But meeting with Salanio by the way,
He did intreat me, past all faying nay,
To come with him along.

Sal. I did, my lord,

And I have reafon for't. Signior Anthonio
Commends him to you.

I

Baff. Ere I ope his letter,

pray you

tell me how

[Gives Baffanio a letter.

my good friend doth ? Sal. Not fick, my lord, unlefs it be in mind; Nor well, unless in mind; his letter there

Will fhew you his estate. [Baffanio opens the letter.
Gra. Neria, cheer yond stranger : Bid her welcome.
Your hand, Salanio; what's the news from Venice?
How doth that royal merchant, good Anthonio ?
I know, he will be glad of our Success:

We are the Jafons, we have won the fleece.

Sal. Would you had won the fleece, that he hath loft!

Por. There are fome fhrewd Contents in yond fame

paper,

That fteal the colour from Baffanio's cheek:

Some dear Friend dead; elfe nothing in the world
Could turn fo much the conftitution

Of any conftant man. What, worfe and worse!
With leave, Baffanio, I am half yourself,
And I must have the half of any thing
That this fame paper brings you.
Bal. O fweet Portia !

Here are a few of the unpleasant'ft words
That ever blotted paper. Gentle lady,
When I did firft impart my love to you,
I freely told you, all the wealth I had
Ran in my veins, I was a gentleman;
And then I told you true. And yet, dear lady,
Rating myself at nothing, you fhall fee

How much I was a braggart: when I told you,
My Itate was nothing, I fhould then have told you,
That I was worse than nothing. For, indeed,
I have engag'd myfelf to a dear Friend,
Engag'd my Friend to his meer enemy,
To feed my means. Here is a letter, lady,

The

The paper as the body of my friend,
And every word in it a gaping wound,
Iffuing life-blood. But is it true, Salanio ?
Have all his ventures fail'd? what not one hit ?
From Tripolis, from Mexico, from England,
From Lifton, Barbary, and India ?

And not one veffel 'fcap'd the dreadful touch
Of merchant-marring rocks?

Sal. Not one, my lord.

Befides, it fhould appear, that if he had
The prefent mony to difcharge the Jew,
He would not take it. Never did I know
A creature, that did bear the shape of man,
So keen and greedy to confound a man.
He plies the Duke at morning and at night,
And doth impeach the freedom of the state,
If they deny him juftice. Twenty merchants,
'The Duke himself and the magnificoes
Of greateft port, have all perfuaded with him;
But none can drive him from the envious plea
Of forfeiture, of juftice, and his bond.

Jef. When I was with him, I have heard him fwear, To Tubal and to Chus his country-men,

That he would rather have Anthonio's flesh,
Than twenty times the value of the fum
That he did owe him; and I know, my lord,
If law, authority, and pow'r deny not,
It will go hard with poor Anthonio.

Por. Is it your dear friend, that is thus in trouble?
Bal. The dearest friend to me; the kindest Man ;
(4) The best condition'd an unweary'd fpirit
In doing courtefies; and one in whom

The ancient Roman honour more appears,
Than any that draws breath in Italy.
Por. What Sum owes he the Jew.
Ball. For me, three thousand ducats.
Por. What, no more?

Pay him fix thousand and deface the bond;

(4) The best condition'd AND unweary'd fpirit
In doing courtefies ;-] To be read and pointed thus,
The best condition'd: AN unweary'd spirit.

H 3

WARBURTON.

Double

Double fix thousand, and then treble that,
Before a friend of this defcription

Shall lofe a hair through my Bassanio's fault.
First, go with me to church, and call me wife,
And then away to Venice to your friend :
For never fhall you lie by Portia's fide
With an unquiet foul. You fhall have gold
To pay the petty debt twenty times over.
When it is paid, bring your true friend along ;
My maid Neriffa and myself, mean time,
Will live as maids and widows.

-away!

Come-
For you shall hence upon your wedding-day.
Bid your friends welcome, fhew a merry cheer ;
Since you are dear bought, I will love you dear.

-But let me hear the letter of your friend.

Baff. reads. Weet Baffanio, my ships have all miscarry'd, my creditors grow cruel, my estate is very low, my bond to the Jew is forfeit; and fince, in paying it, it is impoffible I should live, all debts are cleared between you and me, if I might but fee you at my death. Notwithstanding ufe your pleasure: if your love do not perfuade you to come, let not my letter.

Por. O love! dispatch all Business, and be gone.
Bal. Since I have your good leave to go away,
I will make hafte; but 'till I come again,

No bed fhall e'er be guilty of my stay;
No reft be interpofer 'twixt us twain.

SCENE IV.

Changes to a Street in Venice.

[Exeunt.

Enter Shylock, Solarino, Anthonio, and the Gaoler. Shy. Aoler, look to him-Tell not me of mercy—

Gaoler, look to him.

Anth. Hear me yet, good Shylock.

Shy. I'll have my bond; fpeak not against my bond: I've fworn an oath, that I will have my bond. Thou call'dft me dog, before thou hadft a cause;

But

But fince I am a dog, beware my fangs.

The Duke fhall grant me juftice., Ldo wonder,
Thou naughty gaoler, that thou art fo fond
To come abroad with him at his request.
Anth. I pray thee, hear me fpeak..

Shy. I'll have my bond-I will not hear thee speak
I'll have my bond; and therefore speak no more,
I'll not be made a foft and dull-ey'd fool,

To shake the head, relent, and figh and yield 10 To chriftian interceffors. Follow not;

I'll have no fpeaking; I will have my bond.

[Exit Shylock. Sola. It is the most impenetrable cur,

That ever kept with men,

Anth. Let him alone,

I'll follow him no more with bootlefs pray'is:
He feeks my life; his reafon well I know;
I oft deliver'd from his forfeitures

Many, that have at times made moan to me;
Therefore he hates me.

Sola. I am fure, the Duke

Will never grant this Forfeiture to hold.

Anth. The Duke cannot deny the course of law; (5); For the commodity that ftrangers have

With us in Venice, if it be deny'd,

Will much impeach the juftice of the state;
Since that the trade and profit of the city
Confifteth of all nations. Therefore go,
Thefe griefs and loffes have fo 'bated me,
That I fhall hardly fpare a pound of flesh
To-morrow to my bloody creditor.

Well, gaoler, on- -Pray God, Baffanio come
To fee me pay his debt, and then I care not! [Exeunt:

(5) The Duke cannot deny, &c.-] As the reafon here given feems a little perplexed, may be proper to explain it. If, lays he, the Duke flop the courfe of law, it will be attended with this inconvenience, that ftranger merchants, by whom the wealth and power of this city is fupported, will cry out of injuftice. For the known ftated law being their guide and fecurity, they will never bear to have the current of it stopped on any pretence of equity whatsoever. WARBUBTON.

SCENE V.

Changes to Belmont.

Enter Portia, Neriffa, Lorenzo, Jeffica, and Balthazar.

Lor.

I

Adam, although I fpeak it in your prefence, You have a noble and a true conceit Of God-like amity; which appears moft ftrongly In bearing thus the abfence of your lord. But if you knew to whom you fhew this honour, How true a gentleman you fend relief to, How dear a lover of my lord your husband; I know you would be prouder of the work, Than customary bounty can enforce you. Per. I never did repent of doing good, And shall not now; for in companions That do converse and waste the time together, Whofe fouls do bear an equal yoke of love, There must needs be a like proportion Of lineaments of manners, and of fpirit; (6) Which makes me think, that this Anthonio, Being the bofom-lover of my lord, Muft needs be like my lord. If it be fo, How little is the coft I have bestow'd, In purchafing the femblance of my foul From out the ftate of hellish cruelty?

༑ ༑

Was

*Whofe fouls de bear an equ'il yoke of Ive]" An egal yoke of "love. Fol. 1632. Egal, I believe in Shakespeare's time, commonly used for equal.

So it was in Chaucer's.

Aye to compare unto thyne excellence,

"I will prefume hym fo to dignifie,

"Yet be not egall."

Prologue to the Remedy of Love,

So in Gor boduc. v

"Sith all as one do bear you all faith."

1 A

Dr. GRAY.

(6) Of lineaments of manners, &c.] The wrong pointing has made this fine fentiment nonienfe. As implying that friendship could not only make a fimilitude of manners, but of faces. The true fenfe is, lineaments of manners, i.e. form of the manners, which, fays the fpeaker, muft qeeds be proportionate.

WARB.