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right cafket, you should refuse to perform your father's will, if you fhould refufe to accept him.

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

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 cafkets.

Por. If I live to be as old as Sibylla, I will die as chafte as Diana, unless I be obtained by the manner of my father's will. I am glad this parcel of wooers are fo very reasonable; for there is not one among' them but I doat on his very abfence, and pray God grant them a fair departure.

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

Por. Yes, yes, it was Baffanio; 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 deferving a fair lady.

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.

Per. If I could bid the fifth welcome with fo good heart as I can bid the other four farewel, I fhould be

glad

glad of his approach: if he have the condition of à faint, and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he fhould fhrive me, than wive me. Come, Nerissa. Sirrah, go before. While we fhut the gate upon one wooer, another knocks at the door.

SCENE III.

A publick Place in Venice.

Enter Baffanio and Shylock.

Shy. Three thousand ducats :-well.
Baff. Ay, fir, for three months.

Shy. For three months :-well.

[Exeunt.

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

Shy. Anthonio fhall become bound :-well.

Beff. May you ftead me? will you pleasure me? fhall I know your answer?

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

Baff. Your antwer to that.

Shy. Anthonio is a good man.

Baff. Have you heard any imputation to the contrary?

Shy. Ho, no, no, no, no;-my meaning, in say. ing he is a good man, is, to have you understand me, that he is fufficient. Yet his means are in fuppofition he hath an Argoly bound to Tripolis, another to the Indies; I understand moreover upon the Rialto, he hath a third at Mexico, a fourth for England; and other ventures he hath, fquander'd abroad. But ships are but boards, failors but men: there be land-rats, and water-rats; water thieves, and landthieves; I mean, pirates; and then, there is the peril of waters, winds and rocks. The man is, not

withstanding, fufficient. Three thousand ducats: I think, I may take his bond.

Baff. Be affur'd, you may.

Sky. I will be affur'd, I may; and that I may be affur'd,

I will bethink me. May I fpeak with Anthonio? Ball. If it please you to dine with us.

Shy. Yes, to fmell pork; to eat of the habitation, which your prophet the Nazarite conjured 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 Rialto?-Who is he comes here? Enter Anthonio.

Ball. This is fignior 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 antient grudge I bear him.
He hates our facred nation; and he rails,
Even there where merchants moft 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 guefs of my memory,

I cannot inftantly raife up the grofs

Of full three thousand ducats: what of that?

Tubal, a wealthy Hebrew of my tribe,

—catch him once upon the hip.] A phrafe taken from the prac

tice of wrestlers. JOHNSON.

Will

Will furnish me: but foft, how many months defire? Reft you fair, good fignior;

[To Anth.

Do you
Your worship was the laft man in our mouths.

Anth. Shylock, albeit I neither lend nor borrow By taking, nor by giving of excess,

Yet, to fupply the ripe wants of my friend, s
I'll break a cuftom:Is he yet poffeft,

How much you would?

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 intereft? Shy. No, not take intereft; not as you would fay, Directly, intereft: mark, what Jacob did. When Laban and himself were compromis'd, That all the eanlings which were ftreak'd and pied, Should fall as Jacob's hire; the ewes, being rank, In the end of autumn turned to the rams: And when the work of generation was Between these woolly breeders in the act, The fkilful fhepherd peel'd me certain wands, And, in the doing of the deed of kind,

s the ripe wants of my friend,] Ripe wants are wants come to the height, wants that can have no longer delay. Perhaps we might read, rife wants, wants that come thick upon him.

JOHNSON.

He

He ftuck them up before the fulfome ewes ;
Who, then conceiving, did in eaning 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 fteal it not.

Anth. This was a venture, fir, that Jacob ferv'd for;
A thing not in his power to bring to pass,
But fway'd, and fashion'd by the hand of Heaven.
Was this inferted to make intereft 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 witness,
Is like a villain with a fmiling cheek;
A goodly apple rotten at the heart.

O, what a goodly outfide falfhood hath?

Sby. Three thousand ducats,-'tis a good round fum.

Three months from twelve, then let me see the rate.

6

-can cite fcripture for his purpose.

O, what a goodly outfide falfhood hath!]

But this is not true, that falfhood hath always a goodly outfide. Nor does this take in the force of the fpeaker's fentiment; who would obferve that that falfhood which quotes fcripture for its purpofe, has a goodly outfide. We fhould therefore read,

O what a good'y outfide's falfhood hath!

i. e. bis falfhood, Shylock's. WARBURTON:

I wish any copy would give me authority to range and read the lines thus:

O, what a godly outfide falfhood hath!
An evil foul producing holy witness,
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek ;
Or goodly apple rotten at the heart.

Yet there is no difficulty in the prefent reading. Falfhood, which as truth means honesty, is taken here for treachery and knavery, does not ftand for falfhood in general, but for the difhonefty now operating. JOHNSON.

Anth.

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