In such a place, such sum or sums as are
Express'd in the condition, let the forfeit
Be nominated for an equal pound

Of your fair flesh,25 to be cut off and taken
In what part of your body pleaseth me.

Anto. Content, in faith; I'll seal to such a bond,
And say there is much kindness in the Jew.

Bass. You shall not seal to such a bond for me: I'll rather dwell 26 in my necessity.

Anto. Why, fear not, man; I will not forfeit it: Within these two months, that's a month before This bond expires, I do expect return

Of thrice three times the value of this bond.

Shy. O, father Abraham, what these Christians are,
Whose own hard dealing teaches them suspect 27
The thoughts of others! — Pray you, tell me this:
If he should break his day,28 what should I gain
By the exaction of the forfeiture?

A pound of man's flesh taken from a man

Is not so estimable, profitable neither,
As flesh of muttons, beefs, or goats. I say,
To buy his favour I extend this friendship :
If he will take it, so; 29 if not, adieu;

And, for my love, I pray you wrong me not.

Anto. Yes, Shylock, I will seal unto this bond.

25 The language is odd, and rather obscure. The sense will come thus: "Let the forfeiture of a pound of your flesh be named or specified as an equivalent for the debt."

26 Dwell here has the sense of continue or abide.

27 "Teaches them to suspect," of course. The Poet often thus omits to

when it would defeat his rhythm.

28 To break his day was the current phrase for breach of contract.

29 The use of so for very well, or so be it, was very common.

Shy. Then meet me forthwith at the notary's: Give him direction for this merry bond,

31

And I will go and purse the ducats straight; 30
See to my house, left in the fearful guard
Of an unthrifty knave, and presently

I will be with you.

Anto.

Hie thee, gentle Jew.

The Hebrew will turn Christian; he grows kind.
Bass. I like not fair terms and a villain's mind.
Anto. Come on: in this there can be no dismay;
My ships come home a month before the day.

ACT II.

[Exit.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I. -Belmont. A Room in PORTIA'S House.

Flourish of Cornets.

Enter the Prince of MOROCCO, and his Train; PORTIA, NERISSA, and other of her Attendants.

Moroc. Mislike me not for my complexion,

The shadow'd livery of the burning Sun,
To whom I am a neighbour, and near bred.
Bring me the fairest creature northward born,
Where Phoebus' fire scarce thaws the icicles,
And let us make incision for your love,

To prove whose blood is reddest,1 his or mine.

30 Straight for straightway, that is, immediately. Often so. 31 "Fearful guard" is a guard not to be trusted, or that gives cause of fear. To fear was used in an active as well as a passive sense. So in the next scene: This aspect of mine hath fear'd the valiant."

1 Red blood is a traditionary sign of courage. Thus Macbeth calls his frightened servant a lily-liver'd boy; again, in this play, cowards are said to have livers white as milk; and an effeminate man is termed a milksop.

I tell thee, lady, this aspéct of mine

Hath fear'd 2 the valiant: by my love I swear,
The best-regarded virgins of our clime

Have loved it too. I would not change this hue,
Except to steal your thoughts, my gentle queen.

Portia. In terms of choice I am not solely led
By nice direction of a maiden's eyes ; 3
Besides, the lottery of my destiny

Bars me the right of voluntary choosing:
But, if my father had not scanted me,
And hedged me by his will, to yield myself
His wife who wins me by that means I told you,
Yourself, renownèd Prince, then stood as fair
As any comer I have look'd on yet

For my affection.

Moroc.
Even for that I thank you :
Therefore, I pray you, lead me to the caskets,
To try my fortune. By this scimitar, —
That slew the Sophy, and a Persian prince
That won three fields of Sultan Solyman,
I would outstare the sternest eyes that look,
Outbrave the heart most daring on the Earth,

2 Hath frightened or terrified. See last note of preceding scene.

3 Portia means that reason and judgment have a voice potential in her matrimonial thoughts. So in Hamlet, iv. 3: "The distracted multitude, who like not in their judgment, but their eyes." — Nice, here, is dainty or fastidious.

་་

4 A "History of the Wars between the Turks and Persians," translated from the Italian, was published in London in 1595; from which Shakespeare might have learned that "Soffi, an ancient word signifying a wise man," was grown to be the common name of the Emperors of Persia." Ismael Sophi is said to have been the founder of what was called the Suffavian dynasty. The same potentate is twice referred to in Twelfth Night.-Solyman the Magnificent had an unfortunate campaign with the Persians in 1535.

Pluck the young sucking cubs from the she-bear,
Yea, mock the lion when he roars for prey,
To win thee, lady. But, alas the while !5
If Hercules and Lichas play at dice
Which is the better man,6 the greater throw
May turn by fortune from the weaker hand:
So is Alcides beaten by his page;

And so may I, blind Fortune leading me,
Miss that which one unworthier may attain,
And die with grieving.

Portia.

You must take your chance e;

And either not attempt to choose at all,

Or swear, before you choose, if you choose wrong

Never to speak to lady afterward

In way of marriage; therefore be advised."

Moroc. Nor will not. Come, bring me unto my chance. Portia. First, forward to the temple :8 after dinner

Your hazard shall be made.

Moroc.

Good fortune then!

[Exeunt.

To make me blest or cursed'st 9 among men.

5 "Alas the while!" "Woe the while!" "Alack a day !" and "Woe worth the day!" were all phrases of the same or of similar import.

6 If they try the question of which is the braver man by a game of dice. -Lichas was the servant or page of Hercules, who ignorantly brought to his master from Dejanira the poisoned shirt. Hercules was a descendant of Alceus, and so is called, in the Greek idiom, Alcides.

7 Advised, again, for cautious or considerate. See page 87, note 33.

8 That is, to the church, to take the oath mentioned just before, and described more particularly in the eighth scene of this Act. Bibles were not kept in private houses in the Poet's time; and such an oath had to be taken on the Bible.

9 Here the force of the superlative in cursed'st retroacts on blest; so that the sense is most blest or most cursed. So in Measure for Measure, iv. 6: "The generous and gravest citizens."

SCENE II.-Venice. A Street.

Enter LAUNCELOT GOBBO.

Laun. Certainly my conscience will serve me to run from this Jew my master. The fiend is at mine elbow, and tempts me, saying to me, Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot, or good Gobbo, or good Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs, take the start, run away. My conscience says, No; take heed, honest Launcelot; take heed, honest Gobbo, or, as aforesaid, honest Launcelot Gobbo; do not run; scorn running with thy heels.1 Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack : Via!2 says the fiend; away! says the fiend; for the Heavens,3 rouse up a brave mind, says the fiend, and run. Well, my conscience, hanging about the neck of my heart, says very wisely to me, My honest friend Launcelot, being an honest man's son, or rather an honest woman's son; for, indeed, my father did something smack, something grow to, he had a kind of taste ; — well, my conscience says, Launcelot, budge not. Budge, says the fiend: budge not, says my conscience. Conscience, say I, you counsel well; fiend, say I, you counsel well: to be ruled by my conscience, I should stay with the Jew my master, who, God bless the mark! is a kind of devil; and, to run away from the Jew, I should be

1 To scorn a thing with the heels appears to have been an old phrase for spurning or kicking at a thing. Shakespeare has the phrase again in Much Ado about Nothing, iii. 4. Launcelot seems to be in chase of a quibble between the heels as used in kicking, and the heels as used in running.

2 "Via!" from the Italian, was much used as a sort of exclamatory imperative, meaning away! or go ahead!

8 For the Heavens was merely a petty oath. To make the fiend conjure Launcelot to do a thing for Heaven's sake, is a specimen of that " acute nonsense" which Barrow makes one of the species of wit.