Pay him fix thoufand, and deface the bond;
Double fix thousand, and then treble that,
Before a friend of this description

Shall lofe a hair through my Baffanio's fault.
First, go with me to church, and call me wife,
And then away to Venice to your friend :
For never fhall you lie by Portia's fide
With an unquiet foul. You fhall have gold
To pay
the petty debt twenty times over.
When it is paid, bring your true friend along;
My maid Nerija and myself, mean time,
Will live as maids and widows: come away!
For you shall hence upon your wedding-day.
Bid your friends welcome, fhew a merry cheer;
Since you are dear bought, I will love you
dear.
But let me hear the letter of your friend.

Baff.reads. Sh

Weet Baffanio, my ships have all mifearry', my creditors grow cruel, my eftate is very low, my bond to the Jew is forfeit; and fince, in pay it, it is impoffible I should live, all debts are cleared etween you and me, if I might but fee you at my deat notwithstanding, use your pleasure: if your lowe do an perfuade you to come, let not my letter.

Por. O love, difpatch all bufinefs, and be gone.
Ba. Since I have your good leave to go away,
I will make hafte; but till I come again,

No bed fhall e'er be guilty of my stay;

No reft be interpofer 'twixt us twain.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to a Street in Venice.

Enter Shylock, Solarino, Anthonio, and the Goaler. Oaler, look to him: tell not me of mercy.

Shy. G This is the fool, that lent out money gratis.

Goaler look to him.

Ant. Hear me yet, good Shylock.

Shy. I'll have my bond, fpeak not against my bond: I've fworn an oath, that I will have my bond. Thou call'dft me dog, before thou hadst a cause;

But

But fince I am a dog beware my fangs :
The Duke fhall grant me juftice. I do wonder,
Thou naughty goaler, that thou art fo fond
To come abroad with him at his request.
Ant. I pray thee, heaf me fpeak.

Shy. I'll have my bond: I will not hear thee speak :
I'll have my bond; and therefore speak no more;
I'll not be made a foft and dull-ey'd fool,

To shake the head, relent, and figh and yield
To christian interceffors. Follow not;
I'll have no speaking; I will have my bond.

Sola. It is the most impenetrable cur,

That ever kept with men.

Ant. Let him alone,

Exit Shylock.

I'll follow him no more with bootlefs pray❜rs:
He feeks my life; his reafon well I know;
I oft deliver'd from his forfeitures

Many, that have at times made moan to me;
Therefore he hates me.

Sola. I am fure the Duke

Will never grant this forfeiture to hold.

Ant. The Duke cannot deny the courfe of law; (20) For the commodity that ftrangers have

With us in Venice, if it be deny'd,

Will much impeach the juftice of the ftate;
Since that the trade and profit of the city
Confifteth of all nations. Therefore go,
These griefs and losses have so bated me,

(20) The Duke cannot deny] As this fentence feems a little perplex'd
and obfcure, it may not be amifs to give it a short explanation. The
Duke cannot deny the course of law, (fays Anthonio;) for if its courfe
be denied, the privilege that ftrangers have, being violated, will cry
out against the injuftice.' This is very much to the purpofe; for he
does not fay, that the juftice of the ftate could indeed be impeach'd
by ftopping the course of law in his cafe: For, indeed, it was the ut-
moft juftice to stop it here: But that ftrangers would accuse it of in-
juftice. This fhews the true temper of the ftate of Venice, and of all,
other trading states; which will always more fear an inconvenience
than an injuftice. The jealoufy that foreign merchants may entertain
of injuftice, being always more carefully guarded against, than injustice
Citself.
Mr. Warburton.

That

That I fhall hardly fpare a pound of flesh
To morrow to my bloody creditor.

Well, goaler, on; pray God, Bassanio come
To fee me pay his debt, and then I care not.

SCENE changes to Belmont.

Exeunt.

Enter Portia, Neriffa, Lorenzo, Jeffica, and Balthazar.

Lor. M

Adam, although I fpeak it in your prefence,

You have a noble and a true conceit
Of God-like amity; which appears more strongly
In bearing thus the absence of your lord.
But if you knew to whom you fhew this honour,
How true a gentleman you fend relief to,
How dear a lover of my lord your husband;
I know, you would be prouder of the work,
Than cuftomary bounty can enforce you.
Por. I never did repent of doing good,
And shall not now; for in companions
That do converfe and waste the time together,
Whofe fouls do bear an equal yoke of love,
There must be needs a like proportion
Of lineaments, of manners, and of fpirit;
Which makes me think, that this Anthonio,
Being the bofom-lover of my lord,
Muft needs be like my lord. If it be fo,
How little is the coft I have bestowed,
In purchafing the femblance of my foul
From out the ftate of hellish cruelty ?
This comes too near the praising of myself; (21)
Therefore, no more of it: hear other things.-
Lorenzo, I commit into your hands

(21) This comes too near the praising of myself ;

Therefore no more of it: here other things,

Lorenzo, I commit, &c.] Thus has this paffage been writ and pointed, but abfurdly, thro' all the editions. Portia finding the reflections fhe had made came too near felf-praife, begins to chide herself for it: fays, fhe'll fay no more of that fort; but call a new fubject. The regulation I have made in the text was likewife prefcrib'd by Dr. Thirlby.

The

The husbandry and manage of my house,
For mine own part,

Until my lord's return.

I have tow'rd heaven breath'd a fecret vow,
To live in prayer and contemplation,
Only attended by Neriffa here,

Until her husband and my lord's return.
There is a monaftery two miles off,

And there we will abide. I do defire you,
Not to deny this impofition:

The which my love and fome neceffity
Now lays upon you.

Lor. Madam, with all my heart;

I fhall obey you in all fair commands.

Por. My people do already know my mind, And will acknowledge you and Jeffica

In place of lord Bassanio and myself.

So fare you well, 'till we fhall meet again.

Lor. Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you! Jef. I wish your ladyfhip all heart's content.

Por. I thank you for your wish, and am well pleas'd To wish it back on you: fare you well, Jeffica.

Now, Balthazar,

[Exeunt Jef. and Lor.

As I have ever found thee honeft, true,

So let me find thee ftill: take this fame letter,
And ufe thou all th' endeavour of a man,

In fpeed to Padua ; fee thou render this (22)
Into my coufin's hand, Doctor Bellario;

And look what notes and garments he doth give thee,
Bring them, I pray thee, with imagin'd speed
Unto the Traject, to the common ferry

Which trades to Venice: wafte no time in words,

But get thee gone; I fhall be there before thee.

(22) In fpeed to Mantua ;] Thus all the old copies; and thus all the modern editors implicitly after them. But 'tis evident to any diligent reader, that we must restore, as I have done, In Speed to Padua: for it was there, and not at Mantua, Bellario liv'd. So afterwards;-A meffenger, with letters from the Doctor, new come from Padua ---And again, Came you from Padua, from Bellario ?---And again, It comes from Padua, from Bellario.---Befides, Padua, not Mantua, is the place of education for the civil law in Italy.

Bal.

Bal. Madam, I go with all convenient speed. [Exit. Por. Come on, Neriffa; I have work in hand, That you yet know not of: we'll see our husbands Before they think of us.

Ner. Shall they fee us?

Por. They fhall, Neriffa; but in fuch a habit,
That they fhall think we are accomplished
With what we lack. I'll hold thee any wager,
When we are both apparel'd like young men,
I'll prove the prettier fellow of the two,
And wear my dagger with the braver grace;
And speak between the change of man and boy,
With a reed voice; and turn two mincing steps
Into a manly ftride; and speak of frays,
Like a fine bragging youth; and tell quaint lies,
How honourable ladies fought my love,
Which I denying, they fell fick and dy'd,
I could not do with all: then I'll repent,
And wish, for all that, that I had not kill'd them.
And twenty of thefe puny lies I'll tell;

That men fhall fwear, I've difcontinued fchool
Above a twelve-month. I have in my mind
A thousand raw tricks of thefe bragging jacks,
Which I will practise.

Ner. Shall we turn to men?

Por. Fie, what a question's that,

If thou wert near a lewd interpreter !
But come, I'll tell thee all my whole device
When I am in my coach, which stays for us
At the park-gate; and therefore haste away,
For we muft measure twenty miles to-day.

Enter Launcelot and Jeffica.

[Exeunt.

Laun. Yes, truly: for, look you, the fins of the fathers are to be laid upon the children: therefore, 1 promife you, I fear you. I was always plain with you; and fo now I fpeak my agitation of the matter: there. fore be of good cheer; for truly, I think you are damn'd: there is but one hope in it that can do you any good, and that is but a kind of bastard hope neither.

2

Jes.