Baff. Every offence is not a hate at first.

Shy. What, would'st thou have a serpent fting thee twice? Ant. I pray you, think you queftion 4 with the Jew: You may as well go ftand upon the beach,

And bid the main flood bate his usual height;
You may as well use question with the wolf,
Why he hath made the ewe bleat for the lamb;
You may as well forbid the mountain pines
Το wag their high tops, and to make no noise,
When they are fretted with the gufts of heaven;
You may as well do any thing most hard,

As feek to foften that (than which what's harder?)
His Jewish heart :-Therefore, I do beseech you,
Make no more offers, use no further means,
But, with all brief and plain conveniency,
Let me have judgement, and the Jew his will.
Bal. For thy three thousand ducats here is fix.
Shy. If every ducat in fix thousand ducats
Were in fix parts, and every part a ducat,
I would not draw them, I would have my bond.

Duke. How fhalt thou hope for mercy, rend'ring none
Shy. What judgement fhall I dread, doing no wrong ?

You have among you many a purchas'd flave,5
Which, like your affes, and your dogs, and mules,
You ufe in abject and in flavifh parts,

Because you bought them :-Shall I fay to you,
Let them be free, marry them to your heirs?
Why fweat they under burdens ? let their beds
Be made as foft as yours, and let their palates
Be feafon'd with fuch viands? You will answer,
The flaves are ours :-So do I answer you:
The pound of flesh, which I demand of him,
Is dearly bought, is mine, and I will have it:
If you deny me, fie upon your law!
There is no force in the decrees of Venice:
I ftand for judgement: anfwer; fhall I have it?

4 To queftion is to converfe. STEEVENS.

?

Duke.

5 This argument, confidered as used to the particular perfons, feems conclufive. I fee not how Venetians or Englishmen, while they practife the purchase and fale of flaves, can much enforce or demand the law of doing to others as we would that they shall de to us. ~ JOHN SON.

Duke. Upon my power, I may difmifs this court, Unless Bellario, a learned doctor,

Whom I have fent for to determine this,

My lord, here stays without

A meffenger with letters from the doctor,

New come from Padua.

Duke. Bring us the letters; Call the messenger.

Baff. Good cheer, Antonio! What, man? courage yet! The Jew fhall have my flesh, blood, bones, and all, Ere thou shalt lofe for me one drop of blood.

Ant. I am a tainted wether of the flock, Meeteft for death; the weakest kind of fruit Drops earliest to the ground, and fo let me : You cannot better be employ'd, Baffanio, Than to live still, and write mine epitaph.

Enter NERISSA, dreffed like a lawyer's clerk.

Duke. Came you from Padua, from Bellario? Ner. From both my lord: Bellario greets your grace. [Prefents a letter. Ba. Why doft thou whet thy knife so earnestly? Shy. To cut the forfeiture from that bankrupt there. Gra. Not on thy fole, but on thy foul, harsh Jew,8 Thou mak'ft thy knife keen: but no metal can,

No,

6 The doctor and the court are here fomewhat unfkilfully brought together. That the duke would, on fuch an occafion, confult a doctor of great reputation, is not unlikely; but how fhould this be foreknown by Portia? JOHNSON.

I do not fee any neceffity for fuppofing that this was foreknown by Portia. She confults Bellario as an eminent lawyer, and her relation. If the Duke had not confulted him, the only difference would have been, that fhe would have come into court, as an advocate perhaps, inftead of a judge. TYRWHITT.

7 Read-forfeit. It occurs repeatedly in the prefent feene for forfeiture. RITSON.

8 This loft jingle Mr. Theobald found again; but knew not what to make of it when he had it, appears by his paraphrafe. Though thou thinkeft that thou art whetting thy knife on the fole of thy fhoe, yet it is upon thy foul, tby immortal part. Abfurd! the conceit is, that his foul was fo hard that it had given an edge to his knife. WARBURTON,

No, not the hangman's ax, bear half the keenness
Of thy fharp envy. Can no prayers pierce thee?
Shy. No, none that thou haft wit enough to make.
Gra. O, be thou damn'd, inexorable dog!
And for thy life let juftice be accus'd.
Thou almoft mak'ft me waver in my faith,
To hold opinion with Pythagoras,
That fouls of animals infufe themfelves
Into the trunks of men: thy currifh fpirit
Govern'd a wolf, who, hang'd for human flaughter,
Even from the gallows did his fell foul fleet,
And, whilft thou lay'ft in thy unhallow'd dam,
Infus'd itfelf in thee; for thy defires
Are wolfish, bloody, ftarv'd and ravenous.

Shy. Till thou can'ft rail the feal from off my
bond
Thou but offend'ft thy lungs to fpeak fo loud:
Repair thy wit, good youth, or it will fall.
To curelefs ruin.-I ftand hear for law.

Duke. This letter from Bellario doth commend
A young and learned Doctor to our court :-
Where is he?

Ner.

He attendeth here hard by,
To know your anfwer, whether you'll admit him.

Duke. With all my heart :-fome three or four of you, Go give him courteous conduct to this place,

Mean time, the cours fhall here Bellario's letter.

[Clerk reads.] Your grace hall understand, that, at the receipt of your letter, kam very fick : but in the inftant that your meffenger came, in loving visitation was with me a young doctor of Rome, his name is Balthafar: Þacquainted him with. the caufe in controversy between the Jew and Antonio the merchant: we turn'd o'er many books together: he is furnish'd with my opinion; which, better'd with his own learning, (the grea nefs whereof I cannot enough commend,) comes with him, at my importunity to fill up your grace's request in my stead. I beseech you, let his lack of years be no impediment to let him lack a reverend eftimation; for I never knew fo young a body. with fo old a head. I leave him to your gracious acceptance, whofe trial shall better publish his commendation..

Duke

? Envy again, in this place, fignifies batred or malice. STEVENS..

Duke. You hear the learn'd Bellario, what he writes; And here, I take it, is the doctor come.

Enter PORTIA, dressed like a doctor of laws.

Give me your hand: Came you from old Bellario?
Por. I did, my lord.

Duke.

You are welcome: take your place. Are you acquainted with the difference

That holds this prefent question in the court?
Por. I am informed throughly of the cause.
Which is the merchant here, and which the Jew?
Duke. Antonio and old Shylook, both stand forth.
Por. Is your name Shylock?

Shy.

Shylock is my name,
Por. Of a ftrange nature is the fuit you follow;
Yet in fuch rule, that the Venetian law

Cannot impugn you, as you do proceed.

You ftand within his danger,3 do you not? [To ANTONIO Ant. Ay, fo he fays.

Por

Ant. I do.

Por.

Do you confefs the bond

Then must the Jew be merciful.
Shy. On what compulfion muft I? tell me that.
Por. The quality of mercy is not train'd; 4
It droppeth, as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath; it is twice bless'd ;
It bleffeth him that gives, and him that takes:
Tis mightiest in the mightieft; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown :
His feepter fhows the force of temporal power,,
The attribute to awe and majesty,

Wherein doth fit the dread and fear of kings;;

2 To impugn is to oppofe, to controvert. STEVENS.

Bat

From frequent inftances in The Pafton Letters, it is obvious, that to be in DEBT and to be in DANGER, in the common language of the times, were fynonymous terms. HENLEY.

In compofing these beautiful lines, it is probable that Shakspeare recollected the following verfe in Ecclefiafticus, xxxv. 20: Mercy is feafonable in the time of affliction, as clouds of rain in the time of drought."

DOUCE

But mercy is above this fcepter'd fway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himfelf;

And earthly power doth then fhow likeft God's,
When mercy feafons juftice. Therefore, Jew,
Though juftice be thy plea, confider this,-
That, in the courfe of juftice, none of us
Should fee falvation : 5 we do pray for mercy;
And that fame prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have fpoke thus much,
To mitigate the juftice of thy plea;

Which if thou follow, this ftrict court of Venice
Muft needs give fentence 'gainst the merchant there.
Shy. My deeds upon my head! I crave the law,

The penalty and forfeit of my bond.

Por. Is he not able to difcharge the money?

Baff. Yes, here i tender it for him in the court; Yea, twice the fum: if that will not fuffice,

I will be bound to pay it ten times o'er,

On forfeit of my hands, my head, my heart:
If this will not fuffice, it must appear

That malice bears down truth,7 And I befeech you,
Wreft once the law to your authority :

To do a great right, do a little wrong;
And curb this cruel devil of his will.

Por. It must not be; there is no power in Venice
Can alter a decree established:

"Twill be recorded for a precedent;

And many an error, by the fame example,

Will rush into the state: it cannot be.

Shy. A Daniel come to judgement! yea, a Daniel!-
O wife young judge, how do I honour thee!
Por. I pray you, let me look upon the bond,
Shy. Here 'tis, moft reverend doctor, here it is.

Por.

5 Portia referring the Jew to the Chriftian doctrine of falvation, and the Lord's Prayer, is a little out of character. BLACKSTONE.

6 An imprecation adopted from that of the Jews to Pilate: "His blood be on us, and our children!"' HENLEY.

7 Ma'ice oppreffes honesty; a true man in old language is an boneft man. We now call the jury good men and true. JOHNSON.