never

Pay him six thousand, and deface the bond;
Double six thousand, and then treble that,
Before a friend of this description
Should lose a hair through Bassanio's fault.
First, go with me to church, and call me wife:
And then away to Venice to your friend,
For shall

you lie by Portia's side
With an unquiet soul. You shall have gold
To pay the petty debt twenty times over;
When it is paid, bring your true friend along:
My maid Nerissa, and myself mean time,
Will live as maids and widows. Come, away ;
For you shall hence upon your wedding day:
Bid your friends welcome, show a merry cheer;'
Since you are dear bought, I will love you dear.-
But let me hear the letter of your friend.

Bass. [Reads.] Sweet Bassanio, my ships have all miscarried, my creditors grow cruel, my estate is very low, my bond to the Jew is forfeit ; and since, in paying it, it is impossible I should live, all debts are cleared between you and I. If I might but see you at my death:"-notwithstanding, use your pleasure: if your love do not persuade you to come, let not my letter. Por. O love, despatch all business, and be gone. Bass. Since I have your good leave to go away,

I will make haste : but, till I come again, No bed shall e'er be guilty of my stay,

Nor rest be interposer 'twixt us twain. [Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Venice. A Street.

Enter SHYLOCK, SALANIO, ANTONIO, and Gaoler.

Shy. Gaoler, look to him ;-Tell not me of mercy;
This is the fool that lends out money gratis ;
Gaoler, look to him.
Icheer ;] i. e. Countenance.

all debts are cleared, &c.] According to the general way of printing this passage, the seeing Bassanio at his death has been made the condition of Antonio's forgiving him his debt. Such a want of generosity is inconsistent with the tenderness and nobleness of Antonio. The present punctuation was suggested by Mr. Charles Kemble.

m

Ant.

Hear me yet, good Shylock. Shy. I'll have my bond; speak not against my bond ;

i I have sworn an oath, that I will have

my

bond:
Thou call'dst me dog, before thou had'st a cause;
But, since I am a dog, beware my fangs:
The duke shall grant me justice.—I do wonder,
Thou naughty gaoler, that thou art so fond"
To come abroad with him at his request.

Ant. I pray thee, hear me speak.

Shy. I'll have my bond; I will not hear thee speak:
I'll have my bond ; and therefore speak no more.
I'll not be made a soft and dull-eye'd fool,
To shake the head, relent, and sigh, and yield
To Christian intercessors.

Follow not;
I'll have no speaking ; I will have my bond.

[Exit SHYLOCK.
Salan. It is the most impenetrable cur,
That ever kept with men.
Ant.

Let him alone;
I'll follow him no more with bootless prayers.
He seeks my life; his reason well I know;
I oft deliver'd from his forfeitures
Many that have at times made moan to me;
Therefore he hates me.
Salan.

I am sure, the duke
Will never grant this forfeiture to hold.

Ant. The duke cannot deny the course of law ; For the commodity that strangers have With us in Venice, if it be denied, Will much impeach the justice of the state; Since that the trade and profit of the city Consisteth of all nations. Therefore, go : These griefs and losses have so 'bated me, That I shall hardly spare a pound of flesh To-morrow to my bloody creditor.--Well, gaoler, on :-Pray God, Bassanio come To see me pay his debt, and then I care not! [Ereunt.

a

SCENE IV.

Belmont.

A Room in PORTIA's House.

a

a

a

Enter PORTIA, NERISSA, LORENZO, JESSICA, and

BALTHAZAR.
Lor. Madam, although I speak it in your presence,

I
You have a noble and a true conceit
Of god-like amity; which appears most strongly
In bearing thus the absence of your lord.
But, if you knew to whom you show this honour,
How true a gentleman you send relief,
How dear a lover of my lord your husband,
I know, you would be prouder of the work,
Than customary bounty can enforce you.

Por. I never did repent for doing good,
Nor shall not now : for in companions
That do converse and waste the time together,
Whose souls do bear an equal yoke of love,
There must be needs a like proportion
Of lineaments, of manners, and of spirit;
Which makes me think, that this Antonio,
Being the bosom lover of my lord,
Must needs be like my lord : If it be so,
How little is the cost I have bestow'd,
In purchasing the semblance of my soul
From out the state of hellish cruelty ?
This comes too near the praising of myself;
Therefore, no more of it: hear other things.-
Lorenzo, I commit into your hands
The husbandry and manage of my house,

lord's return: for mine own part,
I have toward heaven breath'd a secret vow,
To live in prayer and contemplation,
Only attended by Nerissa here,
Until her husband and my lord's return:
There is a monastery two miles off,
And there we will abide.
Not to deny this imposition ;

:

Until my

I do desire you,

The which my love, and some necessity,
Now lays upon you.
Lor.

Madam, with all my heart;
I shall obey you in all fair commands.

Por. My people do already know my mind,
And will acknowledge you and Jessica
In place of lord Bassanio and myself.
So fare you well, till we shall meet again.

Lor. Fair thoughts, and happy hours, attend on you!
Jes. I wish your ladyship all heart's content.

Por. I thank you for your wish, and am well pleas’d To wish it back on you: fare you well, Jessica.

[Exeunt JESSICA and LORENZO.
Now, Balthazar,
As I have ever found thee honest, true,
So let me find thee still: Take this same letter,
And use thou all the endeavour of a man,
In speed to Padua; see thou render this
Into my cousin's hand, doctor Bellario;
And, look, what notes and garments he doth give thee,
Bring them, I pray thee, with imagin'd speed
Unto the tranect, to the common ferry
Which trades to Venice:-waste no time in words,
But get thee gone; I shall be there before thee.
Balth. Madam, I go with all convenient speed. [Exit.

I
Por. Come on, Nerissa ; I have work in hand,
That you yet know not of: 'we'll see our husbands,
Before they think of us.
Ner.

Shall they see us?
Por. They shall, Nerissa; but in such a habit
That they shall think we are accomplished
With what we lack. I'll hold thee any wager,
When we are both accouter'd like young men,
I'll prove the prettier fellow of the two,
And wear my dagger with a braver grace:
And speak, between the change of man and boy,

а

a

With a reed voice; and turn two mincing steps
Into a manly stride; and speak of frays,
Like a fine bragging youth : and tell quaint lies,
How honourable ladies sought my love,
Which I denying, they fell sick and died;
I could not do withal;P then I'll repent,
And wish, for all that, that I had not kill'd them :
And twenty of these puny lies I'll tell,
That men shall swear, I have discontinued school
Above a twelvemonth:- I have within my mind
A thousand raw tricks of these bragging Jacks,
Which I will practise.
Ner.

Why, shall we turn to men?
Por. Fye! what a question's that,
If thou wert near a lew'd interpreter?
But come, I'll tell thee all my whole device
When I am in my coach, which stays for us
At the park-gate; and therefore haste away,
For we must measure twenty miles to-day. [Exeunt.

Laun. Yes, truly:-for, look you, the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore, I promise you, I fear you. I was always plain with you, and so now I speak my agitation of the matter: Therefore, be of good cheer; for, truly, I think, you are damn'd. There is but one hope in it that can do you any good; and that is but a kind of bastard hope neither.

Jes. And what hope is that, I pray thee?

Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter.

P I could not do withal ;] This phrase, which the commentators have so shamelessly misinterpreted, is, in itself perfectly innocent, and means neither more nor less than I could not help it.- See GIFFORD's Ben Jonson, vol. iii. 471.

I fear you.] I fear for you.