HISTORICAL NOTES TO ACT SECOND.

With some more ducats, and be with you straight.

[

Exit from above

Gra

. Now, by my hood, a Gentile and no Jew.

[71]

Lor

. Beshrew me, but I love her heartily:

For she is wise, if I can judge of her;

And fair she is, if that mine eyes be true;

And true she is, as she hath prov'd herself;

And therefore, like herself, wise, fair, and true,

Shall she be placed in my constant soul.

Enter JESSICA, below

What, art thou come?—On, gentlemen, away;

Our masquing mates by this time for us stay.

[

Exeunt

Enter various parties of Maskers, Revellers, &c

END OF SECOND ACT.

(A) Venice occupies 72 islands. There are 306 canals, traversed by innumerable gondolas. The gondolas introduced in this scene are copied from paintings of the same date as when the action of the play is supposed to occur, and are, consequently, rather varied in shape from those now seen in Venice. Besides the great squares of St. Mark, and the adjoining Piazetta before the Doge's Palace, the city has numerous narrow streets, or rather lanes, with small open spaces in front of the churches, or formed by the termination of several alleys, leading to a bridge. It is one of these spaces that is represented in the second act.

(B) "Black Monday" is Easter Monday, and was so called on this occasion. In the 34th of Edward III. (1360), the 14th April, and the morrow after Easter Day, King Edward, with his host, lay before the City of Paris, which day was full dark of mist and hail, and so bitter cold that many men died on their horse's backs with the cold.—Stowe.

[43]

Khanzir, Arab, a hog. A cape on the coast of Syria is namedRas el Khanzir;i.e., hog's-head.

[44]

—for the heavens; This expression is simply "a pretty oath." It occurs in Ben Jonson and Decker.

[45]

—sand-blind, high-gravel blind,; Having an imperfect sight, as if there was sand in the eye.—Gravel-blind, a coinage of Launcelot's, is the exaggeration ofsand-blind.

[46]

I will tryconclusions; Experiments.

[47]

—turn down indirectly to the Jew's house.; This perplexed direction is given to puzzle the enquirer.

[48]

—now will I raise the waters.; Id est, make him weep.

[49]

—we talk of young master Launcelot.Gobbo. Of Launcelot, an't please your mastership.Id est, plainLauncelot, and not, as you term him,masterLauncelot.

[50]

—phill horse,; The horse in the shafts of a cart or waggon. The term is best understood in the Midland Counties.

[51]

—the suit is impertinent; Launcelot is a blunderer, as well as one who can"play upon a word;"here he meanspertinent.

[52]

—a livery moreguarded; More ornamented.

[53]

—a fairer table; Table is the palm of the hand.

[54]

—I shall have good fortune!; The palm which offers to swear that the owner shall have good fortune, is a fair table to be proud of.

[55]

—here's a simple line of life!; In allusion to the lines on the palm of his hand.

[56]

—in peril of my life with the edge of a feather-bed,; A cant phrase to signify the danger of marrying.

[57]

—something tooliberal:—; Gross or coarse.

[58]

—hood mine eyes; Alluding to the manner of covering a hawk's eyes.

[59]

—sad ostent;Grave appearance—show of staid and serious behaviour.Ostentis a word very commonly used forshowamong the old dramatic writers.

[60]

—we shall see your bearing.; Bearing is carriage—deportment.

[61]

We have not spoke us yet of torch-bearers.;Id est, we have not yet bespoken the torch-bearers.

[62]

—to break up this,Tobreak upwas a term in carving.

[63]

I am bid forth to supper,; I am invited. Tobid, in old language, meant topray.

[64]

to feed upon the prodigal Christian:The poet here means to heighten the malignity of Shylock's character, by making him depart from his settled resolve, of "neither to eat, drink nor pray with Christians," for the prosecution of his revenge.

[65]

nose fell a bleeding; Some superstitious belief was annexed to the accident of bleeding at the nose.

[66]

wry-neck'd fife,; The upper part or mouth-piece, resembling the beak of a bird.

[67]

—worth a Jewess' eye.; It's worth a Jews' eye is a proverbial phrase.

[68]

The patch is kind enough;Patch is the name of a Fool, probably in allusion to hispatch'dor party colored dress.

[69]

Sung by Miss POOLE, Miss LEFFLER, and Mr. WALLWORTH.

[70]

The words are fromMidsummer Night's Dream, Act i., Scene 1.

[71]

—a Gentile and no Jew.; A jest arising from the ambiguity ofGentile, which signifies both aHeathen, and one well-born.

EnterNERISSA,withSERVANTS.

Ner

. The prince of Arragon hath ta'en his oath,

And comes to his election presently.

Flourish of Trumpets. Enter thePRINCE OF ARRAGON, PORTIA,and their Trains.

Por

. Behold, there stand the caskets, noble prince;

If you choose that wherein I am contain'd,

Straight shall our nuptial rites be solemniz'd;

But if you fail, without more speech, my lord,

You must be gone from hence immediately.

Arr

. I am enjoin'd by oath to observe three things:

First, never to unfold to any one

Which casket 'twas I chose; next, if I fail

Of the right casket, never in my life

To woo a maid in way of marriage; lastly,

If I do fail in fortune of my choice,

Immediately to leave you and be gone.

Por

. To these injunctions every one doth swear

That comes to hazard for my worthless self.

Arr

. And so have I address'd me:

[72]

Fortune now

To my heart's hope!—Gold, silver, and base lead.

'Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.'

What says the golden chest? ha! let me see:

'Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire.'

What many men desire.—That many may be meant

[73]

By the fool multitude,

[74]

that choose by show,

Why, then, to thee, thou silver treasure-house;

Tell me once more what title thou dost bear:

'Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves;'

And well said too. For who shall go about

To cozen fortune, and be honourable

Without the stamp of merit!

O, that estates, degrees, and offices,

Were not deriv'd corruptly! and that clear honour

Were purchas'd by the merit of the wearer!

How many then should cover that stand bare?

How many be commanded that command?

And how much honour

Pick'd from the chaff and ruin of the times,

To be new varnish'd? Well, but to my choice:

'Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves:'

I will assume desert:—Give me a key for this,

And instantly unlock my fortunes here.

Por

. Too long a pause for that which you find there.

Arr

. What's here: the portrait of a blinking idiot,

Presenting me a schedule? I will read it.

Some there be that shadows kiss;Such have but a shadow's bliss:There be fools alive, I wis,[75]Silver'd o'er; and so was this.'Still more fool I shall appearBy the time I linger here:With one fool's head I came to woo,But I go away with two.

Some there be that shadows kiss;Such have but a shadow's bliss:There be fools alive, I wis,[75]Silver'd o'er; and so was this.'

Still more fool I shall appearBy the time I linger here:With one fool's head I came to woo,But I go away with two.

Sweet, adieu! I'll keep my oath,

Patiently to bear my wroath.

[76]

[

Exeunt

ARRAGON

and Train

Por

. Thus hath the candle sing'd the moth.

O these deliberate fools! when they do choose,

They have the wisdom by their wit to lose.

Ner

. The ancient saying is no heresy;—

Hanging and wiving goes by destiny.

Enter

BALTHAZAR.

Ser

. Madam, there is alighted at your gate

A young Venetian, one that comes before

To signify the approaching of his lord:

From whom he bringeth sensible regreets;

[77]

To wit, besides commends and courteous breath,

Gifts of rich value; yet I have not seen

So likely an ambassador of love.

Por

. No more, I pray thee.

Come, come, Nerissa; for I long to see

Quick Cupid's post that comes so mannerly.

Ner

. Bassanio, lord love, if thy will it be!

[

Exeunt

[72]

—so have I address'd me: To address is to prepare—id estI have prepared myself by the same ceremonies.

[73]

That many may be meant; Many modes of speech were familiar in Shakespeare's age that are now no longer used. "May be meant,"id est, meaning by that, &c.

[74]

—the fool multitude; The foolish multitude.

[75]

—I wis,; I know.

EnterSALARINOandSALANIO.

Salar

. Why, man, I saw Bassanio under sail;

With him is Gratiano gone along;

And in their ship, I am sure, Lorenzo is not.

Sal

. The villain Jew with outcries rais'd the duke;

Who went with him to search Bassanio's ship.

Salar

. He came too late, the ship was under sail;

But there the duke was given to understand,

That in a gondola were seen together

Lorenzo and his amorous Jessica;

Besides, Antonio certified the duke,

They were not with Bassanio in his ship.

Sal

. I never heard a passion so confus'd,

So strange, outrageous, and so variable,

As the dog Jew did utter in the streets;

My daughter!—O, my ducats!—O, my daughter!Fled with a Christian!—O, my Christian ducats!—Justice! the law! my ducats, and my daughter.!"

Let good Antonio look he keep his day,

Or he shall pay for this.

Salar. Marry, well remember'd: I reason'd[78]with a Frenchman yesterday, who told me that Antonio hath a ship of rich lading wreck'd on the narrow seas that part the French and English,—the Goodwins, I think they call the place—a very dangerous flat and fatal, where the carcases of many a tall ship lie buried, as they say, if my gossip report be an honest woman of her word.

Sal. I would she were as lying a gossip in that, as ever knapp'd ginger,[79]or made her neighbours believe she wept for the death of a third husband: But it is true, that the good Antonio, the honest Antonio,—O, that I had a title good enough to keep his name company!—

Salar. Come, the full stop.

Sal. Why, the end is, he hath lost a ship.

Salar. I would it might prove the end of his losses!

Sal. Let me say amen betimes, lest the devil cross my prayer; for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew.

EnterSHYLOCK.

Salar. How now, Shylock? what news among the merchants?

Shy. You knew, none so well, none so well as you, of my daughter's flight?

Sal. That's certain. I, for my part, knew the tailor that made the wings she flew withal.

Salar. And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was fledg'd; and then it is the complexion of them all to leave the dam.

Shy. She is damn'd for it.

Sal. That's certain, if the devil may be her judge.

Shy. My own flesh and blood to rebel!

Salar. But tell us, do you hear whether Antonio have had any loss at sea or no?

Shy. There I have another bad match: a bankrupt, a prodigal, who dare scarce show his head on the Rialto; a beggar, that used to come so smug upon the mart.—Let him look to his bond: he was wont to call me usurer;—let him look to his bond: he was wont to lend money for a Christian courtesy;—let him look to his bond.

Sal. Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take his flesh? What's that good for?

Shy. To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies: and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? revenge: If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? why, revenge. The villany you teach me I will execute: and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.

Salar. Here comes another of the tribe; a third cannot be matched, unless the devil himself turn Jew.

[ExeuntSALANIO, SALARINO,and Servant.

EnterTUBAL.

Shy. How now, Tubal, what news from Genoa? hast thou found my daughter?

Tub. I often came where I did hear of her, but cannot find her.

Shy. Why, there, there, there, there! a diamond gone, cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort! The curse never fell upon our nation till now; I never felt it till now:—two thousand ducats in that; and other precious, precious jewels.—I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear! 'would she were hears'd at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin! No news of them?—Why, so:—and I know not what's spent in the search: Why, thou loss upon loss! the thief gone with so much, and so much to find the thief; and no satisfaction, no revenge: nor no ill luck stirring but what lights o' my shoulders; no sighs but o' my breathing; no tears but o' my shedding.

Tub. Yes, other men have ill luck, too. Antonio, as I heard in Genoa,—

Shy. What, what, what? ill luck, ill luck?

Tub. Hath an argosy cast away, coming from Tripolis.

Shy. I thank God, I thank God:—Is it true? is it true?

Tub. I spoke with some of the sailors that escaped the wreck.

Shy. I thank thee, good Tubal;—Good news, good news: ha! ha!—Where? in Genoa?

Tub. Your daughter spent in Genoa, as I heard, one night, fourscore ducats!

Shy. Thou stick'st a dagger in me:—I shall never see my gold again: Fourscore ducats at a sitting! fourscore ducats!

Tub. There came divers of Antonio's creditors in my company to Venice, that swear he cannot choose but break.

Shy. I am very glad of it: I'll plague him; I'll torture him; I am glad of it.

Tub. One of them showed me a ring, that he had of your daughter for a monkey.

Shy. Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my turquoise;[80]I had it of Leah, when I was a bachelor: I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.

Tub. But Antonio is certainly undone.

Shy. Nay, that's true, that's very true: Go, Tubal, fee me an officer, bespeak him a fortnight before: I will have the heart of him, if he forfeit; for were he out of Venice, I can make what merchandize I will. Go, Tubal, and meet me at our synagogue: go, good Tubal; at our synagogue, Tubal.

[Exeunt.

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