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Shy. Ay, his breast:

So says the bond;-Doth it not, noble judge?
Nearest his heart, those are the very words.
Por. It is so. Are there balance here to weigh
The flesh?

Shy. I have them ready. [charge, Por. Have by some surgeon, Shylock, on your To stop his wounds, lest he do bleed to death. Shy. Is it so nominated in the bond? Por. It is not so express'd; but what of that? 'Twere good you do so much for charity.

Shy. I cannot find it; 'tis not in the bond. [say?
Por. Come, merchant, have you any thing to
Anth. But little; I am arm'd and well prepar'd.
Give me your hand, Bassanio; fare you well!
Grieve not that I am fallen to this for you;
For herein fortune shews herself more kind
Than is her custom: it is still her use,
To let the wretched man outlive his wealth,
To view with hollow eye, and wrinkled brow,
An age of poverty; from which lingering penance
Of such a misery doth she cut me off,
Commend me to your honourable wife:
Tell her the process of Anthonio's end;
Say, how I lov'd you, speak me fair in death;
And, when the tale is told, bid her be judge,
Whether Bassanio had not once a love.
Repent not you that you shall lose your friend,
And he repents not that he pays your debt;
For if the Jew do cut but deep enough,
I'll pay it instantly with all my heart.

Bass. Anthonio, I am married to a wife,
Which is as dear to me as life itself;
But life itself, my wife, and all the world,
Are not with me esteem'd above thy life:
I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all
Here to this devil to deliver you.

[that,

Por. Your wife would give you little thanks for If she were by to hear you make the offer.

Gra. I have a wife, whom, I protest, I love; I would she were in heaven, so she could Intreat some power to change this currish Jew. Ner. "Fis well you offer it behind her back; The wish would make else an unquiet house.

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Shy. I take this offer then ;-pay the bond And let the Christian go. [thrice,

Bass. Here is the money.
Por. Soft;

The Jew shall have all justice;-soft! no haste;-
He shall have nothing but the penalty.

Gra. O Jew! an upright judge, a learned judge! Por. Therefore prepare thee to cut off the flesh. Shed thou no blood; nor cut thou less, nor more, But just a pound of flesh :-if thou tak'st more, Or less, than a just pound,-be it but so much 20 As makes it light, or heavy, in the substance Or the division of the twentieth part

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30

1351

Of one poor scruple; nay, if the scale turn
But in the estimation of a hair,-

Thou diest, and all thy goods are confiscate.
Gra. A second Daniel, a Daniel, Jew!
Now, infidel, I have thee on the hip. [feiture.
Por. Why doth the Jew pause? take thy for-
Shy. Give me my principal, and let me go.
Bass. I have it ready for thee; here it is.
Por. He hath refused it in the open court;
He shall have merely justice and his bond.
Gra. A Daniel, still say I; a second Daniel!-
I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word.
Shy. Shall I not barely have my principal?
Por. Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture,
To be so taken at thy peril, Jew.

Shy. Why then the devil give him good of it! I'll stay no longer question.

Por. Tarry, Jew;

40 The law hath yet another hold on you. It is enacted in the laws of Venice,

If it be prov'd against an alien,
That by direct or indirect attempts,
He seeks the life of any citizen,

Shy. These be the Christian husbands: I have a 45 The party 'gainst the which he doth contrive,

daughter;

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Shall seize on half his goods; the other half Comes to the privy coffer of the state; And the offender's life lies in the mercy Of the duke only, 'gainst all other voice. 50 In which predicament I say thou stand'st: For it appears by manifest proceeding, That indirectly and directly too, Thou hast contriv'd against the very Of the defendant; and thou hast incurr'd The danger formerly by me rehears'd. Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the duke. Gra. Beg that thou may'st have leave to hang thyself:

Por. And you must cut his flesh from off his 55 The law allows it, and the court awards it.

Shy. Most learned judge!--A sentence; come,

prepare.

Por. Tarry a little, there is something else. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; The words expressly are, a pound of flesh; Then take thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh; But in the cutting it, if thou dost shed

One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate

life

And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state, 60 Thou hast not left the value of a cord; Therefore,thoumust be hang'd at the state's charge. Duke. That thou may'st see the difference of our spirit,

pardon thee thy life before thou ask it: 165 For half thy wealth, it is Anthonio's;

The

The other half comes to the general state,
Which humbleness may drive unto a fine.
Por. Ay, for the state; not for Anthonio.
Shy. Nay, take my life and all, pardon not
that:

You take my house, when you do take the prop
That doth sustain my house; you take my life,
When you do take the means whereby I live.
Por. What mercy can you render him, Anthonio?
Gra. A halter gratis; nothing else, for God's 10
sake.
[court,

Anth. So please my lord the duke, and all the
To quit the fine for one half of his goods;
I am content, so he will let me have
The other half in use,-to render it,
Upon his death, unto the gentleman,
That lately stole his daughter.

[vour,

Two things provided more,─That, for this fa-
He presently become a Christian:

The other, that he do record a gift,

Here in the court, of all he dies possess'd,
Unto his son Lorenzo, and his daughter.

Not to deny me, and to pardon me.
Por. You press me far, and therefore I will
yield.
[sake;
Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your
5 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.

Bass. This ring, good sir,-alas, it is a trifle;
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.
Bass. There's more depends on this, than on
the value.

The dearest ring in Venice will I give you,
15 And find it out by proclamation;

Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.

Por. I see, 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. 20 Bass. Good sir, this ring was given me by my wife;

Duke. He shall do this, or else I do recant
The pardon that I late pronounced here. [say?
Por. Art thou contented, Jew? what dost thou 25
Shy. I am content.

Por. Clerk, draw a deed of gift. [hence,
Shy. I pray you, give me leave to go from
I am not well; send the deed after me,
And I will sign it.

Duke. Get thee gone, but do it.
Gra. In christening, thou shalt have two god-
fathers;
[more
Had I been judge, thou should'st have had ten
To bring thee to the gallows, not the font.
[Exit Shylock.
Duke.Sir, I do intreat you home with me to dinner.
Por. I humbly do desire your grace of pardon2:
I must away this night to Padua,
And it is meet, I presently set forth.

30

And, when she put it on, she made me vow,
That I should neither sell, nor give, nor lose it.
Por. That 'scuse serves many men to save their

gifts.

An if your wife be not a mad-woman,
And know how well I have deserv'd this ring,
She would not hold out enemy for ever,
For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you!
[Exit with Nerissa.
Anth. My lord Bassanio, let him have the ring;
Let his deservings, and my love withal,
Be valu'd 'gainst your wife's commandement.
Bass. Go, Gratiano, run and overtake him,
35 Give him the ring; and bring him, if thou can'st,
Unto Anthonio's house:-away, make haste.
Come, you and I will thither presently;
And in the morning early will we both
Fly towards Belmont: Come, Anthonio. [Exeunt.
SCENE

[not. 40

Duke. I am sorry that your leisure serves you
Anthonio, gratify this gentleman;
For, in my mind, you are much bound to him.
[Exeunt Duke and his train.

Bass. Most worthy gentleman, I, and my friend, 45
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.
Anth. And stand indebted, over and above,
In love and service to you evermore.

Por. He is well paid, that is well satisfy'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.

3

Bass. Dear sir, of force I must attempt you
further;

Take some remembrance of us, for a tribute,
Not as a fee: grant me two things, I pray you,

II.

Enter Portia and Nerissa.

Por. Enquire the Jew's house out, give him
this deed,

And let him sign it; we'll away to-night,
And be a day before our husbands home:
This deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo.
Enter Gratiano.

50 Gra. Fair sir, you are well o'erta'en:
My lord Bassanio, upon more advice',
Hath sent you here this ring; and doth intreat
Your company at dinner.

Por. That cannot be:

55 This ring I do accept most thankfully,
And so, I pray you, tell him; Furthermore,
pray you, shew my youth old Shylock's house.
Gra. That will I do..

I

Ner. Sir, I would speak with you :

60 I'll see if I can get my husband's ring, [To Por. Which I did make him swear to keep for ever.

i. e. a jury of twelve meu, to condemn thee to be hanged, i. e. reflexion.

Meaning, your grace's pardon.

Por.

Por. Thou may'st, I warrant: We shall have old swearing,

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'st where I will tarry.

Ner. Come, good sir, you will shew me to this house?

[Exeunt.

SCENE I.

A CT V.

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-In such a

When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees, And they did make no noise; in such a night, Troilus, methinks, mounted the Trojan wall, And sigh'd his soul toward the Grecian tents, Where Cressid lay that night.

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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.

Jes. In such a night,

Medea gather'd the enchanted herbs

That did renew old son.

Lor. In such a night,

Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew;

And with an unthrift love did run from Venice, As far as Belmont.

Jes. And in such a night,

Did young Lorenzo swear he lov'd her well;
Stealing her soul with many vows of faith,
And we'er a true one.

Lor. And in such a night,

Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew,
Slander her love, and he forgave it her.

Jes. I would out-night you, did nobody come; But hark, I hear the footing of a man.

Enter a Servant.

Lor. Who comes so fast in silence of the night?|
Serv. A friend.

Lor. A friend: what friend? your name,
friend?

pray you,

I

Serv. 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 she kneels and prays For happy wedlock hours.

Lor. Who comes with her?

Serv. 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, Jessica,

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And ceremoniously let us prepare

Some welcome for the inistress of the house.
Enter Launcelot.

Laun. Sola, sola, wo ha, ho, sola, sola!
Lor. Who calls?

Laun. Sola! did you see master Lorenzo, and mistress Lorenzo? sola, sola!

Lor. Leave hallooing, man; here.

Laun. Sola! where? where?
Lor. Here.

Laun. Tell him, there's a post come from my
master, with his horn full of good news; my
master will be here ere morning, sweet soul. [Erit.
Lor. Let's in, and there expect their coming.
And yet no matter;--Why should we go in ?
My friend Stephano, signify, I pray you,
Within the house your mistress is at hand;
And bring your music forth into the air.-
[Exit servant.
How sweet the moon-light sleeps upon this bank!
Here will we sit, and let the sounds of musick
Creep in our ears; soft stillness, and the night,
Become the touches of sweet harmony.

35 Sit, Jessica: Look how the floor of heaven Is thick inlay'd with patines' of bright gold; There's not the smallest orb, which thou behold'st, But in his motion like an angel sings, Still quiring to the young-ey'd cherubims. 40 Such harmony is in immortal souls; But, whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn; With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear, 45 And draw her hon e with musick.

Jes. I am never merry, when I hear sweet mu-
sick.
[Musick.
Lor. The reason is, your spirits are attentive:
For do but note a wild and wanton herd,

50 Or race of youthful and unhandled colts, [loud,
Fetching mad bounds, bellowing, and neighing
Which is the hot condition of their blood;
If they perchance but hear a trumpet sound,
Or any air of musick touch their ears,

55 You shall perceive them make a mutual stand,
Their savage eyes. turn'd to a modest gaze,
By the sweet power of musick: Therefore, the
poet
[floods :
Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and
60 Since nought so stockish, hard, and full of rage,
But musick for the: time doth change his nature:
The man that hat ʼn no musick in himself,

Patine is the plate made use of for the bread in
Meaning the moon, who is after-

Our author evidently here alludes to the stars. the administration of the Eucharist, and sometimes made of gold. wards represented as sleeping,

Nor

5

Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus:
Let no such man be trusted.-Mark the musick.
Enter Portia, and Nerissa at a distance.
Por. That light we see, is burning in my hall.]
How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world. [candle.
Ner. When the moon shone, we did not see the 10
Por. So doth the greater glory dim the less:
A substitute shines brightly as a king,
Until a king be by; and then his state
Empties itself, as doth an inland brook
Into the main of waters. Musick! hark! [Musick. 15
Ner. It is your musick, madam, of the house.
Par. Nothing is good, I see, without respect;
Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day.

Ner. Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam.
Por. The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark,
When neither is attended; and, I think,
The nightingale, if she should sing by day,
When every goose is cackling, would be thought
No better a musician than the wren.
How many things by season season'd are
To their right praise, and true perfection!-
Peace! how the moon sleeps with Endymion,
And would not be awak'd!

Lor. That is the voice,

[Musick ceases.

To whom I am so infinitely bound. [him,
Por. You should in all sense be much bound to
For, as I hear, he was much bound for you.
Anth. No more than I am well acquitted of.
Por. Sir, you are very welcome to our house:
It must appear in other ways than words,
Therefore I scant this breathing courtesy.

[Gratiano and Nerissa seem to talk apart.
Gra. By yonder moon, I swear you do me wrong,
In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk:
Would he were gelt that had it, for my part,
Since you do take it, love, so much at heart.
Por. A quarrel, ho,already? what's the matter?
Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring
That she did give me; whose poesy was
For all the world, like cutler's poetry
Upon a knife, Love me, and leave me not.

Ner. What talk you of the poesy, or the value?
You swore to me, when I did give it you,
20 That you would wear it till your hour of death;
And that it should lie with you in your grave:
Though not for me, yet for your vehement oaths,
You should have been respective',and have kept it.
Gave it a judge's clerk!-but well I know,
[it.
25 The clerk will ne'er wear hair on his face that had
Gra. He will, an if he live to be a man.
Ner. Ay, if a woman live to be a man.
Gra. Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth,—
A kind of boy; a little scrubbed boy,

Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia. [cuckow, 30
Por. He knows me, as the blind man knows the
By the bad voice.

Lor. Dear lady, welcome home.

Por. We have been praying for our husbands'
welfare,

Which speed, we hope, the better for our words.
Are they return'd?

Lor. Madam, they are not yet;

But there is come a messenger before,
To signify their coming.

Por. Go in, Nerissa,

Give order to my servants, that they take
No note at all of our being absent hence:-
Nor you, Lorenzo; Jessica, nor you.

35

No higher than thyself, the judge's clerk;
A prating boy, that begg'd it as a fee;

I could not for my heart deny it him.

[you,

Por. You were to blame, I must be plain with
To part so slightly with your wife's first gift;
A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger,
And riveted with faith unto your flesh.

I

gave my love a ring, and made him swear Never to part with it; and here he stands:

I dare be sworn for him, he would not leave it,
40 Nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth
That the world masters. Now, in faith, Gratiano
You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief;
An 'twere to me, I should be mad at it.
Bass. Why, I were best to cut my left hand off,
And swear I lost the ring defending it. [Aside.
Gra. My lord Bassanio gave his ring away
Unto the judge that begg'd it, and indeed,
Deserv'd it too; and then the boy, his clerk,
That took some pains in writing, he begg'd mine:
50 And neither man nor master would take aught
But the two rings.

[A tucket' sounds. 45
Lor. Your husband is at hand, I hear his trumpet:
We are no tell-tales, madam; fear you not. [sick.
Por. This night, methinks, is but the day-light|
It looks a little paler: 'tis a day,
Such as the day is when the sun is hid.
Enter Bassanio, Anthonio, Gratiano, and their
followers.

Bass. We should hold day with the Antipodes,
If
you would walk in absence of the sun.

Por, Let me give light, but let me not be light; 55
For a light wife doth make a heavy husband,
And never be Bassanio so for me;

But, God sort all!-You are welcome home, my

lord.

[my friend..

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Por. What ring gave you, my lord?
Not that, I hope, which you receiv'd of me?
Bass. If I could add a lye unto a fault,

I would deny it; but you see, my finger

Hath not the ring upon it, it is gone.

Por. Even so void is your false heart of truth,
By heaven, I will ne'er come in your bed
Until I see the ring.

Ner. Nor I in yours, 'Till I again see mine,

Knives were formerly inscribed by means of aqua fortis with
Meaning, perhaps, a stunted or shrub-like boy..

Meaning, respectful.

Bass.

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Por. If you had known the virtue of the ring,
Or half her worthiness that gave the ring,
Or your own honour to retain the ring,
You would not then have parted with the ring.
What man is there so much unreasonable,
If you had pleas'd to have defended it
With any terms of zeal, wanted the modesty
To urge the thing held as a ceremony?
Nerissa teaches me what to believe;
I'll die for't, but some woman had the ring.
Bass. No, by mine honour, madam, by my soul,
No woman had it, but a civil doctor,
Who did refuse three thousand ducats of me,
And begg'd the ring; the which I did deny him,
And suffer'd him to go displeas'd away;
Even he that had held up the very life

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20

Anth. Here, lord Bassanio; swear to keep this ring.

Bass. By heaven, it is the same I gave the

doctor.

Por. I had it of him: pardon me, Bassanio; For by this ring the doctor lay with me.

Ner. And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano; For that same scrubbed boy, the doctor's clerk, In lieu of this, last night did lie with me.

Gra. Why, this is like the mending of highway In summer, where the ways are fair enough: What! are we cuckolds ere we have deserv'd it? Por. Speak not so grossly.-You are all amaz'd:

Of my dear friend. What should I say, sweet lady? 25 Here is a letter, read it at your leisure,

I was enforc'd to send it after him;

I was beset with shame and courtesy ;

My honour would not let ingratitude

So much besmear it: Pardon me, good lady;
For, by these blessed candles of the night,

Had you been there, I think you would have
begg'd

The ring of me to give the worthy doctor.

Por. Let not that doctor e'er come near my
⚫ house:

Since he hath got the jewel that I lov'd,
And that which you did swear to keep for me,
I will become as liberal as you;

I'll not deny him any thing I have,
No, not my body, nor my husband's bed:
Know him I shall, I am well sure of it:

Lie not a night from home; watch me, like Argus;
If you do not, if I be left alone,
Now, by mine honour, which is yet my own,
I'll have that doctor for my bedfellow.

Ner. And I his clerk; therefore be w .:: advis'd,
How do you leave me to mine own protection.

It comes from Padua, from Bellario:
There you shall find, that Portia was the doctor;
Nerissa there, her clerk; Lorenzo here
Shall witness, I set forth as soon as you,
30 And but even now return'd; I have not yet
Enter'd my house.-Anthonio, you are welcome;
And I have better news in store for you,
Than you expect: unseal this letter soon;
There you shall find, three of your argosies
35 Are richly come to harbour suddenly:
You shall not know by what strange accident
I chanced on this letter.

40

45

Gra. Well, do you so; let me not take him then:
For, if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen.
Anth. I am the unhappy subject of these quar-50
rels.

Por. Sir, grieve not you; You are welcome not-
withstanding.

Bass. Portia, forgive me this enforced wrong;
And, in the hearing of these many friends,
I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes,
Wherein I see myself,-

Por. Mark you but that!

In both mine eyes he doubly sees himself:
In each eye, one:-swear by your double self',
And there's an oath of credit.

Anth. I am dumb.

Bass. Were you the doctor, and I knew you not?
Gra. Were you the clerk, that is to make me

cuckold?

Ner. Ay, but the clerk, that never means to do it, Unless he live until he be a man.

Bass. Sweet doctor, you shall be my bed-
fellow;

When I am absent, then lie with my wife.
Anth. Sweet lady, you have given me life, and
living;

For here I read for certain, that my ships
Are safely come to road.

Por. How now, Lorenzo ?

My clerk hath some good comforts too for you,
Ner. Ay, and I'll give them him without a
fee.-

55 There do I give to you, and Jessica,
From the rich Jew, a special deed of gift,
After his death, of all he dies possess'd of.

60

Lor. Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way Of starved people.

Por. It is almost morning,

And yet, I am sure, you are not satisfy'd

Double is here put for full duplicity.

That is, his advantage.

Of

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