I bid my very friends and country-men,

(Sweet Portia) welcome.

Por. So do I, my Lord; they are intirely welcome. Lor. I thank your honour; for my part, my lord, My purpose was not to have seen you here;

But meeting with Salanio by the

way,

He did intreat me, paft all faying nay,

To come with him along.

Sal. I did, my lord,

And I have reafon for't; Signior Anthonio

Commends him to you.

Bal. Ere I ope his letter,

[Gives Baffanio a Letter.

I pray you tell me how my good friend doth.
Sal. Not fick, my lord, unless it be in mind;
Nor well, unless in mind; his letter there
Will fhew you his estate.

[Baffanio opens the letter.

Gra. Neriffa, cheer yond ftranger: Bid her wel

come.

Your hand, Salanio; what's the news from Venice?
How doth that royal merchant, good Anthonio?

I know, he will be glad of our Success:

We are the Jafons, we have won the fleece.

Sal. Would you had won the fleece, that he hath loft! Por. There are some shrewd Contents in yond fame paper,

That steal the colour from Bassanio's cheek:

Some dear Friend dead; elfe nothing in the world

Could turn fo much the conftitution

Of any conftant man. What, worfe and worfe!

With leave, Bajanio, I am half your self,
And I must have the half of any thing
That this fame Paper brings you.
Bal. O fweet Portia!

Here are a few of the unpleasant'ft words,
That ever blotted paper. Gentle lady,
When I did firft impart my love to you,
I freely told you, all the wealth I had
Ran in my veins, I was a gentleman;
And then I told you true; and yet, dear lady,
Rating my self at nothing, you shall fee

How

"

How much I was a braggart: when I told you,
My ftate was nothing, I fhould then have told you,
That I was worse than nothing. For, indeed,
I have engag'd my self to a dear Friend,
Engag'd my friend to his meer enemy,
To feed my means. Here is a letter, lady,
The paper, as the body of my friend;
And every word in it a gaping wound,
Iffuing life-blood. But is it true, Salanio?
Have all his ventures fail'd? what, not one hit?
From Tripolis, from Mexico, from England,
From Lisbon, Barbary, and India?

And not one veffel 'fcap'd the dreadful touch
Of merchant-marring rocks?

Sal. Not one, my lord.

Befides, it should appear, that if he had
The prefent mony to difcharge the Jew,
He would not take it. Never did I know
A creature, that did bear the shape of man,
So keen and greedy to confound a man.
He plies the Duke at morning and at night,
And doth impeach the freedom of the state,
If they deny him juftice. Twenty merchants,
The Duke himself, and the Magnificoes

Of greatest port, have all perfuaded with him;
But none can drive him from the envious plea
Of forfeiture, of justice, and his bond.

Jef. When I was with him, I have heard him fwear, To Tubal and to Chus his country-men,

That he would rather have Anthonio's flesh,

Than twenty times the value of the fum

That he did owe him; and I know, my lord,
If law, authority, and pow'r deny not,

It will go hard with poor Anthonio.

Por. Is it your dear friend, that is thus in trouble? Baf. The dearest friend to me, the kindeft Man, The best condition'd and unweary'd spirit In doing courtefies; and one in whom The ancient Roman honour more appears, Than any that draws breath in Italy.

Por.

Por. What Sum owes he the Jew?
Baff. For me, three thousand ducats.
Por. What, no more?

Pay him fix thousand, and deface the bond;
Double fix thousand, and then treble that,
Before a Friend of this description

Shall lofe a hair through my Baffanio's fault.
First, go with me to church, and call me wife,
And then away to Venice to your friend :
For never fhall you lie by Portia's fide
With an unquiet foul. You fhall have gold
To pay the petty debt twenty times over.
When it is paid, bring your true friend along;
My maid Neria and my felf, mean time,
Will live as maids and widows: come, away!
For you fhall hence upon your wedding-day.
Bid your friends welcome, fhew a merry cheer;
Since you are dear bought, I will love you dear.
But let me hear the letter of your friend.

Baff. reads. Serry'd, and my creditors grow cruel, my

Weet Baffanio, my hips have all mif

eftate is very low, my bond to the Jew is forfeit ; and fince in paying it, it is impoffible I should live, all debts are cleared between you and me, if I might but See you at my death; notwithstanding, use your pleasurė: if your love do not perfuade you to come, let not my letter.

Por. O love! difpatch all Business, and be gone.
Ba. Since I have your good leave to go away,
I will make hafte; but 'till I come again,

No bed fhall e'er be guilty of my ftay;
No rest be interposer 'twixt us twain.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to a Street in Venice.

Enter Shylock, Solarino, Anthonio, and the Goaler.

Sby. G

Oaler, look to him: tell not me of mercy. This is the fool, that lent out mony gratis. Goaler, look to him.

Ant.

Ant. Hear me yet, good Shylock.

Shy. I'll have my bond; fpeak not against my bond: I've fworn an oath, that I will have my bond.

Thou call'dft me dog, before thou hadít a caufe;
But fince I am a dog, beware my fangs :
The Duke fhall grant me juftice. I do wonder,
Thou naughty goaler, that thou art fo fond
To come abroad with him at his request.
Ant. I pray thee, hear me speak.

Shy. I'll have my bond; I will not hear thee fpeak:
I'll have my bond; and therefore fpeak no more;
I'll not be made a foft and dull ey'd fool,

To fhake the head, relent, and figh and yield
To chriftian interceffors. Follow not;

Fil have no fpeaking; I will have my bond.

[Exit Shylock. Sola. It is the most impenetrable cur,

That ever kept with men.

Ant. Let him alone,

I'll follow him no more with bootlefs pray'rs :
He feeks my life; his reason well I know;
I oft deliver'd from his forfeitures

Many, that have at times made moan to me;
Therefore he hates me.

Sola. I am fure, the Duke

Will never grant this Forfeiture to hold.

Ant. The Duke cannot deny the course of law
For the commodity that ftrangers have
With us in Venice, if it be deny'd,

Will much impeach the juftice of the state;
Since that the trade and profit of the city
Confifteth of all nations. Therefore go,
Thefe griefs and loffes have fo 'bated me,
That I fhall hardly fpare a pound of flesh
To morrow to my bloody creditor.

Well, goaler, on; pray God, Bassanio come

To fee me pay his debt, and then I care not! [Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE changes to BELMONT.

Enter Portia, Neriffa, Lorenzo, Jeffica, and Balthazar.

Lor.

Adam, although I speak it in your presence,
You have a noble and a true conceit
Of God like amity; which appears most strongly
In bearing thus the abfence of your lord.
But if you knew to whom you fhew this honour,
How true a gentleman you fend relief to,
How dear a lover of my lord your

husband;
I know, you would be prouder of the work,
Than customary bounty can enforce you.
Por. I never did repent of doing good,
And shall not now; for in companions
That do converfe and wafte the time together,
Whose fouls do bear an equal yoke of love,
There muft needs be a like proportion
Of lineaments, of manners, and of fpirit;
Which makes me think, that this Anthonio,
Being the bofom-lover of my lord,
Muft needs be like my lord. If it be fo,
How little is the coft I have bestowed,
In purchafing the semblance of my foul
From out the ftate of hellifh cruelty?
This comes too near the praifing of my
Therefore, no more of it: hear other things.
Lorenzo, I commit into your hands

felf;

The husbandry and manage of my house,
Until my lord's return. For mine own part,
I have tow'rd heaven breath'd a fecret vow,

(13) This comes too near the praising of my felf;

Therefore no more of it: here other things,

(13)

Lorenzo, I commit, &c.] Thus has this Paffage been writ and pointed, but abfurdly, thro' all the Editions. Portia finding the reflections she had made came too near Self-praife, begins to chide herself for it: fays, She'll fay no more of that Sort; but call a new Subject. The Regulation I have made in the Text was likewife prefcrib'd by Dr. Thirlby.

To