W

Enter Solarino and Salanio. Sal.7HY, man, I saw Baffanio under fail; With him is Gratiano gone along; And in their ship, I'm fure, Lorenzo is not. Sola. The villain Jew with outcries rais'd the Duke, Who went with him to search Baffanio's ship. Sal. He came too late, the ship was under fail; But there the Dukę was given to understand, That in a Gondola were seen together Lorenzo and his am'rous Jessica: Besides, Anthonio certify'd the Duke, They were not with Baffanio in his ship.

Sola. I never heard a passion so confus'd, So strange, outrageous, and so variable, As the dog Jew did utter in the streets; My daughter!-O my ducats!-O my daughter, Fled with a christian? O my christian ducats ! Justice, the law My ducats, and my daughter! A fealed bag, two fealed bags of ducats, Of double ducats, stoll'n from me by my daughter! And jewels too, stones, rich and precious stones, Stoll'n by my daughter! justice! find the girl; She hath the stones upon her, and the ducats.

Sal. Why, all the boys in Venice follow him,
Crying his stones, his daughter, and his ducats.
Sola. Let good Anthonio look, he keep his day;
Or he shall pay for this.

Sal. Marry, well remember'd.
I reason'd with a Frenchman yesterday,
Who told me, in the narrow seas, that part
The French and English, there miscarried
A vessel of our country richly fraught :
I thought upon Anthonio, when he told me,

Ee 4

And And wish'd in filence, that it were not his.

Sola. You were best to tell Anthonio what you hear, Yet do not fuddenly, for it may grieve him.

Sal. A kinder Gentleman treads not the earth.
I faw Baffanio and Anthonio part.
Baffanio told him, he would make some speed
Of his return: he answer'd, do not so,
Slubber not business for my fake, Bassanio,
But ftay the very riping of the time;
And for the Fow's bond, which he hath of me,
Let it not enter in your mind of love:
Be merry, and employ your chiefeft thoughts
To courtship, and fuch fair oftents of love,
As shall conveniently become you there.
And even there, his eye being big with tears,
Turning his face, he put his hand behind him,
And with affection wond'rous sensible
He wrung Baffario's hand, and so they parted.

Sola. I think, he only loves the world for him.
I pray thee, let us go and find him out,
And quicken his embraced heaviness +
With fome delight or other.

*

Sal. Do we fo.

your mind of love.] So all the copies, but i fufpect some corruption.

[Exeunt.

Of Dr. Warburton's correction it is only neceffary to observe, that it has produced a new word which cannot be received without neceffity, When I thought the passage corrupted, it seemed to me not improbable that ShakeSpeare had wrtien entranced benquiness, mufing, abstracted, moping melancholy. But I know not why any great efforts should be made to change a word which has no uncommodious or unusual fense. We say of a man now, that he hugs his forrows, and why may not Anthonio embrace heaviness.

Ner.

Q

Changes to Belmont.

Enter Nerissa with a Servant.

UICK, quick-I pray thee, draw the cur

tain strait;

The Prince of Arragon has ta'en his oath,

And comes to his election presently.

Enter Arragon, his train, Portia. Flourish of Cornets. The Caskets are discovered.

Por. Behold, there stand the caskets, noble Prince; If you chuse that, wherein I am contained, Strait shall our nuptial rites be folemniz'd : But if you fail, without more speech, my lord, You must be gone from hence immediately.

Ar. I am enjoin'd by oath t'observe three things, First, never to unfold to any one Which cafket 'twas I chose. Next, if I fail Of the right cafket, never in my life To woo a maid in way of marriage. Laft, if I fail in fortune of my choice, Immediately to leave you and be gone. Por. To these injunctions every one doth swear, That comes to hazard for my worthless self.

Ar. And fo have I addrest me. Fortune now To my heart's hope! - Gold, silver, and base lead. Who chuseth me, must give and hazard all he hath. You shall look fairer, ere I give or hazard. What fays the golden chest? ha, let me feeWho chuseth me, shall gain what many men defire. What many men defire-that may be meant Of the fool-multitude, that chuse by show; Not learning more than the fond eye doth teach; Which pries not to th' interior, but like the martlet Builds in the weather on the outward wall,

Ev'n in the force and road of casualty.

I will not chuse what many men defire,
Because I will not jump with common spirits,
And rank me with the barb'rous multitudes.
Why then to thee, thou filver treasure-house :
Tell me once more, what title thou doft bear.
Who chufeth me, shall get as much as he deferues
And well faid too, for who shall go about
To cozen fortune, and be honourable
Without the stamp of merit? let none presume
To wear an undeserved dignity :
O that estates, degrees, and offices,
Were not deriv'd corruptly, that clear honour
Were purchas'd by the merit of the wearer!
How many then should cover, that stand bare
How many be commanded, that command?
How much low peafantry would then be gleaned
From the true feed of honour? how much honour
Pickt from the chaff and ruin of the times,
To be new varnish'd? well, but to my choice:
Who chuseth me, shall get as much as he deserves :
I will assume desert; give me a key for this,

To be new varnish'd?-] This confufion and mixture of the metaphors, makes me think that Shakespear wrote,

To be new vanned.i. e. winnow'd, purged: from the French word vanner; which is derived from the Latin Vannus, ventilabrum, the fann used for winnowing the chaff from the corn. This alteration restores the metaphor to its integrity : and our poet frequently uses the fame thought. So in the 2d part of Henry IV.

We shall be winnow'd with fo rough a wind,

That even our corn shall feem as light as chaff.

WARBURTON.

And

And instantly unlock my fortunes here. Por. Too long a paufe for that which you find there. [Unlocking the Silver casket.

Ar. What's here! the portrait of a blinking idiot, Presenting me a schedule ? I will read it. -How much unlike art thou to Portia? How much unlike my hopes and my deservings? Who chuses me, shall have as much as he deserves. Did I deserve no more than a fool's head?

Is that my prize? are my deferts no better?

Por. To offend, and judge, are diftinct offices.
And of oppofed natures.
Ar. What is here?

The fire sev'n times tried this ;
Sev'n times tried that judgment is,
That did never chuse amiss.
Some there be, that shadows kiss;
Such have but a shadow's bliss :
There be fools alive, I wis,
Silver'd o'er, and so was this :
Take what wife you will to bed,1?
I will ever be your head:
So be gone, Sir, you are sped.

Ar. Still more fool I shall appear,
By the time I linger here.
With one fool's head I came to woo,
But I go away with two.
Sweet, adieu!-I'll keep my oath,
Patiently to bear my wrath.

[Exit.

Por. Thus hath the candle fing'd the moth. O these deliberate fools! when they do chuse, They have the wisdom by their wit to lose :

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