Ner

SCENE X.

Changes to Belmont.

Enter Neriffa with a Servant.

UICK, quick-I pray thee, draw the curtain ftrait ;

The Prince of Arragon has ta'en his oath,

And comes to his election presently.

Enter Arragon, his train, Portia. Flourish of Cornets. The Cafkets are difcover'd.

Por. Behold, there ftand the caskets, 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 speech, my lord, You must be gone from hence immediately.

Ar. I am enjoin'd by oath t'observe three things.
First, never to unfold to any one

Which cafket 'twas I chofe. Next, if I fail
Of the right cafket, never in my life
To woo a maid in way of marriage,
Laft, if I fail in fortune of my choice,
Immediately to leave you and be gone.

Por. To thefe injunctions every one doth fwear,
That comes to hazard for my worthless felf.
Ar. And fo have I addreft me. Fortune now.

Το

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

Ev'n in the force and road of casualty.
I will not chufe what many men defire,

Because

Because I will not jump with common fpirits,
And rank me with the barb'rous multitudes.
Why then to thee, thou filver treasure-houfe:
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 presume
To wear an undeserved dignity :

O, that eftates, degrees, and offices,

Were not deriv'd corruptly, that clear honour
Were purchas'd by the merit of the wearer !
How many then fhould cover, that ftand bare
How many be commanded, that command?
How much low peafantry would then be glean'd
From the true feed of honour? (5) how much honour
Pickt from the chaff and ruin of the times,

To be new varnish'd (6) well, but to my choice :
Who chufeth me, fball get as much as he deferves :

(5) How much low peafantry would then be glean'd From the true feed of bonour ?] The meaning is How much meanness would be found among the 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 peasantry would then be pick'd
From the true feed of bonour? how much honour
Glean'd from the chaff?

(6) baru much bonour

----

Pickt from the chaff and ruin of the times,

To be new varnish'd?] 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, ventilubrum, the fann used for winnowing the chaff from the corn. This alteration reftores the metaphor to its integrity and our poet frequently uses the fame thought. So in the 2d part of Henry IV.

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

WARBURTON..

I will

I will affume defert; give me a key for this,
And inftantly unlock my fortunes here.

Por. Too long a pause for that which you find there. [Unlocking the filver casket. Ar. What's here! the portrait of a blinking idiot, Prefenting 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, shall have as much as he deferves.
Did I deferve no more than a fool's head?
Is that my prize? are my deferts no better?
Por. To offend, and judge, are diftin&t offices.
And of oppofed natures.

Ar. What is here ?

The fire fev'n times tried this;
Sev'n times tried that judgment is,

That did never chufe amifs.

Some there be, that fbadors kifs
Such have but a fhadow's bliss:
There be fools alive, I wis,
Silver'a o'er, and fo was this:
Take what wife you will to bed, (7)
I will ever be your bead:
So be gone, Sir, you are sped.

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 wrath.

[Exit.

Por. Thus hath the candle fing'd the moth.
O thefe 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.

}

(7) Take what wife you will to bed,] Perhaps the poet had forgotten that he who miffed Portia was never to marry any

woman.

Enter

Enter a Servant.

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 fignify th' approaching of his lord,
From whom he bringeth fenfible regreets;
To wit, befides commends and courteous breath,
Gifts of rich value; yet, I have not seen
So likely an ainbaffador of love.

thee; I pray

am

A day in April never came fo fweet,
To fhow how coftly fummer was at hand,
As this fore-fpurrer comes before his lord.
Por. No more,
half afraid,
Thou'lt fay anon, he is fome kin to thee;
Thou spend'ft fuch high-day wit in praifing him:
Come, come, Neriffa, for I long to fee

Quick Cupid's poft, that comes fo mannerly.
Ner. Baffanio, lord Love, if thy will it be!

[Exeunt.

ACT III.

SCENE I.

A Street in Venice.

Enter Salanio, and Solarino..

SOLARINO.

OW, what news on the Rialto?

Now Sal. Why, yet it lives there uncheckt, that

Anthonio hath a fhip of rich lading wreckt on the narrow feas; the Godwins, I think, they call the place; a very dangerous flat and fatal, where the carcafes of many a tall fhip lye bury'd, as they say, if my goflip Report be an honeft woman of her word.

Sola. I would he were as lying a goffip in that, as ever knapt ginger; or made her neighbours believe, the

wept

wept for the death of a third husband. But it is true, without any flips of prolixity, or croffing the plain highway of talk, that the good Anthonio, the honeft Anibo-O that I had a title good enough to keep his name company!

nio

Sal. Come, the full stop.

Sola. Ha, what fay'ft thou ?-why, the end is, he hath loft a ship.

Sal. I would it might prove the end of his loffes.

Sola. Let me fay Amen betimes, left the devil cross thy prayer, (8) for here he comes in the likeness of a Few.

Enter Shylock.

How now, Shylock, what news among the merchants? Shy. You knew (none fo well, none fo well as you) of my daughter's flight.

Sal. That's certain; I, for my part, knew the taylor that made the wings fhe flew withal.

Sola. And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was fledg'd, 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.
Shy. My own flesh and blood to rebel!

Sola. Out upon it, old carrion, rebels it at these
years?

Shy. I fay, my daughter is my flesh and blood.

Sal. There is more difference between thy flesh and hers, than between jet and ivory; more between your bloods, than there is between red wine and rhenish but tell us, do you hear, whether Anthonio have had any lofs at fea or no?

Shy. There I have another bad match; a bankrupt, a prodigal, (9) who dares fcarce fhew his head

on

(8) - left the Devil cross my Prayer,] But the Prayer was Salanio's. The other only, as Clerk, fays Amen to it. We must therefore read WARBURTON.

thy Prayer.

(9) A bankrupt, a prodigal,] This is fpoke of Antbonis. But why a prodigal his friend Baanio indeed had been too liberal;

and