W

Por. It is fo. Are there balance here, to weigh

The flesh?

Shy. I have them ready.

Por. Have by fome furgeon, Shylock, on your charge,
To stop his wounds, left he do bleed to death.
Shy. Is it fo nominated in the bond?

Por. It is not fo exprefs'd; But what of that?
'Twere good, you do fo much for charity.
Shy. I cannot find it; 'tis not in the bond.
Por. Come, merchant, have you any thing to say?
Anth. But little; I am arm'd, and well prepar'd.-
Give me your hand, Baffanio; fare you well!
Grieve not that I am fallen to this for you;
For herein fortune fhews herfelf more kind
Than is her custom: it is ftill her use,

To let the wretched man out-live his wealth,
To view with hollow eye, and wrinkled brow,
An age of poverty; from which lingering penance
Of fuch a mifery doth fhe cut me off.
Commend me to your honourable wife :
Tell her the process of Anthonio's end,
Say, how I lov'd you, fpeak me fair in death;
And, when the tale is told, bid her be judge,
Whether Baffanio had not once a love.
Repent not you that you shall lofe your friend,
And he repents not that he pays your debt;
For, if the Jew do cut but deep enough,
I'll pay it inftantly with all my heart.

Baff. Anthonio, I am married to a wife,
Which is as dear to me as life itself;
But life itself, my wife, and all the world,
Are not with me esteem'd above thy life :
I would lofe all, ay, facrifice them all

balance]-a pair of fcales.

-

Here

Here to this devil, to deliver you.

Por. Your wife would give you little thanks for that, If the were by to hear you make the offer.

Gra. I have a wife, whom, I proteft, I love;
I would fhe were in heaven, fo fhe could
Intreat fome power to change this currish Jew.

Ner. 'Tis well you offer it behind her back;
The wish would make elfe an unquiet house.

Shy. These be the Chriftian husbands: I have a daughter; Would, any of the stock of Barrabas

Had been her husband, rather than a Chriftian! [Afide. We trifle time; I pray thee, pursue sentence.

Por. A pound of that fame merchant's flesh is thine; The court awards it, and the law doth give it. Shy. Moft rightful judge!

Por. And you must cut this flesh from off his breaft; The law allows it, and the court awards it.

Shy. Most learned judge!-A fentence; come, prepare.
Por. Tarry a little ;-there is fomething else.
This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood;
The words exprefsly are, a pound of flesh:

Then take thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh;
But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed

One drop of Chriftian blood, thy lands and goods
Are, by the laws of Venice, confifcate

Unto the state of Venice.

Gra. O upright judge!-Mark, Jew;-O learned judge! Shy. Is that the law?

Por. Thyself shall see the act:

For, as thou urgeft juftice, be affur'd,

Thou shalt have justice, more than thou defir'st.

Gra. O learned judge !-Mark, Jew;-a learned judge! Shy. I take this offer then ;-pay the bond thrice, And let the Christian go.

Baff.

Baff. Here is the money.

Por. Soft;

The Jew fhall have all justice;-foft !-no hafte ;-
He shall have nothing but the penalty.

Gra. O Jew! an upright judge, a learned judge!
Por. Therefore prepare thee to cut off the flesh.
Shed thou no blood; nor cut thou lefs, nor more,
But just a pound of flesh: if thou tak'st more,
Or less, than a just pound,—be it but so much
As makes it light, or heavy, in the fubftance,
Or the divifion of the twentieth part
Of one poor fcruple; nay, if the fcale turn
But in the estimation of a hair,-

Thou dieft, and all thy goods are confifcate.
Gra. A fecond Daniel, a Daniel, Jew!
Now, infidel, I have thee on the hip.

Por. Why doth the Jew paufe? take thy forfeiture.
Shy. Give me my principal, and let me go.

Baff. I have it ready for thee; here it is.
Por. He hath refus'd it in the open court;
He shall have merely justice, and his bond.

Gra. A Daniel, ftill fay I; a fecond Daniel !—
I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word.
Shy. Shall I not barely have my principal?
Por. Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture,
To be fo taken at thy peril, Jew.

Shy. Why then the devil give him good of it!
I'll stay no longer question.

Por. Tarry, Jew;

The law hath yet another hold on you.

It is enacted in the laws of Venice,-
If it be prov'd against an alien,
That by direct, or indirect attempts,
He feek the life of any citizen,

The

The party, 'gainst the which he doth contrive,
Shall feize on half his goods; the other half
Comes to the privy coffer of the state;
And the offender's life lies in the mercy
Of the duke only, 'gainst all other voice.
In which predicament, I fay, thou stand'st:
For it appears by manifest proceeding,
That, indirectly, and directly too,

Thou haft contriv'd against the very life
Of the defendant; and thou hast incurr'd
The danger formerly by me rehears'd.

Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the duke.

Gra. Beg, that thou may'st have leave to hang thyself: And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state,

Thou haft not left the value of a cord;

Therefore, thou must be hang'd at the state's charge.
Duke. That thou may'ft fee the difference of our spirit,
I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it:

For half thy wealth, it is Anthonio's ;
The other half comes to the general state,
Which humbleness may drive unto a fine.

Por. Ay, for the state; not for Anthonio.
Shy. Nay, take my life and all, pardon not that
You take my house, when you do take the prop
That doth fuftain my house; you take my life,

When

you do take the means whereby I live.

Por. What mercy can you render him, Anthonio? Gra. A halter gratis; nothing else, for God's fake. Anth. So please my lord the duke, and all the court, To quit the fine for one half of his goods;

I am content, fo he will let me have

* The other half in use,-to render it, Upon his death, unto the gentleman,

* The other half in ufe,]-in truft-the intereft to be paid to Shylock, during his life, and at his decease, the principal to go to Lorenzo.

That

That lately ftole his daughter.

Two things provided more,-That, for this favour,
He presently become a Chriftian;

The other, that he do record a gift,

Here in the court, of all he dies poffefs'd,
Unto his fon Lorenzo, and his daughter.

Duke. He fhall do this; or else I do recant

The pardon, that I late pronounced here.

Por. Art thou contented, Jew? what doft thou fay?
Shy. I am content.

Por. Clerk, draw a deed of gift.

Shy. I pray you give me leave to go from hence; I am not well; fend the deed after me,

And I will fign it.

Duke. Get thee gone, but do it.

y

Gra. In christening thou shalt have two godfathers; Had I been judge, thou should'st have had ten more, To bring thee to the gallows, not the font. [Exit Shylock. Duke. Sir, I intreat you home with me to dinner. Por. I humbly do defire your grace of pardon;

I must away this night to Padua,

And it is meet, I presently set forth.

Duke. I am forry, that your leisure serves you not. Anthonio, gratify this gentleman ;

For, in my mind, you are much bound to him.

[Exit Duke, and his train,

Baff. Moft worthy gentlemen, I, and my friend,
Have by your wisdom been this day acquitted
Of grievous penalties; in lieu whereof,
Three thousand ducats, due unto the Jew,
We freely cope your courteous pains withal.
Anth. And ftand indebted, over and above,

y ten more,]-a jury.

2

z grace's pardon.

cope your courteous pains withal.]-offer in return for them.