Baff. Yes, here I tender it for him in the court; Yea, twice the fum: if that will not fuffice, I will be bound to pay it ten times o'er, On forfeit of my hands, my head, my heart. If this will not fuffice, it must appear

8

That malice bears down truth. And I befeech you,
Wreft once the law to your authority.

To do a great right, do a little wrong;
And curb this cruel devil of his will.

Por. It muft not be; there is no power in Venice, Can alter a decree established:

'Twill be recorded for a precedent;

And many an error, by the fame example,
Will rush into the ftate :-It cannot be.

Sky. A Daniel come to judgment! yea, a Daniel.
O wife young judge, how do I honour thee!
Por. I pray you, let me look upon the bond.
Shy. Here 'tis, moft reverend doctor, here it is.
Por. Shylock, there's thrice thy mony offer'd
thee.

Shy. An oath, oath,-I have an oath in heaven: Shall I lay perjury upon my foul?

No, not for Venice.

Por. Why, this bond is forfeit;

And lawfully by this the Jew may claim
A pound of flesh, to be by him cut off
Neareft the merchant's heart. Be merciful;
Take thrice thy mony, bid me tear the bond.
Shy. When it is paid according to the tenour.-
It doth appear you are a worthy judge;
You know the law; your expofition

Hath been moft found I charge you by the law,
Whereof you are a well deferving pillar,

Proceed to judgment. By my foul I swear,

We now call the jury good

8 Malice bears down truth.] Malice oppreffes honesty, a true man in old language is an honeft man. men and true. JOHNSON.

VOL. III.

There

There is no power in the tongue of man
To alter me: I stay here on my bond.
Anth. Moft heartily I do befeech the court
To give the judgment.

Per. Why, then thus it is :

You must prepare your bosom for his knife.
Shy. O noble judge! O excellent young man!
Por. For the intent and purpofe of the law
Hath full relation to the penalty,

Which here appeareth due upon the bond.
Shy. 'Tis very true.

O wife and upright judge! How much more elder art thou than thy looks! Por. Therefore lay bare your bofom.

Sky. Ay, his breast;

So fays the bond; doth it not, noble judge?
Nearest his heart, thofe are the very words.

Por. It is fo. Are there balance here to weigh the flesh?

Shy. I have them ready.

Por. Have by fome furgeon, Shylock, on your

charge,

To ftop his wounds, left he fhould bleed to death. Shy. Is it fo nominated in the bond?

Por. It is not fo exprefs'd; but what of that? 'Twere good, you do fo much for charity.

Shy. I cannot find it; 'tis not in the bond. Por. Come, merchant, have you any thing to fay? Anth. But little: I am arm'd, and well prepar'd. --Give me your hand, Baffanio, fare ye well! Grieve not, that I am fallen to this for you; For herein fortune fhews herfelf more kind, Than is her cuftom. It is ftill her use, To let the wretched man out-live his wealth, To view with hollow eye, and wrinkled brow, An age of poverty; from which lingering penance Of fuch a mifery doth fhe cut me off. Commend me to your honourable wife :

Tell

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 Baffanio had not once a love.
Repent not you, that you fhall 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 inftantly with all my heart.

Baff. 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 efteem'd above thy life.
I would lofe all; ay, facrifice them all
Here to this devil, to deliver you.

Por. Your wife would give you little thanks for that,

If she were by, to hear you make the offer.
Gra. I have a wife, whom, I proteft, I love:
I would, fhe were in heaven, fo fhe could
Intreat fome power to change this currish Jew.
Ner. 'Tis well, you offer it behind her back;
The wifh would make elfe an unquiet house.
Shy. These be the Chriftian hufbands. I have a
daughter;

'Would, any of the ftock of Barrabas

Had been her husband, rather than a Chriftian!

[Afide.

-We trifle time; I pray thee, purfue fentence.
Por. A pound of that fame merchant's flesh is

thine,

The court awards it, and the law doth give it.
Shy. Moft rightful judge!

Per. And you must cut this flesh from off his breaft; The law allows it, and the court awards it.

Sby. Moft learned judge!-A fentence;-come, prepare.

Por. Tarry a little;-there is fomething else.-This

O 2

This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood;
The words exprefly are, a pound of flesh.
Then take 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 laws of Venice, confifcate

Unto the ftate of Venice.

Gra. O upright judge !-Mark, Jew;-O learned judge!

Shy. Is that the law?

Per. Thyfelf fhalt see the act:

For, as thou urgeft justice, be affur'd,

Thou shalt have juftice, more than thou defir'st. Gra. O learned judge -Mark, Jew-a learned judge!

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

Ball. Here is the mony.

Por. Soft;

The Jew fhall have all justice;-soft !—no haste— He fhall 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 lefs, nor more,
But just a pound of flefh: if thou tak'st more
Or lefs, than juft a pound, be it but fo much.
As makes it light or heavy in the substance,
On the divifion of the twentieth part
Of one poor fcruple; nay, if the scale turn
But in the estimation of a hair,

Thou dieft, and all thy goods are confiscate.
Gra. A fecond Daniel, a Daniel, Jew!
—Now, infidel, I have thee on the hip.

Por. Why doth the Jew paufe?take thy forfeiture.

Shy. Give me my principal, and let me go.
Baff. I have it ready for thee; here it is.
Por. He hath refus'd it in the open court;

He

He fhall have merely juftice, and his bond.
Gra. A Daniel, ftill fay I; a fecond Daniel!
I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word.
Shy. Shall I not barely have my principal?
Por. Thou fhalt have nothing but the forfeiture,
To be fo taken at thy peril, Jew.

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

Por. Tarry, Jew;

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 feeks the life of any citizen,

The party, 'gainst the which he doth contrive,
Shall feize 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:
In which predicament, I fay, thou ftand'st.
For it appears by manifeft proceeding,
That indirectly, and directly too,

Thou haft contriv'd against the very life
Of the defendant; and thou haft incur'd
The danger formerly by me rehears'd.

Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the Duke.

Gra. Beg, that thou may't have leave to hang thyfelf:

And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state,
Thou haft not left the value of a cord;

Therefore, thou must be hang'd at the ftate's charge. Duke. That thou may'ft fee the difference of our fpirit,

1 pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.
For half thy wealth, it is Anthonio's ;
The other half comes to the general state,
Which humblenefs may drive unto a fine.