The prince of Arragon hath ta'en his oath, Enter the PRINCE OF ARRAGON, PORTIA, and their Trains. Portia. Behold, there stand the caskets, noble prince. If you choose that wherein I am contain'd, Straight shall our nuptial rites be solemniz'd; You must be gone from hence immediately. Arragon. I am enjoin'd by oath to observe three things: First, never to unfold to any one Which casket 't was I chose: next, if I fail Of the right casket, never in my life To woo a maid in way of marriage: lastly, Por. To these injunctions every one doth swear, Ar. And so have I address'd me. 2 Fortune now What says the golden chest? ha! let me see: "Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire." What many men desire: that many may be meant 3 By the fool multitude, that choose by show, Not learning more than the fond eye doth teach, 5 I will not choose what many men desire, 1. i. e. now, immediately. (See note 4, page 7.) 2. And I have so prepared myself. To dress is derived from the French dresser, and implies, to direct, to instruct, to prepare; in the last sense we say to dress a piece of meat, i. e. to cook or prepare it. 3. i. e. of the fool multitude. By and of were formerly used indifferently. 4. Martlet, a kind of swallow. 5. To jump, to agree with. This word was formerly much used in this sense, but now signifies only to leap. Tell me once more what title thou dost bear: To cozen fortune, and be honourable, Without the stamp of merit? Let none presume O! that estates, degrees, and offices, Were not deriv'd2 corruptly! and that clear honour And instantly unlock my fortunes here. Portia. Too long a pause for that which you find there. Arragon. 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! Is that my prize? are my deserts no better? Por. To offend, and judge, are distinct offices, And of opposed natures. Ar. What is here? "The fire seven times tried this: Seven times tried that judgment is, 1. For who would endeavour to deceive fortune, to be honoured, without being stamped by merit. 2. To derive, to obtain. 3. Ruin here means refuse, rubbish. The meaning of the phrase is,-How much meanness would be found among the great, and how much greatness among the mean. 4. I wis, I know, certainly. This expression, derived from the German gewiß, was originally used as an adverb and written with a small i; in Shakspeare, however, it is always written with a capital I, and is used therefore as a pronoun and a verb. Silver'd o'er; and so was this. With one fool's head I came to woo, Sweet, adieu. I'll keep my oath, [Exeunt ARRAGON, and Train. Portia. Thus hath the candle sing'd the moth. Nerissa. The ancient saying is no heresy: Enter a Messenger. Messenger. Where is my lady? Por. Here; what would my lord?2 Mess. Madam, there is alighted at your gate A young Venetian, one that comes before To signify the approaching of his lord, From whom he bringeth sensible_regreets; 3 4 To wit, (besides commends, and courteous breath,) So likely an ambassador of love. A day in April never came so sweet, Por. No more, I pray thee: I am half afeard, Thou wilt say anon he is some kin to thee, Thou spend'st such high-day wit in praising him. Quick Cupid's post, that comes so mannerly. Nerissa. Bassanio, lord Love, if thy will it be. [Exeunt. 1. Wroth, misfortune. Obsolete. 2. This is but a playful reply of Portia's to the question of the messenger, and does not imply that he was really a nobleman. 3. Perceptible, tangible salutations. Enter SALANIO and SALARINO. Salanio. Now, what news on the Rialto? Salarino. Why, yet it lives there uncheck'd,1 that Antonio hath a ship of rich lading wreck'd on the narrow seas; the Goodwins, I think they call the place: a very dangerous flat, and fatal, where the carcasses of many a tall ship lie buried, as they say, if my gossip, 3 report, be an honest woman of her word. 4 Salan. I would she were as lying a gossip in that, as ever knapped ginger, or made her neighbours believe she wept for the death of a third husband. But it is true, without any slips of prolixty, or crossing the plain high-way of talk, that the good Antonio, the honest Antonio, O, that I had a title good enough to keep his name company! Salar. Come, the full stop. 5 Salan. Ha! hath lost a ship. what say'st thou? Why the end is, he Salar. I would it might prove the end of his losses. Salan. Let me say amen betimes, lest the devil cross my prayer; for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew. Enter SHYLOCK. - How now, Shylock? what news among the merchants? Shylock. You knew, none so well, none so well as you, of my daughter's flight. Salar. That's certain: I, for my part, knew the tailor that made the wings she flew withal.6 Salan. And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was fledg'd; and then, it is the complexion of them all to leave the dam. Shy. She is damned for it. Salan. That's certain, if the devil may be her judge. 1. i. e. it is not yet contradicted. | is a chattering woman, originally 2. The Goodwin sands, on the east at a christening. coast of England, about 10 English miles in length and 3 or 4 in breath; they form a very dangerous impediment to navigation. 3. i. e. my informant. A gossip 4. To knap, to snap, i. e. to break, to crack 5. i. e. the end. 6. Withal is sometimes, as here, used for with. 7. Complexion, nature. Salanio. Out upon it, old carrion! rebels it at these years? Shylock. I say, my daughter is my flesh and blood. Salarino. There is more difference between thy flesh and hers, than between jet and ivory; more between your bloods, than there is between red wine and rhenish. 1 But tell us, do you hear whether Antonio have had any loss at sea or no? Shy. There I have another bad match: 2 a bankrupt, a prodigal, who dare scarce show his head on the Rialto; a beggar, that used to come so smug 3 upon the mart. Let him look to his bond: he was wont to call me usurer; let him look to his bond: he was wont to lend money for Christian courtesy; let him look to his bond. - Salar. Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take his flesh what 's that good for? Shy. To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what 's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? if you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? why, revenge. The villainy you teach me, I will execute; and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. Enter a Servant. Servant. Gentlemen, my master Antonio is at his house, and desires to speak with you both. Salar. We have been up and down to seek him. Salan. Here comes another of the tribe: a third cannot be matched, unless the devil himself turn Jew. 1. Rhenish, Rhine wine. 2. Match, bargain. [Exeunt SALAN., SALAR., and Servant. 3. Smug, spruce,, neatly dressed. 4. Sufferance, patience, moderation. 5. Villainy, now written villany. |