Whereof you are a well-deferving Pillar,
Proceed to Judgment. By my Soul I fwear,
There is no power in the Tongue of Man
To alter me. I ftay here on my Bond.

Ant. Moft heartily I do befeech the Court
To give the Judgment.

Por. Why then thus it is:

You must prepare your Bofom for his Knife.
Shy. O noble Judge! O excellent young Man!
Por. For the intent and purpose of the Law
Hath full relation to the Penalty,

Which here appeareth due upon the Bond.

Shy. 'Tis very true. O wife and upright Judge, How much more elder art thou than thy Looks! Por. Therefore lay bare thy Bofom.

Shy. Ay his Breast,

So fays the Bond, doth it not, noble Judge ?
Nearest his Heart, thofe are the very words.

Por. It is fo. Are there Ballances here to weigh the Flesh? Shy. I have them ready.

Por. Have by fome Surgeon, Shylock, on your Charge,
To ftop his Wounds, left he should bleed to Death.
Shy. It is not nominated in the Bond.

Por. It is not fo exprefs'd; but what of that?
'Twere good you do fo much for Charity.
Shy. I cannot find it, 'tis not in the Bond.
Por. Come, Merchant, have you any thing to say?
Ant. But little: I am arm'd and well prepar'd.
Give me your Hand, Bassanio, fare you well.
Grieve not that I am fall'n to this for you:
For herein Fortune fhews her felf more kind
Than is her Cuftom. It is ftill her use

To let the wretched Man out-live his Wealth,
To view with hollow Eye and wrinkled Brow
An age of Poverty. From which lingring Penance
Of fuch a Mifery, doth fhe cut me off.
Commend me to your Honourable Wife ;
Tell her the Procefs of Anthonio's end;

Say how I lov'd you; fpeak me fair in Death:
And when the Tale is told, bid her be judge,
Whether Bassanio had not once a Love.

I 2

Reper

Repent not you

that you fhall lofe

fhall lose your Friend,
And he repents not that he pays your Debt;
For if the Jew do cut but deep enough,
I'll pay it inftantly with all my

Heart.

Baff. Anthonio, I am married to a Wife,
Which is as dear to me as Life it felf;
But Life it felf, my Wife, and all the World,
Are not with me efteem'd above thy Life.
I would lofe all, I'd facrifice them all

Here to this Devil, to deliver

you.

Por. Your Wife would give you little thanks for that, If the were by to hear you make the Offer.

Gra. I have a Wife whom I protest I love,
I would she were in Heav'n, fo she could
Intreat fome Power to change this currish Jew.

Ner. 'Tis well you offer it behind her back,
The Wish would make elfe an unquiet House.

Shy. These be the Chriftian Husbands. I have a Daughter, Would any of the Stock of Barrabas

Had been her Husband, rather than a Chriftian.

We trifle time, I pray thee pursue Sentence.

[Afide.

Por. A Pound of that fame Merchant's Flesh is thine,
The Court awards it, and the Law doth give it.
Shy. Moft rightful Judge.

Por. And you must cut this Flesh from off his Breaft, The Law allows it, and the Court awards it,

Shy. Moft learned Judge, a Sentence, come prepare.
Por. Tarry a little, there is fomething else.
This Bond doth give thee here no jot of Blood,
The words exprefly are a Pound of Flesh.

Then take thy Bond, take thou thy Pound of Flesh ;
But in the cutting it, if thou doft fhed

One drop of Chriftian Blood, thy Lands and Goods
Are by the Laws of Venice Confiscate

Unto the State of Venice.

Gra. O upright Judge!

Mark Jew, O learned Judge!

Shy. Is that the Law?

Por. Thy felf fhalt fee the A&t:

For as thou urgeft Juftice, be affur'd

Thou shalt have Justice, more than thou desirest.

Gra.

Gra. O learned Judge! Mark Jew, a learned Judge! Shy. I take this Offer then, pay the Bond thrice, And let the Chriftian go.

Baff. Here is the Mony,

Por. Soft, the Jew fhall have all Juftice, foft, no haste, He shall have nothing but the Penalty,

Gra. O few! an upright Judge, a learned Judge.
Por. Therefore prepare thee to cut off the Flesh,
Shed thou no Blood, nor cut thou lefs nor more
But just a Pound of Flesh: If thou tak'ft more
Or less than a juft Pound, be it so much
As makes it light or heavy in the Substance,
Or the Divifion of the twentieth part

Of one poor Scruple; nay, if the Scale do turn
But in the estimation of a Hair,

Thou diest, and all thy Goods are confiscate.
Gra. A fecond Daniel, a Daniel, Jew.
Now, Infidel, I have thee on the Hip.

Por. Why doth the Jew paufe? Take thy Forfeiture.
Shy. Give me my Principal, and let me go.
Baff. I have it ready for thee; here it is.
Por. He hath refus'd it in the open Court:
He shall have meerly Juftice and his Bond.
Gra. A Daniel ftill fay I, a fecond Daniel,
I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word.
Shy. Shall I not have barely my Principal?
Por. Thou fhalt have nothing but the Forfeiture,
To be fo`taken at thy Peril, Jew.

Shy. Why then the Devil give him good of it: I'll ftay no longer queftion.

Por. Tarry, Jew,

The Law hath yet another hold on you!

It is enacted in the Laws of Venice,

If it be prov'd against an Alien,

That by direct, or indire& Attempts,
He feek the Life of any Citizen,

The Party 'gainst the which he doth contrive,
Shall feize on half his Goods, the other half
Comes to the privy Coffer of the State,
And the Offender's Life lyes in the mercy
Of the Duke only, 'gainst all other Voice;

In which Predicament I fay thou stand'st:
For it appears by manifeft Proceeding,
That indirectly, and directly too,
Thou haft contriv'd against the very Life
Of the Defendant; and thou haft incurr'd
The Danger formerly by me rehears'd.
Down therefore, and beg Mercy of the Duke.

Gra. Beg that thou may'ft have leave to hang thy felf:
And yet thy Wealth being forfeit to the State,
Thou haft not left the value of a Cord,

Therefore thou must be hang'd at the State's Charge.
Duke. That thou fhalt fee the difference of our Spirit,
I pardon thee thy Life before thou ask it:
For half thy Wealth, it is Anthonio's;
The other half comes to the general State,
Which humblenefs may drive unto a Fine.

Por. Ay, for the State, not for Anthonio.
Shy. Nay, take my Life and all, pardon not that.
You take my Houfe when you do take the Prop
That doth fuftain my Houfe: You take my Life
When you do take the means whereby I live.

Por. What Mercy can you render him, Anthonio? Gra. A Halter gratis, nothing elfe, for God's fake. Ant. So pleafe my Lord, the Duke, and all the Court, To quit the Fine for one half of his Goods,

I am content, fo he will let me have

The other half in ufe, to render it

Upon his Death, unto the Gentleman
That lately ftole his Daughter.

Two things provided more, that for this Favour
He prefently become a Chriftian;

The other, that he do record a Gift

Here in the Court of all he dies possess'd

Unto his Son Lorenzo, and his Daughter.

Duke. He fhall do this, or elfe I do recant

The Pardon that I late pronounced here.

Por. Art thou contented, Jew? What doft thou say? Shy. I am content.

Por, Clerk, draw a Deed of Gift.

Shy, I pray you give me leave to go from hence; I am not well; fend the Deed after me,

And I will fign it,

Duke.

Duke. Get thee gone, but do it.

Gra. In Chrift'ning thou fhalt have two Godfathers. Had I been Judge, thou fhould't have had ten more, To bring thee to the Gallows, not to the Font.

[Exit Shy.

Duke. Sir, I entreat you with me home to Dinner.
Por. I humbly do defire your Grace of Pardon;
I muft away this Night toward Padua,
And it is meet I prefently fet forth.

Duke. I am forry that your leifure ferves you not.
Anthonio, gratifie this Gentleman;

For in my mind you are much bound to him.

[Exit Duke and his Train.
Baff. Moft worthy Gentleman! I and my Friend
Have by your Wisdom been this Day acquitted
Of grievous Penalties, in lieu whereof
Three thousand Ducats, due unto the Jew,
We freely cope your courteous Pains withal.
Ant. And ftand indebted over and above
In Love and Service to you evermore.

Por. He is well paid that is well satisfied,
And I delivering you, am fatisfied,
And therein do account my felf well paid;
My Mind was never yet more mercenary.
I pray you know me when we meet again.
I wish you well, and fo I take my leave.

Baff. Dear Sir, of force I must attempt you further.
Take fome Remembrance of us as a Tribute,
Not as a Fee: Grant me two things; I pray you
Not to deny me, and to pardon me.

Por. You prefs me far, and therefore I will yield.
Give me your Gloves, I'll wear them for your fake,
And for your Love I'll take this Ring from you.
Do not draw back your hand, I'll take no more,
And you in love fhall not deny me this.

Baff. This Ring, good Sir, alas it is a Trifle;
I will not fhame my felf to give you

this.

Por. I will have nothing else but only this, And now methinks I have a mind to it.

Baff. There's more depends on this than on the value: The deareft Ring in Venice will I give you,