But in the estimation of a hair,
Thou dieft, and all thy goods are confiscate.

Gra. A second Daniel, a Daniel, Jew!
Now, infidel, I have thee on the hip.

Por. Why doth the Jew pausetake the forfeiture.
Sby. Give me my principal, and let me go.
Ball. I have it ready for thee; here it is.

Por. He hath refus'd it in the open Court ;
He shall have merely justice, and his bond.

Gra. A Daniel, itill say I; a second Daniel! I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word.

Shy. Shall I not barely have my principal ?

Por. Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture, To be fo taken at thy peril, Jew.

Sby. Why then the devil give him good of it!
I'll stay no longer question.

Por. Tarry, Jew.
The law hath yet another hold on you :
It is enacted in the laws of Venice,
If it be prov'd against an alien,
That by direct, or indirect, attempts
He feek the life of any citizen,
The party, 'gainst which he doth contrive,
Shall seize on half his goods; the other half
Comes to the privy coffer of the state;
And the offender's life lies in the mercy
Of the Duke only, 'gainst all other voice :
In which predicament, I say, thou stand’it.
For it appears by manifeft proceeding,
That indire&tly, and directly too,
Thou hast contriv'd against the very life
Of the defendant; and thou hast incurr'd
The danger formerly by me rehears'd.
Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the Duke.

Grá. Beg, that thou may't have leave to hang thyself;
And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state,
Thou hast not left the value of a cord;
Therefore, thou must be hang'd at the state's charge.

Duke. That thou may't see the diff'rence of our spirit, I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it :

For

For half thy wealth, it is Antonio's.
The other half comes to the general state,
Which humbleness may drive unto a fine.

Por. Ay, for the state ; not for Anthonio.

Sby. Nay, take my life and all : pardon not that. You take my house, when you do take the prop That doth fuftain my house : you take my life, When

you do take the means whereby I live. Por. What mercy can you render him, Anthonio? Gra. A halter gratis; nothing else, for God's fake.

Ant. So please my lord the Duke,(29) and all the Court, To quit the fine for one half of his goods, I am content; so he will let me have The other half in use, to render it Upon his death unto the gentleman, That lately stole his daughter. Two things provided more, that for this favour He presently become a christian 3 The other, that he do record a gift Here in the Court, of all he dies possess’d, Unto his son Lorenzo and his daughter.

Duke. He shall do this, or else I do recant The pardon that I late pronounced here.

Por. Art thou contented, Yew ? what dost thou say.

(29) So please my lord the Duke,] The terms, which Antbonio preScribes to be comply'd with by the Jeww, have been reckon'd intricate and corrupt; and a different regulation has been advis’d: But, if I am not mistaken, they are to be thus understood. The Fezo had forfeited! his whole fubftance; one moiety thereof to go to the state, and the other to the defendant. Anthonio proposes, that the state fhould be content with fining him only that moiety, which was confiscated to them; that, as to the other, which Anibonio equally might claim to himself, he only defires to hold the benefit, paying interest for it to the Jew during his life: and, upon the Jew's demise, to have it immediately vested in his son and daughter. Nor does Anthonio propose any thing mean and ungenerous in this; he quits that right and property, which the law gave him, in the Jew's substance; and (with regard to his own great losses,) is content to stand only as a borrower of it, upon the general foot of paying intereft : nor are the fon andi daughter robb'd in this; fince, setting alde Antbonio's claim by the Jew's forfeiture, their pretensions could not take place, till the Jew's death : and he takes care, their reverfionary right in it should be secur'd by the Jeru's recording a deed of gift to that purpose.

Sbya

Shy: I am content.
Por. Clerk, draw a Deed of gift.

Shy. I pray you, give me leave to go from hence;
I am not well; send the Deed after me,
And I will sign it.

Duke. Get thee gone, but do it.

Gra. In chrift'ning thou shalt have two godfathers. Had I been judge, thou should'st have had ten more, (30) To bring thee to the gallows, not the font.

[Exit Shylock. Duke. Sir, I intreat you home with me to dinner.

Por. I humbly do defire your Grace of pardon ;
I must away this night to Padua,
And it is meet, I presently set forth.

Duke. I'm sorry, that your leisure ferves you not.
Anthonio, gratify this gentleman;
For, in my mind, you are much bound to him.

[Exit Duke and his train. (30) thou fould's bave bad ten more,] i. e. a jury of twelve men, to condemn thee to he hang'd. So, in Measure for Measure,

I not deny,
The Jury passing on the pris'ner's life,
May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two

Thar justice seizes on. The scenes of these two plays are respectively laid in Venice and Viertna ; and yet 'tis obfervable, in both the poet alludes to the custom of fentencing by Juries, as in England. This is not to be imputed to him as ignorance: the licence of the stage has allow'd it, not only at home; but likewise the tragic and comic poets of antiquity indulg d themselves in transplanting their own cuftoms to other nations. Æscbye lus, for instance, in his Chaepborr, makes Electra, who is in Argos, talk of the customs us’d in purifications, and prescrib’d by law, as the scholiast observes, at Athens. TOTO Wps to crap' Agnicious 1964. após Tv Adrenou xów0vSophocles, in his Laccoon, the scenery of which is laid in Troy, talks of erecting altars, and burning incense before their doors, as was practis'd on joyful occafions at Athens.: therein transa planting the Athenian manners, as ! arpocratian has noted, to Troy. Metazav Tá 'n netv Susis Tpeice». And so Aristophanes, in his Frogs, when the scene is in the infernal regions, makes Æacus talk of an edict pass’d in hell for granting artists a subsistence out of the pry

In this, says the scholiast, a custom is transferred to the tower regions, which was establish'd in Albens. TxüTE NETHLOÉ PSE από ταϊς εν Αττική εθών, εις τα καθ' αδα. A number of instances more, of this fort, might be amals'd from the ancient Aage-writers.

Ball.

taneum,

Baf. Most worthy gentleman! I and my friend
Have by your wisdom been this day acquitted
Of grievous penalties; in lieu whereof,
Three thousand ducats, due unto the Jew,
We freely cope your courteous pains withal.

Ant. And stand indebted, over and above,
In love and service to you evermore.

He is well paid that is well satisfy'd ;
And I, delivering you, am satisfy'd;
And therein do account myself well paid ;
My mind was never yet more mercenary.
I pray you, know me, when we meet again ;
I wish you well, and so I take my leave.

Ba] Dear Sir, of force I must attempt you farther
Take some remembrance of us for a tribute,
Not as a fee : grant me two things, I pray you,
Not to deny me, and to pardon me.

Por. You press me far, and therefore I will yield.
Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your lake,
And, for your love, I'll take this ring from you.
Do not draw back your hand, I'll take no more ;
And you in love shall not deny me this.

Bal. This ring, good Sir, alas, it is a trifle;
I will not shame myself to give you this.

Por. I will have nothing else but only this,
And now, methinks, I have a mind to it.

Bal. There's more depends on this, than is the value.
The dearest ring in Venice will I give you,
And find it out by proclamation ;
Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.

Por. I see, Sir, you are liberal in offers ;
You taught me first to beg, and now, methinks,
You teach me how a beggar Mould be answer'd.

Ball. Good Sir, this ring was giv'n me by my wife.
And,

when she put it on, she made me vow,
That I should neither sell, nor give, nor lose it.

Por. That'fcufe ferves many men to save their gifts ;
And if your wife be not a mad woman,
And know how well I have deserv'd the ring,
She wou'd not hold out enmity for ever,

Foy

For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you!

[Exit with Neriffa.
Ant. My lord Bafanio, let him have the ring,
Let his defervings, and my love withal,
Be valu'd 'gainst your wife's commandment.

Bal. Go, Gratiano, run and overtake him,
Give him the ring; and bring him if thou can'ft,
Unto Antonio's house : away, make halte. [Exit. Gra.
Come, you and I will thither presently ;
And in the morning early will we both
Fly toward Belmont ; come, Anthonio. [Exeunt.

Re-enter Portia and Neriffa.
Por. Enquire the Jew's house out, give him this Deed,
And let him fign it; we'll away to-night,
And be a day before our husbands home ;
This Deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo.

Enter Gratiano.
Gra. Fair Sir, you are well o'erta'er :
My lord Bafanio, upon more advice,
Hath sent you here this ring, and doth intreat
Your company at dinner.

Por. That cannot be.
This ring I do accept most thankfally,
And so, I pray you, tell him ; furthermore,
I pray you, Mew my youth old Shylock's house.
Gra. That will I do.

Ner. Sir, I would speak with you.
I'll see if I can get my husband's ring: [T. Por.
Which I did make him swear to keep for ever.

Por. Thou may’st, I warrant. We shall have old fwearing,
That they did give the rings away to men ;
But we'll out-face them, and out-swear them too:
Away, make haste, thou know'ft where I will tarry.
Ner. Come, good Sir, will you lhew me to this house?

(Exeunt.

1

ACT