ThenSolomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of theLordout of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. And they brought up the ark of theLord, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; even these did the priests and the Levites bring up. And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of theLordunto its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered theark and the staves thereof above. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when theLordmade a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of theLord, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of theLordfilled the house of theLord.Then spake Solomon, TheLordhath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house of habitation, a place for thee to dwell in for ever. And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood. And he said, Blessed be theLord, the God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people Israel. Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of theLord, the God of Israel. But theLordsaid unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house for my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart: nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name. And theLordhath established his word that he spake; for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as theLordpromised, and have built the house for the name of theLord, the God of Israel. And there haveI set a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of theLord, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.And Solomon stood before the altar of theLordin the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven: and he said, OLord, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart: who hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou didst promise him: yea, thou spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. Now therefore, OLord, the God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me as thou hast walked before me. Now therefore, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father. But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, OLordmy God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee this day: that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place whereof thou hast said, My name shall be there: to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall pray toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwellingplace: and when thou hearest, forgive. If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before thine altar in this house: then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; if they turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication unto thee in this house: then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them: then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) that they may fear thee all the daysthat they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. Moreover concerning the stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, when he shall come out of a far country for thy name's sake; (for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thy stretched out arm:) when he shall come and pray toward this house; hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name. If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatsoever way thou shalt send them, and they pray unto theLordtoward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive unto the land of the enemy, far off or near; yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captive, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly; if they return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, which carried them captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause; and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee,and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee; and give them compassion before those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them: for they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: that thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them whensoever they cry unto thee. For thou didst separate them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O LordGod.And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto theLord, he arose from before the altar of theLord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth toward heaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, Blessed be theLord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. TheLordour God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: that he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before theLord, be nigh unto theLordour God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as every day shall require: that all the peoples of the earth may know that theLord, he is God; there is none else.Let your heart therefore be perfect with theLordour God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day. And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before theLord.
ThenSolomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of theLordout of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. And they brought up the ark of theLord, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; even these did the priests and the Levites bring up. And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of theLordunto its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered theark and the staves thereof above. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when theLordmade a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of theLord, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of theLordfilled the house of theLord.
Then spake Solomon, TheLordhath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house of habitation, a place for thee to dwell in for ever. And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood. And he said, Blessed be theLord, the God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people Israel. Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of theLord, the God of Israel. But theLordsaid unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house for my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart: nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name. And theLordhath established his word that he spake; for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as theLordpromised, and have built the house for the name of theLord, the God of Israel. And there haveI set a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of theLord, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
And Solomon stood before the altar of theLordin the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven: and he said, OLord, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart: who hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou didst promise him: yea, thou spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. Now therefore, OLord, the God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me as thou hast walked before me. Now therefore, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father. But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, OLordmy God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee this day: that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place whereof thou hast said, My name shall be there: to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall pray toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwellingplace: and when thou hearest, forgive. If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before thine altar in this house: then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; if they turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication unto thee in this house: then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them: then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) that they may fear thee all the daysthat they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. Moreover concerning the stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, when he shall come out of a far country for thy name's sake; (for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thy stretched out arm:) when he shall come and pray toward this house; hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name. If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatsoever way thou shalt send them, and they pray unto theLordtoward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive unto the land of the enemy, far off or near; yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captive, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly; if they return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, which carried them captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause; and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee,and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee; and give them compassion before those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them: for they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: that thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them whensoever they cry unto thee. For thou didst separate them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O LordGod.
And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto theLord, he arose from before the altar of theLord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth toward heaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, Blessed be theLord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. TheLordour God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: that he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before theLord, be nigh unto theLordour God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as every day shall require: that all the peoples of the earth may know that theLord, he is God; there is none else.Let your heart therefore be perfect with theLordour God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day. And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before theLord.
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David....Seek ye theLordwhile he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto theLord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith theLord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bringforth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to theLordfor a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David....
Seek ye theLordwhile he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto theLord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith theLord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bringforth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to theLordfor a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Scene—A Court of Justice.Present—The Duke, the Magnificoes,Antonio,Bassanio,Gratiano,Solanio, and others.
Scene—A Court of Justice.Present—The Duke, the Magnificoes,Antonio,Bassanio,Gratiano,Solanio, and others.
Duke.What, is Antonio here?
Antonio.Ready, so please your grace.
Duke.I am sorry for thee: thou art come to answerA stony adversary, an inhuman wretchUncapable of pity, void and emptyFrom any dram of mercy.
Antonio.I have heardYour grace hath ta'en great pains to qualifyHis rigorous course; but since he stands obdurate,And that no lawful means can carry meOut of his envy's reach, I do opposeMy patience to his fury; and am arm'dTo suffer, with a quietness of spirit,The very tyranny and rage of his.
Duke.Go one, and call the Jew into the court.
Solanio.He's ready at the door: he comes, my lord.
EnterShylock.
Duke.Make room, and let him stand before our face.—Shylock, the world thinks, and I think so too,That thou but lead'st this fashion of thy maliceTo the last hour of act; and then 'tis thoughtThou'lt show thy mercy and remorse, more strangeThan is thy strange apparent cruelty;And where thou now exact'st the penalty,—Which is a pound of this poor merchant's flesh,—Thou wilt not only loose the forfeiture,But, touch'd with human gentleness and love,Forgive a moiety of the principal;Glancing an eye of pity on his losses,That have of late so huddled on his back,Enough to press a royal merchant downAnd pluck commiseration of his stateFrom brassy bosoms and rough hearts of flint,From stubborn Turks and Tartars, never train'dTo offices of tender courtesy.We all expect a gentle answer, Jew.
Shylock.I have possess'd your grace of what I purpose;And by our holy Sabbath have I swornTo have the due and forfeit of my bond:If you deny it, let the danger lightUpon your charter and your city's freedom.You'll ask me, why I rather choose to haveA weight of carrion flesh than to receiveThree thousand ducats; I'll not answer that;But, say, it is my humor; is it answer'd?What if my house be troubled with a rat,And I be pleas'd to give ten thousand ducatsTo have it ban'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 bagpipe sings i' the nose,Cannot contain themselves: for affection,Master of passion, sways it to the moodOf what it likes, or loathes. Now, for your answer:As there is no firm reason to be render'd,Why he cannot abide a gaping pig;Why he, a harmless necessary cat;Why he, a woollen bagpipe,—but of forceMust yield to such inevitable shameAs to offend, himself being offended;So can I give no reason, nor I will not,More than a lodg'd hate and a certain loathingI bear Antonio, that I follow thusA losing suit against him. Are you answer'd?
Bassanio.This is no answer, thou unfeeling man,To excuse the current of thy cruelty.
Shylock.I am not bound to please thee with my answer.
Bassanio.Do all men kill the things they do not love?
Shylock.Hates any man the thing he would not kill?
Bassanio.Every offence is not a hate at first.
Shylock.What, would'st thou have a serpent sting thee twice?
Antonio.I pray you, think you question with the Jew.You may as well go stand upon the beach,And bid the main flood bate his usual height;You may as well use question with the wolf,Why he hath made the ewe bleat for the lamb;You may as well forbid the mountain pinesTo wag their high tops, and to make no noise,When they are fretted with the gusts of heaven;You may as well do anything most hard,As seek to soften that—than which what's harder?—His Jewish heart: therefore, I do beseech you,Make no more offers, use no further means,But, with all brief and plain conveniency,Let me have judgment, and the Jew his will.
Bassanio.For thy three thousand ducats here is six.
Shylock.If every ducat in six thousand ducatsWere in six parts, and every part a ducat,I would not draw them; I would have my bond.
Duke.How shalt thou hope for mercy, rend'ring none?
Shylock.What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong?You have among you many a purchas'd slave,Which, like your asses, and your dogs, and mules,You use in abject and in slavish parts,Because you bought them: shall I say to you,Let them be free, marry them to your heirs?Why sweat they under burdens? let their bedsBe made as soft as yours, and let their palatesBe season'd with such viands? You will answer,"The slaves 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 stand for judgment: answer; shall I have it?
Duke.Upon my power I may dismiss this court,Unless Bellario, a learnèd doctor,Whom I have sent for to determine this,Come here to-day.
Solanio.My lord, here stays withoutA messenger with letters from the doctor,New come from Padua.
Duke.Bring us the letters; call the messenger.
Bassanio.Good cheer, Antonio! What, man, courage yet!The Jew shall have my flesh, blood, bones, and all,Ere thou shalt lose for me one drop of blood.
Antonio.I am a tainted wether of the flock,Meetest for death: the weakest kind of fruitDrops earliest to the ground, and so let me:You cannot better be employ'd, Bassanio,Than to live still, and write mine epitaph.
EnterNerissa,dressed like a lawyer's clerk.
Duke.Came you from Padua, from Bellario?
Nerissa.From both, my lord: Bellario greets your grace.[Presents a letter.
Bassanio.Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?
Shylock.To cut the forfeiture from that bankrupt there.
Gratiano.Not on thy sole, but on thy soul, harsh Jew,Thou mak'st thy knife keen; but no metal can,No, not the hangman's axe, bear half the keennessOf thy sharp envy. Can no prayers pierce thee?
Shylock.No, none that thou hast wit enough to make.
Gratiano.O, be thou damn'd, inexorable dog!And for thy life let justice be accus'd.Thou almost mak'st me waver in my faith,To hold opinion with Pythagoras,That souls of animals infuse themselvesInto the trunks of men: thy currish spiritGovern'd a wolf, who, hang'd for human slaughter,Even from the gallows did his fell soul fleet,And, whilst thou lay'st in thy unhallow'd dam,Infus'd itself in thee; for thy desiresAre wolfish, bloody, starv'd, and ravenous.
Shylock.Till thou canst rail the seal from off my bond,Thou but offend'st thy lungs to speak so loud:Repair thy wit, good youth, or it will fallTo cureless ruin. I stand here for law.Duke.This letter from Bellario doth commendA young and learnèd doctor to our court:—Where is he?
Nerissa.He attendeth here hard by,To know your answer, whether you'll admit him.
Duke.With all my heart.—Some three or four of youGo give him courteous conduct to this place.—Meantime the court shall hear Bellario's letter.
[Clerk reads.]Your grace shall understand, that, at the receipt of your letter, I am very sick: but, in the instant that your messenger came, in loving visitation was with me a young doctor of Rome; his name is Balthazar. I acquainted him with the cause in controversy between the Jew and Antonio the merchant: we turned o'er many books together: he is furnished with my opinion: which, bettered with his own learning, the greatness whereof I cannot enough commend, comes with him, at my importunity, to fill up your grace's request in my stead. I beseech you, let his lack of years be no impediment to let him lack a reverend estimation; for I never knew so young a body with so old a head. I leave him to your gracious acceptance, whose trial shall better publish his commendation.
[Clerk reads.]Your grace shall understand, that, at the receipt of your letter, I am very sick: but, in the instant that your messenger came, in loving visitation was with me a young doctor of Rome; his name is Balthazar. I acquainted him with the cause in controversy between the Jew and Antonio the merchant: we turned o'er many books together: he is furnished with my opinion: which, bettered with his own learning, the greatness whereof I cannot enough commend, comes with him, at my importunity, to fill up your grace's request in my stead. I beseech you, let his lack of years be no impediment to let him lack a reverend estimation; for I never knew so young a body with so old a head. I leave him to your gracious acceptance, whose trial shall better publish his commendation.
Duke.You hear the learned Bellario, what he writes:And here, I take it, is the doctor come.—
EnterPortia,dressed like a doctor of laws.
Give me your hand: came you from old Bellario?
Portia.I did, my lord.
Duke.You are welcome; take your place.Are you acquainted with the differenceThat holds this present question in the court?
Portia.I am informèd, throughly of the cause.Which is the merchant here, and which the Jew?
Duke.Antonio and old Shylock, both stand forth.
Portia.Is your name Shylock?
Shylock.Shylock is my name.
Portia.Of a strange nature is the suit you follow;Yet in such rule that the Venetian lawCannot impugn you as you do proceed.—You stand within his danger, do you not?[ToAntonio.
Antonio.Ay, so he says.
Portia.Do you confess the bond?
Antonio.I do.
Portia.Then must the Jew be merciful.
Shylock.On what compulsion must I? Tell me that.
Portia.The quality of mercy is not strain'd;It droppeth as the gentle rain from heavenUpon the place beneath: it is twice bless'd;It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes:'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomesThe thronèd monarch better than his crown;His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,The attribute to awe and majesty,Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;But mercy is above this sceptred sway;It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,It is an attribute to God himself;And earthly power doth then show likest God'sWhen mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,Though justice be thy plea, consider this,—That, in the course of justice, none of usShould see salvation: we do pray for mercy;And that same prayer doth teach us all to renderThe deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus muchTo mitigate the justice of thy plea;Which if thou follow, this strict court of VeniceMust needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.
Shylock.My deeds upon my head! I crave the law,The penalty and forfeit of my bond.
Portia.Is he not able to discharge the money?
Bassanio.Yes, here I tender it for him in the court;Yea, twice the sum: if that will not suffice,I will be bound to pay it ten times o'er,On forfeit of my hands, my head, my heart:If this will not suffice, it must appearThat malice bears down truth. And I beseech you,Wrest once the law to your authority:To do a great right, do a little wrong;And curb this cruel devil of his will.
Portia.It must not be; there is no power in VeniceCan alter a decree establishèd:'Twill be recorded for a precedent;And many an error, by the same example,Will rush into the state. It cannot be.
Shylock.A Daniel come to judgment! yea, a Daniel!O wise young judge, how do I honour thee!
Portia.I pray you, let me look upon the bond.
Shylock.Here 'tis, most reverend doctor, here it is.
Portia.Shylock, there's thrice thy money offer'd thee.
Shylock.An oath, an oath, I have an oath in heaven:Shall I lay perjury upon my soul?No, not for Venice.
Portia.Why, this bond is forfeit;And lawfully by this the Jew may claimA pound of flesh, to be by him cut offNearest the merchant's heart.—Be merciful;Take thrice thy money; bid me tear the bond.
Shylock.When it is paid according to the tenor.It doth appear you are a worthy judge;You know the law, your expositionHath been most sound: I charge you by the law,Whereof you are a well-deserving pillar,Proceed to judgment. By my soul I swearThere is no power in the tongue of manTo alter me: I stay here on my bond.
Antonio.Most heartily I do beseech the courtTo give the judgment.
Portia.Why, then, thus it is:You must prepare your bosom for his knife;—
Shylock.O noble judge! O excellent young man!
Portia.—For the intent and purpose of the lawHath full relation to the penalty,Which here appeareth due upon the bond.
Shylock.'Tis very true: O wise and upright judge!How much more elder art thou than thy looks!
Portia.Therefore, lay bare your bosom.
Shylock.Ay, his breast:So says the bond:—doth it not, noble judge?—"Nearest his heart:" those are the very words.
Portia.It is so. Are there balance here, to weighThe flesh?
Shylock.I have them ready.
Portia.Have by some surgeon, Shylock, on your charge,To stop his wounds, lest he do bleed to death.
Shylock.Is it so nominated in the bond?
Portia.It is not so express'd; but what of that?'Twere good you do so much for charity.
Shylock.I cannot find it; 'tis not in the bond.
Portia.Come, merchant, have you anything to say?
Antonio.But little: I am arm'd, and well prepar'd.—Give me your hand, Bassanio: fare you well!Grieve not that I am fallen to this for you;For herein Fortune shows herself more kindThan is her custom: it is still her useTo let the wretched man outlive his wealth,To view with hollow eye and wrinkled browAn age of poverty; from which lingering penanceOf such a misery doth she cut me off.Commend me to your honorable wife:Tell her the process of Antonio's end;Say how I lov'd you, speak me fair in death;And, when the tale is told, bid her be judgeWhether Bassanio had not once a love.Repent not you that you shall lose your friend,And he repents not that he pays your debt;For, if the Jew do cut but deep enough,I'll pay it instantly with all my heart.
Bassanio.Antonio, I am married to a wifeWhich is as dear to me as life itself;But life itself, my wife, and all the world,Are not with me esteem'd above thy life:I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them allHere to this devil, to deliver you.
Portia.Your wife would give you little thanks for that,If she were by, to hear you make the offer.
Gratiano.I have a wife, whom, I protest, I love:I would she were in heaven, so she couldEntreat some power to change this currish Jew.
Nerissa.'Tis well you offer it behind her back;The wish would make else an unquiet house.
Shylock.[Aside.] These be the Christian husbands! I have a daughter;Would any of the stock of BárrabasHad been her husband rather than a Christian!—[ToPortia.] We trifle time; I pray thee, pursue sentence.
Portia.A pound of that same merchant's flesh is thine:The court awards it, and the law doth give it.
Shylock.Most rightful judge!
Portia.And you must cut this flesh from off his breast:The law allows it, and the court awards it.
Shylock.Most learnèd judge! A sentence!—Come, prepare.
Portia.Tarry a little; there is something else.This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood;The words expressly are "a pound of flesh":Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh;But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shedOne drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goodsAre, by the laws of Venice, confiscateUnto the state of Venice.
Gratiano.O upright judge!—Mark, Jew:—O learnèd judge!
Shylock.Is that the law?
Portia.Thyself shalt see the act:For, as thou urgest justice, be assur'dThou shalt have justice, more than thou desirest.
Gratiano.O learnèd judge!—Mark, Jew:—a learnèd judge!
Shylock.I take this offer, then: pay the bond thrice,And let the Christian go.
Bassanio.Here is the money.
Portia.Soft!The Jew shall have all justice;—soft! no haste:—He shall have nothing but the penalty.
Gratiano.O Jew! an upright judge, a learnèd judge!
Portia.Therefore, prepare thee to cut off the flesh.Shed thou no blood; nor cut thou less nor moreBut just a pound of flesh: if thou tak'st moreOr less than a just pound,—be it but so muchAs makes it light, or heavy, in the substance,Or the division of the twentieth part,Of one poor scruple; nay, if the scale do turnBut in the estimation of a hair,—Thou diest, and all thy goods are confiscate.
Gratiano.A second Daniel, a Daniel, Jew!Now, infidel, I have thee on the hip.
Portia.Why doth the Jew pause? Take thy forfeiture.
Shylock.Give me my principal, and let me go.
Bassanio.I have it ready for thee; here it is.
Portia.He hath refus'd it in the open court:He shall have merely justice, and his bond.
Gratiano.A Daniel, still say I; a second Daniel!—I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word.
Shylock.Shall I not have barely my principal?
Portia.Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture,To be so taken at thy peril, Jew.
Shylock.Why, then the devil give him good of it!I'll stay no longer question.
Portia.Tarry, Jew:The law hath yet another hold on you.It is enacted in the laws of Venice,If it be prov'd against an alienThat by direct or indirect attemptsHe seek the life of any citizen,The party 'gainst the which he doth contriveShall seize one half his goods; the other halfComes to the privy coffer of the state;And the offender's life lies in the mercyOf the duke only, 'gainst all other voice.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 lifeOf the defendant; and thou hast incurr'dThe danger formerly by me rehears'd.Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the duke.
Gratiano.Beg that thou mayst have leave to hang thyself:And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state,Thou hast not left the value of a cord;Therefore, thou must be hang'd at the state's charge.
Duke.That thou shalt see the difference of our spirit,I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it:For half thy wealth, it is Antonio's;The other half comes to the general state,Which humbleness may drive unto a fine.
Portia.Ay, for the state; not for Antonio.
Shylock.Nay, take my life and all; pardon not that:You take my house when you do take the propThat doth sustain my house; you take my life,When you do take the means whereby I live.
Portia.What mercy can you render him, Antonio?
Gratiano.A halter gratis; nothing else, for God's sake.
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 haveThe other half in use, to render it,Upon his death, unto the gentlemanThat lately stole his daughter:Two things provided more,—that, for this favor,He presently become a Christian;The other, that he do record a gift,Here in the court, of all he dies possess'd,Unto his son Lorenzo and his daughter.
Duke.He shall do this; or else I do recantThe pardon that I late pronouncèd here.
Portia.Art thou contented, Jew? what dost thou say?
Shylock.I am content.
Portia.Clerk, draw a deed of gift.
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.
Duke.Get thee gone, but do it.
Gratiano.In christening thou shalt have two godfathers;Had I been judge, thou should'st have had ten more,To bring thee to the gallows, not the font.[Exit Shylock.
Duke.Sir, I entreat you home with me to dinner.
Portia.I humbly do desire your grace of pardon:I must away this night toward Padua,And it is meet I presently set forth.
Duke.I am sorry that your leisure serves you not.Antonio, gratify this gentleman,For, in my mind, you are much bound to him.
[Exeunt omnes.
FOOTNOTES:[A]As an introduction read "The Merchant of Venice,"Fourth Reader, page 311.
[A]As an introduction read "The Merchant of Venice,"Fourth Reader, page 311.
Itis a trivial grammar-school text, but yet worthy a wise man's consideration: question was asked of Demosthenes, what was the chief part of an orator? He answered, action: what next? action: what next again? action. He said it that knew it best, and had by nature himself no advantage in that he commended. A strange thing, that that part of an orator which is but superficial, and rather the virtue of a player, should be placed so high above those other noble parts, of invention, elocution, and the rest; nay, almost alone, as if it were all in all. But the reason is plain. There is in human nature generally more of the fool than of the wise; and therefore those faculties by which the foolish part of men's minds is taken, are most potent. Wonderful like is the case of boldness in civil business; what first? boldness: what second and third? boldness. And yet boldness is a child of ignorance and baseness, far inferior to other parts: but, nevertheless, it doth fascinate, and bind hand and foot those that are either shallow in judgment or weak in courage, which are the greatest part; yea, and prevaileth with wise men at weak times; therefore we see it hath done wonders in popular states, but with senates and princes less; and more, ever upon the first entrance of bold persons into action, than soon after; for boldness is an ill keeper of promise. Surely, as there are mountebanks for the natural body, so are there mountebanks for the politic body—men that undertake great cures, and perhaps have been lucky in two or three experiments, butwant the grounds of science, and therefore cannot hold out. Nay, you shall see a bold fellow many times do Mahomet's miracle. Mahomet made the people believe that he would call a hill to him, and from the top of it offer up his prayers for the observers of his law. The people assembled: Mahomet called the hill to come to him again and again; and when the hill stood still, he was never a whit abashed, but said, "If the hill will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the hill." So these men, when they have promised great matters, and failed most shamefully, yet, if they have the perfection of boldness, they will but slight it over, and make a turn, and no more ado. Certainly, to men of great judgment, bold persons are sport to behold; nay, and to the vulgar also boldness hath somewhat of the ridiculous: for, if absurdity be the subject of laughter, doubt you not but great boldness is seldom without some absurdity; especially it is a sport to see when a bold fellow is out of countenance, for that puts his face into a most shrunken and wooden posture, as needs it must—for in bashfulness the spirits do a little go and come—but with bold men, upon like occasion, they stand at a stay; like a stale at chess, where it is no mate, but yet the game cannot stir: but this last were fitter for a satire than for a serious observation. This is well to be weighed, that boldness is ever blind, for it seeth not dangers and inconveniences: therefore it is ill in counsel, good in execution; so that the right use of bold persons is, that they never command in chief, but be seconds, and under the direction of others; for in counsel it is good to see dangers, and in execution not to see them, except they be very great.
Itis a trivial grammar-school text, but yet worthy a wise man's consideration: question was asked of Demosthenes, what was the chief part of an orator? He answered, action: what next? action: what next again? action. He said it that knew it best, and had by nature himself no advantage in that he commended. A strange thing, that that part of an orator which is but superficial, and rather the virtue of a player, should be placed so high above those other noble parts, of invention, elocution, and the rest; nay, almost alone, as if it were all in all. But the reason is plain. There is in human nature generally more of the fool than of the wise; and therefore those faculties by which the foolish part of men's minds is taken, are most potent. Wonderful like is the case of boldness in civil business; what first? boldness: what second and third? boldness. And yet boldness is a child of ignorance and baseness, far inferior to other parts: but, nevertheless, it doth fascinate, and bind hand and foot those that are either shallow in judgment or weak in courage, which are the greatest part; yea, and prevaileth with wise men at weak times; therefore we see it hath done wonders in popular states, but with senates and princes less; and more, ever upon the first entrance of bold persons into action, than soon after; for boldness is an ill keeper of promise. Surely, as there are mountebanks for the natural body, so are there mountebanks for the politic body—men that undertake great cures, and perhaps have been lucky in two or three experiments, butwant the grounds of science, and therefore cannot hold out. Nay, you shall see a bold fellow many times do Mahomet's miracle. Mahomet made the people believe that he would call a hill to him, and from the top of it offer up his prayers for the observers of his law. The people assembled: Mahomet called the hill to come to him again and again; and when the hill stood still, he was never a whit abashed, but said, "If the hill will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the hill." So these men, when they have promised great matters, and failed most shamefully, yet, if they have the perfection of boldness, they will but slight it over, and make a turn, and no more ado. Certainly, to men of great judgment, bold persons are sport to behold; nay, and to the vulgar also boldness hath somewhat of the ridiculous: for, if absurdity be the subject of laughter, doubt you not but great boldness is seldom without some absurdity; especially it is a sport to see when a bold fellow is out of countenance, for that puts his face into a most shrunken and wooden posture, as needs it must—for in bashfulness the spirits do a little go and come—but with bold men, upon like occasion, they stand at a stay; like a stale at chess, where it is no mate, but yet the game cannot stir: but this last were fitter for a satire than for a serious observation. This is well to be weighed, that boldness is ever blind, for it seeth not dangers and inconveniences: therefore it is ill in counsel, good in execution; so that the right use of bold persons is, that they never command in chief, but be seconds, and under the direction of others; for in counsel it is good to see dangers, and in execution not to see them, except they be very great.