The other half comes to the general state,
Which humbleness may drive unto a fine.

Por. Ay, for the state; not for Antonio. Shy. Nay, take my life and all, pardon not that: You take my house, when you do take the prop That doth sustain my house; you take my life, When you do take the means whereby I live.

Por. What mercy can you render him, Antonio? Gra. A halter gratis; nothing else, for God's sake.

Ant. 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 have The other half in use 23,-to render it, Upon his death, unto the gentleman That lately stole his daughter:

Two things provided more.―That, for this favour, 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 recant

The pardon that I late pronounced here.

Por. Art thou contented, Jew, what dost thou say? Shy. I am content.

Por.

Clerk, draw a deed of gift. Shy. 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. Gra. In christening thou shalt have two godfathers;

23 Antonio's offer has been variously explained. It appears to be that he will quit his share of the fine, as the duke has already done that portion due to the state, if Shylock will let him have it in use (i. e. at interest) during his life, to render it at his death to Lorenzo.

Had I been judge, thou shouldst have had ten more 24;
To bring thee to the gallows, not to the font.
[Exit SHYLOCK.
Duke. Sir, I entreat you home with me to dinner.
Por. 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 Duke, Magnificoes, and Train.
Bass. Most worthy gentleman, I and my friend
Have by your wisdom been this day acquitted
Of grievous penalties; in lieu whereof,
Three thousand ducats, due unto the Jew,
We freely cope your courteous pains withal.
Ant. And stand indebted, over and above,
In love and service to you evermore.

Por. He is well paid that is well satisfied;
And I, delivering you, am satisfied,
And therein do account myself well paid;
My mind was never yet more mercenary.
I pray you, know me, when we meet again;
I wish you well, and so I take my leave.

Bass. Dear sir, of force I must attempt you further;
Take some remembrance of us, as a tribute,
Not as a fee: grant me two things, I pray you,
Not to deny me, and to pardon me.

24 i. e. a jury of twelve men to condemn him. This appears to have been an old joke. So in the Devil is an Ass, by Ben Jonson :

I will leave you

To your godfathers in law. Let twelve men work.

And in Bullein's Dialogue of the Fever Pestilence, 1564, one of the speakers, to show his mean opinion of an ostler at an inn, says: I did see him aske blessinge to xii godfathers at once.'

We have here a reference to the English trial by jury inapplicable to the forms of a Venetian trial.

:

Por. You press me far, and therefore I will yield.
Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your sake;
And, for your love, I'll take this ring from you:-
Do not draw back your hand; I'll take no more;
And you in love shall not deny me this.

Bass. This ring, good sir,-alas, it is a trifle;
I will not shame myself to give you this.
Por. I will have nothing else but only this;
And now, methinks, I have a mind to it.

Bass. There's more depends on this, than on the value.

The dearest ring in Venice will I give you,
And find it out by proclamation:
Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.

Por. I see, sir, you are liberal in offers:
You taught me first to beg; and now, methinks,
You teach me how a beggar should be answer'd.
Bass. Good sir, this ring was given me by my wife;
And, when she put it on, she made me vow,
That I should neither sell, nor give, nor lose it.
Por. That 'scuse serves many men to save their
gifts.

An if your wife be not a mad woman,

And know how well I have deserv'd this ring,
She would not hold out enemy for ever,

For giving it to me. Well, peace be with you!
[Exeunt PORTIA and NERISSA.
Ant. My lord Bassanio, let him have the ring;
Let his deservings, and my love withal,
Be valued 'gainst your wife's commandment.
Bass. Go, Gratiano, run and overtake him,
Give him the ring; and bring him, if thou canst,
Unto Antonio's house:-away, make haste.
[Exit GRATIANO.

Come, you and I will thither presently;
And in the morning early will we both
Fly toward Belmont: Come, Antonio.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II. The same. A Street.

Enter PORTIA and NERISSA.

Por. Inquire the Jew's house out,give him this deed, And let him sign it; we'll away to-night, And be a day before our husbands home: This deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo.

Enter GRATIANO.

Gra. Fair sir, you are well overtaken :
My lord Bassanio, upon more advice1,
Hath sent you here this ring; and doth entreat
Your company at dinner.

Por.

That cannot be:

This ring I do accept most thankfully,

And So, I pray you, tell him: Furthermore,

I pray you, show my youth old Shylock's house.
Gra. That will I do.

Ner.
Sir, I would speak with you:-
I'll see if I can get my husband's ring,

[TO PORTIA. Which I did make him swear to keep for ever. Por. Thou may'st, I warrant: We shall have old2 swearing,

That they did give the rings away to men;
But we'll outface them, and outswear them too.
Away, make haste; thou know'st where I will tarry.
Ner. Come, good sir, will you show me to this

house?

[Exeunt.

1 i. e. more reflection. So in All's Well that Ends Well: 'You never did lack advice so much.'

2 of this once common augmentative in colloquial language there are various instances in the plays of Shakspeare in the sense of abundant frequent. So in The Merry Wives of Windsor: 'Here will be an old abusing of God's patience and the king's English. Again in King Henry IV. Part II.: here will be old utis.'

ACT V.

SCENE I. Belmont. Avenue to Portia's House.

Enter LORENZO and JESSICA.

Lor. The moon shines bright:-In such a night
as this1,

When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees,
And they did make no noise: in such a night,
Troilus, methinks, mounted the Trojan walls,
And sigh'd his soul toward the Grecian tents,
Where Cressid lay that night.

Jes.
In such a night,
Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew;
And saw the lion's shadow ere himself,
And ran dismay'd away.

Lor.

In such a night,

Stood Dido, with a willow in her hand3

Upon the wild sea-banks, and wav'd her love

To come again to Carthage.

Jes.

In such a night,

Medea gather'd the enchanted herbs

That did renew old son1.

1 The several passages beginning with these words ́are imitated in the old comedy of Wily Beguiled, written before 1596. See the play in Hawkins's Origin of the Drama, vol. iii.

2 This image is from Chaucer's Troilus and Cresseide, b. v. v. 666, and 1142.

3 Steevens observes that this is one instance, among many that might be brought to prove that Shakspeare was no reader of the classics. Perhaps he recollected Chaucer's description of Ariadne in a similar situation in the Legend of Good Women; or he may have taken this circumstance, as Warton suggests, from some ballad on the subject.

4 Steevens refers to Gower's description of Medea in his Confessio Amantis.