LONDON: Printed (by Affignment) for 1794. Senators of Venice, Officers, Servants, and other At tendants. SCENE, partly at Venice, and partly at Belmont, ahe Seat of Portia, upon the Continent, INTRODUCTION. It is faid, that Shakespeare took the hint of this play from an old ballad. It is also faid, that the cruel character was a chriftian: now though we are totally againft giv ing prejudiced ideas against any fet of people, especially a race fo rejected as the Jews have been, and are yet; fill as among their tribes, in common with the rest of mankind, feveral Shylocks no doubt have been, our author judicioufly faw, that making his principal an Ifraelite, would place him in a stronger point of view; and fuch fuccefsful pains has the bard taken with this horrid picture of depraved nature, that we fcruple not to pronounce him, as original and high-finished a character, as we can conceive, furnished with a moft fuitable peculiarity of flyle. All the other characters are well drawn, notwithstanding Several breaches of time and place, we may venture to Pronounce this to be a piece of very fingular merit. It would be want of gratitude, for the great fatisfaction Mr. Macklin has often given in the Jew, not to pronounce his performance remarkably correct, feeling, and forceable, 1 A C T I. SCENE, a Street in Venice. Enter ANTHONIO, SOLARINO, and SALANIO. 'N footh, I know not why I am so sad : Anth. I It wearies me. You say it wearies you ; And fuch a want-wit fadnefs makes of me, Sal. Your mind is toffing on the ocean; * Argofia, a name given to any rich merchant ship; taken from Argo, the ship in which Jason failed for the golden fleece. Like figniors and rich burgers on the flood; That curify to them, do them reverence, Be with my hopes abroad. I fhould be ftill Sal. My wind, cooling my broth, Would blow me to an ague, when I thought And not bethink me straight of dang'rous rocks? Is fad to think upon his merchandize. Anth. Believe me, no: I thank my fortune for it, My ventures are not in one bottom trufled, Nor to one place; nor is my whole eftate Upon the fortune of this prefent year: Therefore, my merchandize makes me not fad. This fpeech is fancifully descriptive of thofe apprehenfions which might probably affect a man in Anthonio's fituation, and at the fame time, leads to an idea, by his reply, of the magnitude of his concerns in trade. |