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 ;-
He shall have nothing but the penalty.

-no haste ;

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:
do take the prop

You take house when my

you

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.

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

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.

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!

Loge. 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 my conscience— I cannot break my oath.

Chief of the Ten. Reduce us not

To the alternative of a decree,

Instead of your compliance.

Doge. Providence

Prolongs my days to prove and chasten me;

But ye have no right to reproach my length

Of days, since every hour has been the country's.
I am ready to lay down my life for her,

As I have laid down dearer things than life:

But for my dignity-I hold it of

The whole republic; when the general will

Is manifest, then you shall all be answered.

Chief of the Ten. We grieve for such an answer, but it

cannot

Avail you aught.

Doge. I can submit to all things,

But nothing will advance; no, not a moment.
What you decree-decree.

Chief of the Ten. Hear you then the last decree,
Definitive and absolute!

Doge. To the point

To the point!

I know of old the forms of office,

And gentle preludes to strong acts-Go on!

Chief of the Ten. You are no longer Doge; you are re

leased

From your imperial oath as sovereign;

:

Your ducal robes must be put off but for
Your services, the state allots the appanage
Already mentioned in our former congress.
Three days are left you to remove from hence,
Under the penalty to see confiscated
All your own private fortune.

Doge. That last clause,

old

age

I am proud to say, would not enrich the treasury.
Chief of the Ten. Your answer, Duke!
Doge. If I could have foreseen that my
Was prejudicial to the state, the chief
Of the republic never would have shown
Himself so far ungrateful, as to place
His own high dignity before his country;
But this life having been so many years
Not useless to that country, I would fain
Have consecrated my last moments to her.
But the decree being rendered, I obey.

Chief of the Ten. If you would have the three days named extended,