I Off. Here's a leaner, how like you him?
Bar. Where wast thou born?

Itha. In Thrace; brought up in Arabia.
Bar. So much the better, thou art for my turn,
An hundred crowns, I'll have him; there's the coin.
1 Off. Then mark him, sir, and take him hence.
Bar. I, mark him, you were best, for this is he
That by my help shall do much villainy.
My lord, farewell: Come, sirrah, you are mine.
As for the diamond, it shall be yours;

I pray, sir, be no stranger at my house,

All that I have shall be at your command.

Enter MATHIAS and his Mother.1

130

[Aside.

140

Math. What makes the Jew and Lodowick so private?

I fear me 'tis about fair Abigail.

Bar. Yonder comes Don Mathias, let us stay;2

[Exit LODOWICK. He loves my daughter, and she holds him dear: But I have sworn to frustrate both their hopes, And be revenged upon the Governor.

Moth. This Moor is comeliest, is he not? speak, son. Math. No, this is the better, mother; view this well. Bar. Seem not to know me here before your mother,

150

Lest she mistrust the match that is in hand:
When you have brought her home, come to my house;
Think of me as thy father; son, farewell.

Math. But wherefore talked Don Lodowick with you?

1 Old ed. "Mater."

2 Stop our conversation.

Bar. Tush! man, we talked of diamonds, not of

Abigail.

Moth. Tell me, Mathias, is not that the Jew?

Bar. As for the comment on the Maccabees,

I have it, sir, and 'tis at your command.

Math. Yes, madam, and my talk with him was [but] 1 About the borrowing of a book or two.

Moth. Converse not with him, he's cast off from

heaven.

Thou hast thy crowns, fellow; come, let's away.

Math. Sirrah, Jew, remember the book.

Bar. Marry will I, sir.

160

[Exeunt MATHIAS and his Mother.

Off. Come, I have made

A reasonable market; let's away.

[Exeunt Officers with slaves.

Bar. Now let me know thy name, and therewithal

Thy birth, condition, and profession.

Itha. Faith, sir, my birth is but mean: my name's Ithamore, my profession what you please.

Bar. Hast thou no trade? then listen to my words, 170 And I will teach [thee] that shall stick by thee: First be thou void of these affections, Compassion, love, vain hope, and heartless fear, Be moved at nothing, see thou pity none,

But to thyself smile when the Christians moan.

Itha. O brave! master, I worship your nose 2 for this.

1 I have followed Dyce's suggestion in adding this word.

In

2 An important part in Barabas' get-up was his large nose. William Rowley's Search for Money, 1609, there is an allusion to the "artificial Jew of Malta's nose."

Bar. As1 for myself, I walk abroad o' nights
And kill sick people groaning under walls:
Sometimes I go about and poison wells;

And now and then, to cherish Christian thieves,
I am content to lose some of my crowns,
That I may, walking in my gallery,
See 'em go pinioned along by my door.
Being young, I studied physic, and began
To practise first upon the Italian ;

There I enriched the priests with burials,
And always kept the sextons' arms in ure 2

With digging graves and ringing dead men's knells:
And after that was I an engineer,

And in the wars 'twixt France and Germany,
Under pretence of helping Charles the Fifth,
Slew friend and enemy with my stratagems.
Then after that was I an usurer,
And with extorting, cozening, forfeiting,
And tricks belonging unto brokery,
I filled the jails with bankrupts in a year,
And with young orphans planted hospitals,
And every moon made some or other mad,
And now and then one hang himself for grief,
Pinning upon his breast a long great scroll
How I with interest tormented him.

But mark how I am blest for plaguing them;

180

190

200

1 In Titus Andronicus Aaron gives a somewhat similar catalogue of villainies.

2 Use.

I have as much coin as will buy the town.

But tell me now, how hast thou spent thy time?

Itha. 'Faith, master,

In setting Christian villages on fire,

Chaining of eunuchs, binding galley-slaves.

One time I was an hostler in an inn,

And in the night time secretly would I steal

To travellers' chambers, and there cut their throats: 210 Once at Jerusalem, where the pilgrims kneeled,

I strewed powder on the marble stones,

And therewithal their knees would rankle so

That I have laughed a-good1 to see the cripples
Go limping home to Christendom on stilts.

Bar. Why this is something: make account of me
As of thy fellow; we are villains both :
Both circumcised, we hate Christians both:

Be true and secret, thou shalt want no gold.
But stand aside, here comes Don Lodowick.

Enter LODOWICK.

Lod. O Barabas, well met;

Where is the diamond you told me of?

220

Bar. I have it for you, sir; please you walk in with

me:

What ho, Abigail ! 2 open the door, I say.

Enter ABIGAIL.

Abig. In good time, father; here are letters come

From Ormus, and the post stays here within.

1 Heartily.

2 The scene shifts to the front of Barabas' house.

VOL. II.

D

Bar. Give me the letters.-Daughter, do you hear, Entertain Lodowick the Governor's son

With all the courtesy you can afford;

Provided that you keep your maidenhead.
Use him as if he were a Philistine.

Dissemble, swear, protest, vow love to him,

He is not of the seed of Abraham.

I am a little busy, sir, pray pardon me.
Abigail, bid him welcome for my sake.

230

[Aside.

Abig. For your sake and his own he's welcome hither. Bar. Daughter, a word more; kiss him, speak him

fair,

And like a cunning Jew so cast about,

That ye be both made sure 2 ere you come out. [Aside. Abig. O father! Don Mathias is my. love.

Bar. I know it: yet I say, make love to him; Do, it is requisite it should be so

Nay, on my life, it is my factor's hand

But go you in, I'll think upon the account.

240

[Exeunt ABIGAIL and LODOWICK.

The account is made, for Lodowick [he 3] dies.

My factor sends me word a merchant's fled

That owes me for a hundred tun of wine :

I weigh it thus much [snapping his fingers]; I have wealth enough.

1 Dyce's correction for the old copy's "vow to love him."

2 Affianced. "Accordailles, the betrothing or making sure of a man and woman together."-Cotgrave.

3 The word "he" was inserted by Cunningham for the sake of the

metre.