You must prepare your bosom for his knife: Hath full relation to the penalty, Shy. On what compulsion must I? tell me that. Which here appeareth due upon the bond. It droppeth, as the gentle rain from heaven And earthly power doth then show likest God's, Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice there. Wrest once the law to your authority: To do a great right, do a little wrong; And curb this cruel devil of his will. Shy. "Tis very true: O wise and upright judge! How much more elder art thou than thy looks! 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. Por. Have by some surgeon, Shylock, on your charge, To stop his wounds, lest he do bleed to death. Give me your hand, Bassanio; fare you well! Bass. Antonio, I am married to a wife, Por. It must not be; there is no power in Venice Which is as dear to me as life itself: Can alter a decree established; 'Twill be recorded for a precedent; And many an error, by the same example, Will rush into the state: it cannot be. Shy. A Daniel come to judginent! yea, a Daniel! Shy. An oath, an oath, I have an oath in heaven: Why, this bond is forfeit; And lawfully by this the Jew may claim Nearest the merchant's heart:-Be merciful; Shy. When it is paid according to the tenour.- Hath been most sound: I charge you by the law, 1 To impugn is to oppose, to controvert. 2 i. e. within his reach or controul. The phrase is thought to be derived from a similar one in the monkish Latin of the middle age. 3 Shakspeare probably recollected the following verse of Ecclesiasticus, xxxv. 20, in composing these beautiful lines: 'Mercy is seasonable in the time of affiction, as clouds of rain in the time of drought." 4 So in K. Edward III. a Tragedy, 1596: And Kings approach the nearest unto God, By giving life and safety unto men." But life itself, my wife, and all the world, 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 protest, I love; daughter: 'Would any of the stock of Barrabas" We trifle time: I pray thee, pursue sentence. The court awards it, and the law doth give it. Por. And you must cut this flesh from off his breast; The law allows it, and the court awards it. 5 Portia referring the Jew to the Christian doctrine of Salvation, and the Lord's Prayer, is a little out of character. 6 i. e. malice oppressed honesty, a true man in old language is an honest man. We now call the jury good men and true. 7 Shakspeare seems to have followed the pronunciation usual to the theatre, Barabbas being sounded Barabas throughout Marlowe's Jew of Malta. Bass. Por. Here is the money. Soft; The Jew shall have all justice:-soft! -no haste; - Gra. O Jew! an upright judge, a learned judge! Of one poor scruple; nay, if the scale do turn hair, Thou diest, and all thy goods are confiscate. Now, infidel, I have thee on the hip. Por. Why doth the Jew pause? take thy for- Shy. Give me my principal, and let me go. He shall have merely justice, and his bond. For half thy wealth, it is Antonio's; You take my house, when you do take the prop Por. What mercy can you render him, Antonio ? Two things provided more. That, for this favour, The other, that he do record a gift, Duke. He shall do this; or else I do recant The pardon that I late pronounced here. Shy. I am content. Por. Clerk, draw a deed of gift. Shy. I pray you, give me leave to go from hence; Get thee gone, but do it. Gra. In christening thou shalt have two godfathers; Had I been judge, thou shouldst have had ten To bring thee to the gallows, not to the font. Duke. I am sorry that your leisure serves you not. Gra. A Daniel, still say I; a second Daniel! - For, in my mind, you are much bound to him. I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word. Shy. Shall I not have barely 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; The law hath yet another hold on you. That by direct, or indirect attempts, He seek the life of any citizen, The party, 'gainst the which he doth contrive, Gra. Beg, that thou may'st have leave to hang thyself: And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state, charge. I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it: [Exeunt Duke, Magnificoes, and Train. Por. He is well paid that is well satisfied; Bass. Dear sir, of force I must attempt you fur ther; Take some remembrance of us, as a tribute, Por. You press me far, and therefore I will yield. Bass. This ring, good sir, -alas, it is a trifle; 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, Por. I see, sir, you are liberal in offers : 1 Balthasar Gracian, the celebrated Spanish Jesuit, in his Hero, relates a similar judgment, which he attributes to the great Turk. 2 Antonio's offer has been variously explained. It appears to be 'that he will quit his share of the fine, as the duke has already done that portion due to the state, if Shylock will let him have it in use (i. e. at interest) during his life, to render it at his death to Lorenzo. 3 i. e. a jury of twelve men to condemn him. This appears to have been an old joke. k You taught me first to beg: and now, methinks, Bass. Good sir, this ring was given me by my wife; 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, For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you! [Exeunt PORTIA and NERISSA. Ant. My lord Bassanio, let him have the ring; Let his deservings, and my love withal, Be valued 'gainst your wife's commandment. Bass, Go, Gratiano, run and overtake him, Give him the ring; and bring him, if thou canst, Unto Antonio's house; -away, make haste. [Exit GRATIANO. Come, you and I will thither presently; And in the morning early will we both Fly toward Belmont: Come Antonio. [Exeunt. SCENE II. The same. A Street. Enter PORTIA and NERISSA. Lor. Who comes so fast in silence of the night? Lor. A friend? what friend? your name, I pray Steph. Stephano is my name; and I bring word, Por. Inquire the Jew's house out, give him this My mistress will before the break of day Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew; And saw the lion's shadow ere himself, And ran dismay'd away. In such a night, Lor. 1 i. e. more reflection. 2 Of this once common augmentative in colloquial nguage there are various instances in the plays of Shakespeare, in the sense of abundant, frequent. 3 The several passages beginning with these words are imitated in the old comedy of Wily Beguiled, writen before 1596. See the play in Hawkins's Origin of The Drama, vol. iii. 4 This image is from Chaucer's Troilus and Creswide, b. v. v. 666, and 1142. 5 Steevens observes that this is one instance, among many, that might be brought to prove that Shakspeare as no reader of the classics. 6 Steevens refers to Gower's description of Medea in mas Confessio Amantis. 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 ? Steph. None, but a holy hermit, and her maid. I pray you, is my master yet return'd? Lor. He is not, nor we have not heard from him. But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica, And ceremoniously let us prepare Some welcome for the mistress of the house. Enter LAUNCELOT. Laun. Sola, sola, wo, ha, ho, sola, sola! Laun. Sola! did you see master Lorenzo, and mistress Lorenzo? sola, sola! Lor. Leave hollaing, man; here. 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. [Exit. Lor. Sweet soul, let's in, and there expect their coming. And yet no matter; -Why should we go in? [Exit STEPHANO. 7 So in the Merry Devil of Edmonton: But there are crosses, wife: here's one in Waltham, Another at the abbey, and the third At Ceston; and 'tis ominous to pass And this is a reason assigned for the delay of a wedding 8 So in Churchyard's Worthines of Wales, 1587: 'A musicke sweete that through our eares shall creepe By secret arte, and lull a man asleep.' 9 A small flat dish or plate, used in the administration of the Eucharist; it was commonly of gold, or silver-gilt. 10 The folio editions, and the quarto printed by ko. berts, read: Such harmony is in immortal souls; Enter Musicians. Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn; [Music. Jes. I am never merry, when I hear sweet music. For do but note a wild and wanton herd, are Enter PORTIA and NERISSA at a distance. Enter BASSANIO, ANTONIO, GRATIANO, and their Bass. We should hold day with the Antipodes, Por. Let me give light, but let me not be light; 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. This is the man, this is Antonio, Por. You should in all sense be much bound to hum, [GRATIANO and NERISSA seem to talk apart. Ner. What talk you of the posy, or the value? Ner. When the moon shone, we did not see the You swore to me, when I did give it you, candle. Por. So doth the greater glory dim the less: A substitute shines brightly as a king, Ner. It is your music, madam, of the house. How many things by season season'd are And would not be awak'd! Lor. [Music ceases. That is the voice, Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia. cuckoo, By the bad voice. Dear lady, welcome home. Por. We have been praying for our husbands' welfare, Which speed, we hope, the better for our words. Lor. Madam, they are not yet; But there is come a messenger before, To signify their coming. Рот. Go in, Nerissa, Give order to my servants, that they take [A tucket sounds. Lor. Your husband is at hand, I hear his trumpet; We are no tell-tales, madam; fear you not. Por. This night, methinks, is but the daylight sick, It looks a little paler; 'tis a day, That you would wear it till your hour of death; Gra. He will, an if he live to be a man. A kind of boy; a little scrubbed boy, Por. You were to blame, I must be plain with you, I gave my love a ring, and made him swear Bass. Why, I were best to cut my left hand off, And swear I lost the ring defending it. Ner. Nor I in yours, Till I again sce mine. Had quite miscarried: I dare be bound again, Sweet Portia, If you did know to whom I gave the ring, When nought would be accepted but the ring, Por. If you had known the virtue of the ring, 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, My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord Will never more break faith advisedly. Por. Then you shall be his surety: Give him this; And bid him keep it better than the other. Ant. Here, lord Bassanio; swear to keep this ring. tor! Bass. By heaven, it is the same I gave the docPor. 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. Which 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 Gra. Why, this is like the mending of highways 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: Here is a letter, read it at your leisure; 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, And but even now return'd: I have not yet Of my dear friend. What should I say, sweet lady? Enter'd my house. Antonio, you are welcome; I was enforc'd to send it after him; And I have better news in store for you, I was beset with shame and courtesy; Than you expect: unseal this letter soon; My honour would not let ingratitude There you shall find, three of your argosies So much besmear it: Pardon me, good lady; Are richly come to harbour suddenly; For, by these blessed candles of the night, You shall not know by what strange accident Had you been there, I think, you would have begg'd The ring of me to give the worthy doctor. I chanced on this letter. Ant. I am dumb. 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'll not deny him any thing I have, No, not my body, nor my husband's bed: Lie not a night from home; watch me, like Argus: Now, by mine honour, which is yet my own, Ner. And I his clerk; therefore be well advis'd, How you do leave me to mine own protection. Gra. Well, do you so: let not me take him then; For, if I do, I'll mar the young clerk's pen. Ant. I am the unhappy subject of these quarrels. Por. Sir, grieve not you; You are welcome not retain. 1 To contain had nearly the same meaning with to 2 i. e, kept in a measure religiously, or superstitiously. 3 We have again the same expression in one of Shakspeare's Sonnets, in Macbeth, and in Romeo and Juliet. 4 Double is here used for deceitful, full of duplicity. 5 i. e. for his advantage; to obtain his happiness. Wealth was the term generally opposed to adversity or calamity. My clerk hath some good comforts too for you. Lor. Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way Of starved people. Gra. Let it be so: The first inter'gatory So sore, as keeping safe Nerissa's ring. [Exeunt. OF the Merchant of Venice the style is even and easy, with few peculiarities of diction, or anomalies of construction. The comic part raises laughter, and the serious fixes expectation. The probability of either one or the other story cannot be maintained. The union of two actions in one event is in this drama eminently happy. Dryden was much pleased with his own address in connecting the two plots of his Spanish Friar, which yet, I believe, the critic will find excelled by this play. JOHNSON. |