Turns to a wild of nothing: save of joy,

165 Express'd, and not express'd | But) when this ring Parts from this finger, | then parts life from hence ;) O, then be bold to say,] Bassanio's dead. |

Ner. My lord and lady, it is now our time,

That have stood by and seen our wishes prosper, 170 To cry, good joy; Good joy, my lord and lady! Gra. My Lord Bassanio, and my gentle lady,

I wish you all the joy that you can wish ;
For I am sure you can wish none from me :
And when your honours mean to solemnize
175 The bargain of your faith, I do beseech you,
Even at that time I may be married too.

Bass. With all my heart, so thou canst get a wife.
Gra. I thank your Lordship; you have got me one.
My eyes, my lord, can look as swift as yours;
180 You saw the mistress, I beheld the maid;
You lov'd, I lov'd; for intermission

No more pertains to me, my lord, than you.
Your fortune stood upon the caskets there;
And so did mine too, as the matter falls :
185 For wooing here, until I sweat again,

And swearing, till my very roof was dry
With oaths of love, at last,-if promise last,-
I got a promise of this fair one here,
To have her love, provided that your fortune
190 Achiev'd her mistress.

195

Ner. Madam, it is, so you stand pleas'd withal.
Bass. And do you, Gratiano, mean good faith?

Gra. Yes, faith, my lord.

Bass. Our feast shall be much honour'd in your marriage.
Gra. But who comes here? Lorenzo, and his infidel ?

What, and my old Venetian friend, Solanio?

187. At last... last.-An intended play on the words.

194. Shall.-See Act I. Scene 3, 83, note.

Enter LORENZO, JESSICA, and SOLANIO.

Bass. Lorenzo and Solanio, welcome hither;
If that the youth of my new interest here
Have power to bid you welcome :-By your leave,

200 I bid my very friends and countrymen,

Sweet Portia, welcome.

They are entirely welcome.

Lor. I thank your honour :-For my part, my lord,
My purpose was not to have seen you here;

205 But meeting with Solanio by the way,
He did entreat me, past all saying nay,

To come with him along.

Solan.

And I have reason for it.
Commends him to you.

Bass.

210 I pray you tell me how my good friend doth.

Solan. Not sick, my lord, unless it be in mind;
Nor well, unless in mind: his letter there

Will show you his estate.

Gra. Nerissa, cheer yon stranger; bid her welcome. 215 Your hand, Solanio. What's the news from Venice ? How doth that royal merchant, good Antonio?

220

I know he will be glad of our success;
We are the Jasons, we have won the fleece.

Solan. I would you had won the fleece that he hath lost!
Por. There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper,
That steal the colour from Bassanio's cheek,

Some dear friend dead; else nothing in the world
Could turn so much the constitution

Of any constant man. What, worse and worse?225 With leave, Bassanio; I am half yourself,

198. If that.-See page 8, note 4.

205. Meeting.-A faulty participial construction. See Act III. Scene 2, 2, note.

220. Shrewd, i.e., cursed, bad, ill-omened. 220. Same is merely an emphasis on the Demonstrat. Pronoun.

And I must freely have the half of anything
That this same paper brings you.

Bass.
O, sweet Portia,
Here are a few of the unpleasantest words
That ever blotted paper! Gentle lady,
230 When I did first impart my love to you,
I freely told you, all the wealth I had
Ran in my veins,-I was a gentleman;

And then I told you true and yet, dear lady,
Rating myself at nothing, you shall see

235 How much I was a braggart: When I told you |
My state was nothing, I should then have told you
That I was worse than nothing; | for, indeed,
I have engag'd myself to a dear friend, |
Engag'd my friend to his mere enemy,
240 To feed my means.] Here is a letter, lady;
The paper as the body of my friend,

And every word in it a gaping wound,

Issuing life-blood. But is it true, Solanio?
Have all his ventures fail'd? What, not one hit ?
245 From Tripolis, from Mexico, and England,
From Lisbon, Barbary, and India?

And not one vessel 'scape the dreadful touch
Of merchant-marring rocks?

Solan.

Not one, my lord.]

Besides, it should appear, | that) if he had
250 The present money to discharge the Jew, |
He would not take it :) Never did I know
A creature) that did bear the shape of man, |
So keen and greedy to confound a man :)
He plies the Duke at morning, and at night;|

234. Rating myself, i.e., when I rated myself. The Participle can bardly be joined with braggart. See Act III. Scene 2, 2, note.

239. Mere, from the Latin merus means originally undiluted, pure, genuine.

247. And not one vessel 'scape.-Could

must be supplied to complete the gram

mar.

249. It should appear.-As the use of shall and will was not yet quite settled in Shakspere's time, so that, of should and would fluctuated. We should now say, it would appear.

255 And doth impeach the freedom of the state]
If they deny him justice | twenty merchants,
The Duke himself, and the magnificoes

Of greatest port, have all persuaded with him ;| But none can drive him from the envious plea 260 Of forfeiture, of justice, and his bond.

Jess. When I was with him, I have heard him swear
To Tubal, and to Chus, his countrymen,

That he would rather have Antonio's flesh
Than twenty times the value of the sum
265 That he did owe him; and I know, my lord,
If law, authority, and power deny not,

It will go hard with poor Antonio.

Por. Is it your dear friend that is thus in trouble?
Bass. The dearest friend to me, the kindest man,

270 The best condition'd, and unwearied spirit

275

In doing courtesies; and one in whom
The ancient Roman honour more appears
Than any that draws breath in Italy.
Por. What sum owes he the Jew?
Bass. For me, three thousand ducats.
Por.

What, no more?

Pay him six thousand, and deface the bond;
Double six thousand, and then treble that,
Before a friend of this description

Shall lose a hair through Bassanio's fault.
280 First, go with me to church, and call me wife;
And then away to Venice to your friend;

For never shall you lie by Portia's side
With an unquiet soul. You shall have gold
To pay the petty debt twenty times over;

285 When it is paid, bring your true friend along :
My maid Nerissa, and myself, meantime,

258. Persuaded, i.e., used persuasion. 273. After than it is necessary to supply in.

279. This verse halts. The rhythm may

easily be restored, if we read or spell through as a word of two syllables, thorough, as was by no means uncommon in Shakspere's 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 : 290 Since you are dear bought, I will love you dear. But let me hear the letter of your friend.

295

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,
No rest be interposer 'twixt us twain.

SCENE III.

Venice. A Street.

[Exeunt.

Enter SHYLOCK, SALARINO, ANTONIO, and GAOLER.

Shy. Gaoler, look to him.

Tell me not of mercy ;—

This is the fool that lends out money gratis ;

Gaoler, look to him.

Ant.

Hear me yet, good Shylock.

Shy. I'll have my bond; speak not against my bond; 5 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

*The Nominat. instead of the Accus. is a striking instance of grammatical inaccu

racy.

L

9. Fond.-Used in the sense of foolish, but generally implying foolishly weak.