THREATENING.

Duke. He shall do this, or else I do recant The pardon that I late pronounced here.

Portia. Art thou contented Jew? what dost thou say DESPAIR.

Shylock. I pray you give me leave to go from hence, I am not well, send the deed after me,

And I will sign it.

THREATENING.

Duke. Get thee gone, but do it.

[Exeunt omnes.]

IX. Cato's soliloquy.

[Cato sitting in a thoughtful posture, in his hand Plato's book on the immortality of the soul, a drawn sword on the table by him; after a long pause, he lays down the book and speaks.]

DEEP CONTEMPLATION.

Cato. It must be so- -Plato thou reason'st wellElse, whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire,

["This fond desire," may be spoken with the right hand laid on the breast.]

COMFORT.

This longing after immortality?

DESIRE.

Or whence this secret dread and inward horror

Of falling into nought?

FEAR.

Why shrinks the sout

Back on herself, and startles at destruction ?

AWE.

'Tis the divinity that stirs within us,

'Tis heav'n itself that points out an hereafter,

And intimates eternity to man.

["Eternity!-thou pleasing, &c." requires an eye fixed with profound thoughtfulness on one point, throughout this line.]

Eternity thou pleasing,

CONSIDERATION.

The law hath yet another hold on you.

TEACHING.

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

The party, 'gainst the which he doth contrive,
Shall seize on half his goods, the other half
Goes to the privy coffer of the state,
And the offender's life lies in the mercy
Of the duke only, 'gainst all other voice ;

CONDEMNING.

In which predicament, I say, thou stand'st ;
For it appears by manifest proceeding,
That indirectly and directly too,

Thou hast contriv'd against the very life
Of the defendant, so that thou incur'st
The danger formally by me rehearst.

ADVICE.

Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the duke.

GRANTING.

Duke. That thou may'st see the difference of our spirit, I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.

DESPAIR.

Shylock. Nay, take my life, and all. pardon not that:
You take my life,

When you

do take the means whereoy I live.

QUESTION.

Portia. What mercy can you render him, Antonio ?

TRIUMPH.

Grat. A halter gratis; nothing else, for God's sake.

GRANTING.

Antonio. So please my lord, the duke, and all the court, To quit the fine for one half of his goods;

I am content so he will let me have

The other half in use, to render it
Upon his death, unto the gentleman
That lately stole his daughter.

THREATENING.

Duke. He shall do this, or else I do recant The pardon that I late pronounced here.

Portia. Art thou contented Jew? what dost thou say? DESPAIR.

Shylock. I pray you give me leave to go from hence, I am not well, send the deed after me,

And I will sign it.

THREATENING.

Duke. Get thee gone, but do it.

[Exeunt omnes.]

IX. Cato's soliloquy.

[Cato sitting in a thoughtful posture, in his hand Plato's book on the immortality of the soul, a drawn sword on the table by him; after a long pause, he lays down the book and speaks.]

DEEP CONTEMPLATION.

Cato. It must be so

Plato thou reason'st well

Else, whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire,

["This fond desire," may be spoken with the right hand laid on the breast.]

COMFORT.

This longing after immortality?

DESIRE.

Or whence this secret dread and inward horror

Of falling into nought?

FEAR.

Why shrinks the soul

Back on herself, and startles at destruction ?.

AWE.

'Tis the divinity that stirs within us,

'Tis heav'n itself that points out an hereafter, And intimates eternity to man.

["Eternity!-thou pleasing, &c." requires an eye fixed with profound thoughtfulness on one point, throughout this line.] Eternity-thon pleasing,

SATISFACTION.
-dreadful

APPREHENSION.

thought!

CURIOSITY.

Through what variety of untry'a being,

Through what new scenes and changes must we pass ?
The wide, th' unbounded prospect lies before me,

ANXIETY.

But shadows, clouds, and darkness, rest upon it,

Here will I hold.

COURAGE.

VENERATION.

If there's a power above us,

And that there is, all nature cries aloud

Through all her works,—He must delight in virtue,

SATISFACTION.
And that which he delights in, must be happy.

ANXIETY.

But when !—or where !— 1 his world was made for Cæsar, I'm weary of conjectures—

COURAGE.

ihis must end them. [Laying his hand on his sword,

FIRMNESS.

Thus am I doubly arm'd, my death, my life.
My bane and antidote, are both before me.

["My death, my life," &c. long pauses between, and point-
ing, or looking at the sword in pronouncing “ my death,"
at the book in pronouncing "my life," and so in " my
bane and antidote," and in the following lines.]

APPREHENSION.

This,in a moment, brings me to an end,

COMFORT.

Whilst this informs me I shall never die.

NOBLE PRIDE.

The soul," &c may be pronounced with the right hand laid upon the breast.]

The soul, secur'd in her existence, smiles

At the drawn dagger, and defies its point.

TRIUMPH.

" The stars," &c. may be spoken with the eyes raised to-
ward heaven, and the arms moderately spread.]

The stars shall fade away, the sun him elf
Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years,

["Thou shalt-flourish," &c. the right hand upon the
breast.]

But thou shalt flourish in immortul youth,

["Unhurt," &c. the arms spread again, as above.]

Unhurt amidst the war of elements,

The wreck of matter and the crush of worlds.

["The crush," &c. the hands brought together with force.]

X. The scene between Mr. Bevil and Indiana, in which she endeavours to find out, whether he has ang other regard for her, than that of rational esteem, and Platonic love.

RESPECT.

Bevil. Madam, your most obedient, how do you to. day? I am afraid you wished me gone last night, before I went, but you were partly to blame, for who could leave you in the agreeable humour you were in?

Indiana. If you were pleased, sir, we were both pleased for your company, which is always agreeable, was more peculiarly so last night.

Bevil. My company, madam, you rally, I said very little.

Indiana. Too little you always say, sir, for my im provement and for my credit; by the same token that I am afraid, you gave me an opportunity of saying too much last night; and unfortunately, when a woman is in the talking vein, she wants nothing so much as to have kave to expose herself.