Ner. How like you the young German, the Duke of Saxony's nephew?

Por Very vilely in the morning when he is fober, and most vilely in the afternoon when he is drunk; when he is beft, he is a little worse 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 shall make shist to go without him.

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

Por. Therefore, for fear of the worst, I pray thee, fet a deep glafs of Rhenish wine on the contrary casket ; for if the devil be within, and that temptation without, I know, he will chufe it. I will do any thing, Nerissa, ere I will be marry'd to a spunge.

Ner. You need not fear, lady, the having any of thefe lords: they have acquainted 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 caskets.

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 reasonable; for there is not one among them but I doat on his very abfence, and wish them a fair departure.

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

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

Ner. True, madam; he, of all the men that ever my foolish eyes look'd upon, was the best deserving a fair lady. doubt, a very pleafing one to the audiences, when this play was firft 'brought on. To make the Frenchman jointly with the Scot, take a box on the ear at the Englishman's hands, is very humorously, and fatirically, alluding to the conftant affiftance the French always used to give the Scots in their quarrels with the English, both in and before our author's time: and in which alliance, they generally came by the work of it. Mr. Warburton.

Por.

3

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

Enter a Servant. :

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

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

Shy.T

Enter Baffanio and Shylock.

Hree thousand ducats? well.

Ba. Ay, Sir, for three months.

Shy. For three months? well.

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

Shy. Anthonio fhall become bound? well.

Bal. May you ftead me? will you pleasure me ? shall I know your answer?

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

Baff. Your answer to that.

Shy. Anthonio is a good man.

Baff. Have you heard any imputation to the contrary? Shy. No, no, no, no; my meaning, in faying he is a good man, is to have you understand me, that he is fufficient: yet his means are in fuppofition: he hath an Argofy bound to Tripolis, another to the Indies; I un. derstand 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 land-rats, and water-rats,

E 2

water

water-thieves and land-thieves; I mean, pirates; and then there is the peril of waters, winds and rocks. The man is, notwithstanding, fufficient; three thoufand ducats? I think, I may take his bond.

Baff. 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 speak with Anthonie ? Baff. If it pleafe 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.

Baff. This is Signior Anthonio.

Shy. [Afide] How like a fawning Publican he looks; I hate him, for he is a chriftian :

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 most 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 present store, And by the near guess of my memory,

I cannot instantly raise up the grofs

Of full three thousand ducats: what of that?
Tuball, a wealthy Hebrew of my tribe,

Will furnish me; but foft, how many months

Do you defire? Reft you fair, good Signior; [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,

Yet, to fupply the ripe wants of my friend,

I'll break a cuftom.

How much you would?

Is he yet poffeft,

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 sheep,
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 interest ?
Shy. No, not take int'reft; not, as you would fay,
Directly, int'reft; mark, what Jacob did.

When Laban and himself were compromis'd,
That all the yeanlings, which were ftreak'd and pied,
Should fall as Jacob's hire; the ewes being rank,
In th' end of autumn turned to the rams;
And when the work of generation was
Between these woolly breeders in the act,
The skilful 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 a way to thrive, and he was bleft;
And thrift is bleffing, if men steal it not.

Anth. This was a venture, Sir, that Jacob ferv'd for; A thing not in his pow'er to bring to pafs,

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 ;
But note me, Signior.

Anth. Mark you this, Baffanio?

The devil can cite fcripture for his purpose.

An evil foul, producing holy witnefs,
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek;
A goodly apple rotten at the heart.

O, what a goodly outside falfhood hath !

Shy. Three thousand ducats! 'tis a good round fum.
Three months from twelve, then let me fee the rate.
Anth. Well, Shylock, fhall we be beholden to you?
Shy. Signior Anthonio, many a time and oft
In the Ryalto you have rated me,
About my monies and my ufances.
Still have I born it with a patient fhrug;
(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 fay fo;
You, that did void your rheum upon my beard,
And foot me, as you fpurn a ftranger cur
Over your threshold: money in your fuit;
What fhould I fay to you? fhould I not fay,
Hath a dog money? is it poffible,

A cur can lend three thousand ducats ? or
Shall I bend low, and in a bondman's key,
With bated breath, and whifp'ring humblenefs,
Say this,fair Sir, you spit on me laft Wedne day,
You fpurn'd me fuch a day; another time
You call'd me dog; and for these courtefies
I'll lend you thus much monies ?

Anth. I am as like to call thee fo again,
To fpit on thee again, to fpurn thee too.
If thou wilt lend this money, lend it not
As to thy friend, (for when did friendship take
A breed of barren mctal of his friend (7)

But

(7) A breed of barren metal] Meaning, money at ufury, money that breeds more, as Mr. Pope explains it Confonant to this phrafe, the Latins explain'd interest thus ; fœnus, fætum accepti: and the Greeks called it Toxos: both which expreffions-take in our poet's idea of a breed. See Non. Marcellus in y. fænus, & mutuum: and Gronovius de

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