I bid my very

friends and country-men,

(Sweet Portia) welcome.

Por. So do I, my lord; they are entirely welcome. Lor. I thank your honour; for my part, my lord, My purpose was not to have feen you here;

But meeting with Salanio by the way,

He did intreat me, past all faying nay,
To come with him along.

Sal. I did, my lord,

And I have reafon for't; Signior Anthonio

Commends him to you.

Baff. Ere I ope his letter,

[Gives Baffanio a letter.

I pray you tell me how my good friend doth.
Sal. Not fick, my lord, unless it be in mind;
Nor well, unless in mind; his letter there
Will fhew you his estate.

Baffanio opens the letter.
Gra. Neriffa, cheer yond stranger: Bid her welcome.
Your hand, Salanio; what's the news from Venice?
How doth that royal merchant, good Anthonio?
I know, he will be glad of our fuccefs:

We are the Jafons, we have won the fleece.

paper,

Sal. Would you had won the fleece, that he hath loft!
Por. There are fome fhrewd contents in yond fame
That fteal the colour from Baffanio's cheek:
Some dear friend dead; elfe nothing in the world
Could turn fo much the conftitution

Of any conftant man. What, worse and worse!
With leave, Baffanio, I am half yourself,
And I must have the half of any thing
That this fame paper brings you.

Ba. O fweet Portia !

Here are a few of the unpleasant'ft words,
That ever blotted paper. Gentle lady,
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 fee
How much I was a braggart: when I told you,

My

you,

My ftate was nothing, I fhould then have told
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,
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,
Iffuing life-blood. But is it true, Salanio?
Have all his ventures fail'd? what not one hit ?
From Tripolis, from Mexico, from England,
From Lisbon, Barbary, and India?

And not one veffel 'fcap'd the dreadful touch
Of merchant-marring rocks?

Sal. Not one, my lord.

Besides, it should appear, that if he had
The prefent money to difcharge 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,
And doth impeach the freedom of the flate,
If they deny him juftice. Twenty merchants,
The Duke himself and the Magnificoes
Of greateft port, have all perfuaded with him;
But none can drive him from the envious plea
Of forfeiture, of justice, and his bond.

Jef. When I was with him, I have heard him fwear, To Tubal and to Chus his country-men,

That he would rather have Anthonio's flesh,

Than twenty times the value of the fum

That he did owe him; and I know, my lord,
If law, authority, and pow'r deny not,

It will

go hard with poor Anthonio.

Por. Is it your dear friend, that is thus in trouble ♪ Baff. The dearest friend to me, the kindest man, The best condition'd and unweary'd spirit In doing courtefies; and one in whom The ancient Roman honour more appears, Than any that draws breath in Italy

Por

Por. What fum owes he the Jew?
Baff. For me, three thousand ducats.
Por. What, no more?

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

Shall lose a hair through my Bassanio's fault.
First, go with me to church, and call me wife,
And then away to Venice to your friend :
For never fhall you lie by Portia's fide
With an unquiet foul. You fhall have gold
To pay the petty debt twenty times over.
When it is paid, bring your true friend along;
My maid Neriffa and myself, mean time,
Will live as maids and widows: come, away!
For you shall hence upon your wedding-day,
Bid your Friends welcome, fhew a merry cheer;
Since you are dear bought, I will love you dear.
But let me hear the letter of your friend.

Baff. reads.

Weet Baffanio, my ships have all miscarry'd, my creditors grow cruel, my eftate is very low, my bond to the Jew is forfeit; and fince, in paying it, it is impoffible I should live, all debts are cleared between you and me, if I might but fee you at my death; not-withftanding, ufe your pleasure: if your love do not perfuade you to come, let not my letter.

Por. O love! dispatch all business, and be gone.
Baff. Since I have your good leave to go away,
I will make hafte; but 'till I come again,

No bed fhall e'er be guilty of my ftay;

Shy.

No rest be interpofer 'twixt us twain.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to a Street in Venice. Enter Shylock, Solarino, Anthonio, and the Goaler.

Galer, look to him; tellent memory

This is the fool, that lent out money gratis. Goaler, look to him.

Anth.

Anth. Hear me yet, good Shylock.

Shy. I'll have my bond; fpeak not against my I've fworn an oath, that I will have my bond: Thou call'dft me dog, before thou hadst a caufe; But fince I am a dog, beware my fangs :

The Duke fhall grant me juftice.

I do wonder,
Thou naughty goaler, that thou art fo fond
To come abroad with him at his request.
Anth. I pray thee, hear me fpeak:

bond:

Shy. I'll have my bond; I will not hear thee fpeak: I'll have my bond; and therefore fpeak no more: I'll not be made a foft and dull-ey'd fool, To shake the head, relent, and high and yield To chriftian interceffors. Follow not;

I'll have no fpeaking; I will have my bond.

Sola. It is the most impenetrable cur,

That ever kept with men.

Anth. Let him alone,

[Exit Shylock.

I'll follow him no more with bootlefs pray'rs
He feeks my life; his reafon well I know;
I oft deliver'd from his forfeitures

Many, that have at times made moan to me;
Therefore he hates me.

Sola. I am fure, the Duke

Will never grant this forfeiture to hold.

Anth. The Duke cannot deny the courfe of law; For the commodity that ftrangers have

With us in Venice, if it be deny'd,

Will much impeach the juftice of the state;
Since that the trade and profit of the city
Confifteth of all nations. Therefore go,
Thefe griefs and loffes have fo 'bated me,
That I fhall hardly fpare a pound of flesh
To-morrow to my bloody creditor.

Well, goaler, on; pray God, Bassanio come

To fee me pay his debt, and then I care not! [Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE changes to BEL MONT.

Enter Portia, Neriffa, Lorenzo, Jeffica, and Balthazar.

Lor. Adam, although I fpeak it in your prefence,
You have a noble and a true conceit

Of God-like amity; which appears moft ftrongly
In bearing thus the absence of your lord.
But if you knew to whom you fhew this honour,
How true a gentleman you fend relief to,
How dear a lover of my lord your husband;
I know, you would be prouder of the work,
Than cuftomary bounty can enforce you.
Per. I never did repent of doing good,
And fhall not now; for in companions
That do converfe and wafte the time together,
Whofe fouls do bear an equal yoke of love,
There muft needs be a like proportion
Of lineaments, of manners, and of fpirit;
Which makes me think, that this Anthonio,
Being the bofom-lover of my lord,

Muft needs be like my lord. If it be fo,
How little is the colt I have bestow'd,
In purchafing the femblance of my foul
From out the ftate of hellish cruelty?

This comes too near the praifing of myself; (13)
Therefore, no more of it: hear other things.-
Lorenzo, I commit into your hands

The husbandry and manage of my houfe,
Until my lord's return. For mine own* part,
I have tow'rd heaven breath'd a fecret vow,

(13) This comes too near the praifing of myself;

Therefore no more of it: here other things,

Lorenzo, I commit, &c.] Thus has this Paffage been writ and pointed, but abfurdly, through all the Editions. Portia finding the reflections she had made came too near Self-praife, begins to chide herself for it: fays, She'll fay no more of that fort; but call a new Subject. The Regulation I have made in the Text was likewife prefcrib'd by Dr. Thirlby.

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