tween your bloods, than there is between red wine and rhenish; but tell us do you hear whether Anthonio has had any loss at sea or no?

Shy. There I have another bad match: a bankrupt, a prodigal, who dares scarce shew his head on the Ryalto; a beggar, that us'd to come so smugg 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 has disgrac'd me, and hinder'd me of half a million, laugh'd at my losses, mock'd at my gains, scorn'd my nation, thwarted my bargains, cool'd 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, heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd 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? 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 villainy you teach me, I will execute; and it shall go hard, but I will better the instruction.

Enter TUBAL.

Sola. Here comes another of the tribe; a third cannot be match'd, unless the devil himself turn Jew. [Exeunt Sal. and Solar. Shy. How, now, Tubal, what news from Genoa? hast thou found my daughter?

(49) 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! O 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

(49) A reason for the poet's choosing the name of Tubal may be found perhaps in Tubal (as stated in scripture) being a famous worker in brass, by a reference to the brazen colour of the moon, before conjectured to have given name to Hudibras, hue de brass.

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; Anthonio, as I heard in Genoa

Shy. What, what, what? ill-luck? ill-luck? Tub. Hath an argosie 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 (50) 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 Anthonio's creditors

(50) On examining the ship in the moon drawn in fig. 72, and comparing it with the prototype of Tubal there, as assigned in note 25, his intercourse with some of the sailors drawn in the ship will be manifest.

in my company to Venice, that swear he cannot choose but break.

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

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

Shy. Out upon her! thou torturest me, (51) Tubal; it was my Turquoise, (52) I had it of Leah when I was a batchelor; I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkies.

Tub. But Anthonio is certainly undone.

Shy. Nay, that's true, that's very true; go seek 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, go, Tubal, and meet me at our synagogue; go, good Tubal; at our synagogue, Tubal. [Exeunt.

Enter BASSANIO, PORTIA, GRATIANO, and Attendants.

Por. I pray you, tarry; pause a day or two, Before you hazard; for in choosing wrong

(51) Thou torturest me. The part of the moon assigned to Tubal, being opposite in respect of libration, to that apportioned to Shylock, explains this passage.

(52) Turquoise. This alludes perhaps to the crescent of the moon, by suggesting a recollection of that which forms the ensign of the Turks.

I lose your company; therefore, forbear, a while,
There's something tells me (but it is not love)
I would not lose you; and, you know, yourself,
Hate counsels not in such a quality.

I could teach you

How to choose right, but I am then foresworn.
So will I never be; so you may miss me;

But if you do you'll make me wish a sin,
That I had been foresworn.

Beshrew your eyes; They have o'erlooked me and divided me (53) One half of me is yours, the other half

Mine own I would say; but first mine, then yours, And so all yours.

Bass. Let me choose:

For as I am I live upon the rack.

So let me to my fortune and the caskets.

Por. Away, then! I am lock'd in one of them; If you do love me, you will find me out. Nerissa, and the rest, stand all aloof. [choice: Let music sound (54) while he doth make his

(53) Overlooked me and divided me. If the prototypes and positions of Bassanio and Portia in respect of each other, be examined as pointed out in former notes, they will be found to give a full explanation of this and the following lines.

(54) Music. Alluding to the resemblance of a fiddle or lyre on Bassanio's person.