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christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a christian wrong a few, what fhould his fufferance be by christian example? why, Revenge. The villany, you teach me, I will execute; and it shall go hard, but I will better the instruction.

Enter a Servant from Anthonio.

Ser. Gentlemen, my mafter Anthonio is at his house, and defires to speak with you both.

Sal. We have been up and down to seek him.

Enter Tubal.

Sola. Here comes another of the tribe; a third cannot be match'd, unless the devil himself turn Jew.

[Exeunt Sala. and Solar. Shy. How now, Tubal, what news from Genoua ? haft thou found my daughter?

Tub. I often came where I did hear of her, but cannot find her.

Shy. Why there, there, there, there! a diamond gone, coft me two thousand ducats in Frankfort! the curfe never fell upon our nation 'till now, I never felt it 'till now; two thousand ducats in that, and other precious, precious jewels! I would, my daughter were dead at my foot, and the Jewels in her ear; O, would the were hers'd at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin. No news of them; why fo! and I know not what's fpent in the fearch: why, thou lofs upon lofs! the thief gone with fo much, and fo much to find the thief, and no fatisfaction, no revenge, nor no ill luck ftirring, but what lights o' my shoulders; no fighs but o' my breathing, no tears but o' my shedding.

Tub. Yes, other men have ill luck too; Anthonio, as I heard in Genoua

Shy. What, what, what? ill luck, ill luck?.

Tub. Hath an Argofie caft away, coming from Tripolis.

Shy. I thank God, I thank God; is it true? is it true?

Tub. I spoke with fome of the failors that escaped the wrack.

Shy.

Shy. I thank thee, good Tubal; good news, good news; ha, ha, where? in Genoua ?

Tub. Your daughter spent in Genoua, as I heard, one night, four core ducats.

Shy. Thou stick'st a dagger in me; I shall never fee my gold again; fourfcore ducats at a fitting, fourscore ducats!

Tub. There came divers of Anthonio's creditors in my company to Venice, that fwear he cannot chufe but break.

Shy. I am glad of it, I'll plague him, I'll torture him; I am glad of it.

Tub. One of them fhew'd me a ring, that he had of your daughter for a monky.

Shy. Out upon her! thou tortureft me, Tubal; it was my Turquoife, I had it of Leah when I was a batchelor; I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkies.

Tub. But Anthonio is certainly undone.

Shy. Nay, that's true, that's very true; go fee me an officer, bespeak him a fortnight before. I will have the heart of him, if he forfeit; for were he out of Venice, I can make what merchandize I will: go: go, Tubal, and meet me at our fynagogue; go, good Tubal; at our fynagogue, Tubal. [Exeunt.

SCENE changes to Belmont.

Enter Baffanio, Portia, Gratiano, and attendants.
The Caskets are fet out.

Por. Pray you, tarry, paule a day or two,
you hazard; for in chufing wrong
I lose your company; therefore, forbear a while.
There's fomething tells me (but it is not love)
I would not lofe you; and you know your felf,
Hate counsels not in fuch a quality.

But left you should not understand me well,
And yet a maiden hath no tongue but thought,
I would detain you here fome month or two,
Before you venture for me. I could teach you

How

How to chufe right, but I am then forfworn:
So will I never be; fo may you miss me;
But if you do, you'll make me with a fin,
That I had been forfworn. Befhrew your eyes,
They have o'erlook'd me, and divided me;
One half of me is yours, the other half yours,
Mine own, I would fay: but if mine, then yours;
And fo all yours. Alas! these naughty times
Put bars between the owners and their rights:
And fo tho' yours, not yours; prove it so,
Let fortune go to hell for it, not I.

I fpeak too long, but 'tis to peece the time,
To eche it, and to draw it out in length,
To ftay you from election.

Baff. Let me chufe:

For as I am, I live upon the rack.

Por. Upon the rack, Bassanio? then confess,
What treason there is mingled with your love.
Baff. None, but that ugly treason of mistrust,
Which makes me fear th' enjoying of
There may as well be amity and life
'Tween fnow and fire, as treason and my love.

my love:

Por. Ay, but, I fear, you speak upon the rack; Where men enforced do fpeak any thing.

Baff. Promise me life, and I'll confefs the truth, Por. Well then, confess and live.

Baff Confefs, and love,

Had been the very fum of my confeffion.
O happy torment, when my torturer
Doth teach me anfwers for deliverance!
But let me to my fortune and the caskets.

Por. Away then! I am lockt in one of them; If you do love me, you will find me out.

Neriffa, and the rest, stand all aloof,

Let mufick found, while he doth make his choice;
Then, if he lofe, he makes a fwan-like end,
Fading in mufick. That the comparison
May stand more juft, my eye shall be the stream
And wat'ry death-bed for him: he may win,
And what is mufick then? then mufick is

Even as the flourish, when true fubjects bow
To a new-crowned monarch: fuch it is,
As are those dulcet founds in break of day,
That creep into the dreaming bridegroom's car,
And fummion him to marriage. Now he goes,
With no less prefence, but with much more love,
Than young Alcides, when he did redeem
The virgin-tribute, paid by howling Troy
To the fea-monfter: I ftand for facrifice;
The reft aloof are the Dardanian wives,
With bleared vifages come forth to view
The iffue of th' exploit. Go, Hercules!
Live thou, I live; with much, much more dismay
I view the fight, than thou, that mak'ft the fray.
[Mufick within.
A Song, whilft Baffanio comments on the caskets to

bimfelf.

Tell me, where is fancy bred,
Or in the heart, or in the head?
How begot, how nourished?
Reply, reply.

It is engender'd in the eye,
With gazing fed, and fancy dies
In the cradle where it lyes:

Let us all ring fancy's knell.
I'll begin it.

Ding, dong, bell.

All, Ding, dong, bell.

Baff. So may the outward fhows be leaft them

felves:

16

The world is ftill deceiv'd with Ornament.
In law, what plea fo tainted and corrupt,
But being feafon'd with a gracious voice,
Obfcures the show of evil? in religion,
What damned error, but some fober brow
Will bless it, and approve it with a text,
Hiding the grofsnefs with fair ornament?
There is no vice fo fimple, but affumes
Some mark of virtue on its outward parts.

How

How many cowards, whofe hearts are all as falfe
As ftairs of fand, wear yet upon their chins
The beards of Hercules and frowning Mars;
Who, inward fearcht, have livers white as milk?
And these affume but valour's excrement,
To render them redoubted. Look on beauty,
And you shall fee 'tis purchas'd by the weight,
Which therein works a miracle in nature,
Making them lighteft, that wear moft of it:
So are those crifped fnaky golden locks,
Which make fuch wanton gambols with the wind
Upon fuppofed fairness, often known

To be the dowry of a second head,

The skull, that bred them, in the fepulcher.
Thus Ornament is but the guiled fhore (16)
To a moft dang'rous fea; the beauteous fcarf
Veiling an Indian beauty; in a word,

The feeming truth which cunning times put on
T'entrap the wifeft. Then thou gaudy gold,
Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee:
Nor none of thee, thou pale and common drudge
"Tween man and man: but thou, thou meager lead,
Which rather threatneft, than doft promife ought, (17)
Thy plainness moves me more than eloquence;
And here chufe I; joy be the consequence!

(16) is but the gilded Shore] I have reftor'd, on the Authority of the old 4to's and Folia Impreffions, guiled, i. e. guily, furnish'd for Deceit, made to betray. The Poet ufes the participle paffive in an active Signification; as, vice versa, it will be found, upon Obfervation, that he employs the active participle paffively. To give a fingle Inftance from K. Lear;

Who, by the Art of known and feeling Sorrows,

Am pregnant to good Pity.

For feeling Sorrows here means Sorrows that make themselves felt.

(17) Thy Falenefs moves me more than Eloquence;] Bafanio is dif pleas'd at the golden Casket for its Gawdinefs, and the Silver one for its Palenefs; but, What! is he charm'd with the Leaden one for having the very fame Quality that difpleas'd him in the Silver? The Poet never intended fuch an abfurd Reasoning. He certainly wrote,

Thy Plainnefs moves me more than Eloquence; This characterizes the Lead from the Silver, which Palenefs does not, they being both pale. Befides, there is a Beauty in the Antithefis between Plainnefs and Eloquence; between Palenefs and Eloquence, none. Mr. Warburton.

Por.

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