Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

Ner. The ancient faying is no herefy,
Hanging and wiving goes by deftiny.
Por. Come, draw the curtain, Nerissa.

Enter a Servant.

Serv. Where is my lady?

Por. Here, what would my lord?
Serv. Madam, there is alighted at your gate,
A young Venetian, one that comes before
To fignify th' approaching of his lord,
From whom he bringeth fenfible regreets;
To wit, befides commends and courteous breath,
Gifts of rich value; yet, I have not seen
So likely an ambaffador of love.

A day in April never came fo fweet,
To fhow how coftly fummer was at hand,

As this fore-fpurrer comes before his lord.

Por. No more, I pray thee; I am half afraid,
Thou'lt fay anon, he is fome kin to thee;

Thou spend'ft fuch high-day wit in praising him :
Come, come, Neriffa, for I long to fee
Quick Cupid's poft, that comes fo mannerly.
Ner. Baffanio, lord Love, if thy will it be!

ACT III.

[Exeunt,

SCENE I.

A Street in VENICE.

Enter Salanio and Solarino.

SOLARINO.

NOW, what news on the Rialto?

N° Sol. Why, yet it lives there uncheckt, that

Anthonio hath a fhip of rich lading wreckt on the narrow feas; the Godwins, I think, they call the place; a very dangerous flat and fatal, where the carcafes of

many

many a tail ship lye bury'd, as they fay, if my goffip Report be an honest woman of her word.

Sola. I would fhe were as lying a goffip in that, as ever knapt ginger; or made her neighbours believe, fhe wept for the death of a third hufband. But it is true, without any flips of prolixity, or croffing the plain high-way of talk, that the good Anthonio, the honest Anthonio O that I had a title good enough to keep his name company!

Sal. Come, the full stop.

Sola. Ha,-what fay'ft thou?-why, the end is, he hath loft a ship.

Sal. I would it might prove the end of his loffes.

Sola. Let me fay Amen betimes, left the devil cross thy pray❜r, for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew.

8

Enter Shylock.

How now, Shylock, what news among the merchants? Sky. You knew (none fo well, none fo well as you) of my daughter's flight.

Sal. That's certain; I, for my part, knew the taylor that made the wings fhe flew withal.

Sola. And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was fledg'd, and then it is the complexion of them all to leave the dam.

Shy. She is damn'd for it.

Sal. That's certain, if the devil may be her judge.
Shy. My own flesh and blood to rebel!

Sola. Out upon it, old carrion, rebels it at these
years?

Shy. I fay, my daughter is my flesh and blood.

Sal. There is more difference between thy flefh and her's, than between jet and ivory; more between your

8 left the devil cross my fays Amen to it. We must therePrayer.] But the Prayer was Sa- fore read- -thy Prayer. lanio's. The other only, as Clerk,

WARBURTON.

bloods,

[ocr errors]

bloods, than there is between red wine and rhenish: but tell us, do you hear, whether Anthonio have had any lofs at fea or no?

Shy. There I have another bad match; a bankrupt, a prodigal, who dares fcarce fhew his head on the Rialto a beggar, that ufed to come fo fmug upon the mart!-let him look to his bond;-he was wont to call me ufurer let him look to his bond; he was wont to lend mony for a chriftian courtefie; let him look to his bond.

Sal. Why, I am fure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take his flesh what's that good for?

Shy. To bait fish withal. If it will feed nothing
elfe, it will feed my revenge; he hath difgrac'd me,
and hinder'd me of half a million, laught at my loffes,
mock'd at my gains, fcorn'd my nation, thwarted my
bargains, cool'd my friends, heated mine enemies;
and what's his reafon? I am a few.
Hath not a

Few eyes? hath not a few hands, organs, dimenfions,
fenfes, affections, paffions? fed with the fame food,
hurt with the fame weapons, fubject to the fame dif
cafes, heal'd by the fame means, warm'd and cool'd
by the fame winter and fummer, as a chriftian is? if
you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do
we not laugh? if you poifon us, do we not die? and
if
you wrong us, fhall we not revenge? if we are like
you in the reft, we will refemble you in that.
If a
Few wrong a chriftian, what is his humility? Re-

9- A bankrupt, a prodigal.] This is fpoke of Antonio. But why a prodigal his friend Ba fanio indeed had been too liberal; and with this name the Jew honours him when he is going to fup with him.

Ill go in hate to feed upon
The prodigal chriftian
But Antonio was a plain, referved,
pa: fimonious merchant, be affur-

ed, therefore, we fhould read,
A bankrupt FOR a prodigal, i.e.
—A
he is become bankrupt by fup-
plying the extravagancies of his
friend Baffanio. WARBURTON.

There is no need of alteration. There could be, in Shylock's opinion, no prodigality more culpable than fuch liberality as that by which a man expofes himself to ruin for his friend.

1

venge. If a chriftian wrong a Jew, what fhould his fufferance be by chriftian example? why, Revenge. The Villainy, you teach me, I will execute; and it fhall go hard, but I will better the instruction.

Enter a Servant from Anthonio.

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

Sal. We have been up and down to feek 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 fhe were hers'd at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin. No news of them-why, fo!-and I know not what's spent 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 fhoulders; no fighs but o' my breathing, no tears but o' my fhedding.

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

Shy. What, what, what? il luck, ill luck? Tub. Hath an Argofie caft away, coming from Tripolis.

5

Shy. I

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

Tub. I spoke with some of the failors that escaped the wreck.

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

Tub. Your daughter fpent in Genoua, as I heard, one night, fourscore ducats.

Shy. Thou stick'st a dagger in me; I fhall never fee my gold again-fourfcore ducats at a fitting, fourfcore 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'm 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 bachelor; 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. Tubal, and meet me at our fynagogue; go, bal; at our fynagogue, Tubal.

Go, go, good Tu[Exeunt.

SCENE

« ZurückWeiter »