Sky.Tis very true: O wife and vpright ludge, How much more elder art thou then thy lookes. Per. Therefore lay bare your bofome.

Shy.I,his breaft,

So fayes the bond, doth it not noble ludge?
Neereft his heart,thofe are the very words.

Por.It is fo,are there ballance here to weigh the flesh?
Shy. I haue them ready.

For.Haue by fome Surgeon Shylocke on your charge,
To ftop his wounds,leaft he do bleed to death.
Shy Is it fo nominated in the bond?
Por.It is not fo expreft,but what of that?
Twere good you do fo much for charity.
Shy.I cannot finde it,tis not in the bond.
Por.You Merchant, haue you any thing to say?
Ant.But little; am arm'd and well prepar'd,
Giue me your hand Bassanio,far you well,
Greeue not that I am falne to this for you:
For heerein Fortune fhewes her felfe more kinde
Then is her cuftome: it is ftill her vfe

To let the wretched man out-liue his wealth,
To view with hollow eye and wrinckled brow,
An age of pouerty: from which lingring pennance
Of fuch mifery doth fhe cut me off.
Commend me to your honourable wife,
Tell her the proceffe of Anthonios ende,
Say how I lou'd you, fpeake me faire in deaths
And when the tale is told,bid her be judge,
Whether Baffanio had not once a loue:
Repent but you that you fhall lose your friend,
And he repents not that he payes your debt,
For if the Zew do cut but deepe enough,
Ile pay it presently with all my heart.
Ball. Anthonio, I am married to a wife,
Which is as deare to me as life it felfe,
But life it felfe,my wife,and all the world;

Are

Are not with me efteem'd aboue thy life.
I would lofe all, I facrifize them all
Heere to this diuell,to deliver you.

Por Your wife would giue you little thanks for that
If she were by to heare you make the offer.
Gra. I haue a wife, who I proteft Ilque,
I would the were in heauen,fo fhe could
Entreate fome power to change this currifh Tew,

Ner.Tis well you offer it behinde her backe,
The wish would make else an vnquiet house.

Lew. These be the chriftian husbands,I haue a daughter, Would any of the stocke of Barrabas

Had bene her husband,rather then a Chriftian.

We trifle time, I pray thee purdue fentence.

Por. A pound of that fame Merchants flesh is thine, The Court awards it,and the law doth giue it, Iew.Moft rightfull Iudge.

Por. And you must cut this flesh from off his breast,
The Law allowes it,and the Court awards it.
lew.Moft learned Iudge,a fentence, come prepare.
Por.Tarry a little,there is fomething elfe,

This bond doth giue thee here no iote of blood,
The words exprefly are a pound of flesh:
Take then thy bond,take thou thy pound of flesh,
But in the cutting it,if thou doft shed

One drop of Chriftian blood,thy lands and goods
Are by the lawes of Venice, confifcate
Vnto the State of Venice.

Gra.O vpright Iudge,

Marke Jew. O learned Judge.

Shy.Is that the Law?

Por.Thy felfe fhalt see the A&t:

For as tho vrgeft iuftice,be affur'd

Thou falt haue iuftice, more then thou defireft.
Gra,O learned Iudge,marke few,a learned ludge.
Iew.I take this offer then,pay the bond thrice,

And

And let the Chriftian go.
Baff.Heere is the money.

Por. Soft, the Iew fhall haue all iuftice,soft no haft
He shall haue nothing but the penalty.

Gra, O lew,an vpright iudge, a learned iudge.
Por. Therefore prepare thee to cut off the flesh,
Shed thou no blood, nor cut thou leffe nor more,
But iuft a pound of flesh : if thou cutft more
Or leffe then a iuft pound, be it but fo much
As makes it light or heauy in the substance,
Or the diuifion of the twentith part

Of one poore fcruple; nay,if the fcale do turne
But in the estimation of a haire,

Thou dyeft,and all thy goods are confiscate.
Gra. A fecond Daniel,a Daniel Tew,
Now infidell I haue you on the hip.

Por. Why doth the Iew paufe,take thy forfeyture.
Shy. Giue me my principall, and let me go.
Baff. I haue it ready for thee,heere it is.
Por. He hath refufd it in the open Court,
And fhall haue meerely iuftice and his bond.
Gra. A Daniel ftill fay I, a fecond Daniel,
I thanke thee Iew for teaching me that word.
Shy. Shall I not haue barely my principall?
Por. Thou shalt haue nothing but the forfeyture,
To be fo taken at thy perill Iew.

Shy. Why then the deuill giue him good of it:
Ile ftay no longer heere in question.

Por. Tarry lew,

The Law hath yet another hold on you.

It is enacted in the lawes of Venice,

If it be proued against any alien,

That by direct, or indirect attempts,
He feeke the life of any Citizen,

The party gainst the which he doth contriue,
Shall feize on halfe his goods; the other halfe

I

Comes

And that no lawfull meanes can carrie mee
Out of his enuies reach, I do oppose
My patience to his furie, and am arm'd
To fuffer with a quietneffe of spirit,
The verie tiranny and rage of his.

Duke. Go one and call the Iew into the Court.
Sal. He is ready at the doore, he comes my Lord.

Enter Shylocke.

Du. Make roome, and let him ftand before our face.
Shylocke the world thinkes, and I thinke so to,
That thou but leadeft this fashion of thy malice
To the last houre of act, and then tis thought
Thou'lt fhew thy mercie and remorfe more strange,
Then is thy ftrange apparant cruelty:
And where thou now exacts the penalty,
(VVhich is a pound of this poore Merchants flesh)
Thou wilt not onely loofe the forfeiture,
But touch'd with humane gentleneffe and loue,
Forgiue a moity of the principall;

Glancing an eie of pittie on his loffes,

That haue of late fo hudled on his backe,

Enow to preffe a royall Merchant downe,
And plucke commifferation of his ftate

From braffic bofomes, and rough hearts of flint,
From ftubborne Turkes, and Tartars neuer train'd
To offices of tender curtefie;

VVe all expect a gentle answer Iew.

Iem. I haue poffeft your Grace of what I purpose,
And by our holy Sabbath haue I fworne
To haue the due and forfet of my bond.
If you deny it, let the danger light

Vpon your Charter,and your Čitties freedome.
You'l aske me why I rather choose to haue
A weight of carrion flesh, then to receiue

Three

5

Three thousand Ducats? lle not answer that,
But fay it is my humor,is it answered?
What if my house be troubled with a Rat,
And I be pleas'd to giue ten thousand ducats
To haue it baind? what,are you answered yet?
Some men there are loue not a gaping pig:
Some that are mad if they behold a Cat:
And others when the Bagpipe fings i'th nose,
Cannot containe their vrine for affection.
Mafters of paffion fwayes it to the mood
Of what it likes or loathes : now for your aufwere.
As there is no firme reason to be rendred,
Why he cannot abide a gaping pig?
Why he a harmleffe neceffary Cat?
Why he a woollen Bagpipe; but of force
Muft yeeld to fuch ineuitable fhame,
As to offend, himselfe being offended:
So can I giue no reason,nor I will not,
More then a lodged hate,and à certaine loathing
I beare Anthonio,that I follow thus

A lofing fute against him are you answered?
Bal.This is no anfwer,chou vnfeeling man,
To excufe the currant of thy cruelty.

Shy.I am not bound to please thee with my answere.
Baff. Do all men kill the things they do not loue?
Shy. Hates any man the thing he would not kill?
Baff.Euery offence is not a hate at first.

Shy. What wouldst thou haue a serpent fting thee twice?
Ant.I pray you thinke you queftion with the Jew,

You may as well go ftand vpon the Beach,
And bid the maine flood bate his vfuall height,
You may as well vfe queftion with the Wolfe,
Why he hath made the Ewe bleake for the Lambe:
You may as well forbid the mountaine of Pines
To wag their high tops,and to make no noise
When they are fretten with the gufts of heauen:

H

You