But lend it rather to thine enemy;

Who, if he break, thou may'ft with better face
Exact the penalty.

Shy. Why, how you ftorm?

I would be friends with you, and have your love :
Forget the fhames that you have ftain'd me with ;
Supply your present wants, and take no doit

Of ufance for my monies, and you'll not hear me :
This is kind I offer.

Anth. This were kindness.

Shy. This kindness will I fhow;

Go with me to a Notary, feal me there
Your fingle bond; and, in a merry sport,
If you repay me not on fuch a day,
In fuch a place, fuch fum, or fums, as are
Express'd in the condition, let the forfeit
Be nominated for an equal pound

Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken
In what part of your body it fhall please me.

1

Anth. Content, in faith; I'll feal to fuch a bond, And fay, there is much kindness in the Jew.

Baff. You fhall not feal to fuch a bond for me, I'll rather dwell in my neceffity.

Anth. Why, fear not, man; I will not forfeit it; Within these two months (that's a month before This bond expires) I do expect return

Of thrice three times the value of this bond.

Shy. O father Abraham, what these christians are! Whofe own hard dealings teach them to fufpect The thoughts of others! pray you, tell me this, If he should break this day, what thould I gain By the exaction of the forfeiture?

Seftertiis. As for the contradiction betwixt breed, and barren, it is a poetical beauty in which Claudian, among the Claffics, particularly abounds. Befides, in this epithet, perhaps (as Mr. Warburton inge niously hinted to me,) our author would fhew us the reafon on which the advocates against Ufury went; and which is the only one they use: That metal is a barren thing; and cannot, like corn and cattle, multiply itself and therefore it is unjust, that interest should be taken for it: for the moft fuperftitious in this regard allow the taking interest for fruits, corn, cattle, &c.

A pound of man's flesh, taken from a man,
Is not fo eftimable or profitable,

As flesh of muttons, beefs, or goats. I fay,
To buy his favour, I extend this friendship;
If he will take it, fo; if not adieu;

And for my love, I pray you, wrong me not.
Anth. Yes, Shylock, I will feal unto this bond.
Shy. Then meet me forthwith at the Notary's.
Give him direction for this merry bond,
And I will go and purfe the ducats ftrait;
See to my house, left in the fearful guard
Of an unthrifty knave, and prefently
I'll be with you.

Anth. Hie thee, gentle Jew.

This Hebrew will turn chriftian; he grows kind.

[Exi

Baff I like not fair terms, and a villain's mind. Anth. Come on, in this there can be no difmay; My fhips come home a month before the day. [Exeunt

A CT II.

SCENE, BELMONT,

Enter Morochius, a Tawney-Moor, all in white; anɛ three or four Followers accordingly; with Portia, Neriffa, and her train. Fla. Cornets,

MOROCHIUS.

Ilike me not for my complexion,

M

The fhadow'd livery of the burnifh'd fun,
To whom I am a neighbour, and near bred.
Bring me the fairest creature northward born,
Where Phabus' fire fcarce thaws the ificles,
And let us make incifion for
your love,
To prove whofe blood is reddeft, his or mine.
I tell thee, lady, this afpect of mine
Hath fear'd the valiant; by my love, I swear,
The best regarded virgins of our clime

Have lov'd it too: I would not change this hue,
Except to fteal your thoughts, my gentle Queen.
Por. In terms of choice I am not folely led
By nice direction of a maiden's eyes;
Befides, the lottery of my destiny
Bars me the right of voluntary chufing.
But if my father had not scanted me,
And hedg'd me by his wit to yield myself
His wife, who wins me by that means I told you;
Yourself, renowned Prince, then stood as fair,
As any comer I have look'd on yet,

For my affection.

Mor. Ev'n for that I thank you;
Therefore, I pray you, lead me to the caskets
To try my fortune. By this fcimitar,
That flew the Sophy and a Perfian Prince,
That won three fields of Sultan Solyman,
I would out-ftare the fterneft eyes that look,
Out-brave the heart moft daring on the earth,
Pluck the young fucking cubs from the fhe-bear,
Yea, mock the lion when he roars for prey,
To win thee, lady. But, alas the while!
If Hercules and Lichas play at dice

Which is the better man, the greater throw
May turn by fortune from the weaker hand:
So is Alcides beaten by his page; (8)

And

(8) So is Alcides beaten by bis rage.] Tho' the whole fet of editions concur in this reading, and it pass'd wholly unfufpected by the late learned editor; I am very well affur'd, and, I dare fay, the readers will be fo too prefently, that it is corrupt at bottom. Let us look into the poet's drift, and the hiftory of the perfons mention'd in the context. If Hercules (fays he) and Liches were to play at dice for the derifion of their fuperiority, Lichas, the weaker man, might have the better caft of the two. But how then is Alcides beaten by his rage? To admit this, we must fuppofe a gap in the poet; and that fome lines are loft, in which Hercules, in his paffion for lofing the hand, had thrown the box and dice away, and knock'd his own head against the wall for mere madness. Thus, indeed, might he be faid, in fome fense, to be beaten by his rage. But Shakespeare had no fuch stuff in his head. He means no more, than, if Lichas had the better throw, fo, might Hercules himself be beaten by Lichas. And who was he, but a poor unfortunate fervant of Hercules, that unknowingly brought his

ES

mafter

And fo may I, blind fortune leading me,
Mifs that, which one unworthier may attain;
And die with grieving.

Por. You must take your chance,

And either not attempt to chufe at all,

Or fwear, before you chufe, if you chufe wrong,
Never to speak to lady afterward

In way of marriage; therefore, be advis'd.

Mor. Nor will not; therefore, bring me to my chance. Por. First, forward to the temple; after dinner

Your hazard fhall be made.

Mor. Good fortune then!

[Cornets.

To make me bleft, or curfed'ft among men. [Exeunt.

SCENE changes to Venice..

Laun. Co

Enter Launcelot alone.

Ertainly, my confcience will ferve me to run from this Jew my mafter. The fiend is at mine elbow, and tempts me, faying to me, Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot, or good Gobbe, or good Launcelot Gobbo, ufe your legs, take the ftart, run away. My confcience fays, no; take heed, honeft Launcelot ; take heed, honest Gobbo; or, as aforefaid, honeft Launce

mafter the envenom'd fhirt, dipt in the blood of the centaur Neffus, and was thrown headlong into the fea for his pains? This one circumftance of Lichas's quality known fufficiently ascertains the emendation I have fubftituted, of page instead of rage. It is scarce requifite to hint here, it is a point fo well known, that page has been always us'd in English to fignify any boy-fervant: as well as what latter times have appropriated it to, a lady's trainbearer. And, confonant to our extended ufage of the word, the French call a fhipboy, un page du na vire. So much in explanation of this new adopted reading. The very excellent Lord LANSDOWNE, in his alteration of this play, tho' he might not stand to make the correction upon the poet, feems at least to have understood the paffage exactly as I do: and tho' he changes the verfe, retains the fenfe of it in this manner:

So were a Giant worsted by a Dwarf!

A

Tho' I had made the emendation, before I thought to look into his Lordship's performance; it is no fmall fatisfaction to me, that I have the authority of fuch a Genius to back my conjecture. Mr. Pope, in his last edition, has thought fit to embrace my reading..

โดย

lot Gobbe, do not run; fcorn running with thy heels' Well, the most curagious fiend bids me pack: via! fays the fiend; away! fays the fiend; for the heav'ns roufe up a brave mind, fays the fiend, and run. Well, my confcience, hanging about the neck of my heart, fays very wifely to me, my honeft friend Launcelot, being an honeft man's fon, or rather an honeft woman's fon (for, indeed, my father did fomething fmack, fomething grow to; he had a kind of tafte.) well, my confcience fays, budge not; budge, fays the fiend; budge not; fays my conscience; confcience, fay I, you counsel ill; fiend, fay I, you council ill. To be rul'd by my conscience, I should stay with the Jew my mafter, who, God bless the mark, is a kind of devil; and to run away from the Jew, I fhould be ruled by the fiend, who, faving your reverence, is the devil himself. Certainly, the Jew is the very devil incarnal; and in my confcience, my confcience is but a kind of hard confcience, to offer to counfel me to ftay with the few. The fiend gives the more friendly counfel; I will run fiend, my heels are at your commandment, I will run'

Enter old Gobbo, with a basket.

Gob. Mafter young man, you, I pray you, which is the way to mafter Jew's?

Laun. O heav'ns, this is my true begotten father, who being more than fand-blind, high gravel-blind, knows me not; I will try confufions with him.

Gob. Mafter young Gentleman, I pray you, which is the way to mafter Jew's ?

Laun. Turn up, on your right-hand (9) at the next turning, but, at the next turning of all, on your left;

(9) Turn up, on your right hand — ] This arch and perplex'd direction, on purpose to puzzle the enquirer, feems to be copied from Syrus to Demea, in the Brothers of Terence Act. 4. Sc. 2.

-ubi eas pr terieris,

Ad finiftram bac rectâ platea: ubi ad Dianæ veneris,
Ita ad dextram prius, quam ad portam venias: &c.

The reader, upon a collation of the whole paffage, will find, how infinitely more concise and humourous the jeft is couch'd in our poet

marry,