And on the wager lay two earthly women,
And Portia one, there must be fomething else
Pawn'd with the other; for the poor rude world
Hath not her fellow.

Lor. Even fuch a husband

Haft thou of me, as she is for a wife.

Jef. Nay, but afk my opinion too of that.
Lor. I will anon: first, let us go to dinner.

Jef. Nay, let me praise you, while I have a stomach. Lor. No, pray thee, let it ferve for table-talk; Then, howfoe'er thou fpeak'ft, 'mong other things, I fhall digeft it.

Jef. Well, I'll fet you forth.

[Exeunt.

A C T

IV.

SCENE, the Senate-house in Venice.

Enter the Duke, the Senators; Anthonio, Baffanie, and Gratiano, at the Bar.

DUKE.

HAT, is Anthonio here?

WHA

Ant. Ready, so please your Grace.

Duke. I'm forry for thee; thou art come to anfwer A ftony adverfary, an inhuman wretch

Uncapable of pity, void and empty

From any dram of mercy.

Ant. I have heard,

Your Grace hath ta'en great pains to qualify

His rig'rous courfe; but fince he stands obdurate,
And that no lawful means can carry me

Out of his envy's reach, I do oppose

My patience to his fury; and am arm'd
To fuffer, with a quietness of spirit,
The very tyranny and rage of his.

Duke. Go one, and call the Jew into the Court.
Sal. He's ready at the door: he comes, my lord.
VOL. II.

G

Enter

Enter Shylock.

Duke. Make room, and let him ftand before our face..
Shylock, the world thinks, and I think fo too,
That thou but lead'ft this fashion of thy malice
To the last hour of act; and then 'tis thought,
Thou'lt fhew thy mercy and remorfe more strange,
Than is thy ftrange apparent cruelty.

And where thou now exact'ft the penalty,
Which is a pound of this poor merchant's flesh,
Thou wilt not only lose the forfeiture,

But, touch'd with human gentleness and love,
Forgive a moiety of the principal;
Glancing an eye of pity on his loffes,
That have of late fo hudled on his back,
Enough to prefs a royal merchant down;
And pluck commiferation of his ftate

From braffy bofoms, and rough hearts of flint;
From ftubborn Turks and Tartars, never train'd
To offices of tender courtesy.

We all expect a gentle anfwer, Jew.

Shy. I have poffefs'd your Grace of what I purpose.
And by our holy Sabbath have I fworn,
To have the due and forfeit of my bond.
If you deny it, let the danger light
Upon your charter, and your city's freedom.
You'll afk me, why I rather chufe to have
A weight of carrion flesh, than to receive
Three thoufand ducats? I'll not answer that.
But fay, it is my humour, is it answer'd?
What if my house be troubled with a rat,
And I be pleas'd to give ten thousand ducats
To have it bane'd? what, are you answer'd yet?
Some men there are, love not a gaping pig;
Some, that are mad, if they behold a cat;
And others, when the bag-pipe fings i' th' nofe,
Cannot contain their urine for affection. (24)

(24) Cannot contain their urine for affection.

Masterlefs paffion fways it to the mood

Masterlefs

Of what it likes, or loaths.] Masterless passion was firft Mr. Rowe's

reading,

your

Mafterlefs paffion fways it to the mood
'Of what it likes, or loaths. Now for
As there is no firm reafon to be render'd,
Why he cannot abide a gaping pig ;
Why he, a harmless neceffary cat;

Why he, a woollen bag-pipe; but of force

reading, (on what authority, I am at a loss to know ;) which Mr. Pope has fince copied. And tho' I have not disturb'd the text, yet, I muft obferve, I don't know what word there is to which this relative [it, in the 2d line] is to be referr'd. The ingenioas Dr. Thirlby, therefore, would thus adjust the paffage.

Cannot contain their urine; for affection,
*Mafter of paffion, frways it &c.

or, Mistress.

And then it is govern'd of passion: and the two old Quarto's and Folio's read.. Mafters of paffion, &c.

It may be objected, that affection and paffion are fynonomous terms, and mean the fame thing. I agree, they do at this time. But I obferve, the writers of our author's age made a fort of diftinétion: confidering the one as the caufe, the other as the effect. And then, in this place, affection will stand for that sympathy or antipathy of foul, by which we are provok'd to fhew a liking or diluft in the working of our paffions. B. Johnfon, in his Sejanus, feems to apply the terms thus: He hath ftudied

Affection's paffions, knows their fprings, their ends,
Which way, and whither they will work.

So much, in fupport of Dr. Thirlby's regulation of the paffage. My ingenious friend Mr. Warburton is for pointing, and writing it, as in the old editions: but for giving it a different turn in the poet's drift and meaning. I come now to his reading and opinion.

Cannot contain their urine for affection.

Mafters of pallion fway it to the mood,
Of what it likes, or loaths.

Obferve, he is here only speaking of the different power of founds, and the influence they have upon the human mind: and then con•cludes, the masters of paffion (for fo he finely calls musicians) sway the paffions, or affections, as they pleafe: Our poet then having, no doubt, in his mind the great effects that Timotheus, and other an cient musicians, are faid to have wrought by the power of mufick This puts me in mind of a paffage of Collier, in his effay on mufickz who fuppofes it poffible by a right chofen compofition (not, concord) of founds to infpire affright, terror, cowardife, and confternation; in the fame manner that, now, chearfulness, and courage, is affifted by contrary compofitions'.

Thus far Mr. Warburton. I fhall fubmit the paffage, for the prefent, to the opinion and determination of the publick; upon which, I may hereafter venture with more fafety to ascertain it.

G 2

Mut

Muft yield to fuch inevitable fhame,
As to offend, himself being offended ;
So can I give no reafon, nor I will not,
More than a lodg'd hate and a certain loathing
I bear Anthonio, that I follow thus

A lofing fuit against him. Are you answer'd?
Ball. This is no anfwer, thou unfeeling man,
T'excufe the current of thy cruelty.

Shy. I am not bound to please thee with my answer.
Baff. Do all men kill the thing they do not love?
Shy. Hates any man the thing he would not kill ?
Baff. Ev'ry offence is not a hate at first.

Shy. What, would'ft thou have a ferpent fting thee twice?
Ant. I pray you, think you queftion with a Jew.
You may as well go ftand upon the beach,
And bid the main flood bate his ufual height.
You may as well ufe queftion 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 heav'n.
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, ufe no farther means;
But with all brief and plain conveniency
Let me have judgment, and the Jew his will.
Baff. For thy three thousand ducats here is fix.
Shy. If ev'ry ducat in fix thousand ducats
Were in fix parts, and ev'ry part a ducat,
I would not draw them, I would have my bond.

Duke. How shalt thou hope for mercy, rend'ring none?
Shy. What judgment fhall I dread, doing no wrong?
You have among you many a purchas'd flave,
Which, like your affes, and your dogs, and mules,
You ufe in abject and in flavish part,

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 palaces

Be

Be feafon'd with fuch viands; you will anfwer,
The flaves are ours.
So do I answer you :

The pound of flesh, which I demand of him,
Is dearly bought, 'tis 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 judgment; anfwer; fhall I have it?
Duke. Upon my pow'r I may difmifs this Court,
Unless Bellario, a learned Doctor,

Whom I have fent for to determine this,
Come here to-day.

Sal. My Lord, here ftays, without,

A meffenger with letters from the Doctor,
New come from Padua.

Duke. Bring us the letters, call the meffenger.

Baf. Good cheer, Anthonio; what, man, courage yet: The Jew hall have my flesh, blood, bones, and ali, Ere thou shalt lofe for me one drop of blood.

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

Enter Neriffa, dress'd like a Lawyer's Clerk. Duke. Came you from Padua, from Bellario? (25) Ner. From both, my lord: Bellario greets your Grace. Ba. Why doft thou whet thy knife fo earnestly? Shy. To cut the forfeit from that bankrupt there. Gra. Not on thy foale, but on thy foul, harsh Jew, (26)

Thou

(25) From both my lord Bellatio greets your Grace.] Thus the two old Folio's, and Mr. Pope in his 4to, had inaccurately pointed this paf fage, by which a doctor of laws was at once rais'd to the dignity of the peerage. I fet it right in my SHAKESPEARE refer'd, as Mr. Pope has fince done from thence in his laft edition.

(26) Not on thy foale, but on thy foul, harsh Jew,] I was obliged, from the authority of the old Folio's, to reftore this conceit, and jingle upon two words alike in found, but differing in sense. Gratiano thus rates the Jew; Tho' thou thinkeft, that thou art whetting thy knife on the foale of thy fhoe, yet it is upon thy foul, thy immortal part, that thou do'ft it, thou inexorable man!' There is no room to doubt,