Shy. I had forgot,-three months, you told me fo. Well then, your bond; and let me fee,-But hear you; Methought you faid you neither lend nor borrow Upon advantage. Anth. I do never use it. Shy. When Jacob graz'd his uncle Laban's sheep,This Jacob from our holy Abraham was (As his wife mother wrought in his behalf) The third poffeffor; ay, he was the third. Anth. And what of him? did he take intereft ? Shy. No, not take intereft ; not, as you would say, Directly, intereft: mark, what Jacob did. When Laban and himself were compromis'd, That all the eanlings, which were streak'd and py'd, Fall party-colour'd lambs, and thofe were Jacob's.. And thrift is bleffing, if men steal it not. Anth. This was a venture, fir, that Jacob ferv'd for ; A thing not in his power to bring to pafs, But fway'd and fashion'd by the hand of heaven. Or is your gold and filver, ewes and rams? Shy. I cannot tell; I make it breed as faft :But note me, fignior. Anth. Mark you this, Baffanio? The devil can cite fcripture for his purpose.. [6]An evil foul, producing holy witnefs, [6] But this is not true, that falfehood hath always a goodly outfide. Nov does this take in the force of the fpeaker's fentiment; who would obferve that that falsehood which quotes fcripture for its purpose, has a goodly outfide. We fhould therefore read, O, what a goodly outfide's falfehood hath !'-i. e. his falfehood, Shylock's. WARB. I wish any copy would give me authority to range and read the lines thus: An evil foul producing holy witness, Yet there is no difficulty in the prefent reading. Falfehood, which as truth means honefty, is taken here for treachery and knavery, does not ftand for falfehood in general, but for the dishonesty now operating. JOHNS Is like a villain with a fmiling cheek ; O, what a goodly outfide falfehood hath ! Shy. Three thousand ducats,-'Tis a good round fum. About my monies, and my usances : A cur can lend three thousand ducats? or, Say this, Fair fir, you spit on me on Wednesday laft ; Anth. I am as like to call thee so again, Who, if he break, thou may'ft with better face Shy. Why, look you, how you ftorm? I would be friends with you, and have your love; [7] A Breed, that is, intereft money bred from the principal. By the epithet Barren, the author would instruct us in the argument on which the advocates againft ufury went, which is this, that money is a barren thing, and cannot, like corn and cattle, multiply itself. And to let off the ab furdity of this kind of ufury, he put breed and barren in oppofition. WARB Supply your present wants, and take no doit Of ufance for my monies, and you'll not hear me ; Anth. This were kindness. Shy. This kindness will I fhow:- Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken Anth. Content, in faith; I'll feal to fuch a bond, And fay, there is much kindness in the Jew. Bal. You fhall not feal to fuch a bond for me, I'll rather dwell in my neceflity. 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 Chriftians are! A pound of man's flesh, taken from a man, And I will go and purse the ducats straight; I will be with you. Anth. Hie thee, gentle Jew. [Exits This Hebrew will turn Chriftian; he grows kind. ACT II. SCENE I. Belmont. Enter the Prince of Morocco, and three or four followers accordingly; with PORTIA, NERISSA, and her train. Flourish cornets. Morocco. MISLIKE me not for my complexion, To prove whose blood is reddeft, his, or mine.(8) Hath fear'd [9] the valiant; by my love, I fwear, Have lov'd it too: I would not change this hue, Bars me the right of voluntary choofing: And hedg'd me by his will, to yield myself His wife, who wins me by that means I told you, For my affection. Mor. Even for that I thank you; (8) To underftand how the tawny prince, whofe favage dignity is very well fupported, means to recommend himself by this challenge, it must be remembered thet red blood is a traditionary fign of courage: Thus Macbeth calls one of his frighted foldiers, a lify-liver'd lown: again, in this play, cowards are faid to have livers as white as milk; and an effeminate and timorous man is termed a milkfop. JOHNS. [9] i. e. Terrify'd. To fear is often ufed by our old writers, in this fenfe. STEEV Pluck the young fucking cubs from the fhe-bear, And fo may I, blind fortune leading me, Por. You must take your chance ; Or fwear, before you choofe, if you choose wrong, Never to speak to lady afterward In way of marriage: Therefore be advis'd. Mor. Nor will not: Come, bring me unto my chance. Por. Firft, forward to the temple; after dinner Your hazard fhall be made. Mor. Good fortune then, [Cornets, To make me bleft, or cursed'st among men. [Exeunt. SCENE II. A Street in Venice. Enter LAUNCELOT alone. Laun. Certainly, 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 Gobbo, or good Launcelot Gobbo, ufe your legs, take the start, run away: My conscience fays, no; take heed, boneft Launcelot; take heed, honeft Gobbo, or, as aforefaid, honeft Launcelot Gobbo; do not run ; fcorn running with thy heels: Well, the moft courageous fiend bids me pack; via! says the fiend; away! fays the fiend; for the heavens, 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 bonest friend Launcelot, being an boneft man's fon, or rather an honeft woman's fon; (for, indeed, my father did fomething smack, something grow to; he had a kind of taste ;) well, my confcience fays, Launcelot, budge not; budge, fays the fiend; budge not, fays my confcience: Confcience, fay I, you counfel well; fiend, fay I, you counfel well to be rul'd by my confcience, I should stay with the Jew my mafter, |