OBSERVATIONS.

IT appears from a paffage in Stephen Goffon's School of Abuse, &c. 1579, that a play, comprehending the diftinct plots of Shakspeare's Merchant of Venice, had been exhibited long before he commenced a writer, viz. “The Jew shown at the Bull, representing the greedineffe of worldly choofers, and the bloody minds of ufurers." "Thefe plays, fays Goffon, (for he mentions others with it) are goode and fweete plays," &c. It is therefore not improbable that Shakspeare new-wrote his piece, on the model already mentioned, and that the elder performance, being inferior, was permitted to drop filently into oblivion.

This play of Shakspeare had been exhibited before the year 1598, as appears from Meres's Wits Treasury, where it is mentioned with eleven more of our author's pieces. It was enter'd on the books of the Stationers' Company, July 22, în the fame year. It could not have been printed earlier, because it was not yet licensed. The old fong of Gernutus the Jew of Venice, is published by Dr. Percy in the first volume of his Reliques of ancient English Poetry: and the ballad intituled, The Murtherous lyfe and terrible death of the rich Jewe of Malta; and the tragedy on the fame fubject, were both entered on the Stationers' books, May 1594. STEEVENS.

The ftory was taken from an old translation of The Gefta Romanorum, first printed by Wynkyn de Worde. The book was very popular, and Shakspeare has closely copied fome of the language: an additional argument, if we wanted it, of his track of reading. Three vessels are exhibited to a lady for her choice-The first was made of pure gold, well befet with precious ftones without, and

within full of dead men's bones; and thereupon was engraven this pofie: Whofo chuseth me, shall find that he deferveth. The fecond vessel was made of fine silver, filled with earth and worms; the fuperfcription was thus: Whofso chuseth me, shall find that bis nature defireth. The third veffel was made of lead, full within of precious ftones, and thereupon was infculpt this pofie: Whoso chuseth me, shall find that God hath disposed for him,————The lady after a comment upon each, chufes the leaden vessel.

In a MS. of Lidgate, belonging to my very learned friend, Dr. Afkew, I find a Tale of two Marchants of Egipt and of Baldad, ex Geftis Romanorum. Leland therefore could not be the original author, as Bishop Tanner suspected. He lived a century after Lidgate. FARMER.

The two principal incidents of this play are to be found separately in a collection of odd ftories, which were very popular, at leaft five hundred years ago, under the title of Gefta Romanorum. The first, Of the bond, is in ch. xlviii. of the copy which I chuse to refer to, as the completest of any which I have yet feen. MS. Harl. n. 2270. A knight there borrows money of a merchant, upon condition of forfeiting all his flesh for non-payment. When the penalty is exacted before the judge; the knight's mistress, difguifed, in forma viri & vestimentis pretiofis induta, comes into court, and, by permiffion of the judge, endeavours to mollify the merchant. She firft offers him his money, and then the double of it, &c. to all which his answer is-Conventionem meam volo babere. Puella, cum hoc audiffet, ait coram omnibus, Domine mi judex, da rectum judicium fuper his quæ vobis dixero.-Vos fcitis quod miles nunquam fe obligabat ad aliud per literam nifi quod mercator habeat poteftatem carnes ab offibus fcindere, fine fanguinis effufione, de quo nihil erat prolocutum. Statim mittat manum in eum ; fi vero fanguinem effuderit, Rex contra eum actionem habet. Mercator, cum hoc audiffet, ait; date mihi pecuniam & omnem actionem ei remitto. Ait puella, Amen dico tibi, nullum denarium habebis-pone ergo manum in eum, ita ut fanguinem non effundas. Mercator vero videns fe confufum abfceffit; & fic vita militis falvata eft, & nullum denarium dedit. The other incident, of the cafkets, is in ch. xcix. of the fame collection. A king of Apulia fends his daughter to be married to the fon of an emperor of Rome. After fome adventures, (which

are

are nothing to the present purpose, she is brought before the emperor; who fays to her, " Puella, propter amorem filii mei multa adverfa fuftinuifti. Tamen fi digna fueris ut uxor ejus fis cito probabo. Et fecit fieri tria vafa. PRIMUM fuit de auro purissimo & lapidibus pretiofis interius ex omni parte, & plenum offibus mortuorum; & exterius erat subscriptio; Qui me elegerit, in me inveniet quod meruit. SECUNDUM vas erat de argento puro & gemmis pretiofis, plenum terra; & exterius erat fubfcriptio: Qui me elegerit, in me inveniet quod natura appetit. TERTIUM vas de plumbo ple num lapidibus pretiofis interius & gemmis nobilissimis; & exterius erat fubfcriptio talis: Qui me elegerit, in me inveniet quod deus difpofuit. Ifta tria oftendit puellæ, & dixit, fi unum ex iftis elegeris in quo commodum, & proficuum eft, filium meum habebis. Si vero elegeris quod nec tibi nec aliis eft commodum, ipfum non habebis." The young lady, after mature confideration of the veffels and their infcriptions, chufes the leaden, which being opened, and found to be full of gold and precious ftones, the em peror fays: "Bona puella, bene elegifti-ideo filium meum habebis."

From this abstract of these two stories, I think it appears fufficiently plain that they are the remote originals of the two incidents in this play. That of the cafkets Shakspeare might take from the English Gefta Romanorum, as Dr. Farmer has obferved; and that of the bond might come to him from the Pecorone; but upon the whole I am rather inclined to fufpect, that he has followed fome hitherto unknown novelist, who had faved him the trouble of working up the two ftories into one. TYR WHITT.

This comedy, I believe, was written in the beginning of the year, 1598. Meres's book was not published till the end of that year. MALONE.

LORENZO, in love with Jeffica.

SHYLOCK, a Jew:

TUBAL, a Jew, his friend.

LAUNCELOT GOBBO, a clown, fervant to Shylock.

OLD GOBBO, father to Launcelot.

SALERIO, a messenger from Venice.

LEONARDO, Servant to Bassanio.

BALTHAZAR, Servants to Portia.

STEPHANO,

PORTIA, a rich heiress:

NERISSA, her waiting-maid.

JESSICA, daughter to Shylock.

Magnificoes of Venice, Officers of the Court of Justice, Failer, Servants, and other Attendants.

SCENE, partly at Venice, and partly at Belmont, the Seat of Portia, on the Continent.