Which I denying, they fell fick, and dy'd; • I could not do with all: then I'll repent,

And wish, for all that, that I had not kill'd them.
And twenty of thefe puny lies I'll tell;

That men fhall fwear I've difcontinued school
Above a twelvemonth.' I have in my mind
A thousand raw tricks of thefe bragging jacks,.
Which I will practife.

Ner. Shall we turn to men?

Por. Fie, what a question's that?
If thou wert near a lewd interpreter!
But come, I'll tell thee all my whole device
When I am in my coach, which stays for us
At the park-gate; and therefore haste away,›
For we muft meafure twenty miles to-day.

[Exeunt

SCENE VI. Enter Launcelot and Feffica. Laun. Yes, truly: for look you, the fins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore I promife I fear you. you, I was always plain with you; and fo now I fpeak my agitation of the matter: therefore be of good cheer; for truly I think you are. damn'd. There is but one hope in it that can do you any good, and that is but a kind of baftard hope nei

ther.

Jef. And what hope is that, I pray thee?

Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter.

Jef. That were a kind of baitard hope indeed; so the fins of my mother should be vifited upon me.

Laun. Truly, then, I fear you are damn'd both by father and mother. Thus, when you fhun Scylla your father, you fall into Charybdis your mother: well, you are gone both ways.

I fhall be faved by my husband; he hath made me a Chriftian.

Laun. Truly, the more to blame he. We were Chriftians enough before, e'en as many as could well live one by another. This making of Chriftians will raise the price of hogs; if we grow all to be pork-eaters, we shall not fhortly have a rather on the coals for money.

Enter

Enter Lorenzo.

Jef. I'll tell my husband, Launcelot, what you fay: here he comes.

if

Lor. I fhall grow jealous of you fhortly, Launcelot, wife into corners. thus get my you

Jef. Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo; Launcelot and I are out; he tells me flatly there is no mercy for me in heaven, because I am a Jew's daughter; and he fays, you are no good member of the commonwealth; for, in converting Jews to Chriftians, you raise the price of pork.

Lor. I fhall anfwer that better to the commonwealth, than you can the getting up of the negro's belly: the Moor is with child by you, Launcelot.

Laun. It is much that the Moor fhould be more than reafon; but if fhe be less than an honest woman, fhe is indeed more than I took her for.

Lor. How every fool can play upon the world! I think the best grace of wit will fhortly turn into filence, and difcourfe grow commendable in none but parrots. Go in, firrah, bid them prepare for dinner.

Laun. That is done, Sir; they have all ftomachs.

Lor. Good Lord, what a wit-fnapper are you! then bid them prepare dinner.

Laun. That is done too, Sir; only cov.r is the word.
Lor. Will you cover then, Sir?

Laun. Not fo, Sir, neither; I know my duty.

Lor. Yet more quarrelling with occafion! wilt thou fhew the whole wealth of thy wit in an inftant? I pray thee understand a plain man in his plain meaning. Go to thy fellows, bid them cover the table, ferve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner.

fhall govern.

Laun. For the table, Sir, it shall be ferv'd in for the meat, Sir, it fhall be covered; for your coming in to dinner, Sir, why, let it be as humours and conceits [Exit Laun. Lor. O dear difcretion, how his words are fuited! • The fool hath planted in his memory An army of good words; and I do know A many fools that stand in better place, • Garnish'd like him, that for a tricksy werd

• Defy

• Defy the matter.' How far'ft thou, Jeffica?
And now, good sweet, fay thy opinion,
How doft thou like the Lord Baffanio's wife?
Jef. Pait all expreffing: it is very meet
The Lord Baffanio live an upright life.
For, having fuch a bleffing in his Lady,
He finds the joys of heaven here on earth:
And if on earth he do not merit it,

In reafon he fhould never come to heav'n.
Why, if two gods fhould play fome heav'nly match,
And on the wager lay two earthly women,
And Portia one, there must be fomething else
Pawn'd with the other; for the poor rude world
Hath not her fellow.

Lor. Even fuch a husband

Haft thou of me, as fhe is for a wife.

Jef. Nay, but afk my opinion too of that.
Lor. I will anon: first, let us go to dinner.
Jef. Nay, let me praise you while I have a stomach.
Lor. No, pray thee, let it ferve for table-talk;

Then, howfoe'er thou speak'ft, 'mong other things,
1 fhall digeft it.

Jef. Well, I'll set

you forth.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

The fenate-houfe in Venice.

Enter the Duke, the Senators; Anthonio, Baffanio, and Gra

'Duke.

tiano, at the bar.

WHAT, is Anthonio here?

Ant. Ready, fo pleafe your Grace.

Duke. I am forry for thee; thou art come to answer A ftony adverfary, an inhuman wretch

Uncapable of pity, void and empty.

From dram of mercy.

any

Ant. I have heard,

Your Grace hath ta'en great pains to qualify

His rig'rous courfe; but fince he ftands obdurate,
And that no lawful means can carry me

Out of his Envy's reach, I do oppofe

My patience to his fury; and am aim'd

Το

To fuffer, with a quietnefs of fpirit,

The very tyranny and rage of his.

Duke. Go one, and call the Jew into the court.
Sal. He's ready at the door: he comes, my Lord.
Enter Shylock.

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

And, where thou now exact'ft the penalty,
Which is a pound of this poor merchant's flesh,
Thou wilt not only lofe 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 prefs a royal merchant down;
And pluck commiferation of his ftate
From braffy bofoms, and rough hearts of flint;
From ftubborn Turks and Tartars, never train'd
To offices of tender courtesy.

We all expect a gentle anfwer, Jew.

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 afk me, why I rather chufe to have
A weight of carrion flesh, than to receive
Three thoufand ducats? I'll now anfwer that,
By faying 'tis my humour; is it answer'd?
What if my house be troubled with a rat,
And I be pleas'd to give ten thousand ducats
To have it baned? 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' th' nose,
Cannot contain their urine for affection *.

VOL. II.

L

* That is, they are fo affected with it.

Mafters

Masters of paffion fway it to the mood

Of what it likes, or loaths. Now, for your answer.
As there is no firm reason to be render'd,
Why he cannot abide a gaping pig;
Why he, a harmless necessary cat;
Why he, a woollen bag-pipe; but of force
Muft yield to fuch inevitable fhame.
As to offend, himself being offended:
So can I give no reason, nor I will not,
More than a lodg'd hate and a certain loathing
I bear Anthonio, that I follow thus

A lofing fuit against him. Are you anfwer'd?
Baff. This is no answer, thou unfeeling man,
T'excufe the current of thy cruelty.

Shy. I am not bound to please thee with my
anfwer.
Baf. Do all men kill the thing they do not love?
Shy. Hates any man the thing he would not kill?
Baff. Ev'ry offence is not a hate at first.

Shy. What, would't thou have a ferpent fting thee twice?

Ant. I pray you, think, you queßion with a Jew.
You may as well go ftand upon the beach,
And bid the main flood 'bate his ufual height.
You may as well ufe queftion with the wolf,
Why he hath made the ewe bleat for the lamb.
You may as well forbid the mountain-pines
Το wag their high tops, and to make a noise,
When they are fretted with the gufts of heav'n.
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 befeeck you,
Make no more offers, ufe no farther means;
But with all brief and plain conveniency
Let me have judgment, and the Jew his will.
Bal. For thy three thousand ducats here is fix,
Shy. If ev'ry ducat in fix thousand ducats
Were in fix parts, and ev'ry 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