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Enter Shylock.

Duke. Make room, and let him stand before our face.— Shylock, the world thinks, and I think so too, That thou but lead'ft this fashion of thy malice To the last hour of act; and then, 'tis thought, Thou❜lt fhew thy mercy, and remorse, more strange Than is thy ftrange apparent cruelty:

d

And, where thou now exact'ft the penalty,
(Which is a pound of this poor merchant's flesh)
Thou wilt not only lose the forfeiture,

But touch'd with human gentleness and love,
Forgive a moiety of the principal;

Glancing an eye of pity on his loffes,

That have of late fo huddled on his back;
Enough to press a royal merchant down,
And pluck commiferation of his state

From braffy bofoms, and rough hearts of flint,
From stubborn Turks, and Tartars, never train'd
To offices of tender courtesy.

We all expect a gentle anfwer, Jew.

h

Shy. I have poffefs'd your grace of what I purpose; And by our holy Sabbath have I fworn,

To have the due and forfeit of my bond:
If you deny it, let the danger light

Upon your charter, and your city's freedom.
You'll ask me, why I rather chuse to have
A weight of carrion flesh, than to receive
Three thousand ducats: I'll not anfwer that:
į
But, fay, it is my humour; Is it answer'd?

d apparent]-affumed, feeming. Loje]-remit.

h poffefs'd]-informed.

where]-whereas.

& buddled ]-crowded, fall'n fo thick.

i anfer that :]-formally, and as a legal question.

What

What if

my house be troubled with a rat, And I be pleas'd to give ten thousand ducats

To have it ban'd? What are you anfwer'd yet?
Some men there are, love not a gaping pig;
Some, that are mad, if they behold a cat;
And others, when the bag-pipe fings i' the nofe,
'Cannot contain their urine; For affection,
Master of paffion, fways it to the mood

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your

Of what it likes, or loaths: Now, for
As there is no firm reafon to be render'd,
Why he cannot abide a gaping pig;

Why he, a harmless neceffary cat;

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Why he, a woollen bag-pipe: but of force

Muft yield to fuch inevitable shame,

As to offend himself, being offended;

So can I give no reason, nor I will not,

anfwer:

More than a lodg'd hate, and a certain loathing,
I bear Anthonio, that I follow thus

A lofing fuit against him.

Are you answer'd ? Baff. This is no answer, thou unfeeling man, To excufe the current of thy cruelty.

Shy. I am not bound to please thee with my answers.
Baff. Do all men kill the thing they do not love?
Shy. Hates any man the thing he would not kill?

*ban'd?]-poifon'd.

1 Cannot contain their urine for affection—because they are fo violently affected by the found.

For affection, &c.-Sympathy, and antipathy fo govern our fenfations, as to force us to follow their impulfe. Masters of paffion fway &c.—whatever has the mastery over it makes it like, or loath at pleasure.

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Mafterlefs paffion fways us to the mood

Of what it likes, or loaths."-The ruling paffion.

Mafters our paffion.

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firm reafon to be render'd,]-fatisfactory account to be given.

1 woollen bag-pipe ;]-the bag covered with woollen cloth-fwollen,

wawling, wooden.

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Baff. Every offence is not a hate at first.

Shy. What, would'st thou have a serpent fting thee twice?
Anth. I pray you, think you° question with the Jew:
You may as well go ftand upon the beach,
And bid the main flood bate his usual height;
You may as well P ufe queftion with the wolf,
Why he hath made the ewe bleat for the lamb;
You may as well forbid the mountain pines
To wag their high tops, and to make no noise,
When they are fretted with the gufts of heaven;
You may as well do any thing most hard,
As feek to foften that (than which what's harder?)
His Jewish heart :-Therefore, I do befeech you,
Make no more offers, use no farther means,
But, with all brief and plain conveniency,
Let me have judgment, and the Jew his will.
Baff. For thy three thousand ducats here is fix.
Shy. If every ducat in fix thousand ducats
Were in fix parts, and every part a ducat,

I would not draw them, I would have my bond.
Duke. How fhalt thou hope for mercy, rend'ring none?
Shy. What judgment fhall I dread, doing no wrong?
You have among you many a purchas'd flave,
Which, like your affes, and your dogs, and mules,
You use in abject and in flavish parts,

Because you bought them :-Shall I say to you,
Let them be free, marry them to your heirs?
Why sweat they under burdens? let their beds
Be made as foft as yours, and let their palates
Be feafon'd with fuch viands? you will answer,
The flaves are ours :-So do I answer you :
The pound of flesh, which I demand of him,

queftion]-converse.

Pufe queftion with]-examine, interrogate.

Is

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Is dearly bought, is mine, and I will have it:
If you deny me, fie upon your law !

There is no force in the decrees of Venice:

I ftand for judgment: anfwér; fhall I have it?
Duke. Upon my power, I may difmifs this court,
Unless Bellario, a learned doctor,

Whom I have fent for to determine this,

Come here to-day.

Sala. My lord, here stays without

A meffenger with letters from the doctor,
New come from Padua.

Duke. Bring us the letters; Call the messenger.

Baff. Good cheer, Anthonio! What, man? courage yet!
The Jew fhall have my flesh, blood, bones, and all,
Ere thou shalt lofe for me one drop of blood.
Anth. I am a tainted wether of the flock,
Meeteft for death; the weakest kind of fruit
Drops earliest to the ground, and fo let me :
You cannot better be employ'd, Baffanio,
Than to live ftill, and write mine epitaph.

Enter Neriffa, drefs'd like a lawyer's clerk.
Duke. Came you from Padua, from Bellario?
Ner. From both my lord: Bellario greets your grace.
Baff. Why doft thou whet thy knife fo earnestly?
Sby. To cut the forfeiture from that bankrupt there.
Gra. Not on thy foal, but on thy foul, harsh Jew,
Thou mak'ft thy knife keen: but no metal can,
No, not the hangman's ax, bear half the keenness
Of thy fharp envy. Can no prayers pierce thee?
Shy. No, none that thou haft wit enough to make.
Gra. O, be thou damn'd, inexorable dog!

9

And for thy life let juftice be accus'd.

a sharp envy.]-implacable hatred.

L 4

Thou

Thou almoft mak'st me waver in my faith,
To hold opinion with Pythagoras,

That fouls of animals infufe themselves

Into the trunks of men: thy currifh fpirit
Govern'd a wolf, who, hang'd for human flaughter,
Even from the gallows did his fell foul fleet,
And, whilst thou lay'ft in thy unhallow'd dam,
Infus'd itself in thee; for thy defires

Are wolfish, bloody, ftarv'd and ravenous.

Shy. 'Till thou can'ft rail the feal from off my bond, Thou but offend'st thy lungs to speak fo loud: Repair thy wit, good youth, or it will fall To cureless ruin.-I ftand here for law.

Duke. This letter from Bellario doth commend A young and learned doctor to our court:Where is he?

Ner. He attendeth here hard by,

To know your anfwer, whether you'll admit him.
Duke. With all my heart :-fome three or four of you,
Go give him courteous conduct to this place.—
Mean time, the court fhall hear Bellario's letter.

Your grace fhall understand, that, at the receipt of your letter, I am very fick: but at the inftant that your messenger came, in loving vifitation was with me a young doctor of Rome, his name is Balthafar: I acquainted him with the cause in controverfy between the few and Anthonio the merchant: we turn'd o'er many books together: he is furnish'd with my opinion; which, bettered with his own learning, (the greatnefs whereof I cannot enough commend) comes with him, at my importunity, to fill up your grace's request in my ftead. I befeech you, let his lack of years be no impediment to let him lack a reverend estimation; for I never knew fo young a body with fo old an bead. I leave him to your gracious acceptance, whose trial fhall better publish his commendation. Enter

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