Shy: I am content.
Por. Clerk, draw a Deed of gift.
Shy. I

pray you, give me leave to go from hence;
I am not well; send the Deed after me,
And I will fign it.

Duke. Get thee gone, but do it. Gra. In chriftning thou shalt have two godfathers. Had I been jadge, thou should’st have had ten more, (30) To bring thee to the gallows, not the font.

[Exit Shylock. Duke. Sir, I intreat you home with me to dinner.

Por. I humbly do defire your Grace of pardon ;
I must away this night to Padua,
And it is meet, I presently set forth.

Duke. I'm sorry, that your leisure ferves you not.
Anthonio, gratify this gentleman;
For, in my mind, you are much bound to him.

[Exit Duke and his train. (30) thou should A bave bad ten morc,] i. e. a jury of twelve men, to condemn thee to he hang'd. So, in Measure for Measure,

I not deny,
The Jury passing on the pris'ner's life,
May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two

That justice seizes on. The scenes of these two plays are respectively laid in Venice and Vierna ; and yet 'tis obfervable, in both the poet alludes to the custom of fentencing by furies, as in England. This is not to be imputed to him as ignorance: the licence of the stage has allow'd it, not only at home; but likewise the tragic and comic poets of antiquity indulg'a themselves in transplanting their own cuftoms to other nations. Æfcby lus, for instance, in his Chrepborr, makes Electra, who is in Argos, talk of the customs us’d in purifications, and prescrib’d by law, as the scholiast observes, at Athens. T&To as to arup Agnalois 1964. apos qan Abungo xo xov. Sophocles, in his Laocoon, the scenery of which is laid in Tray, talks of erecting altars, and burning incense before their doors, as was practis'd on joyful occafions at Athens,: therein trans. planting the Athenian manners, as ! arpocratian has noted, to Troy. Metazav tas nuveitev û Susis Treiser. And fo Ariftophanes, in his Frogs, when the scene is in the infernal regions, makes Æacus talk of an edict pass'd in hell for granting artists a subsistence out of the pry

In this, says the scholiast, a custom is transferred to the lower regions, which was establish'd in Albens. Ταύτα μεταφέρει από ταϊς εν Ατλική εθών, εις τα καθ' αδα. A number of instances more, of this fort, might be amass'd from the ancient tage-writers.

taneum,

Baf. Møft worthy gentleman! I and my friend
Have by your wisdom been this day acquitted
Of grievous penalties ; in lieu whereof,
Three thousand ducats, due unto the Jew,
We freely cope your courteous pains withal.

Ant. And stand indebted, over and above,
In love and service to you evermore,

Por. He is well paid that is well fatisfy'd ;
And I, delivering you, am satisfy'd;
And therein do account myself well paid ;
My mind was never yet more mercenary.
I pray you, know me, when we meet again ;
I wish you well, and so I take

my

leave.
Bas. Dear Sir, of force I must attempt you farther
Take some remembrance of us for a tribute
Not as a fee : grant me two things, I pray you,
Not to deny me, and to pardon me.

Por. You press me far, and therefore I will yield.
Give me your gloves, I'd wear them for your lake,
And, for your love, I'll take this ring from you.
Do not draw back your hand, I'll take no more ;
And you in love shall not deny me this.

Bal. This ring, good Sir, alas, it is a trifte;
I will not shame myself to give you this.

Por. I will have nothing else but only this, And now, methinks, I have a mind to it.

Baf. There's more depends on this, than is the value.
The dearest ring in Venice will I give you,
And find it out by proclamation ;
Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.

Por. I fee, Sir, you are liberal in offers ;
You taught me first to beg, and now, methinks,
You teach me how a beggar should be answer'd.

Bal. Good Sir, this ring was giv’n me by my wife.
And, when she put it on, she made me vow,
That I should neither sell, nor give, nor lose ita

Por. That’scufe ferves many men to save their gifts ; And if your wife be not a mad woman, And know how well I have deserv'd the ring, She wou'd not hold oùt enmity for ever,

For

For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you!

[Exit with Neriffa. Ant. My lord Bafanio, let him have the ring, Let his deservings, and my love withal, Be valu'd 'gainst your wife's commandment.

Bal. Go, Gratiano, run and overtake him, Give him the ring; and bring him if thou can'ft, Unto Antonio's house : away, make hafte. [Exit. Gra. Come, you and I will thither presently ; And in the morning early will we both Fly toward Belmont ; come, Anthonio. [Exeunt.

Re-enter Portia and Neriffa.
Por. Enquire the Jew's house out, give him this Deed,
And let him fign it'; we'll away to-night,
And be a day before our husbands home ;
This Deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo,

Enter Gratiano.
Gra. Fair Sir, you are well o'erta'en:
My lord Bafanio, upon more advice,
Hath sent you

here this ring, and doth intreat Your company at dinner.

Por. That cannot be.
This ring I do accept most thankfally,
And so, I pray you, tell him ; furthermore,
I pray you, fhew my youth old Shylock's house.

Gra. That will I do.

Ner. Sir, I would speak with you. I'll fee if I can get my husband's ring:

[To Por. Which I did make him swear to keep for ever.

Por. Thou may'ft, I warrant. We shall have old fwearing, That they did give the rings away to men ; But we'll out-face them, and out-swear them too: Away, make haste, thou know'ft where I will tarry. Ner. Come, good Sir, will you shew me to this house?

[Exeunt.

SCENE, Belmont. A Grove, or green

place before Portia's House.

Enter Lorenzo and Jeffica.

T

LORENZO.
He moon fincs bright : in such a night as this,

When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees,
And they did make no noise ; in such a night,
Trcilus, methinks, mounted the Trojan wall ;
And figh'd his soul toward the Grecian tents,
Where

Crellid lay that night.
Jes. In Tuch a night,
Did Thisbe fearfully o'er-trip the dew ;
And saw the lion's shadow ere himself,
And ran difmayed away.

Lor. In such a night,
Stood Dido with a willow in her hand
Upon the wild sea-banks, and wav'd her love
To come again to Carthage.

Jef. In such a night,
Medea gather'd the enchanted herbs,
That did renew old Æfon.

Lox. In such a night,
Did Jessica steal from the wealthy. Jew,
And with an unthrift love did run from Venice
As far as Belmont.

Jef. And in such a night,
Did young Lorenzo fwear, he lov'd her well;
Stealing her soul with many vows of faith,
And ne'er a true one.

Lor. And in such a night,
Did pretty Jeffica (like a little fhrew)
Slander her love, and he forgave it her.

Jalo

Jes. I would out-night you, did no body come : But hark, I hear the footing of a man.

Enter Stephano.
Lor. Who comes so faft, in filence of the night?
Mef. A friend.
Lor. What friend: your name, I pray you, friend?

Mes. Stephano is my name, and I bring word,
My mistress will before the break of day
Be here at Belmont : she doth stray about
By holy crosses, where the kneels, and prays,
For happy wedlock hours.

Lor. Who comes with her?

Mef. None, but a holy hermit, and her maid.
I
pray you,

is
my
master

yet return'd?
Lor. He is not, nor have we yet heard from him:
But go we in, I pray thee, Feffica,
And ceremoniously let us prepare
Some welcome for the mistress of the house,

Enter Launcelot.
Laun. Sola, Sola; wo ha, ho, fola, sola!
Lor. Who calls ?
Laun. Sola! did

you

see mafter Lorenzo and mistress Lorenza? fola, fola!

Lor. Leave hollowing, man: here. Laun. Sola! where? where? Lor. Here. Laun. Tell him, there's a post come from my matter, with his horn full of good news. My master will be here ere morning.

Lor. Sweet love, let's in, and there expect their coming. And yet no matter : why should we go

in ? My friend Stephano, fignify, I pray you, Within the house, your mistress is at hand ;

[Exit Stephano. And bring your musick forth into the air. How sweet the moon-light sleeps upon this bank! Here will we fit, and let the sounds of musick Creep in our ears; soft ftillness, and the night

Become