And on the wager lay two earthly women, Lor. Even fuch a husband Haft thou of me, as she is for a wife. Jef. Nay, but afk my opinion too of that. 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, Out of his envy's reach, I do oppose My patience to his fury; and am arm'd Duke. Go one, and call the Jew into the Court. G Enter Enter Shylock. Duke. Make room, and let him ftand before our face.. And where thou now exact'ft the penalty, But, touch'd with human gentleness and love, From braffy bofoms, and rough hearts of flint; We all expect a gentle anfwer, Jew. Shy. I have poffefs'd your Grace of what I purpose. (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 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, 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, 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, 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, A lofing fuit against him. Are you answer'd? Shy. I am not bound to please thee with my answer. Shy. What, would'ft thou have a ferpent fting thee twice? As feek to foften that, (than which what's harder! Duke. How shalt thou hope for mercy, rend'ring none? Because you bought them. Shall I fay to you, Be Be feafon'd with fuch viands; you will anfwer, The pound of flesh, which I demand of him, There is no force in the decrees of Venice: Whom I have fent for to determine this, Sal. My Lord, here ftays, without, A meffenger with letters from the Doctor, 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, |