Shy. Moft learned judge! a fentence: come, prepare.
Por. Tarry a little, there is fomething else.
This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood;
The words exprefly are a pound of flesh.

Then take thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh;
But in the cutting it if thou doft shed

One drop of chriftian blood, thy lands and goods
Are by the laws of Venice confifcate

Unto the ftate of Venice.

Gra. O upright judge! mark, Jew; O learned judge! Shy. Is that the law?

Por. Thy felf fhalt see the act:

For as thou urgeft juftice, be affur'd

Thou shalt have juftice, more than thou defir'ft.
Gra. O learned judge! mark, Jew; a learned judge?
Sby. I take this offer then, pay the bond thrice,
And let the chriftian go.

Baff. Here is the mony.

Por. The Jew fhall have all juftice; foft! no hafte He fhall have nothing but the penalty.

Gra. O few! an upright judge, a learned judge!
Por. Therefore prepare thee to cut off the flesh;
Shed thou no blood, nor cut thou lefs nor more
But juft a pound of flefh: if thou tak'st more
Or less than a juft pound, te't but so much
As makes it light or heavy in the substance
Or the divifion of the twentieth part
Of one poor fcruple; nay, if the scale turn
But in the eftimation of a hair,

Thou dieft, and all thy goods are confifcate,
Gra. A fecond Daniel, a Daniel, Jew!
Now, infidel, I have thee on the hip.

Per. Why doth the few paufe? take the forfeiture.
Shy. Give me my principal, and let me go.
Baff. I have it ready for thee; here it is.
Por. He hath refus'd it in the open court;
He fhall have meerly justice and his bond.
Gra. A Daniel ftill fay I, a fecond Daniel !
I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word,
Shy. Shall I not barely have my principal ?

Por. Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture, To be fo taken at thy peril, Jew.

Shy. Why then the devil give him good of it i I'll ftay no longer question.

Por. Tarry, Jew,

The law hath yet another hold on you:
It is enacted in the laws of Venice,
If it be prov'd against an alien,
That by direct or indirect attempts
He feek the life of any citizen,

The party 'gainst the which he doth contrive
Shall feize on half his goods, the other half
Comes to the privy coffer of the ftate ;
And the offender's life lies in the mercy
Of the Duke only, 'gainst all other voice:
In which predicament I fay thou ftand'ft.
For it appears by manifeft proceeding,
That indirectly, and directly too,
Thou haft contriv'd against the very life
Of the defendant; and thou haft incurr'd
The danger formally by me rehears'd.

Down therefore, and beg mercy of the Duke.

Gra. Beg that thou may'ft have leave to hang thy felf. And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state,

Thou haft not left the value of a cord;

Therefore thou must be hang'd at the state's charge.
Duke. That thou may'ft fee the diff'rence of our spirit,
I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it:

For half thy wealth, it is Anthonie's;
The other half comes to the general state,
Which humbleness may drive unto a fine.

Por. Ay, for the ftate; not for Anthonio.
Shy. Nay, take my life and all: pardon not that.
You take my house, when you do take the prop
That doth sustain my house: you take my life,
When you do take the means whereby I live.

Por. What mercy can you render him, Anthonio? Gra. A halter gratis, nothing else for God's fake. Anth. So please my lord the Duke, and all the court, To quit the fine from one half of his goods,

I am content; fo he will let me have
The other half in use, to render it
Until his death unto the gentleman
That lately ftole his daughter.

Two things provided more, that for this favour
He presently become a chriftian;

The other, that he do record a gift
Here in the court, of all he dies poffefs'd,
Unto his fon Lorenzo and his daughter..
Duke. He fhall do this, or elfe I do recant
The pardon that I late pronounced here.

Por. Art thou contented, Jew? what doft thou fay?
Shy. I am content.

Por. Clerk, draw a deed of gift.

Shy. I pray you, give me leave to go from hence; I am not well; fend the deed after me,

And I will fign it.

Duke. Get thee gone, but do it.

Gra. In chrift'ning thou shalt have two godfathers. Had I been judge, thou fhould't have had ten more, To bring thee to the gallows, not the font. [Exit Shylock, Duke. Sir, I intreat you home with me to dinner. Por. I humbly do defire your Grace's pardon;

I muft away this night toward Padua,

And it is meet I prefently fet forth.

Duke. I'm forry that your leifure ferves you not. Anthonio, gratify this gentleman;

For in niy mind you are much bound to him.

[Exeunt Duke and bis train.

SCENE III.

Baff. Moft worthy gentleman! I and my friend
Have by your wildom been this day acquitted
Of grievous penalties, in lieu whereof
Three thousand ducats due unto the Jew
We freely cope your courteous pains withal.
Anth. And ftand indebted over and above
In love and fervice to you evermore.

Por. He is well paid that is well fatisfy'd ;
And I deliv'ring you am fatisfy'd;
And therein do account my felf well paid;

My

My mind was never yet more mercenary. pray you, know me when we meet again, I wish you well, and fo I take my leave.

Ba. Dear Sir, of force I must attempt you further.
Take fome remembrance of us, for a tribute,
Not as a fee: grant me two things, I pray you,
Not to deny me, and to pardon me.

Por. You prefs me far, and therefore I will yield.
Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your fake,
And for your love I'll take this ring from you.
Do not draw back your hand, I'll take no more,
And you in love fhall not deny me this.

Baff. This ring, good Sir, alas, it is a trifle ;
I will not fhame my self to give you this.

Por. I will have nothing elfe but only this, And now methinks I have a mind to it.

Baff. There's more on this depends than is the value, The deareft ring in Venice will I give you,

And find it out by proclamation;

Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.

Por. I fee, Sir, you are liberal in offer;

You taught me first to beg, and now, methinks,
You teach me how a beggar fhould be answer❜d.

Baff. Good Sir, this ring was giv'n me by my wife;
And when the put it on, fhe made me vow
That I should neither fell, nor give, nor lose it.

Por. That 'fcufe ferves many men to fave their gifts; And if your wife be not a mad woman,

And know how well I have deferv'd the ring,
She would not hold out enmity for ever

For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you!

[Exit, with Nerissa.
Antb. My lord Bassanio, let him have the ring.
Let his defervings and my love withal
Be valu'd 'gainst your wife's commandement.

Bal. Go, Gratiano, run and overtake him,
Give him the ring, and bring him, if thou can'ft,
Unto Anthonio's houfe: away, make hafte.
Come, you and I will thither presently,

[Exit Gra.

And

And in the morning early will we both
Fly toward Belmont; come, Anthonio.

Enter Portia and Neriffa.

[Exeunt

Por. Enquire the Jew's house out, give him this deed, And let him fign it; we'll away to-night,

And be a day before our husbands home:
This deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo.
Enter: Gratiano.

Gra. Fair Sir, you are well o'erta'en:
My lord Baffanio, upon more advice,
Hath fent you here this ring, and doth intreat
Your company at dinner.

Por. That cannot be.

This ring I do accept moft thankfully,
And fo, I pray you, tell him: furthermore,
I pray you, fhew my Youth old Shylock's houfe.
Gra. That will I do.

Ner. Sir, I would fpeak with you.

I'll fee if I can get my hufband's ring,

Which I did make him fwear to keep for ever.

[To Portia.

Por. Thou may'ft, I warrant. We shall have old fwearing, That they did give the rings away to men ;

But we'll out-face them and out-fwear them too.
Away, make hafte, thou know'ft where I will tarry.
Ner. Come, good Sir, will you fhew me to this houfe?
[Exeunt.

Lor.

ACT V.

SCENE I.

Belmont. Enter Lorenzo and Jeffica.

HE moon fhines bright: In fuch a night as this,
When the sweet wind did gently kifs the trees,

ΤΗ

And they did make no noise; in fuch a night
Troylus, methinks, mounted the Trojan wall,
And figh'd his foul toward the Grecian tents,
Where Creffid lay that night.

Jef. In fuch a night,

Did Thisbe fearfully o'er-trip the dew,
And faw the lion's fhadow ere himself,

And ran difmay'd away.

Lor. In fuch a night,

Stood Dido with a willow in her hand

Upon