Obrázky stránek
PDF
ePub

A breed of barren metal of his friend?) (7)
But lend it rather to thine enemy;

Who, if he break, thou may'ft with better face
Exact the penalty.

Shy. Why, how you ftorm?

I would be friends with you, and have your love;
Forget the shames that you have ftain'd me with;
Supply your present wants, and take no doit

Of ufance for my monies, and you'll not hear me:
This is kind I offer.

Anth. This were kindness.

Shy. This kindness will I fhow;
Go with me to a Notary, feal me there
Your fingle bond; and, in a merry sport,
If you repay me not on such a day,
In fuch a place, fuch fum, or fums, as are
Express'd in the condition, let the forfeit
Be nominated for an equal pound

Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken
In what part of your body it fhall please me.

Anth. Content, in faith; I'll feal to fuch a bond, And fay, there is much kindness in the Jew.

Baff. You fhall not feal to fuch a bond for me, I'll rather dwell in my neceffity.

Anth. Why, fear not, man; I will not forfeit it; Within these two months (that's a month before This bond expires) I do expect return

Of thrice three times the'value of this bond.

(7) A breed of barren Metal] Meaning, Mony at Ufury, Mony that breeds more, as Mr. Pope explains it. Confonant to this Phrafe, the Latines explain'd Intereft thus; Fanus, fætum accepti: and the Greeks call'd it Tonos: both which Expreffions take in our Poet's Idea of a Breed. See Non. Marcellus in v. fænus, & mutuum: and Gronovius de Seftertiis. As for the Contradiction betwixt Breed, and barren, it is a poetical Beauty in which Claudian, among the Claffics, particularly abounds. Befides, in this Epithet, perhaps, (as Mr. Warburton ingeniously hinted to me,) our Author would fhew us the Reafon on which the Advocates against Ufury went; and which is the only One they use: That Metal is a barren thing; and cannot, like Corn and Cattle, multiply itself: and therefore it is unjuft, that Intereft fhould be taken for it: for the moft fuperftitious in this Regard allow the taking Intereft for Fruits, Corn, Cattle, &c.

VOL. II.

C

Shy.

Shy. O father Abraham, what these christians are!
Whofe own hard dealings teach them to suspect
The thoughts of others! pray you, tell me this,
If he should break his day, what should I gain
By the exaction of the forfeiture?

A pound of man's flesh, taken from a man,
Is not fo eftimable or profitable,

As flesh of muttons, beefs, or goats. I fay,
To buy his favour, I extend this friendship;
If he will take it, fo;
if not, adieu;

And for my love, I pray you, wrong me not.
Anth. Yes, Shylock, I will feal unto this bond.
Shy. Then meet me forthwith at the Notary's.
Give him direction for this merry bond,
And I will go and purse the ducats ftrait;
See to my houfe, left in the fearful guard
Of an unthrifty knave, and presently

I'll be with you.

Anth. Hie thee, gentle Jew.

[Exit.

This Hebrew will turn chriftian; he grows kind.
Baff. I like not fair terms, and a villain's mind.
Anth. Come on, in this there can be no difmay;
My fhips come home a month before the day. [Exeunt.

A C T II.

SCENE, BELMONT.

Enter Morochius, a Tawny-Moor, all in white; and three or four Followers accordingly; with Portia, Neriffa, and her train. Flo. Cornets.

M'

MORO CHIUS.

ISLIKE me not for my complection, The fhadow'd livery of the burnish'd fun, To whom I am a neighbour, and near bred. Bring me the faireft creature northward born,

Where

Where Phœbus' fire fcarce thaws the ificles,
And let us make incifion for your love,
To prove whose blood is reddeft, his or mine.
I tell thee, lady, this aspect of mine

Hath fear'd the valiant; by my love, I fwear,
The best regarded virgins of our clime

Have lov'd it too: I would not change this hue,
Except to steal your thoughts, my gentle Queen.
Por. In terms of choice I am not folely led
By nice direction of a maiden's eyes:
Befides, the lottery of my destiny
Bars me the right of voluntary chufing.
But if my father had not fcanted

me,

And hedg'd me by his wit to yield my felf
His wife, who wins me by that means I told you
Your self, renowned Prince, then stood as fair,
As any comer I have look'd on yet,

For my affection.

Mor. Ev'n for that I thank you;
Therefore, I pray you, lead me to the caskets
To try my fortune. By this fcimitar,
That flew the Sophy and a Perfian Prince,
That won three fields of Sultan Solyman,
I would out-ftare the fterneft eyes that look,
Out-brave the heart moft daring on the earth,
Pluck the young fucking cubs from the fhe-beat,
Yea, mock the lion when he roars for prey,
To win thee, lady. But, alas the while!
If Hercules and Lichas play at dice
Which is the better man, the greater throw
May turn by fortune from the weaker hand:
So is Alcides beaten by his page; (8)

C 2

And

(8) So is Alcides beaten by his Rage.] Tho' the whole Set of Editions concur in this Reading, and it pafs'd wholly unfufpected by the late Learned Editor; I am very well affur'd, and, I dare fay, the Readers will be fo too presently, that it is corrupt at Bottom. Let us look into the Poet's Drift, and the History of the Perfons mention'd in the Context. If Hercules (fays he) and Lichas were to play at Dice for the Deci fion of their Superiority, Lichas, the weaker Man, might have the better Caft of the Two. But how then is Alcides beaten by his rage ? To admit

And fo may I, blind fortune leading me,
Mifs that, which one unworthier may attain;
And die with grieving.

Por. You must take your chance,

And either not attempt to chufe at all,

Or fwear, before you chufe, if you chufe wrong,
Never to fpeak to lady afterward

In way of marriage; therefore, be advis'd.

Mor. Nor will not; therefore, bring me to my chance. Por. First, forward to the temple; after dinner Your hazard fhall be made.

Mor. Good fortune then!

Cornets.

To make me bleft, or curfed'ft among men. [Exeunt.

SCENE changes to Venice.

Enter Launcelot alone.

Laun. run from this Jew my master.

me

to

The fiend

this, we must fuppofe a Gap in the Poet; and that fome Lines are loft, in which Hercules, in his Paffion for lofing the Hand, had thrown the Box and Dice away, and knock'd his own head against the Wall for meer Madness. Thus, indeed, might he be faid, in fome Senfe, to be beaten by his Rage. But Shakespeare had no fuch ftuff in his head. He means no more, than, if Lichas had the better Throw, fo might Hercules himself be beaten by Lichas. And who was He, but a poor unfortunate Servant of Hercules, that unknowingly brought his Maiter the envenom'd Shirt, dipt in the Blood of the Centaur Neffus, and was thrown headlong into the Sea for his Pains? This one Circumftance of Lichas's Quality known fufficiently afcertains the Emendation I have fubftituted, of page instead of rage. It is fcarce requifite to hint here, it is a Point fo well known, that Page has been always us'd in English to fignify any Boy-Servant: as well as what latter Times have appropriated it to, a Lady's Trainbearer. And, confonant to our extended Ufage of the Word, the French call a Shipboy, un Page du Navire. So much in Explanation of this new adopted Reading. The very excellent Lord LANSDOWNE, in his Alteration of this Play, tho' he might not stand to make the Correction upon the Poet, feems at least to have understood the Paffage exactly as I do: and tho he changes the Verfe, retains the Senfe of it in this manner:

So were a Giant vorfted by a Dwarf!

Tho I had made the Emendation, before I thought to look into his Lordship's Performance; it is no fmall fatisfaction to me, that I have the Authority of fuch a Genius to back my Conjecture. Mr. Pope, in his last Edition, has thought fit to embrace my Reading.

is at mine elbow, and tempts me, faying to me, Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot, or good Gobbo, or good Launcelot Gobbo, ufe your legs, take the start, run away. My confcience fays, no; take heed, honest Launcelot; take heed, honeft Gobbo; or, as aforesaid, honeft Launcelot Gobbo, do not run; fcorn running with thy heels. Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack; via! says the fiend; away! fays the fiend; for the heav'ns roufe up a brave mind, fays the fiend, and run. Well, my confcience, hanging about the neck of my heart, fays very wifely to me, my honeft friend Launcelot, being an honeft man's fon, or rather an honeft woman's fon (for, indeed, my father did fomething fmack, fomething grow to; he had a kind of taste.) well, my confcience fays, budge not; budge, fays the fiend; budge not, fays my confcience; confcience, fay I, you counfel ill; fiend, fay I, you counsel ill. To be rul'd by my confcience, I fhould stay with the Jew my mafter, who, God bless the mark, is a kind of devil; and to run away from the Jew, I fhould be ruled by the fiend, who, faving your reverence, is the devil himfelf. Certainly, the Jew is the very devil incarnal; and in my confcience, my confcience is but a kind of hard confcience, to offer to counfel me to stay with the few. The fiend gives the more friendly counsel; I will run, fiend, my heels are at your commandment, I will run.

Enter old Gobbo, with a basket.

Gob. Mafter young man, you, I pray you, which is the way to mafter Jew's?

Laun. O heav'ns, this is my true begotten father, who being more than fand-blind, high gravel-blind, knows me not; I will try confufions with him.

Gob. Mafter young Gentleman, I pray you, which is the way to mafter Jew's?

Laun. Turn up, on your right-hand (9) at the next turning,

C 3

(9) Turn up, on your right hand -]This arch and perplex'd Direction, on purpose to puzzle the Enquirer, feems to be copied from Syrus to̟ Demea, in the Brothers of Terence: A&t. 4. Sc. 2.

[ocr errors]

ubi

« PředchozíPokračovat »