certain. I for my part knew the tailor that made the wings she flew withal.
Sol. And Shylock for his own part knew the bird was flidge, and then it is the complexion of them all to leave the dam.
Shy. She is damn’d for it.
Sal. That’s certain, if the devil may be her judge.
Shy. My own flesh and blood to rebel!
Sol. Out upon it, old carrion, rebels it at these years?
Shy. I say, my daughter is my flesh and my blood.
Sal. There is more difference between thy flesh and hers than between jet and ivory, more between your bloods than there is between red wine and Rhenish. But tell us, do you hear whether Antonio have had any loss at sea or no?
Shy. There I have another bad match. A bank-rout, a prodigal, who dare scarce show his head on the Rialto; a beggar, that was us’d to come so smug 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 cur’sy, 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 hath disgrac’d me, and hind’red me 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? And 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 a [Serving]man from Antonio.
[Serv.] Gentlemen, my master Antonio is at his house, and desires to speak with you both.
Sal. We have been up and down to seek him.
Enter Tubal.
Sol. Here comes another of the tribe; a third cannot be match’d, unless the devil himself turn Jew.
Exeunt Gentlemen [Solanio and Salerio, with Servingman].
Shy. How now, Tubal, what news from Genoa? Hast thou found my daughter?
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 Frankford! 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! 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 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 a’ my shoulders, no sighs but a’ my breathing, no tears but a’ my shedding.
Tub. Yes, other men have ill luck too. Antonio, as I heard in Genoa—
Shy. What, what, what? ill luck, ill luck?
Tub. Hath an argosy 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 that escap’d the wrack.
Shy. I thank thee, good Tubal, good news, good news! Ha, ha! [Heard] 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 Antonio’s creditors in my company to Venice that swear he cannot choose but break.
Shy. I am very glad of it. I’ll plague him, I’ll torture him. I am glad of it.
Tub. One of them show’d me a ring that he had of your daughter for a monkey.
Shy. Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal. It was my turkis, I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor. I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.
Tub. But Antonio is certainly undone.
Shy. Nay, that’s true, that’s very true. Go, Tubal, fee 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 merchandise I will. Go, Tubal, and meet me at our synagogue; go, good Tubal, at our synagogue, Tubal.
Exeunt.
¶
[Scene II]
Enter Bassanio, Portia, Gratiano, [Nerissa,] and all their Trains.
Por.
I pray you tarry, pause a day or two
Before you hazard, for in choosing wrong
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.
But lest you should not understand me well—
And yet a maiden hath no tongue but thought—
I would detain you here some month or two
Before you venture for me. I could teach you
How to choose right, but then I am forsworn.
So will I never be, so may you miss me,
But if you do, you’ll make me wish a sin,
That I had been forsworn. Beshrow your eyes,
They have o’erlook’d me and divided me:
One half of me is yours, the other half yours—
Mine own, I would say; but if mine, then yours,
And
