Shy. Ay, ay, three thousand ducats. Ant. And for three months. Shy. I had forgot, -three months, you told me so. Well then, your bond; and, let me see, But hear you; Methought, you said, you neither lend, nor borrow, Upon advantage. Ant. I do never use it. Shy. When Jacob graz'd his uncle Laban's sheep, This Jacob from our holy Abraham was (As his wise mother wrought in his behalf,) The third possessor; ay, he was the third. Ant. And what of him? did he take interest? Shy. No, not take interest; not, as you would say, Directly interest: mark what Jacob did. Ant. This was a venture, sir, that Jacob serv'd for; A thing not in his power to bring to pass, the eanlings-] Lambs just dropt: from ean, eniti. Shy. I cannot tell; I make it breed as fast : But note me, signior. Ant. Mark you this, Bassanio, The devil can cite scripture for his purpose. An evil soul, producing holy witness, A goodly apple rotten at the heart; 0, what a goodly outside falshood hath! Shy. Three thousand ducats,-'tis a good round sum. Three months from twelve, then let me see the rate. Ant. Well, Shylock, shall we be beholden to you ? Shy. Signior Antonio, many a time and oft, 7 In the Rialto you have rated me And all for use of that which is mine own. A cur can lend three thousand ducats? or my usances:] Use and usance are both words anciently employ'd for usury, both in its favourable and unfavourable sense. But Mr. Ritson says, that Use and usance, mean nothing more than interest; and the former word is still used by country people in the same sense. 8 Shylock,] Our author, as Dr. Farmer informs me, took the name of his Jew from an old pamphlet entitled: Caleb Shillocke, his Prophesie: or the Jewes Prediction. London, printed for T. P. (Thomas Pavyer.) No date. STEEVENS. Shall I bend low, and in a bondman's key, Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday last : Ant. I am as like to call thee so again, 9 Who if he break, thou may'st with better face Shy. Ant. This were kindness. Shy. This kindness will I show: Go with me to a notary, seal me there A breed for barren metal of his friend?] A breed, that is interest money bred from the principal. By the epithet barren, the author would instruct us in the argument on which the advoCates against usury went, which is this; that money is a barren thing, and cannot, like corn and cattle, multiply itself. And to set off the absurdity of this kind of usury, he put breed and barven in opposition. WARBURTON. Ant. Content, in faith; I'll seal to such a bond, And say, there is much kindness in the Jew. Bass. You shall not seal to such a bond for me, I'll rather dwell in my necessity. Ant. Why, fear not, man; I will not forfeit it; Within these two months, that's a month before This bond expires, I do expect return Of thrice three times the value of this bond. Shy. O father Abraham, what these Christians are; Whose own hard dealings teaches them suspect A pound of man's flesh, taken from a man, I will be with you. [Exit. Ant. Hie thee, gentle Jew. This Hebrew will turn Christian; he grows kind. Bass. I like not fair terms, and a villain's mind. Ant. Come on; in this there can be no dismay, My ships come home a month before the day. [Exeunt. left in the fearful guard, &c.] Fearful guard, is a guard that is not to be trusted, but gives cause of fear. To fear was anciently to give as well as feel terrours. JOHNSON. VOL. III. E ACT. II. SCENE I. Belmont. A Room in Portia's House. Flourish of Cornets. Enter the Prince of Morocco, and his Train; PORTIA, NERISSA, and other of her Attendants. Mor. Mislike me not for my complexion, By nice direction of a maiden's eyes : * To prove whose blood is reddest, his, or mine.] To understand how the tawny prince, whose savage dignity is very well supported, means to recommend himself by this challenge, it must be remembered that red blood is a traditionary sign of courage: Thus Macbeth calls one of his frighted soldiers, a lily-liver'd boy; again, in this play, cowards are said to have livers as white as milk; and an effeminate and timorous man is termed a milksop. JOHNSON. 3 Hath fear'd the valiant,] i. e. terrify'd. To fear is often used by our old writers, in this sense. |