And lawfully by this the Jew may claim
A pound of flesh, to be by him cut off
Nearest the merchant's heart :-Be merciful;
Take thrice thy money; bid me tear the bond.
Shy. When it is paid according to the tenor.
It doth appear, you are a worthy judge;
You know the law, your exposition

Hath been most sound; I charge you by the law,
Whereof you are a well-deserving pillar,
Proceed to judgment: by my soul I swear,
There is no power in the tongue of man
To alter me: I stay here on my bond.

Ant. Most heartily I do beseech the court
To give the judgment.

Por. Why then, thus it is:

You must prepare your bosom for his knife.

Shy. O noble judge! O excellent young man! Por. For the intent and purpose of the law Hath full relation to the penalty,

Which here appeareth due upon the bond.

Shy. 'Tis very true: O wise and upright judge! How much more elder art thou than thy looks! Por. Therefore, lay bare your bosom.

So

Shy. Ay, his breast:

says the bond :-Doth it not noble judge?— Nearest the heart, those are the very words.

Por. It is so. Are there balances here to weigh

The flesh?

Shy. I have them ready.

Por. Have by some surgeon, Shylock, on your charge, To stop his wounds, lest he should bleed to death. Shy. Is it so nominated in the bond?

Por. It is not so expressed; But what of that? "Twere good you do so much for charity.

Shy. I cannot find it; 'tis not in the bond.
Por. Come, merchant, have you any thing to say?
Ant. But little; I am armed, and well prepared.
Give me your hand, Bassanio; fare you well!
Grieve not that I am fallen to this for you;
For herein fortune shows herself more kind
Than is her custom: it is still her use,

To let the wretched man outlive his wealth,
To view with hollow eye, and wrinkled brow,
An age

of poverty: from which lingering penance Of such a misery doth she cut me off.

Shy. We trifle time; I pray thee pursue sentence. Por. A pound of that same merchant's flesh is thine; The court awards it, and the law doth give it.

Shy. Most rightful judge!

Por. And you must cut this flesh from off his breast; The law allows it, and the court awards it.

Shy. Most learned judge!—A sentence; come, prepare.
Por. 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:
Then take thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh,
But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed

One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods
Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate

Unto the state of Venice.

Gra. O upright judge!-Mark, Jew!-O learned judge! Shy. Is that the law?

Por. Thyself shalt see the act:

For, as thou urgest justice, be assured

Thou shalt have justice, more than thou desirest.

Gra. O learned judge!—Mark, Jew;—a learned judge! Shy. I take this offer then,-pay the bond thrice,

And let the Christian go.

Bass. Here is the money.

Por. Soft.

The Jew shall have all justice;-soft ;-no haste;-
He shall have nothing but the penalty.

Gra. O Jew! an upright judge, a learned judge!
Por. Therefore, prepare thee to cut off the flesh,
Shed thou no blood, nor cut thou less, nor more,
But just a pound of flesh: if thou tak'st more,
Or less, than a just pound,—be it but so much
As makes it light, or heavy, in the substance,
Or the division of the twentieth part

Of one poor scruple,-nay, if the scales do turn
But in the estimation of a hair,-

Thou diest, and all thy goods are confiscate.

Gra. A second Daniel, a Daniel, Jew! Now, infidel, I have thee on the hip.

Por. Why doth the Jew pause? Take thy forfeiture. Shy. Give me my principal, and let me go. Bass. I have it ready for thee; here it is. Por. He hath refused it in the open court; He shall have merely justice, and his bond. Gra. A Daniel, still say I; a second Daniel !— I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word. Shy. Shall I not have barely my principal ? Por. Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture, To be so taken at thy peril, Jew.

Shy. Why then the devil give him good of it! I'll stay no longer question.

Por. Tarry Jew;

The law hath yet another hold on you.

It is enacted in the laws of Venice,

If it be proved against an alien,

That by direct, or indirect attempts,
He seek the life of any citizen,

The party 'gainst the which he doth contrive,
Shall seize one half his goods; the other half
Comes to the privy coffer of the state;
And the offender's life lies in the mercy
Of the duke only, 'gainst all other voice.

In which predicament, I say, thou stand'st.

Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the duke.

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.

Shy. Nay, take my life and all, pardon not that

You take

you

do take the prop

house when my That doth sustain my house; you take my life,

When you do take the means whereby I live.

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, to render it,

Upon his death, unto the gentleman

That lately stole his daughter.

Duke. He shall do this; or else I do recant

The pardon that I late pronounced here.

I

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

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.

SHAKESPERE.

THE TWO FOSCARI.

The Doge and Attendants.

Att. My lord, the deputation is in waiting; But add, that if another hour would better

Accord with your will, they will make it theirs.

Doge. To me all hours are like. Let them approach. [Exit Attendant. An Officer. Prince, I have done your bidding.

Doge. What command ?

Officer. A melancholy one-to call the attendance Of

Doge. True-true-true: I crave your pardon. I Begin to fail in apprehension, and

Wax very old-old almost as my years.

Till now I fought them off, but they begin

To overtake me.

Enter the Deputation, consisting of six of the Signori and the Chief of the Ten.

Doge. Noblemen, your pleasure!

Chief of the Ten. In the first place, the council doth

condole

With the Doge on his late and private grief.

Doge. No more-no more of that.

Chief of the Ten. Will not the duke

Accept the homage of respect?
Doge. I do

Accept it as 't is given-proceed.
Chief of the Ten. "The Ten,"

With a selected giunta from the senate
Of twenty-five of the best born patricians,
Having deliberated on the state

Of the republic, and the o'erwhelming cares
Which, at this moment, doubly must oppress
Your years, so long devoted to your country,
Have judged it fitting, with all reverence,
Now to solicit from your wisdom (which
Upon reflection must accord in this),
The resignation of the ducal ring,

Which you have worn so long and venerably :
And to prove that they are not ungrateful, nor
Cold to your years and services, they add
An appanage of twenty hundred golden
Ducats, to make retirement not less splendid
Than should become a sovereign's retreat.
Doge. Did I hear rightly?

Chief of the Ten. Need I say again?
Doge. No.-Have you done?

Chief of the Ten. I have spoken. Twenty-four

Hours are accorded you to give an answer.
Doge. I shall not need so many seconds.
Chief of the Ten. We

Will now retire.

Doge. Stay! Four and twenty hours
Will alter nothing which I have to say.
Chief of the Ten. Speak!

Doge. When I twice before reiterated
My wish to abdicate, it was refused me:
And not alone refused, but ye exacted
An oath from me that I would never more
Renew this instance. I have sworn to die
In full exertion of the functions, which
My country called me here to exercise,
According to my honour and

I cannot break my oath.

my

Chief of the Ten. Reduce us not

To the alternative of a decree,

Instead of your compliance.

Doge. Providence

conscience-st

Prolongs my days to prove and chasten me;