LONDON : Printed (by Affignment) for
J. BARKER, at the Dramatic Repository,

Russell-Court, Drury-Lane.

1794

DRAMATIS PERSONE

Drury-Lone. Covent-Gardena Duke,

Mr. PACKER. Mr. POWELL ANTHONIQ,

Mr. BENSLEY. Mr. AICKIN. BASSANIO,

Mr. WROUGKION.Mr. Farren. GRATIA-NQ, Mr. Dodd. Mr. BERNARDO LORENZO, Mr. DIGNUM. Mr. JOHNSTONE, SOLARINQ,

Mr. EGAN. SALANIO,

Mr. BARRYMORE. Mr. GARDNER. SHYLOCK, Mr. KEMBLE.

Mr. HARLEY. TUBAL,

Mr. WALDRON. Mr. THOMPSON, LAUNCELOT, Mr. Bannister, Jun. Mr. Quick. GOBBO, Mr. SUBT.T. Mr. CUBITT. LEONARDO,

Mr. Cook.
BALTHA ZIAR

Mr. MADDOCKS. Mr. LEDGE NO
STEPHANO,
JAILER,

Mr. ALFRED,

PORTIA, Jessica, NERISSA,

Mrs. SIDDONS. Mrs. Pope.
Mrs. BLAND. Mrs.MOUNTAIN
Mrs. GOODALL. Miss CHAPMAN.

Senators of Venice, Officers, Servants, and other Ata

tendants.

SCENE, partly at Venice, and parily at Belmont,

she Seat of Portia, upon the Contineata

as among

INTRODUCTION It is said, that Shakespeare took the hint of this play from

an old ballad. It is also said, that the cruel character was a christian : now though we are totally against give ing prejudiced ideas against any set of people, especially a race so rejected as the Jews have been, and are yet; fill

their tribes, in common with the rest of mankind, Several Shylocks no doubt have been, our author judicia "ously faw, that making his principal an Israelite, rould place him in a stronger point of view; and such fuccefsful pains has the bard taken with this horrid picture of depraved nature, that we scruple not to pronounce him, as original and high-finished a character, as we can conceive, furnished with a most suitable peculiarity of Jyle. 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 fatisfaftion Mr. Macklin has often given in the Jew, not to pros, nounce his performance remarkably correct, feeling, and forceable,

A CT I.
SCENE, a Street in Venice.
Enter ANTHONIO, SOLARINO, and SALANIÓ.

N

It wearies me. You say it wearies you ;
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,
I am to learn-
And such a want-wit sadness makes of me,
That I have much ado to know myself.

Sal. Your mind is toffing on the ocean ;
There, where your Argosies,* with portly fail,

* Argofia, a name given to any rich merchant ship; taken from Argo, the ship in which Jason failed for the golden fleece. A 2

Like

Do

Like figniors and rich burgers on the food;
Or as it were, the pageants of the sea,

over-peer the petty traffickers,
That curify to them, do them reverence,
As they fly by them with their woven wings.

Sola. Believe me, fir, had I such venture forth, The better part of my affections would Be with my hopes abroad. I should be still Plucking the grass to know where fits the wind; Peering in maps for ports, and piers, and roads'; And every object that might make me fear Misfortune to my ventures, out of doub:, Would make me fad.

Sal. My wind, cooling my broth, Would blow me to an ague, when I thought What harm a wind 100 great might do at sea. I luuld not see the sandy hour-glass run, But I should think of shallows and of flats; And see my wealthy Andrew dock'd in sand, Vailing her high top lower than her ribs, To kiss her burial. Should I go to church, And see the holy edifice of stone, And not bethink me straight of dang'rous rocks? Which, touching but my gentle vessel's fide, Would scatter all the spices on the stream, Enrobe the roaring waters with my filks ; And in a word, but even now worth this, And now worth nothing. Shall I have the thought, To think on this, and Thall I lack the thought. That such a thing, bec:a c'd, would make me sad?* But tell not me; I know Anthonio 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 estate Upon the fortune of this present year : 'I herefore, my mer, handize makes me not fad.

Sola. Why then you are in love ? * This speech is fancifully descriptive of those apprehensions which migho probably affcét a man in Anthonio's fituation, and at the same time, leads to an idea, by his reply, of the magnitude of his conceins in trade.