9 The rate of ufance here with us in Venice. Ball. Shylock, do you hear? Shy. I am debating of my prefent ftore, Of full three thousand ducats: what of that? [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 excefs, Yet, to fupply the ripe wants of my friend, How much you would? Shy. Ay, ay, three thousand ducats. 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 fheep,This Jacob from our holy Abraham was 9 catch him once upon the hip.] A phrafe taken from the practice of wrestlers. 1 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. (As (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 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 streak'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 shepherd peel'd me certain wands; And, in the doing of the deed of kind, He stuck them up before the fulfome ewes ; Who, then conceiving, did in yeaning time Fall party-colour'd lambs, and those 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'r to bring to pafs, But fway'd, and fashion'd, by the hand of heav'n. Or is your gold, and filver, ewes and rams? Anth. Mark you this Baffanio? The devil can cite fcripture for his purpose. can cite fcripture for his purpose. O, what a goodly outfide falf hood 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 should therefore read, O, what a goodly outfide falfbood bath! i. e. bis falfhood, Shylock's. War. I wish any copy would give me authority to range and read the lines thus: O, what a godly outfide falfhood bath! An evil foul producing holy witness, Is like a villain with a fmiling cheek: Or goodly apple rotten at the heart. An evil foul, producing holy witness, O, what a goodly outfide falfhood hath! Shy. Three thousand ducats!-'tis a good round fum. Three months from twelve, then let me fee the rate. And all for ufe of that, which is my own. Over your threshold Mony is Mony is your fuit; A cur can lend three thousand ducats? or With bated breath, and whifp'ring humbleness, You fpurn'd me fuch a day; another time Anth. I am as like to call thee fo again, A A breed of barren metal of his friend) ? 3 Who, if he break, thou may'ft with better face Shy. Why, how you florm? I would be friends with you, and have your love; Anth. This were kindness. Shy. This kindr.efs will I fhow: In fuch a place, fuch fum, or fums, as are Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken Anth. Content, in faith. I'll feal to fuch a bond, And say, there is much kindness in the Jew. Anth. Why, fear not, man, I will not forfeit it; Of thrice three times the value of this bond. Shy. O father Abraham, what thefe chriflians are! Whofe own hard dealings teach them to fufpect 3 A breed of barren metal of his friend?] A breed that is interest money bred from the principal. By the epithet barren the author would in@rect us in the argument on which the advocates against ufury went, which is this, that money is a barren thing, and cannot like corn and VOL. 1. cattle multiply itfelf. And to fet off the ablurdity of this kind of ufury, he put breed and barren in oppofition. WARBURTON. *To dwell feems in this place to mean the fame as to continue. To abide has both the fenies of habitation and continuance. Dd The The thoughts of others! pray you, tell me this, A pound of man's flesh, taken from a man, As flesh of muttons, beefs, or goats. I fay, And for my love I pray you, wrong me not. Anth. Hie thee, gentle Jew. This Hebrew will turn chriftian; he grows kind. 4 left in the FEARFUL guard, &c.] But furely fearful was the most trusty guard for a houfe-keeper in a populous city; where houfes are not carried by ftorm like fortreffes. For fear would keep them on their watch, which was all that was neceffary for the owner's fecurity. I fuppofe therefore Shakespear wrote FEARLESS guard. i. e. Careless; and this, indeed, would expofe his house to the only danger he had to apprehend in the day-time, which was clandeftine pilfering. This reading is much confirmed by the character he gives this guard, of an unthrifty knave, and by what he was, a huge feeder: More than the wild cat- Dr. Warburton has forgotten 5 I like not fair terms.] Kind words, good lang uage. |