Mor. O hell: what have we here? Mor. Cold, indeed; and labour lost: Let all of his complexion chuse me so. [Exeunt. Venice. Enter Salarino and Salanio. Sul. Why, man, I saw Bassanio under sail; Sal. He came too late, the ship was under sail: Sala. I never heard a passion so confus'd, Sat. Why, all the boys in Venice follow him, Sal. Marry, well remember'd: I reason'd' with a Frenchman yesterday; Sal. A kinder gentleman treads not the earth. Bassanio told him, he would make some speed Slubber not business for my sake, Bassanio, 5 And for the Jew's bond, which he hath of me, 'Bassanio's hand, and so they parted. Sala. I think, he only loves the world for him. 15I pray thee, let us go, and find him out, And quicken his embraced heaviness Enter Nerissa, with a Servant. Ner. Quick, quick, I pray thee, draw the curtain The prince of Arragon hath ta'en his oath, [straight; 25 And comes to his election presently. Enter Arragon, his train; Portia, with hers. If Por. Behold, there stand the caskets, noble prince: you chuse that wherein I am contain'd, 30 Straight shall our nuptial-rites be solemniz'd But if you fail, without more speech, my Lord, You must be gone from hence immediately. Ar. I am enjoin'd by oath to observe three things: 35 Which casket 'twas I chose; next, if I fail 40 Por. To these injunctions every one doth swear, That comes to hazard for my worthless self. Ar. And so have I addrest me: Fortune now What says the golden chest? ha! let me see:- '. That is, conversed. 2 To slubber is to do any thing carelesly, or imperfectly. perhaps, your loving mind. i. e. prepared me. i. e. the power. 3 Meaning, 11 To To cozen fortune, and be honourable O, that estates, degrees, and offices, Were not deriv'd corruptly! and that clear honour 5 Pick'd from the chaff and ruin of the times, [there. How much unlike my hopes, and my deservings! 15 20 Take what wife you will to bed, Ar. Still more fool I shall appear Sweet, adieu! I'll keep my oath, Por. Thus hath the candle sing'd the moth Serv. Where is my lady? Por. Here; what would my lord? Serv. 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'; To wit, besides commends, and courteous breath, Por. To offend, and judge, are distinct offices, 25 So likely an ambassador of love: And of opposed natures. Ar. What is here? The fire seven times tried this; A day in April never came so sweet, Por. No more, I pray thee; I am half afeard, SCENE I A Street in Venice. Enter Salanio and Salarino. Sala. NOW, what news on the Rialto? АСТ III. Sal. Come, the full stop. Sala. Ha,-what say'st thou?-Why the end is, 45 he hath lost a ship. Sal. Why, yet it lives there uncheck'd, that Anthonio hath a ship of rich lading wreck'd 50 on the narrow seas; the Goodwins, I think they call the place; a very dangerous flat, and fatal, where the carcases of many a tall ship lie buried, as they say, if my gossip Report be an honest woman of her word. 155 Sala. I would she were as lying a gossip in that, as ever knapt ginger, or made her neighbours believe she wept for the death of a third husband: But it is true, without any slips of prolixity, or crossing the plain high-way of talk,-that the good 60 Anthonio, the honest Anthonio,O that I had a title good enough to keep his name company !— ! That is, I know. i. e. my misfortune. Sal. I would it might prove the end of his losses! Sala. Let me say amen betimes, lest the devil cross thy prayer; for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew. chants? Shy. You knew, none so well, none so well as you, of my daughter's flight. Sal. That's certain! I, for my part, knew the taylor that made the wings she flew withal. Sala. And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was fledge; and then it is the complexion of them all to leave the dam. Shy. She is damn'd for it. Sal. That's certain, if the devil may be her judge. To knap is to break short. Sala. Out upon it, old carrion! rebels it at these years? Shy. I say, my daughter is my flesh and blood. Sal. There is more difference between thy flesh and her's, than between jet and ivory; more be- 5 tween your bloods, than there is between red wine and Rhenish-But tell us, do you hear whether Anthonio have had any loss at sea, or no? Shy. There I have another bad match: a bankrupt, a prodigal, who dare scarce shew his head 10 on the Rialto;-a beggar, that us'd to come so smug 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 a Christian courtesy ;-let him look to his bond. Sal. Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take his flesh; What's that good for? but what lights o' my shoulders; no sighs, but Shy. What, what, what? ill luck, ill luck? Shy. I thank God, I thank God:-Is it true? Tub. I spoke with some of the sailors that es caped the wreck. Shy. I thank thee, good Tubal :-Good news, good news: ha! ha! Where? in Genoa? Tub. Your daughter spent in Genoa, as I heard, 15 one night, fourscore ducats. Shy. To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgrac'dme, and hindered me of half a million; laugh'd at my 20 losses, mock'd at my gains, scorn'd my nation, thwarted my bargains, cool'd my friends, heated mine enemies; And what's his reason? I am a Jew: Hath not a Jew eyes? hath nota Jew hands: organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed 25 with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd 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: 30 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 suf- 35 ferance 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. Shy. Thou stick'st a dagger in me:-I shall never see my gold again: Fourscore ducats at a sitting! fourscore ducats! Tub. There came divers of Anthonio's creditors in my company to Venice, that swear he cannot chuse but break. Shy. I am glad of it; I'll plague him; I'll torture him; I am glad of it. Tub. One of them shewed me a ring, that he had of your daughter for a monkey. Shy. Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my turquoise; I had it of Leah, when I was a batchelor; I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkies. Tub. But Anthonio is certainly undone. Shy. Nay, that's true, that's very true: Go, Tubal, fee me an officer, bespeak him a fortnight before: I will have the heart of him, if he forfeit; for were he out of Venice, I can make what merchandise I will: Go, go, Tubal, and meet me at our synagogue; go, good Tubal, at our synagogue, Tubal. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Belmont. Enter Bassanio, Portia, Gratiano, and The Caskets are set out. Por. I pray you, tarry; pause a day or two, I lose your company; therefore forbear a while: Shy. Why there, there, there, there! a diamond gone, cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort! the curse never fell upon our nation 'till now; 155 never felt it 'till now:-two thousand ducats in that; and other precious, precious jewels.-Iwould, my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear! 'would she were hears'd at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin! No news of them?-60 Why, so and I know not what's spent in the search: Why, thou loss upon loss! the thief gone with so much, and so much to find the thief; and no satisfaction, no revenge: nor no ill luck stirring, But lest you should not understand me well, Let Let fortune go to hell for it.-not I1. Bass. Let me chuse; Por. Upon the rack, Bassanio? then confess Bass. None, but that ugly treason of mistrust, Which makes me fear the enjoying of my love: There may as well be amity and life "Tween snow and fire, as treason and my love. Bass. Promise me life and I'll confess the truth. Bass. So maythe outward shows be least them- To be the dowry of a second head, To a most dangerous sea; the beauteous scarf The seeming truth which cunning times put on To entrap the wisest. Therefore, thou gaudy gold, 30 Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee: Had been the very sum of my confession: Tell me where is fancy bred, Let us all ring fancy's knell. 35 Nor none of thee, thou pale and common drudge Por. How all the other passions fleet to air, Bass. What find I here? Fair Portia's counterfeit ? What demy-god The author of the REVISAL of Shakspeare's text assigns the following meaning to this difficult passage:-"If the worst I fear should happen, and it should prove in the event, that I, who am justly yours by the free donation I have made you of myself, should yet not be yours in consequence "of an unlucky choice, let fortune go to hell for robbing you of your just due, not I for violating "my oath." To peize comes from peser, Fr. which signifies to retard. Meaning, with no less dignity of mien. i. e. curled. i. e. the treacherous shore. Counterfeit here means a likeness, a resemblance. In underprizing it, so far this shadow [scroll, I come by note, to give, and to receive. Por. You see me, lord Bassanio, where I stand, Bass. Madam, you have bereft me of all words, Only my blood speaks to you in my veins : And there is such confusion in my powers, As, after some oration fairly spoke By a beloved prince, there doth appear Among the buzzing pleased multitude; Where every something, being blent' together, Turns to a wild of nothing, save of joy, Exprest, and not exprest: But when this ring Parts from this finger, then parts life from hence; O, then be bold to say, Bassanio's dead. Ner. My lord and lady, it is now our time, That have stood by, and seen our wishes prosper, To cry, good joy; Good joy, my lord and lady! ! That is, blended. Gra. My lord Bassanio, and my gentle lady, I wish you all the joy that you can wish; For, I am sure, you can wish none from me: And, when your honours mean to solemnize 5 The bargain of your faith, I do beseech you, Even at that time I may be marry'd too. 10 Bass. With all my heart, so thou canst get a wife. Gra.I thank your lordship; you have got me one. My eyes, my lord, can look as swift as yours: You saw the mistress, I beheld the maid; You lov'd, I lov'd; for intermission' No more pertains to me, my lord, than you. Your fortune stood upon the casket there; And so did mine too, as the matter falls: 15 For wooing here, until I sweat again; And swearing, till my very roof was dry With oaths of love; at last,-if promise last,I got a promise of this fair one here, To have her love, provided that your fortune 20 Atchiev'd her mistress. 25 Por. Is this true, Nerissa? [al. Ner. Madam, it is, so you stand pleas'd withBass. And do you, Gratiano, mean good faith? Gra. Yes, 'faith, my lord. (marriage. Bass. Our feast shall be much honour'd in your Gra. We'll play with them, the first boy for a thousand ducats. Ner. What, and stake down? Gra. No; we shall ne'er win at that sport, and 30 stake down. But who comes here? Lorenzo, and his infidel? What, and my old Venetian friend, Salerio? Enter Lorenzo, Jessica, and Salerio. Bass. Lorenzo, and Salerio, welcome hither; 35 If that the youth of my new interest here Have power to bid you welcome:-By your leave, I bid my very friends, and countrymen, Sweet Portia, welcome. Por. So do I, my lord; 40 They are entirely welcome. 45 flord, Lor. I thank your honour :-For my part, iny My purpose was not to have seen you here; But meeting with Salerio by the way, He did intreat me, past all saying nay, To come with him along. Sale. I did, my lord, And I have reason for it. Signier Anthonio 50I pray you tell me how my good friend doth. [come. Gra. Nerissa, cheer yon' stranger; bid her wel55 Your hand, Salerio; What's the news from Venice? How doth that royal merchant, good Anthonio? 60 I know he will be glad of our success; Intermission here means pause, delay. P 2 Could |