Laun. Not fo, fir, 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.
Laun. For the table, fir, it fhall be ferv'd in; for the meat, fir, it fhall be covered; for your coming in to dinner, fir, why, let it be as humours and conceits fhall govern. [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 tricky word
Defy the matter. How far'ft thou, Jeffica?
And now, good sweet, fay thy opinion,
How doft thou like the lord Bassanio's wife?
Jef. Paft 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 reason, he should 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 she 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, how foe'er thou speak'ft, 'mong other things, I fhall digeft it.
Jes. Well, I'll fet forth.
SCENE, the Senate-Houfe in Venice.
Enter the DUKE, the Senators; ANTHONIO, BAS SANIO, and GRATIANO, at the Bar..
Duke. WHAT, is Anthonio here?
Anth. Ready, fo please your grace.
Duke. I'm forry for thee. Thou art come to
A ftony adverfary, an inhuman wretch,
Uncapable of pity, void and empty
From any dram of mercy.
Anth. 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 oppose
My patience to his fury; and am arm'd
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.
Duke. Make room, and let him ftand before our
Shylock, the world thinks, and I think fo, too, [face.
That thou but lead'st this fashion of thy malice,
To the last hour of act; and then, 'tis thought,
Thou'lt fhew thy mercy and remorfe more ftrange,
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 so huddled on his back,
Enough to prefs a royal merchant down:
And pluck commiferation of his state,
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 purpofe;
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 ask me why I rather chufe to have
A weight of carrion flesh, than to receive
Three thoufand ducats? I'll not anfwer that;
But fay, it is my humour? Is it answer'd?
What if my houfe be troubled with a rat,
And I be pleas'd to give ten thousand ducats,
To have it baned? What, are you answer'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' nofe,
Cannot contain their urine; for affection;
Masterlefs paffion, fways it to the mood
Of what it likes or loaths. Now, for your answer,
As there is no firm reafon to be render'd,
Why he cannot abide a gaping pig;
Why he, a harmlefs neceffary cat;
Why he, a fwollen bag-pipe! but of force
Muft yield to fuch inevitable shame,
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 answer'd?
Baff. This is no anfwer, thou unfeeling man,
T'excuse the current of thy cruelty.
Sby. I am not bound to please thee with my answer.
Baf. Do all men kill the thing they do not love?
Shy. Hates any man the thing he would not kill?
Bal. Ev'ry offence is not a hate, at firft, [twice?
Shy. What, would'ft thou have a ferpent fting thee
Anth. I pray you, think, you question 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 use question with the wolf,
This palliative fpeech of the duke's is fenfible, humane,
and to every feeling mind fully perfuafive.
Why he hath made the ewe bleat for the lamb.
You may as well forbid the mountain pines
To wag their high tops, and to make no noise,
When they are fretted with the gufts of heav'n.*
You may as well do any thing moft hard,
As feek to foften that, (than which, what's harder?)
His Jewish heart. Therefore, I do befeech you,
Make no more offers, ufe no further means;
But, with all brief and plain conveniency,
Let me have judgment, and the Jew his will.
Baff. 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
Shy. What judgment fhall I dread, doing nowrong?
You have among you many a purchas'd slave,
Which, like your affes, and your dogs and mules,
You use in abject and in flavish part,
Because you bought them. Shall I fay to you,
Let them be free, marry them to your heirs?"
Why sweat they under burdens? Let their beds
Be made as foft as yours, and let their palates
Be feafon'd with fuch viands. You will answer,
The flaves are ours. So do I answer you:
The pound of flesh, which I demand of him,
Is dearly bought, 'tis mine, and I will have it.
If you deny me, fy upon your law!
There is no force in the decrees of Venice:
I ftand for judgment; anfwer. Shall I have it?
Duke. Upon my pow'r I may difmifs this court,
Unlefs Bellario, a learned doctor,
Whom I have fent for, to determine this,
Come here to-day.
Sal. My lord, here ftays, without,
A meffenger, with letters from the doctor,
New come from Padua.
Duke. Bring us the letters, call the meffenger.
* This fpeech is poetical and pathetic, to a degree, fhewing Anthonie to be a man of as much courage as generofity.
Baff. Good cheer, Anthonio! What, man, courage
The Jew fhall have my flesh, blood, bones, and all, Ere thou shalt lofe for me one drop of blood.
Anth. I am a tainted weather of the flock,
Meetest for death the weakest kind of fruit
Drops earliest to the ground, and fo let me.
You cannot better be employ'd, Beffanio,
Than to live ftill, and write mine epitaph.
Enter NERISSA, drefs'd like a Lawyer's Clerk.
Duke. Came you from Padua, from Bellario?
Ner. From both, my lord. Bellario greets your
grace.
Ball. Why doft thou whet thy knife, fo earnestly?
Shy. To cut the forfeit from that bankrupt, there.
Gra. Can no pray'rs pierce thee?
Shy. No, none that thou hast wit enough to make.
Gra. O be thou damn'd, inexorable dog,
And for thy life let juftice be accus'd!
Thou almoft mak'st me waver in my faith,
To hold opinion with Pythagoras,
That fouls of animals infufe themfelves
Into the trunks of men. Thy currifh fpirit
Govern'd a wolf, who, hang'd for human flaughter,
Ev'n from the gallows did his fell foul fleet,
And, whilft thou lay'ft in thy unhallow'd dam,
Infus'd itself in thee: for thy defires
Are wolfish, bloody, ftarv'd, and ravenous.
Shy. 'Till thou canst rail the feal from off my bond,
Thou but offend't thy lungs to speak fo loud.
Repair thy wit, good youth, or it will fall.
To cureless ruin. I ftand here for law.
Duke. This letter from Bellario doth commend
young
and learned doctor to our court.
Where is he?
Ner. He attendeth here, hard by,
To know your anfwer whether you'll admit him. Duke. With all my heart. Some three or four of
Go give him courteous conduct to this place:
Mean time, the court shall hear Bellario's letter.
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