon. 3 i. e, reflexion. Por Por. Thou may'ft, I warrant: We fhall have Away, make hafte; thou know'it where I will old fwearing, That they did give the rings away to men ; tarry. Ner. Come, good fir, will you fhew me to this house? [Exeunt. SCENE I. And ceremonioufly let us prepare A grove, or green place, before Portia's Some welcoine for the miftrefs of the house. Enter Lorenzo and Feffica. HE moon fhines bright : night as this, -In fuch a 3. In fuch a night, Medea gather'd the enchanted herbs That did renew old fon. Lor. In fuch a night, Did Jelica steal from the wealthy Jew; And with an unthrift love did run from Venice, Jef. And in fuch a night, Did young Lorenzo fwear he lov'd her well; Lor. And in fuch a night, Did pretty Jeffica, like a little fhrew, Sander her love, and he forgave it her. J. I would out-night you, did no body come; But, hark, I hear the footing of a man. Enter a Servant. Enter Launcelot. Laun. Sola, fola, wo ha, ho, fola, fola! Laun. Sola! did you fee mafter Lorenzo, and miftrefs Lorenzo? fola, fola! Lor. Leave hallooing, man; here. Laun. Sola! where? where ? Lo. Here. Laun. Tell him, there's a poft come from my mafter, with his horn full of good news; my mafter will be here ere morning, fweet foul. [Exit. Lor. Let's in, and there expect their coming. How fweet the moon-light fleeps upon this bank! Ff. I am never merry, when I hear sweet mu- fick. Lor. The reafon is, your fpirits are attentive: Lor. Who comes fo faft in filence of the night? For do but note a wild and wanton herd, Lay. A friend? what friend? your name, pray you, friend? Serv. Stephano is my name; and I bring word, My mistress will before the break of day Be here at Belmont: fhe doth stray about By holy croffes, where the kneels and prays For happy wedlock hours. Lor. Who comes with her? Serv. None but a holy hermit, and her maid. I pray you, is my maiter yet return'd ? [loud, Or race of youthful and unhandled colts, poet Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, ftones, and Lor. He is not, nor we have not heard from him. But mufick for the time doth change his nature: Dr. Warburton fays, that patens was a round broad plate of gold borne in heraldry, 2 Meaning the moon, who is afterwards reprefented as fleep ing, Nor Nor is not mov'd with concord of fweet founds, Let no fuch man be trufted.-Mark the mufick. Par. That light we fee, is burning in my ball. How far that little candle throws his beams! So fhines a good deed in a naughty world. [candle, Ne. When the moon fhone, we did not fee the Por. So doth the greater glory dim the lefs: A fubftitate fhines brightly as a king, Until a king be by; and then his state Empties itself, as doth an inland brook Into the main of waters. Mufick! hark! [Mufick. Ner. it is your mufick, madam, of the houfe. Por. Nothing is good, I fee, without refpect; Methinks, it founds much fweeter than by day. Nor. Silence beftows that virtue on it, madam. Por. The crow doth fing as fweetly as the lark, When neither is attended; and, I think, The nightingale, if the fhould fing by day, When every goofe is cackling, would be thought No better a musician than the wren. How many things by feafon feafon'd are To their right praife, and true perfection ?—-Peace! how the moon fleeps with Endymion, And would not be awak'd! [Mufick ceafes. Lor. That is the voice, Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia. [cuckow, Por. He knows me, as the blind man knows the By the bad voice. Lor. Dear lady, welcome home. Por. We have been praying for our hufbands welfare, Which speed, we hope, the better for our words. Are they return'd? Lor. Madam, they are not yet; But there is come a meffenger before, Por. Go in, Nerissa, Give order to my fervants, that they take No note at all of our being abfent hence ; Nor you, Lorenzo; Jellica, nor you. [A tucket founds. Lor. Your husband is at hand, I hear his trumpet: We are no tell-tales, madam; fear you not. [fick. Por. This night, methinks, is but the day-light It looks a little paler: 'tis a day, Such as the day is when the fun is hid. Enter Baffanio, Anthonio, Gratiano, and their followers. Baff. We fhould hold day with the Antipodes, If you would walk in abfence of the fun. Por. Let me give light, but let me not be light; For a light wife doth make a heavy husband, And never be Ballanio fo for me; But, God fort all!-You are welcome home, my lord.. [my friend. Buff. I thank you, madam: give welcome to This is the man, this is Anthonio, To whom I am fo infinitely bound. [Gratiano and Ne-ilja feem to talk apart. Por. A quarrel, ho, already? what's the matter? Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring That the did give me; whofe pocfy was For all the world, like cutler's poetry 2 Upon a knife, Love me, and leave me not, Ner. What talk you of the poefy, or the value ? The clerk will ne'er wear hair on his face that had it. [you, Por. You were to blame, I must be plain with To part fo flightly with your wife's firft gift ; A thing ftuck on with oaths upon your finger, And riveted with faith unto your flesh. I gave my love a ring, and made him fwear Never to part with it; and here he stands: dare be fworn for him, he would hot leave it, Nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth That the world mafters. Now, in faith, Gratiano, You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief; An 'twere to me, I fhould be mad at it. Baff. Why, I were beft to cut my left hand off, And iwear I loft the ring defending it. [Afide, Gra. My lord Baffanio gave his ring away Por. What ring gave you, my lord? I would deny it; but you fce, my finger Por. Even fo void is your falfe heart of truth, Ner. Nor I in yours Till I again fee mine. Meaning, a flourish on a trumpet. 2 Knives were formerly infcribed by means of aqua fortis with thort fentences. 3 Meaning, refpetiful, 4 Meaning, perhaps, a itunted or fhrub-like boy. Ball Be. Sweet Portia, Baff. Nay, but hear me: Pardon this fault, and by my foul I swear, If you did know to whom I gave the ring, I never more will break an oath with thee. Per. If you had known the virtue of the ring, My foul upon the forfeit, that your lord Por. Then you fhall be his furety: Give him this; Baf. By heaven, it is the fame I gave the doctor. Por. I had it of him: pardon me, Bassanio; Baff. No, by mine honour, madam, by my foul, For that fame scrubbed boy, the doctor's clerk, No woman had it, but a civil doctor, Who did refufe three thousand ducats of me, In lieu of this, laft night did lie with me. Gra. Why, this is like the mending of highway In fummer, where the ways are fair enough: What! are we cuckolds ere we have deferv'd it? Por. Speak not fo grofsly.---You are all amaz`d: Of my dear friend. What should I fay, fweet lady? Here is a letter, read it at your leifure; I was enforc'd to fend it after him; I was befet with fhame and courtesy; My honour would not let ingratitude So much befmear it: Pardon me, good lady; It comes from Padua, from Bellario: There you fhall find, that Portia was the doctor; Had you been there, I think you would have Enter'd my house-Anthonio, you are welcome; begg'd The ring of me to give the worthy doctor. And I have better news in ftore for you, Par Let not that doctor e'er come near my There you shall find, three of your argofies houfe: Since he hath got the jewel that I lov'd, And that which you did fwear to keep for me, I will become as liberal as you ; I'll not deny him any thing I have, Lie not a night from home; watch me, like Argus: Now, by mine honour, which is yet my own, Ner. And I his clerk; therefore be well advis'd, Gra. Well, do you fo: let me not take him then; For, if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen. Auth. I am the unhappy fubject of thefe quarrels. Por. Sir, grieve not you; You are welcome not Are richly come to harbour suddenly: Anth. I am dumb. Baff. Were you the doctor, and I knew you not? Gra. Were you the clerk, that is to make me cuckold? Nex. Ay, but the clerk, that never means to do it, Unless he live until he be a man. Baff. Sweet doctor, you shall be my bed fellow; When I am abfent, then lie with my wife. Anth. Sweet lady, you have given me life, and For here I read for certain, that my ships Por. How now, Lorenzo? My clerk hath fome good comforts too for you. There do I give to you, and Jeffica, Lor. Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way Par. It is almoft morning, 1 Doulle is here put for full duplicity. 2 That is, his advantage. Of |