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Live thou, I live; with much, much more difmay
I view the fight, than thou, that mak'st the fray.

[Mufick within. A Song, whilft Baffanio comments on the caskets to

bimfelf.

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Baff. So may the outward fhows be leaft themselves: The world is ftill deceiv'd with Ornament.

In law, what plea fo tainted and corrupt,
But being feafon'd with a gracious voice,
Obfcures the fhow of evil? in religion,
What damned error, but fome fober brow
Will blefs it, and approve it with a text,
Hiding the grofsnefs with fair ornament ?
There is no vice fo fimple, but affumes
Some mark of virtue on its outward parts.
How many cowards, whofe hearts are all as falfe
As ftairs of fand, wear yet upon their chins
The beards of Hercules and frowning Mars;
Who, inward fearcht, have livers white as milk?
And these affume but valour's excrement,

To render them redoubted. Look on beauty,
And you fhall fee 'tis purchas'd by the weight,
Which therein works a miracle in nature,
Making them lighteft, that wear most of it.
So are thofe crifpy fnaky golden locks,

To be the dowry of a fecond head,
The skull, that bred them, in the fepulcher.
Thus Ornament is but the guiled shore

To a moft dang'rous fea; the beauteous scarf
Veiling an Indian beauty; in a word,

The feeming truth which cunning times put on
T'entrap the wifeft. Then, thou gaudy gold,
Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee:

Nor none of thee, thou pale and common drudge
'Tween man and man: but thou, thou meager lead,
Which rather threatneft, than doft promife aught, (11).
Thy plainnefs moves me more than eloquence;
And here chufe I; joy be the confequence!

Por. How all the other paffions fleet to air,
As doubtful thoughts, and rafh-embrac'd defpair,
And fhudd'ring fear, and green-ey'd jealoufie.
O love, be moderate, allay thy ecftafie;
In measure rain thy joy, fcant this excefs,
I feel too much thy bleffing, make it lefs,
For fear I furfeit.

Bas. What find I here?

[Opening the leaden casket

Fair Portia's counterfeit ? what Demy-god
Hath come fo near creation? move thefe eyes?
Or whether, riding on the balls of mine,
Seem they in motion? here are fever'd lips
Parted with fugar breath; fo fweet a bar
Should funder fuch fweet friends: here in her hairs
The painter plays the spider, and hath woven
A golden mesh t' intrap the hearts of men,

(11) Thy Palenefs moves me more than Eloquence ;] Bassanio is difpleas'd at the golden Casket for its Gawdinefs, and the Silver one for its Paleness; but, What! is he charm'd with the Leaden one for having the very fame Quality that dif pleas'd him in the Silver? The Poet never intended fuch an abfurd Reasoning. He certainly wrote,

Thy Plainnefs moves me more than Eloquence; This characterizes the Lead from the Silver, which Paleness does not, they being both pale. Besides, there is a Beauty in the Antithefis between Plainnefs and Eloquence; between Paleness and t Eloquence поле. Mr. Warburton. Fafter

Fafter than gnats in cobwebs: but her eyes,-
How could he fee to do them? having made one,
Methinks, it should have pow'r to steal both his,
And leave it felf unfinish'd: yet how far

The fubftance of my praife doth wrong this fhadow
In underprizing it; fo far this fhadow

Doth limp behind the Substance. Here's the fcrowl,
The continent and fummary of my fortune.

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A gentle fcrowl; fair lady, by your leave;

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[Kiffing her.

I come by note to give, and to receive.
Like one of two contending in a Prize,
That thinks he hath done well in people's eyes;
Hearing applause and univerfal fhout,
Giddy in fpirit, gazing ftill in doubt,
Whether those peals of praise be his or no ;
So (thrice-fair lady) ftand I, even fo,
As doubtful whether what I fee be true,
Until confirm'd, fign'd, ratify'd by you.

Por. You fee me, lord Bafanio, where I ftand,
Such as I am; tho' for my felf alone,
I would not be ambitious in my Wish,
To with my self much better; yet for you,
I would be trebled twenty times my felf,
A thousand times more fair; ten thousand times
More rich; that, to ftand high in your account,
I might in virtues, beauties, livings, friends,
Exceed account: but the full fum of me
Is fum of fomething, which, to term in grofs,
Is an unleffon'd girl, unfchool'd, unpractis'd:

Happy

The Merchant of VENICE.

y in this, fhe is not yet fo old

he may learn; more happy then in this,
not bred fo dull but the can learn ;
-iest of all, is, that her gentle fpirit
mits it felf to yours to be directed,
om her lord, her governor, her King:
elf, and what is mine, to you and yours
w converted. But now I was the Lord
is fair manfion, mafter of my fervants,
en o'er my self; and even now, but now,
house, these fervants, and this fame my felf
yours, my lord: I give them with this ring,-
ch, when you part from, lofe or give away,
it prefage the ruin of your love,

be my vantage to exclaim on you.

a. Madam, you have bereft me of all words,
ymy blood fpeaks to you in my veins ;
there is fuch Confufion in my pow'rs,
after fome oration fairly spoke
a beloved Prince, there doth appear
ong the buzzing pleafed multitude;
ere every fomething, being blent together,
-ns to a wild of nothing, fave of joy
reft, and not exprest. But when this ring.
ts from this finger, then parts life from hence;
then be bold to fay, Baffanio's dead.

Ver. My lord and lady, it is now our time,
at have ftood by, and feen our wishes profper,
cry, good joy, good joy, my lord and lady!
Gra. My lord Baffanio, and my gentle lady,
you all the joy that you can wish;

ifh

-, I am fure, you can wifh none from me:"
d when your honours mean to folemnize
e bargain of your faith, I do befeech you,
'n at that time I may be married too.

133

Baff. With all my heart, fo thou canft get a wife.
Gra. I thank your lordship, you have got me one.
y eyes, my lord, can look as fwift as yours;
Du faw the mistress, I beheld the maid;

You

You lov'd; I lov'd: for intermiffion (12)
No more pertains to me, my lord, than you.
Your fortune ftood upon the casket there;
And fo did mine too, as the matter falls :
For wooing here until I fweat again,
And fwearing, till my very roof was dry
With oaths of love; at laft, if promise last,
I got a promise of this fair one here,

To have her love, provided that your fortune
Atchiev'd her mistress.

Por. Is this true, Neriffa?

Ner. Madam, it is, fo you ftand pleas'd withal
Baff. And do you, Gratiano, mean good faith?
Gra. Yes, faith, my lord.

Baff. Our Feaft fhall be much honour'd in your marriage.

Gra. We'll play with them, the first boy for a thoufand Ducats.

Ner. What, and stake down?

Gra. No, we shall ne'er win at that sport, and stake down.

But who comes here? Lorenzo and his Infidel ?.
What, and my old Venetian friend, Salanio?

Enter Lorenzo, Jeffica, and Salanio.
Baff. Lorenzo and Salanio, welcome hither
If that the youth of my new Interest here
Have power to bid you welcome. By your leave,

(12) You lov'd; I lov'd for Intermiffion.] Thus this Paffage has been nonfenfically pointed thro' all the Editions. If lov ing for Intermiffion can be expounded into any Senfe, I confefs, I as yet am ignorant, and shall be glad to be inftructed in it. But till then I must beg leave to think, the Sentence ought to be thus regulated;

You lov'd, I lov'd ; ——— For Intermiffion

No more pertains to me, my Lord, than You.

i. e. ftanding idle; a Paufe or Difcontinuance of Action. And

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