Antb. Well, Shylock, shall we be beholden to you?

Sby. Signior Anthonio, many a time and oft
In the Rialto you have rated me,
About my monies, and my usances.
Still have I born it with a patient fhrug;
(For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe)
You call me, misbeliever, cut-throar dog,
And spit upon my Jewith gaberdine;
And all for ufe of that, which is mine own.
Well, then, it now appears, you need my help:
Go to then ;- you come to me, and you say,
Sbylock, we would have monies ;

-You say fo ;
You that did void your rheum upon my beard,
And foot me, as you fpurna stranger cur
Over your threshold ;-monies is your fuit ;
What should I say to you? should I not say,
Hath a dog money? is it possible,
A cur can lend three thousand ducats ? or
Shall I bend low, and in a bondman's key,
With ’bated breath, and whispering humbleness,
Say this, --Fair Sir, you spit on me on IVednesday last ;
You spurn’d me such a day; another time
You calld me dog; and for these curtefies
I'll lend you tbus much monies

Anib. I am as like to call thee so again,
To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too.
If thou wilt lend this money, lend it not
As to thy friends, (for when did friendship take
A breed of barren metal of his friend?)?
But lend it rather to chine enemy;
Who, if he break, thou may’st with better face
Exact the penalty.

? A breed of barren metal of his friend?] A breed, that is in. tereft 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 barren in opposition. WARBURTON.

Sby.

Sby. Why, look you, how you storm ? I would be friends with you, and have your love; Forget the shames that you have stain'd me with: Supply your present wants, and take no doit Of urance for my monies, and you'll not hear me; This is kind I offer.

Anth. This were kindness.

Sby. This kindness will I'fhow :-
Go with me to a notary, seal me there
Your single bond ; and, in a merry sport,
If you repay me not on such a day,
In such a place, such sum, or fums, as are
Express'd in the condition, let the forfeit
Be nominated for an equal pound
Of your fair Aelh, to be cut off and taken
In what part of your body pleaseth me.

Antb. Content, in faith. I'll feal to such a bond, And say, there is much kindness in the Jew.

Bas. You shall not seal to such a bond for me, I'll rather & dwell in my necessity.

Antb. 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.

Sby. O father Abraham, what these Christians are ! Whose own hard dealings teaches them suspect The thoughts of others ! pray you, tell me this ; If he should break his day, what should I gain By the exaction of the forfeiture? A pound of man's flesh, taken from a man, is not so estimable, profitable neither, As fleth of muttons, beefs, or goats. I say, To buy his favour I extend this friendship;

8-dwell in my necesity.) To devell seems in this place to mean the same as to continue. To abide has both the senses of babitation and continuance. JOHNSON. VOL. III.

K

If

If he will take it, so; if not, adieu ;
And, for my love, I pray you wrong me not.

Anth. Yes, Shylock, I will seal unto this bond.

Sby. Then meet me forthwith at the notary's;
Give him direction for this merry bond,
And I will go and purse the ducats strait ;
See to my house, left in the fearful guardo
Of an unthrifty knave; and presently
I will be with you.

[Exit. Anth. Hie thee, gentle Jew. This Hebrew will turn Chriftian ; he grows kind.

Baj: I like not fair terms,' and a villain's mind.

Anib. Come on; in this there can be no dismay: My ships come home a month before the day.

[Exeunt. let in the FEARFUL guard, &c.) But surely fearful was the most trusty guard for a house-keeper in a populous city; where houses are not carried by storm like fortresses. For fear would keep them on their watch, which was all that was neces. sary for the owner's security. I suppose therefore Shakespeare wrote,

FEARLESS guard. i.e. careless; and this, indeed, would expose his house to the only danger he had to apprehend in the day-time, which was clandestine pilfering. This reading is much confirmed by the character he gives this guard, of an unthrifty knave, and by what he says of him afterwards, that he was,

-a huge feedır :
Snail-Juw in profil, but be fleeps by day
More than the wild cat-

WARBURTON. Dr. Warburton has forgotten that fearful is not only that which fears, but that which is feared or causes fear. Fearful guard, is a guard that is not to be trusted, but gives cause of fear. To frar was anciently to give as well as fuel terrours. JOHNSON. So in Hen. IV. P. I.

“ A mighty and a fearful head they are." STEEVENS. I like not fair tırms] Kind words, good language.

JOHNSON

1

Аст

A CT II.

SCENE I.

B É I MO N T. Enter the Prince of Morocco, and three or four Follocs

ers accordingly, with Portia, Nerisa, and ber train. Flourish Cornets.

MOROCCO.
ISLIKE me not for my complexion,

The shadow'd livery of the burnishid sung
To whom I am a neighbour, and near bred.
Bring me the fairest creature northward born,
Where Phoebus' fire scarce thaws the isicles,
And let us make incision for your love,
To prove whose blood is reddest, his or mine."
I tell thee, lady, this aspect of mine
Hath fear'd the valiant; } by my love, I swear

M

* To prove whole blood is reddeft, bis or mine.) To understand how the tawney prince, whose favage 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 lilly liver'd Lown; again in this play, Cowards are said to have livers as wbite as milk; and an effeminate and timorous man is termed a milkfop. JOHNSON.

Hath fear'd be valiant ;] i, e. terrify'd. To fear is often used by our old writers, in this sense. So B. Jonson, in Every Man in his Humour : “ Make him a warrant, (he shall not go) " I but fear the knave." So again in Hen. VI. 3d Part:

“ Thou seeft what's past, go frar thy king withal.” So again in the same play ;

“ For Warwick was a bug that fear'd us all.” And again in Hen. IV. Part II.

“ The people fear me, for they do observe
“ Unfather'd heirs, &c.

STESVENS.
K 2

The

The best regarded virgins of our clime
Have lov'd it too. I would not change this hue,
Except to steal your thoughts, my gentle queen.

Por. In terms of choice I am not solely led
By nice direction of a maiden's eyes :
Besides, the lottery of my destiny
Bars me the right of voluntary chusing.
But, if my father had not scanted me,
4 And hedg’d me by his will to yield niyself
His wife, who wins me by that means I told you;
Yourself, renowned prince, then stood as fair,
As any comer I have look'd on yet,
For my affection.

Mor. Even for that I thank you ; Therefore, I pray you, lead me to the caskets, To try my fortune. By this scimitar, That New the Sophy, s and a Persian prince, That won three fields of Sultan Solyman, I would out-stare the sternest eyes that look, Our brave the heart most daring on the earth, Pluck the young fucking cubs from the she-bear, Yea, mock the lion when he roars for prey, To win thee, lady. But, alas the while ! If Hercules and Lichas play at dice Which is the better man, the greater throw May turn by fortune from the weaker hand : So is Alcides beaten by his page ;

And

6

+ And hedg'd me by bis wit—] I suppose we may fafely read, ard hedg’d me by his will. Confined me by his will. JOHNSON.

s That few ibe Sopby, &c.] Shakespeare seldom escapes well when he is entangled with geography. The prince of Morocco must have travelled far to kill the Sophy of Persia. Johnson.

6 So is Alcides beatin by his rage.] Though the whole set of editions concur in this reading, it is corrupt at bottom. Let us look into the poet's drift, and the history of the persons mentioned in the context. If Hercules, (says he) and Lichas were to play at dice for the deciGon of their superiority, Lichas, the weaker man, might have the better cast of the two. But how then is Alcides

beaten