mouth, than to either of thefe. Heav'n defend me from these two.

Ner. How fay you by the French lord, Monfieur Le Boun ? [for a man. Por. Heaven made him, and therefore let him pafs Ner. How like you the young German, the Duke of Saxony's nephew?

Por: Very vilely in the morning, when he is fober, and moft vilely in the afternoon, when he is drunk ;when he is beft, he is a little worfe than a man; and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast; and the worst fall that ever fell, I hope, I fhall make fhift to go without him.

Ner. If he fhould offer to chufe, and chafe the right casket, you should refufe to perform your father's will, if you fhould refufe to accept him.

Tor. Therefore, for fear of the worst, I pray threefet a deep glafs of Rhenifh wine on the contrary

*In this review of her fuitors, Portia fenfibly and agreeably fatirizes the glaring foibles of different nations. This whole fcene is pleafing, both in action and perufal, therefore fhould not be curtailed; though the theatres judge otherwife, by leaving out the Neapolitan, the English baron, and the Scottish lord.. We however, fubjoin what is omitted on the stage, here.

POR. In truth, I know it is a fin to be a mocker; but, he! why, he hath a horse better than the Neapolitan's: a better bad habit of frowning than the count Palatine; he is every man in no man; if a throttle fing, he falls ftraight a capering; he will fence with his own fhadow: if I fhould marry him, I should marry twenty husbands. If he would defpife me, I would forgive him; for if he loves me to madness, I fhall never requite him. NER. What fay you to Faulconbridge, the young baron of England?

POR. You know, I fay nothing to him, for he understands not me, nor 1 him; he hath neither Latin, French, nor Italian; and you may come into the court and fwear, that I have a poor rennyworth in the English. He is a proper man's picture, but, alas! who can converfe with a dumb flow? How oddly he is fuited! I think he bought his doublet in Italy, his round hofe in France, his bonnet in Germany, and his behaviour every where,

NER. What think you of the Scottish lord, his neighbour? Pox. That he hath a neighbourly charity in him; for he bor rowed a box of the ear of the Englishman, and fwore he would pay him again, when he was able. I think the Frenchman became his furety, and fealed under for another.

cafket;

cafket; for if the devil be within, and that temptation without, I know he will chufe it. I will do any thing Neriffa, ere I will be married to a sponge.

Ner. You need not fear, lady, the having any of thefe lords; they have a quainted me with their determinations, which is, indeed, to return to their home, and to trouble you with no more fuit; unless you may be won by fome other fort than your father's impofition, depending on the cafkets.

Por. If I live to be as old as Sibylla, I will die as chafte as Diana, unless I be obtain'd by the manner of my father's will: I am glad this parcel of wooers are fo reafonable; for there is not one among them but I doat on his very abfence, and with them a fair departure.

Ner. Do you not remember, lady, in your father's time, a Venetian, a scholar and a foldier, that came hither in company of the Marquis of Mountferrat?

Por. Yes, yes, it was Baffanio, as I think, he was fo call'd,

Ner. Trae, madam; he, of all the men' that ever my foolish eyes look'd upon, was the beft deferving a fair lady.

Por. I remember him well, and I remember him worthy of thy praife. How now! what news?

Enter BALTHAZAR.

Bal. The four.ftrangers feek for you, madam, to take their leave; and there is a forerunner come from a fifth, the Prince of Morocco, who brings word, the prince, his mafter, will be here, to-night.

Por. If I could hid the fifth welcome, with fo good a heart as I can bid the other four farewel. I fhould be glad of his approach: if he have the condition of a faint, and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he fould thrive me, than wive me. Come, Neria. Sirrah, go before; while we fhut the gate upon one wooer, another knocks at the door. [Exeunt.

SCENE; a public Place in Venice.

Enter BASSANIO and SHYLOCK,

Ba. Ay, fir, for three months.

Shy. For three months? Well.

Baff. For the which, as I told you, Anthonio fhall be bound.

Shy Anthonio fhall become bound? Well.

Bal. May you ftead me? Will you pleasure me? Shall I know your answer?

Shy. Three thoufand ducats, for three months, and Anthonio bound?

Baff. Your answer to that. Shy. Anthonio is a good man. [contrary? Baff. Have you heard any imputation to the Shy. No, no, no, no; my meaning, in saying he is a good man, is to have you understand me, that he is fufficient: yet his means are in fuppofition; he hath an argofie bound to Tripolis, another to the Indies; I understand moreover, upon the Ryalto, he hath a third at Mexico, a fourth for England; and other ventures he hath, fquander'd abroad. But fhips are but boards, failors but men; there be landrats and water-rats, water-thieves and land-thieves I mean, pirates; and then there is the peril of the waters, winds and rocks. The man is, notwithAtanding, fufficient; three thousand ducats? I think, I may take this bond.

Boff. Be affur'd you may.

;

Shy. I will be affur'd I may; and that I may be affur'd, I will bethink me. May I fpeak with Anthonio?

Boff. If it pleafes you to dine with us.

Shy. Yes, to fmell pork; to eat of the habitation, which your prophet, the Nazarite, conjur'd the devil into! I will buy with you, fell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and fo following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you. What news on the Ryalto?—who is he comes here?

Enter ANTHONIO.

Ba. This is Signior Anthonio.

[looks! Shy. [Afide.] How like a fawning Publican he

I hate him, for he is a christian ;

But

But more, for that in low fimplicity

He lends out money gratis, and brings down
The rate of ufance here, with us, in Venice. *
If I can catch him once upon the hip,

I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.
He hates our facred nation, and he rails,
Ev'n there where merchants moft do congregate,
On me my bargains, and my well-won thrift,
Which he calls intereft. Curfed be my tribe,
If I forgive him!

Baff. Shylock, do you

hear?

Shy. I am debating of my prefent ftore,
And by the near guefs of my memory,
I cannot inftantly raise up the grofs

Of full three thousand ducats.

What of that?

Tubal, a wealthy Hebrew of my tribe,

Will furnish me: but foft, how many months

Do you defire? Reft you fair, good fignior; [To Anth. Your worship was the laft man in our mouths.

Anth. Shylock, although I neither lend nor borrow,

By taking, nor by giving of excess,

Yet, to fupply the ripe wants of my friend,
I'll break a cuftom-Is he yet poffeft,

How much you would?

Shy. Ay, ay, three thousand ducats.
Anth. And for three months.

Shy. I had forgot, three months, you told me fo; Well then, your bond; and let me fee-but hear you, Methought, you faid, you neither lend nor borrow, Upon advantage.

Anth. I do never use it.

Shy. When Jacob graz'd his uncle Laban's fheep,This Jacob from our holy Abraham was

(As his wife mother wrought in his behalf) The third poffeffor; ay, he was the third.

Anth. And what of him, did he take intereft? Shy. No, not take int'reft ; not, as you would say, Directly, intereft; mark, what Jacob did. When Laban and himself were compromis'd,

The grand motive of Shylock's refentment against Antho nio, lets us into the remoteft cell of his fordid heart, which, Hike all of its kind, cannot bear the idea of a good-natur'd generous action.

1

That all the yeanlings, which were ftreak'd and pieds
Should fall as Jacob's hire; the ewes, being rank,
In the end of autumn turned to the rams;
And when the work of generation was
Between these woolly breeders, in the act,
The fkilful fhepherd peel'd me certain wands;
And, in the doing of the deed of kind,
He ftuck them up before the fulfome ewes :
Who, then conceiving, did in yeaning time,
Fall party colour'd lambs, and thofe were Jacob's.
This was the way to thrive; and he was bleft;
And thrift is bleffing if men steal it not.

Anth. This was a venture, fir, that Jacob ferv'd for
A thing not in his power to bring to pass,
But fway'd and fashion'd by the hand of heav'n.
Was this inferted to make int'reft good?
Or is your gold and filver, ewes and rams?
Shy. I cannot tell; I make it breed as fast.
Anth. Mark you this, Baffanio?

The devil can cite fcripture for his purpofe.
An evil foul, producing holy witness,
Is like a villain with a fmiling cheek.;
A goodly apple rotten at the heart.
O, what a goodly outfide falfhood hath!

[fum.

Sby. Three thousand ducats! 'tis a good round
Three months from twelve, then let me see the rate.
Anth. Well, Shylock, fhall we be beholden to you?
Shy. Signior Anthonio, many a time and oft,

On the Ryalto you have rated. me,
About my monies and my ufances.
Still have I borne it with a patient shrug;
(For fufferance is the badge of all our tribe)
You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,
And fpit upon my Jewish gaberdine :
And all for ufe of that which is my own.
Well then, it now appears you need my help:
Go to then; you come to me, and you fay,
Shylock, we would have monies; you say so;

Daily experience proves that fome of the worst characters breathing feek shelter under fcriptural texts, by the mifapplica tion or misconstruction of which, alfo, oppofite fects uncharitably confign each other to eternal punishment.

You,