The French and English, there mifcarried
A veffel of our country, richly fraught:
I thought upon Anthonio, when he told me,
And wifh'd in filence, that it were not his.

Sola. You were beft to tell Anthonio what you hear;
Yet do not fuddenly, for it may grieve him.
Sal. A kinder gentleman treads not the earth.
I faw Baffanio and Anthonio part.

Baffanio told him, he would make some speed
Of his return he answer'd, Do not fo.
Slubber not bufinefs for my fake, Baffanio,
But stay the very riping of the time;

8

And for the Jew's bond, which he hath of me.
Let it not enter in your mind of love;
Be merry, and employ your chiefeft thoughts
To courtship, and fuch fair oftents of love,
As fhall conveniently become you there.
And even there, his eye being big with tears,
Turning his face, he put his hand behind him.
And with affection wondrous fenfible

He wrung Baffanio's hand, and fo they parted.
Sola. I think, he only loves the world for him.
I pray thee, let us go and find him out,
And quicken his embraced heaviness
With fome delight or other.

Sal. Do we fo,

[Exeunt. SCENE

-your mind of love.] So all the copies, but I fufpect some corruption. JOHNSON.

This imaginary corruption is removed by only putting a comma after mind. LANGTON.

Of love, is an adjuration fometimes used by Shakespeare. So Merry Wives, act ii. fc. 7.

66 Quick. defires you to fend her your little page of all loves," i. e. fhe defires you to fend him by all means. Your mind of love may however in this inftance mean-your loving mind, or your mind which should now be intent only on love.

9

STEEVENS.

EMBRACED heaviness.] This unmeaning epithet would make me choose rather to read,

ENRACED

SCENE IX.

BELMONT.

Enter Neriffa with a Servant.

Ner. Quick, quick,-I pray thee, draw the curtain
ftrait;

The prince of Arragon hath ta'en his oath,
And comes to his election presently.

Enter Arragon, his train, Portia. Flourish of cornets.
The Cafkets are difcovered.

Por. Behold, there ftand the cafkets, noble prince: If you chufe that, wherein I am contain'd, Strait fhall our nuptial rites be folemniz'd: But if you fail, without more fpeech, my lord, You must be gone from hence immediately.

Ar. I am enjoin'd by oath to obferve three things. First, never to unfold to any one

Which cafket 'twas I chofe ;-next, if I fail
Of the right casket, never in my life
To woo a maid in way of marriage; laftly
If I do fail in fortune of my choice,
Immediately to leave you, and be gone.

ENRACED heaviness,

from the French enraciner, accrefcere, inveterafcere. So in Mach ado about Nothing,

I could not have owed her a more ROOTED love.

And again in Othello,

With one of an INGRAFT infomity.

WARBURTON.

Of Dr. Warburton's correction it is only neceffary to obferve, that it has produced a new word, which cannot be received without neceffity. When I thought the paffage corrupted, it seemed to me not improbable that Shakespeare had written entranced beavinefs, mufing, abftracted, moping melancholy. But I know not why any great efforts fhould be made to change a word which has no uncommodious or unufual fenfe. We fay of a man now, that be hugs his forrows, and why might not Anthonio embrace beaviness. JOHNSON.

Por.

f

Por. To these injunctions every one doth fwear, That comes to hazard for my worthlefs felf.

Το

Ar. And fo have I addreft me.'

Fortune now

my heart's hope !-Gold, filver, and base lead.
Who chufeth me, must give and hazard all be bath.
You fhall look fairer, ere I give or hazard.
What fays the golden cheft? ha! let me fee-
Who chufeth me fhall gain what many men defire.
What many men defire,-That many may be meant
Of the fool-multitude, that chufe by fhow,
Not learning more than the fond eye doth teach
Which pries not to the interior, but, like the martlet
Builds in the weather on the outward wall,
Even in the force and road of casualty.

I will not chufe what many men desire,
Because I will not jump with common fpirits,
And rank me with the barbarous multitudes.
Why then to thee, thou filver treasure-house :-
Tell me once more, what title thou doft bear.
Who chufeth me, fhall get as much as he deferves;
And well faid too; for who fhall go about
To cozen fortune, and be honourable

Without the ftamp of merit? Let none prefume
To wear an undeferved dignity.

O, that eftates, degrees, and offices,

Were not deriv'd corruptly! and that clear honour
Were purchas'd by the merit of the wearer !
How many then fhould cover, that stand bare?
How many be commanded, that command?
How much low peafantry would then be gleaned
From the true feed of honour? and how much honour
Pick'd

1 And fo I have addrift me.] So in Hen. V. To-morrow for our march we are addreft. The meaning is, I have prepared myself by the fame ceremonies. STEEVENS.

2 How much low prafantry would then be glean'd
From the true feed of honour ?]

The meaning is, How much meanness would be found among the

great

Pick'd from the chaff and ruin of the times,

3

To be new varnished? Well, but to my choice:
Who chufeth me fhall get as much as he deferves:
I will affume defert; Give me a key for this,
And inftantly unlock my fortunes here.

there.

Por. Too long a paufe for that which you find [Unlocking the filver casket. Ar. What's here! the portrait of a blinking idiot, Presenting me a schedule? I will read it. -How much unlike art thou to Portia? How much unlike my hopes, and my defervings? Who chufes me fhall have as much as he deferves. Did I deferve no more than a fool's head?

great, and how much greatness among the mean. But fince men are always faid to glean corn though they may pick chaff, the fentence had been more agreeable to the common manner of speech if it had been written thus,

How much low peafantry would then be pick'd

From the true feed of honour? how much honour
Glean'd from the chaff? JOHNSON.

This confufion and mixture of the metaphors, makes me think that Shakespeare wrote,

To be new vanned..

i. e. winnow'd, purged, from the French word, vanner; which is derived from the Latin Vannus, ventilabrum, the fan used for winnowing the chaff from the corn. This alteration reflores the metaphor to its integrity and our poet frequently ufes the fame thought. So in the 2d Part of Hen. IV.

We fhall be winnow'd with fo rough a wind,
That even our corn fhall feem as light as chaff.

WARBURTON.

Shakespeare is perpetually violating the integrity of his metaphors, and the emendation propofed feems to me to be as faulty as unneceffary; for what is already felected from the chaff needs not be new vanned. I wonder Dr. Warburton did not think of changing the word ruin into rowing, which in fome counties of England, is used to fignify the fecond and inferior crop of grafs which is cut in autumn. STEEVENS.

Is

Is that my prize? are my deserts no better?

Por. To offend, and judge, are diftinct offices, And of oppofed natures.

Ar. What is here?

The fire feven times tried this;

Seven times tried that judgment is,

That did never chufe amifs.

Some there be, that shadows kifs;
Such bave but a fhadow's blifs:
There be fools alive, I wis,
Silver'd o'er, and fo was this.
Take what wife you will to-bed, 4,
I will ever be your head:
So be gone, fir, you are fped.

Ar. Still more fool I fhall appear,
By the time I linger here.

With one fool's head I came to woo,

But I

go away with two.

Sweet, adieu!-I'll keep my oath,
Patiently to bear my wroath. 5

[Exit.

Por. Thus hath the candle fing'd the moth.
O these deliberate fools! when they do chufe,
They have the wisdom by their wit to lofe.
Ner. The ancient faying is no herefy;
Hanging and wiving goes by deftiny.
Por. Come, draw the curtain, Neriffa.

Enter a Servant.

Serv. Where is my lady?

}

+ Take what wife you will to bed.] Perhaps the poet had forgotten that he who miffed Portia was never to marry any woman. JOHNSON.

5 to bear my wrath.] The old editions read" to bear my wreath." Wroath is ufed in fome of the old books for misfortune; and is often fpelt like ruth, which at prefent fignifies only pity, or forrow for the mifery of another, STEEVENS.

Por.