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9

The rate of ufance here with us in Venice.
If I can catch him once upon the hip, "
I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.
He hates our facred nation; and he rails,
Ev'n there where merchants most do congregate,
On me, my bargains, and my well-won thrift,
Which he calls intereft. Curfed be my tribe
If I forgive him!

Ball. Shylock, do you hear?

Shy. I am debating of my prefent ftore,
And by the near guefs of my memory,
I cannot inftantly raise up the grofs

Of full three thousand ducats: what of that?
Tubal, a wealthy Hebrew of my tribe,
Will furnish me; but foft, how many months
Do you defire? Reft you fair, good Signior;

[To Anth Your worship was the laft man in our mouths. Anth. Shylock, although I neither lend nor borrow

By taking, nor by giving of excefs,

Yet, to fupply the ripe wants of my friend,
I'll break a cuftom.Is he yet poffeft,

How much you would?

Shy. Ay, ay, three thousand ducats.
Anth. And for three months.

Shy. I had forgot, three months, you told me fo; Well then, your bond; and let me fee,but hear

you,

Methought, you faid, you neither lend nor borrow Upon advantage.

Anth. I do never use it.

Shy. When Jacob graz'd his uncle Laban's fheep,This Jacob from our holy Abraham was

9 catch him once upon the hip.] A phrafe taken from the practice of wrestlers.

1

the ripe wants of my friend.] Ripe wants are wants

come to the height, wants that can have no longer delay. Perhaps we might read, rife wants, wants that come thick upon him.

(As

(As his wife mother wrought in his behalf) The third poffeffor; ay, he was the third.

Anth. And what of him? did he take intereft? Shy. No, not take int'reft; not, as you would fay, Directly, int'reft; mark, what Jacob did. When Laban and himself were compromis'd, That all the yeanlings, which were streak'd and pied, Should fall as Jacob's hire; the ewes, being rank, In th' end of autumn turned to the rams; And when the work of generation was Between these woolly breeders in the act, The skilful shepherd peel'd me certain wands; And, in the doing of the deed of kind, He stuck them up before the fulfome ewes ; Who, then conceiving, did in yeaning time Fall party-colour'd lambs, and those were Jacob's. This was a way to thrive, and he was bleft; And thrift is bleffing, if men steal it not.

Anth. This was a venture, Sir, that Jacob ferv'd for; A thing not in his pow'r to bring to pafs,

But fway'd, and fashion'd, by the hand of heav'n.
Was this inferted to make int'reft good?

Or is your gold, and filver, ewes and rams?
Shy. I cannot tell; I make it breed as falt ;-
But note me, Signior.

Anth. Mark you this Baffanio?

The devil can cite fcripture for his purpose.

can cite fcripture for his purpose. O, what a goodly outfide falf

hood hath!] But this is not true, that falfhood hath always a goodly outfide. Nor does this take in the force of the fpeaker's fentiment; who would obferve that that falfhood which quotes fcripture for its purpofe has a goodly outfide. We should therefore read,

O, what a goodly outfide falfbood bath!

i. e. bis falfhood, Shylock's. War. I wish any copy would give me authority to range and read the lines thus:

O, what a godly outfide falfhood bath!

An evil foul producing holy witness, Is like a villain with a fmiling cheek:

Or goodly apple rotten at the heart.

An evil foul, producing holy witness,
Is like a villain with a fmiling cheek;
A goodly apple rotten at the heart.

O, what a goodly outfide falfhood hath!

Shy. Three thousand ducats!-'tis a good round

fum.

Three months from twelve, then let me fee the rate.
Anth. Well, Shylock, fhall we be beholden to you?
Shy. Signior Anthonio, many a time and oft
In the Rialto you have rated me,
About my monies and my ufances.
Still have I born it with a patient fhrug;
(For fufferance is the badge of all our tribe.)
You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,
And fpit upon my Jewish gaberdine;

And all for ufe of that, which is my own.
Well then, it now appears, you need my help:
Go to then; -you come to me, and you fay,
Shylock, we would have monies-You say fo
You, that did void your rheume upon my beard,
And foot me, as you spurn a stranger cur

Over your threshold

Mony is

Mony is your fuit;
What fhould I fay to you? fhould I not fay,
Hath a dog money? is it poffible,

A cur can lend three thousand ducats? or
Shall I bend low, and in a bondman's key,

With bated breath, and whifp'ring humbleness,
Say this fair Sir, you fpit on me laft Wednef-
day,

You fpurn'd me fuch a day; another time
You call'd me dog; and for thefe curtefies.
I'll lend you thus much monies ?

Anth. I am as like to call thee fo again,
To fpit on thee again, to fpurn thee too.
If thou wilt lend this money, lend it not
As to thy friend, (for when did friendship take

A

A breed of barren metal of his friend) ? 3
But lend is rather to thine enemy;

Who, if he break, thou may'ft with better face
Exact the penalty.

Shy. Why, how you florm?

I would be friends with you, and have your love;
Forget the fhames that you have ftain'd me with;
Supply your prefent wants, and take no doit
Of ufance for my monies, and you'll not hear me ;
This is kind offer.

Anth. This were kindness.

Shy. This kindr.efs will I fhow:
Go with me to a Notary, feal me there
Your fingle bond; and in a merry sport,
If you repay me not on fuch a day,

In fuch a place, fuch fum, or fums, as are
Express'd in the condition, let the forfeit
Be nominated for an equal pound

Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken
In what part of your body it fhall pleafe me.

Anth. Content, in faith. I'll feal to fuch a bond,

And say, there is much kindness in the Jew.
Ball. You fhall not feal to fuch a bond for me,
I'll rather* dwell in my neceffity.

Anth. Why, fear not, man, I will not forfeit it;
Within these two months (that's a month before
This bond expires) I do exp & return

Of thrice three times the value of this bond.

Shy. O father Abraham, what thefe chriflians are! Whofe own hard dealings teach them to fufpect

3 A breed of barren metal of his friend?] A breed that is interest money bred from the principal. By the epithet barren the author would in@rect us in the argument on which the advocates against ufury went, which is this, that money is a barren thing, and cannot like corn and VOL. 1.

cattle multiply itfelf. And to fet off the ablurdity of this kind of ufury, he put breed and barren in oppofition. WARBURTON.

*To dwell feems in this place to mean the fame as to continue. To abide has both the fenies of habitation and continuance.

Dd

The

The thoughts of others! pray you, tell me this,
If he should break his day, what should I gain
By the exaction of the forfeiture?

A pound of man's flesh, taken from a man,
Is not fo estimable or profitable,

As flesh of muttons, beefs, or goats. I fay,
To buy his favour, I extend this friendship;
If he will take it, fo; if not, adieu;

And for my love I pray you, wrong me not.
Anth. Yes, Shylock, I will feal unto this bond..
Shy. Then meet me forthwith at the Notary's.
Give him direction for this merry bond,
And I will go and purfe the ducats ftrait;
See to my house, left in the fearful guard
Of an unthrifty knave, and presently
I will be with you.

Anth. Hie thee, gentle Jew.

This Hebrew will turn chriftian; he grows kind.
Baff. I like not fair terms, and a villain's mind.
Anth. Come on, in this there can be no difmay;
My ships come home a month before the day. [Exeunt.

4 left in the FEARFUL guard, &c.] But furely fearful was the most trusty guard for a houfe-keeper in a populous city; where houfes are not carried by ftorm like fortreffes. For fear would keep them on their watch, which was all that was neceffary for the owner's fecurity. I fuppofe therefore Shakespear

wrote

FEARLESS guard.

i. e. Careless; and this, indeed, would expofe his house to the only danger he had to apprehend in the day-time, which was clandeftine pilfering. This reading is much confirmed by the character he gives this guard, of an

unthrifty knave, and by what he
fays of him afterwards, that he

was,

a huge feeder:
Snail-flow in profit, but he sleeps
by day

More than the wild cat-
WARBURTON.

Dr. Warburton has forgotten
that fearful is not only that which
fears, but that which is feared or
caufes fear. Fearful guard, is a
guard that is not to be trusted,
but give cause of fear. To fear
was antiently to give as well as
feel terrours. I tell thee, Lady.
this afpect of mine hath fear'd
the valiant.

5 I like not fair terms.] Kind words, good lang uage.

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