x 0o «. V ^ V* .\ V -7 ^ --6 V ^ ' ' v X LONGMANS' ENGLISH CLASSICS EDITED BY GEORGE RICE CARPENTER, A.B. PROFESSOR OP RHETORIC AND ENGLISH COMPOSITION IN COLUMBIA COLLEGE WILLIAM SHAKSPERE THE MERCHANT OF VENICE LONGMANS' ENGLISH CLASSICS EDITED BT GEORGE RICE CARPENTER, A.B. PBOEESSOB OF BHETOEIC AND ENGLISH COMPOSITION IN COLUMBIA COLLEGE With full Notes, Introductions, Bibliographies, and other Explanatory and Illustrative Matter. Crown Svo. Cloth. 1. IRVING'S TALES OF A TRAVELLER. With Introduction by Professor Brandeb Matthews, of Columbia College, and Notes by the Editor of the Series. 2. GEORGE ELIOT'S SILAS MARNER. Edited by Professor Robert Hebbick, of the University of Chicago. 3. SCOTT'S WOODSTOCK. Edited by Professor Bliss Perby, of Princeton College. 4. DEFOE'S HISTORY OF THE PLAGUE IN LONDON. Edited by Professor G.R.CARPENTER,of Columbia College. 5. WEBSTER'S FIRST BUNKER HILL ORATION, together Avith other Addresses relating to the Revolution. Edited by Professor F. N. Scott, of the University of Michigan. 6. MACAULAY'S ESSAY ON MILTON. Edited by J. G. Cboswell, Head-Master of the Brearley School, formerly Assistant Professor in Harvard University. 7. SHAKSPERE'S A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Edited by Professor G. P. Baker, of Harvard University. 8. MILTON'S L' ALLEGRO, IL PENSEROSO, COMUS, AND LYCIDAS. Edited by Professor W. P. Trent, of the University of the South. 9. SHAKSPERE'S MERCHANT OF VENICE. Edited by Professor Fbancis B. Gummere, of Haverford College. 10. COLERIDGE'S THE ANCIENT MARINER. Edited by Herbert Bates, Instructor in English in the University of Nebraska. Other volumes are in preparation. WILLIAM SHAKSPERE (From the bust on his tomb at Stratford-ou-Avon) Xonamans' JSwQlisb Classics SHAKSPEKE'S The Merchant of Venice EDITED WITH NOTES AND AN INTRODUCTION BY FKANCIS B. GUMMEEE, Ph.D. PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH IN HAVERFORD COLLEGE NEW YORK LONGMANS, GEEEN, AND CO. LONDON AND BOMBAY 1896 vo\> CUO" Ttf Copyright, 1895 BY LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. /Z-Zffr/f Press of J. J. Little & Co. Astor Place, New York PREFACE The " Merchant of Venice " is one of those books which are to be studied, — mastered by dint of hard work, and made to serve the ends of mental discipline, as well as to lure the pupil into a love of good reading. The present editor has tried to help teacher and pupil in their work, and has kept his eye neither on intellectual beer and skit- tles, nor yet on that pretty pretence of labor which takes all (subjective) knowledge for its province and seeks to train the mind by the example of Mr. Brooke of Middle- march. Since the Introduction was written, these words of Professor Dowden have come under the editor's notice, and should be added to the Suggestions for Teachers : " Some persons seem to fear that a close attention to textual difficulties, conjectural emendations, obsolete words, allusions to manners and customs, and suchlike, will quench an interest in the higher meanings of the play. I have not found it so " (On the Teaching of Eng- lish Literature, "New Studies in Literature," p. 423). No editor of Shakspere, however humble his desire, or however ambitious, can close his work without a word of thanks to Dr. Furness for the manifold help afforded by the Variorum edition. F. B. G. Haverford College, February 12, 1896. CONTENTS Introduction : I. Shakspere's Life II. The Period III. The Works of Shakspere IV. The Merchant of Venice V. Construction of the Play Suggestions for Teachers . Specimen Examination Paper Chronological Table . Merchant of Venice . Notes : I. Bibliography . II. The Language of the Play III. The Metre IV. Duration of the Action V. Explanatory and Critical Notes PAGE ix xviii xxix xxxii xxxvi xlii xlix li 1 87 91 95 96 O > 00 H ft II *1I ii'd 03 r ^ o ^3 r B c U & .2 A ^-2.2 SSg; hi" o n fe $ fl ^3 h. a ? s 2 o° a ft>. o ~~"& .2 • e3 8 p,o 3 03 > a* H e o § o ? ,o 2 M <*^ fl-H 3 ~ t4 n hV" SW > s ss lii CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE a o H 1 m > t3 & S CO O CD E- 1 |£.£ P3 a cH3 a* 3 s g« Oi)Q o Sa cfiW 2; o H ci OS »n »T> J, p be >, . * "g,id o> to c r\-r cq I o EH eS « ® g£ 1-s 1115 05 "= 2 » 8 £P t> a 5z a S-s 1 ^ - -O 2 05 2 bCcu g,a '5 5 • S3 fc 3 .2 o » |-g co P^j cc "43 0) "S c> u • 2 S3 cjfij =£ft JIMS, a^ >>« a P3 O pq § g5 ^Po, g | £ S. ESS Eh Hill CO ci OJ OS 1Q 10 >> .Sa a> V,^ a 05 fc. fa II a 8 pqt3 ►J •~& .02 48 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act in. Por. [Aside.] How all the other passions fleet to air, As doubtful thoughts, and rash-embraeed despair, And shuddering fear, and green-eyed jealousy ! 110 love, be moderate ; allay thy ecstasy ; In measure rain thy joy ; scant this excess ! 1 feel too much thy blessing : make it less, For fear I surfeit ! Bass. What find I here ? [Opening the leaden casket. Fair Portia's counterfeit ! What demi-god Hath come so near creation ? Move these eyes ? Or whether, riding on the balls of mine, Seem they in motion ? Here are sever'd lips, Parted with sugar breath : so sweet a bar Should sunder such sweet friends. Here in her hairs The painter plays the spider, and hath woven 121 A golden mesh to entrap the hearts of men, Faster than gnats in cobwebs : but her eyes, — How could he see to do them ? having made one, Methinks it should have power to steal both his And leave itself unfurnish'd. Yet look, how far The substance of my praise doth wrong this sha- dow In underprizing it, so far this shadow Doth limp behind the substance. Here's the scroll, The continent and summary of my fortune. 130 [Reads.] " You that choose not by the view, Chance as fair, and choose as true ! Since this fortune falls to you, Be content and seek no new. If you be well pleased with this, And hold your fortune for your bliss, Turn you where your lady is, And claim her with a loving kiss." Sc. II] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 49 A gentle scroll. Fair lady, by your leave ; I come by note, to give and to receive. 140 Like one of two contending in a prize, That thinks he hath done well in people's eyes, Hearing applause and universal shout, Giddy in spirit, still gazing in a doubt Whether those peals of praise be his or no ; So, thrice-fair lady, stand I, even so ; As doubtful whether what I see be true, Until confirmed, signed, ratified by you. Por. You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand, Such as I am : though for myself alone 150 I would not be ambitious in my wish, To wish myself much better ; yet, for you I would be trebled twenty times myself ; ---A thousand times more fair, ten thousand times More rich ; That only to stand high in your account, I might in virtues, beauties, livings, friends, Exceed account ; but the full sum of me Is sum of something, which, to term in gross, Is an unlesson'd girl, unschool'd, unpractised ; 160 Happy in this, she is not yet so old But she may learn ; happier than this, She is lfoTHBred so dull but she can learn ; Happiest of all is that her gentle spirit Commits itself to yours to be directed, __As from her lord, her governor, her king. Myself and what is mine to you and yours Is now converted : but now I was the lord Of this fair mansion, m aster of my servants, Queen o'er myself ; and even now, but now, 170 This house, these servants, and this same myself, Are yours, my lord : I give them with this ring ; Which when you part from, lose, or give away, 4 50 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act III. Let it presage the ruin of your love, And be my .vantage to exclaim on you. Bass. Madam, you have bereft me of all words, Only my blood speaks to you in my veins ; And there is such confusion in my powers, As, after some oration fairly spoke By a beloved prince, there doth appear 180 Among the buzzing pleased multitude ; Where every something, being blent together, Turns to a wild of nothing, save of joy, Express'd and not expressed. But when this ring Parts from this finger, then parts life from hence : O, then be bold to say Bassanio's dead ! Ner. My lord and lady, it is now our time, That have stood by and seen our wishes prosper, To cry, good joy : good joy, my lord and lady ! Gra. My lord Bassanio and my gentle lady, 190 I wish you all the joy that you can wish ; For I am sure you can wish none from me : And when your honours mean to solemnize The bargain of your faith, I do beseech you, Even at that time I may be married too. Bass. With all my heart, so thou canst get a wife. Gra. I thank your lordship, you have got me one. My eyes, my lord, can look as swift as yours : You saw the mistress, I beheld the maid ; You loved JTTbved for intermission. ( 200 No more pertains to me, my lorcTTtnan you. Your fortune stood upon the casket there, And so did mine too, as the matter falls ; For wooing here until I sweat again, And swearing till my very roof was dry W^ith oaths of love, at last, if promise last, I got a promise of this fair one here To have her love, provided that your fortune Sc. II.] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 51 Achieved her mistress. ^ Por. Is this true, Nerissa ? Ner. Madam, it is, so you stand pleased withal. 210 Bass. And do you, Gratiano, mean good faith ? Gra. Yes, faith, my lord. Bass. Our feast shall be much honoured in your marriage. Gra. But who comes here ? Lorenzo and his infidel ? What, and my old Venetian friend Salerio ? Enter Lorenzo, Jessica, and Salerio, a messenger from Venice. Bass. Lorenzo and Salerio, welcome hither ; If that the youth of my new interest here Have power to bid you welcome. By your leave, I bid my very friends and countrymen, Sweet Portia, welcome. Por. So do I, my lord : They are entirely welcome. Lor. I thank your honour. For my part, my lord, 220 My purpose was not to have seen you here ; But meeting with Salerio by the way, He did entreat me, past all saying nay, To come with him along. Saler. I did, my lord ; And I have reason for it. Signior Antonio Commends him to you. [Gives Bassanio a letter. Bass. Ere I ope his letter, I pray you, tell me how my good friend doth. Saler. Not sick, my lord, unless it be in mind ; 230 Nor well, unless in mind : his letter there , Will show you his estate. Gra. Nerissa, cheer yon stranger ; bid her welcome. Your hand, Salerio : what's the news from Venice ? How doth that royal merchant, good Antonio ? 52 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act III. I know he will be glad of our success ; We are the Jasons, we have won the fleece. Saler. I would you had" won the fleece that he hath lost. Por. There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper, That steals the colour from Bassanio's cheek : 240 Some dear friend dead ; else nothing in the world Could turn so much the constitution Of any constant man. What, worse and worse ! With leave, Bassanio ; I am half yourself, And I must freely have the half of anything That this same paper brings you. Bass. sweet Portia, Here are a few of the unpleasant'st words That ever blotted paper ! Gentle lady, When I did first impart my love to you, I freely told you, all the wealth I had 250 Ean in my veins, I was a gentleman ; And then I told you true : and yet, dear lady, Eating myself at nothing, you shall see How much I was a braggart. When I told you My state was nothing, I should then have told you That I was worse than nothing ; for, indeed, I have engaged myself to a dear friend, Engaged my friend to his mere enemy, To feed my means. Here is a letter, lady ; The paper as the body of my friend, 260 And every word in it a gaping wound, Issuing life-blood. But is it true, Salerio ? Have all his ventures fail'd ? What, not one hit ? From Tripolis, from Mexico, and England, From Lisbon, Barbary, and India ? And not one vessel scape the dreadful touch Of merchant-marring rocks ? Saler. Not one, my lord. Besides, it should appear, that if he had Sc. II.] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 53 The present money to discharge the Jew, He would not take it. Never did I know 270 A creature, that did bear the shape of man, So keen and greedy to confound a man : He plies the Duke at morning and at night ; -And doth impeach the freedom of the state, If they deny him justice : twenty merchants, The Duke himself, and the magnificoes Of greatest port, have all persuaded with him ; But none can drive him from the envious plea Of forfeiture, of justice, and his bond. Jes. When I was with him I have heard him swear 280 To Tubal and to Chus, his countrymen, That he would rather have Antonio's flesh Than twenty times the value of the sum That he did owe him : and I know, my lord, If law, authority and power deny not It will go hard with poor Antonio. Por. Is it your dear friend that is thus in trouble ? Bass. The dearest friend to me, the kindest man, The best-condition'd and unwearied spirit In doing courtesies ; and one in whom 290 The ancient Roman honour more appears Than any that draws breath in Italy. Por. What sum owes he the Jew ? Bass. For me three thousand ducats. Por. W^hat, no more ? Pay him six thousand, and deface the bond ; Double six thousand, and then treble that, Before a friend of this description Shall lose a hair through Bassanio's fault. First go with me to church and call me wife, And then away to Venice to your friend ; 300 For never shall you lie by Portia's side With an unquiet soul. You shall have gold 54 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act III. To pay the petty debt twenty times over : When it is paid, bring your true friend along. My maid Nerissa and myself meantime Will live as maids and widows. Come, away ! For you shall hence upon your wedding-day : Bid your friends welcome, show a merry cheer : Since you are dear bought, I will love you dear. But let me hear the letter of your friend. 310 Bass. [Reads.] "Sweet Bassanio, my ships have all mis- carried, my creditors grow cruel, my estate is very low, my bond to the Jew is forfeit ; and since in paying it, it is impossible I should live, all debts are cleared be- tween you and I, if I might but see you at my death. Notwithstanding, use your pleasure : if your love do not persuade you to come, let not my letter. " Por. love, dispatch all business, and be gone ! Bass. Since I have your good leave to go away, I will make haste ; but, till I come again, 320 No bed shall e'er be guilty of my stay, No rest be interposer 'twixt us twain. [Exeunt. Scene III. — Venice. A street. Enter Shylock, Salarino, Antonio, and Gaoler. Shy. Gaoler, look to him : tell not me of mercy ; This is the fool that lent out money gratis : Gaoler, look to him. Ant. Hear me yet, good Shylock. Shy. I '11 have my bond ; speak not against my bond : I have sworn an oath that I will have my bond. Thou call'dst me dog before thou hadst a cause ; But, since I am a dog, beware my fangs : The Duke shall grant me justice. I do wonder, Thou naughty gaoler, that thou art so fond To come abroad with him at his request. 10 Sc. IV.] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 55 Ant. I pray thee, hear me speak. Shy. I '11 have my bond ; I will not hear thee speak : I '11 have my bond ; and therefore speak no more. I'll not be made a soft and dull-eyed fool, To shake the head, relent, and sigh, and yield To Christian intercessors. Follow not ; I '11 have no speaking : I will have my bond. [Exit. Salar. It is the most impenetrable cur That ever kept with men. Ant. Let him alone : I '11 follow him no more with bootless prayers. 20 He seeks my life ; his reason well I know : I oft deliver'd from his forfeitures Many that have at times made moan to me ; Therefore he hates me. Salar. I am sure the Duke Will, never grant this forfeiture to hold. Ant. The Duke cannot deny the course of law : For the commodity that strangers have With us in Venice, if it be denied, Will much impeach the justice of his state ; Since that the trade and profit of the city 30 Consisteth of all nations. Therefore, go : These griefs and losses have so bated me, That I shall hardly spare a pound of flesh To-morrow to my bloody creditor. Well, gaoler, on. Pray God, Bassanio come To see me pay his debt, and then I care not ! [Exeunt Scene IV. — Belmont. A room in Portia's liouse. Enter Portia, Nerissa, Lorenzo, Jessica, and Bal- THASAR. Lor. Madam, although I speak it in your presence, You have a noble and a true conceit 56 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act III. Of god-like amity ; which appears most strongly In bearing thus the absence of your lord. But if you knew to whom you show this honour, How true a gentleman you send relief, How dear a lover of my lord your husband, I know you would be prouder of the work Than customary bounty can enforce you. Por. I never did repent for doing good, 10 Nor shall not now : for in companions That do converse and waste the time together, Whose souls do bear an equal yoke of love, There must be needs a like proportion Of lineaments, of manners and of spirit ; Which makes me think that this Antonio, Being the bosom lover of my lord, Must needs be like my lord. If it be so, How little is the cost I have bestowed In purchasing the semblance of my soul 20 From out the state of hellish misery ! This comes too near the praising of myself ; Therefore no more of it : hear other things. Lorenzo, I commit into your hands The husbandry and manage of my house Until my lord's return : for mine own part, I have toward heaven breathed a secret vow To live in prayer and contemplation, Only attended by Nerissa here, Until her husband and my lord's return : 30 There is a monastery two miles off ; And there will we abide. I do desire you Not to deny this imposition ; The which my love and some necessity Now lays upon you. Lor. Madam, with all my heart ; I shall obey you in all fair commands. Sc. IV.] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 57 Por. My people do already know my mind, And will acknowledge you and Jessica In place of Lord Bassanio and myself. And so farewell, till we shall meet again. 40 Lor. Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you ! Jes. I wish your ladyship all heart's content. Por. I thank you for your wish, and am well pleased To wish it back on you : fare you well, Jessica. [Exeunt Jessica and Lorenzo. Now, Balthasar, As I have ever found thee honest-true, So let me find thee still. Take this same letter, And use thou all the endeavour of a man In speed to Padua : see thou render this Into my cousin's hand, Doctor Bellario ; 50 And, look, what notes and garments he doth give thee, Bring them, I pray thee, with imagined speed Unto the tranect, to the common ferry Which trades to Venice. Waste no time in words, But get thee gone : I shall be there before thee. Balth. Madam, I go with all convenient speed. [Exit. Por. Come on, Nerissa ; I have work in hand That you yet know not of ; we '11 see our husbands Before they think of us. Ner. Shall they see us ? Por. They shall, Nerissa ; but in such a habit, 60 That they shall think we are accomplished With that we lack. I '11 hold thee any wager, When we are both accoutred like young men, I '11 prove the prettier fellow of the two, And wear my dagger with a braver grace, And speak between the change of man and boy With a reed voice, and turn two mincing steps Into a manly stride, and speak of frays Like a fine bragging youth ; and tell quaint lies, 58 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act III. How honourable ladies sought my love, 70 Which I denying, they fell sick and died ; I could not do withal : then I '11 repent, And wish, for all that, that I had not kill'd them ; And twenty of these puny lies I '11 tell, That men shall swear I have discontinued school Above a twelvemonth. I have within my mind A thousand raw tricks of these bragging Jacks, Which I will practise. Ner. Why, shall we turn to men ? Por. Fie, what a question 's that, If thou wert near a lewd interpreter ! 80 But come, I '11 tell thee all my whole device When I am in my coach, which stays for us At the park-gate ; and therefore haste away, For we must measure twenty miles to-day. [Exeunt, Scene V. — TJie same. A garden. Enter Lancelot and Jessica. Laun". Yes, truly ; for, look you, the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children : therefore, I promise ye, I fear. you. I was always plain with you, and so now I speak my agitation of the matter : therefore be of good cheer, for, truly, I think you are damned. There is but one hope in it that can do you any good : and that is but a kind of bastard hope neither. Jes. And what hope is that, I pray thee ? Laun. Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew's daughter. 10 Jes. That were a kind of bastard hope, indeed : so the sins of my mother should be visited upon me. Laun". Truly then I fear you are damned both by father Sc. V.] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 59 and mother : thus when I shun Scylla, your father, I fall into Charybdis, your mother : well, you are gone both ways. Jes. I shall be saved by my husband ; he hath made me a Christian. Laun. Truly, the more to blame he : we were Christians enow before ; e'en as many as could well live, one by an- other. This making of Christians will raise the price of hogs : if we grow all to be pork- eaters, we shall not shortly have a rasher on the coals for money. 23 Enter Lorenzo. Jes. Fll tell my husband, Launcelot, what yon say : here he comes. Lor. I shall grow jealous of you shortly, Launcelot, if you thus get my wife into corners. Jes. Nay, you need not fear us, Lorenzo : Launcelot and I are out. He tells me flatly, there is no mercy for me in heaven, because I am a Jew's daughter : and he says, you are no good member of the commonwealth ; for, in converting Jews to Christians, you raise the price of pork. 33 Lor. I think the best grace of wit will shortly turn into silence ; and discourse grow commendable in none only but parrots. Go in, sirrah ; bid them prepare for dinner. Lauk. That is done, sir ; they have all stomachs. Lor. Goodly Lord, what a wit-snapper are you ! then bid them prepare dinner. Laun. That is done too, sir ; only " cover " is the word. Lor. Will you cover, then, sir ? Laun". Not so, sir, neither ; I know my duty. 42 Lor. Yet more quarrelling with occasion ! Wilt thou show the whole wealth of thy wit in an instant ? I pray thee, understand a plain man in his plain mean- 60 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act III. ing : go to thy fellows ; bid them cover the table, serve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner, Laujs". For the table, sir, it shall be served in ; for the meat, sir, it shall be covered ; for your coming in to dinner, sir, why, let it be as humours and conceits shall govern. [Exit. Lor. dear discretion, how his words are suited ! 52 The fool hath planted in his memory An army of good words ; and I do know A many fools, that stand in better place, Garnished like him, that for a tricksy word Defy the matter. How cheer'st thou, Jessica ? And now, good sweet, say thy opinion, How dost thou like the Lord Bassanio's wife ? Jes. Past all expressing. It is very meet 60 The Lord Bassanio live an upright life ; For, having such a blessing in his lady, He finds the joys of heaven here on earth ; And if on earth he do not mean it, then In reason he should never come to heaven. Why, if two gods should play some heavenly match And on the wager lay two earthly women, And Portia one, there must be something else Pawned with the other ; for the poor rude world ■ Hath not her fellow. Lor. Even such a husband 70 Hast thou of me as she is for a wife. Jes. Nay, but ask my opinion too of that. Lor. I will anon : first, let us go to dinner. Jes. Nay, let me praise you while I have a stomach. Lor. No, pray thee, let it serve for table-talk ; Then, howsoe'er thou speak'st, 'mong other things I shall digest it. Jes. Well, I'll set you forth. [Exeunt. Act IV.] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 61 ACT FOURTH. Scene I Venice. A court of justice. Enter the Duke, the Magnificoes, Antonio, Bassanio, Gratiano, Salerio, and others. Duke. What, is Antonio here ? Ant. Ready, so please your Grace. Duke. I am sorry for thee : thou art come to answer A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch Uncapable of pity, void and empty From any dram of mercy. Ant. I have heard Your Grace hath ta'en great pains to qualify His rigorous course ; but since he stands obdurate, And that no lawful means can carry me Out of his envy's reach, I do oppose 10 My patience to his fury ; and am arm'd To suffer, with a quietness of spirit, The very tyranny and rage of his. Duke. Go one, and call the Jew into the court. Saler. He is ready at the door : he comes, my lord. Enter Shylock. Duke. Make room, and let him stand before our face. Shylock, the world thinks, and I think so too, That thou but lead'st this fashion of thy malice To the last hour of act ; and then 'tis thought Thou 'It show thy mercy and remorse more strange 20 Than is thy strange apparent cruelty ; And where thou now exact'st the penalty. Which is a pound of this poor merchant's flesh, 02 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act IV. Thou wilt not only loose the forfeiture, But, touched with human gentleness and love, Forgive a moiety of the principal ; Glancing an eye of pity on his losses, That have of late so huddled on his back, Enow to press a royal merchant down, And pluck commiseration of his state 30 From brassy bosoms and rough hearts of flint, From stubborn Turks and Tartars, never trained * To offices of tender courtesy. We all expect a gentle answer, Jew. Shy. I have possessed your Grace of what I purpose ; And by our holy Sabbath have I sworn To have the due and forfeit of my bond : If you deny it, let the clanger light Upon your charter and your city's freedom. You '11 ask me, why I rather choose to have 40 A weight of carrion-flesh than to receive Three thousand ducats : I '11 not answer that : But, say, it is my humour : is it answered ? What if my house be troubled with a rat, fc And I be pleased to give ten thousand ducats To have it baned ? What, are you answer'd yet ? Some men there are love not a gaping pig ; Some, that are mad if they behold a cat ; And others, when the bag-pipe sings i' the nose, Cannot contain their urine : for affection, 50 Mistress of passion, sways it to the mood r Of what it likes or loathes. Now, for your answer : As there is no firm reason to be rendered, Why he cannot abide a gaping pig ; Why he, a harmless necessary cat ; Why he, a woollen bag-pipe ; but of force Must yield to such inevitable shame As to offend, himself being offended ; Sc. I.] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 63 So can I give no reason, nor I will not, More than a lodged hate and a certain loathing 60 I bear Antonio, that I follow thus A losing suit against him. Are you answer'd ? Bass. This is no answer, thou unfeeling man, To excuse the current of thy cruelty. Shy. I am not bound to please thee with my answer. Bass. Do all men kill the things they do not love ? Shy. Hates any man the thing he would not kill ? Bass. Every offence is not a hate at first. Shy. What, woulclst thou have a serpent sting thee twice ? Ant. I pray you, think you question with the Jew : 70 You may as well go stand upon the beach, And bid the main flood bate his usual height ; You may as well use question with the wolf, Why he hath made the ewe bleat for the lamb ; You may as well forbid the mountain pines To wag their high tops, and to make no noise, When they are fretten with the gusts of heaven ; You may as well do anything most hard, As seek to soften that — than which what 's harder ? — His Jewish heart : therefore, I do beseech you, 80 Make no more offers, use no farther means, But with all brief and plain conveniency Let me have judgment and the Jew his will. Bass. For thy three thousand ducats here is six. Shy. If every ducat in six thousand ducats Were in six parts and every part a ducat, I would not draw them ; I would have my bond. Duke. How shalt thou hope for mercy, rendering none'? Shy. What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong ? You have among you many a purchased slave, 90 Which, like your asses and your dogs and mules, You use in abject and in slavish parts, Because you bought them ; shall I say to you, 64 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act IV. Let them be free, marry them to your heirs ? Why sweat they under burthens ? let their beds Be made as soft as yours, and let their palates Be seasoned with such viands ? You will answer u The slaves are ours : " so do I answer you : The pound of flesh, which I demand of him, Is dearly bought ; 'tis mine and I will have it. 100 If you deny me, fie upon your law ! There is no force in the decrees of Venice. I stand for judgment : answer ; shall I have it ? Duke. Upon my power I may dismiss this court, Unless Bellario, a learned doctor, Whom I have sent for to determine this, Come here to-day. Saler. My lord, here stays without A messenger with letters from the doctor, New come from Padua. Duke. Bring us the letters ; call the messenger. 110 Bass. Good cheer, Antonio ! What, man, courage yet ! The Jew shall have my flesh, blood, bones, and all, Ere thou shalt lose for me one drop of blood. Ant. I am a tainted wether of the flock, Meetest for death : the weakest kind of fruit Drops earliest to the ground ; and so let me : You cannot better be employed, Bassanio, Than to live still, and write mine epitaph. Enter Nerissa, dressed like a lawyer's clerh. Duke. Came you from Padua, from Bellario ? Ner. From both, my lord. Bellario greets your Grace. [Presenting letter. Bass. Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly ? 121 Shy. To cut the forfeiture from that bankrupt there. Gra. Not on thy sole, but on thy soul, harsh Jew, Sc. I] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 65 Thou makest thy knife keen ; but no metal can, No, not the hangman's axe, bear half the keenness Of thy sharp envy. Can no prayers pierce thee ? Shy. No, none that thou hast wit enough to make. Gra. 0, be thou damn'd, inexecrable dog ! . And for thy life let justice be accused. Thou almost makest me waver in my faith, 130 To hold opinion with Pythagoras, That souls of animals infuse themselves Into the trunks of men : thy currish spirit Governed, a wolf, who hang'd for human slaughter, Even from the gallows did his fell soul fleet, And, whilst thou lay'st in thy unhallowed dam, Infused itself in thee ; for thy desires Are wolfish, bloody, starved and ravenous. Shy. Till thou canst rail the seal from off my bond, Thou but offend'st thy lungs to speak so loud : 140 Repair thy wit, good youth, or it will fall To cureless ruin. I stand here for law. Duke. This letter from Bellario doth commend A young and learned doctor to our court. Where is he ? Ner. He attendeth here hard by, To know your answer, whether you'll admit him. Duke. With all my heart. Some three or four of you Go give him courteous conduct to this place. Meantime the court shall hear Bellario's letter. 149 Clerk. [Reads. ] " Your Grace shall understand that at the receipt of your letter I am very sick ; but in the instant that_your messenger came, in loving visitation was with me ayoung doctor of Rome ; his name is Balthasar. I acquainted him with the cause in controversy between the Jew and Antonio the merchant : we turned o'er many books together : he is furnished with my opinion ; which, bettered with his own learning, — the greatness 5 66 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act IV. whereof I cannot enough commend, — comes with him, at my importunity, to fill up your Grace's request in my stead. I beseech you, let his lack of years be no impediment to let him lack a reverend estimation ; for I never knew so young a body with so old a head. I leave him to your gracious acceptance, whose trial shall better publish his commendation." 164 Duke. You hear the learn'd Bellario, what he writes : And here, I take it, is the doctor come. Enter Portia for Balthasar. Give me your hand. Come you from old Bellario ? Por. I did, my lord. Duke. You are welcome : take your place. Are you acquainted with the difference That holds this present question in the court ? 170 Por. I am informed throughly of the cause. Which is the merchant here, and which the Jew ? Duke. Antonio and old Shylock, both stand forth. Por. Is your name Shylock ? Shy. Shylock is my name. Por. Of a strange nature is the suit you follow ; Yet in such rule that the Venetian law Cannot impugn you as you do proceed. You stand within his danger, do you not ? Ant. Ay, so he says. Por. Do you confess the bond ? Ant. I do. Por. Then must the Jew be merciful. 180 Shy. On what compulsion must I ? tell me that. Por. The quality of mercy is not strained, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath : it is twice blest ; It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes : Sc. L] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 67 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest : it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown ; His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty, Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings ; 190 L But mercy is above this sceptred sway ; It is enthroned in the heart of kings, It is an attribute to God himself ; And earthly power doth then show likest God's When mercy seasons justice* Therefore, Jew, Though justice be thy plea, consider this, That, in the course of justice, none of us Should see salvation : we do pray for mercy ; And that same prayer doth teach us all to render The deeds of mercy. ' I have spoke thus much 200 To mitigate the justice of thy plea ; Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there. Shy. My deeds upon my head ! I crave the law, The penalty and forfeit of my bond. Por. Is he not able to discharge the money ? Bass. Yes, here I tender it for him in the court ; Yea, twice the sum : if that will not suffice, I will be bound to pay it ten times o'er, On forfeit of my hands, my head, my heart : 210 If this will not suffice, it must appear That malice bears down truth. And I beseech you, Wrest once the law to your authority : \£To do a great right, do a little wrong, And curb this cruel devil of his will. Por. It must not bej, there is no power in Venice Can alter a decree established : 'Twill be recorded for a precedent, And many an error, by the same example, Will rush into the state : it cannot be. 220 68 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act IV. Shy. A Daniel come to judgement ! yea, a Daniel ! wise young judge, how I do honour thee ! Pok. I pray you, let me look upon the bond. Shy. Here 'tis, most reverend doctor, here it is. Por. Shylock, there's thrice thy money offered thee. Shy. An oath, an oath, I have an oath in heaven : Shall I lay perjury upon my soul ? No, not for Venice. Por. Why, this bond is forfeit ; And lawfully by this the Jew may claim A pound of flesh, to be by him cut off 230 Nearest the merchant's heart. Be merciful : Take thrice thy money ; bid me tear the bond. Shy. When it is paid according to the tenour. 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 judgement : by my soul I swear There is no power in the tongue of man To alter me : I stay here on my bond. 240 Ant. Most heartily I do beseech the court To give the judgement. Por. Why then, thus it is : You must prepare your bosom for his knife. Shy. noble judge ! 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 : wise and upright judge ! How much more elder art thou than thy looks ! Por. Therefore lay bare your bosom. Shy. Ay, his breast : 250 So says the bond : — doth it not, noble judge ? — " Nearest his heart : " those are the very words. Sc. L] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 69 Poe. It is so. Are there balance 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 do 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. 260 Por. You, merchant, have you any thing to say ? Ant. But little : lam arm'd and well prepared. G-ive 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 misery doth she cut me off. 270 Commend me to your honourable wife : Tell her the process of Antonio's end ; Say how I loved you, speak me fair in death ; And, when the tale is told, bid her be judge Whether Bassanio had not once a love. ■ Repent but you that you shall lose your friend, And he repents not that he pays your debt ; For if the Jew do cut but deep enough, Fll pay it presently with all my heart. Bass. Antonio, I am married to a wife 280 Which is as dear to me as life itself ; But life itself, my wife, and all the world, Are not with me esteemed above thy life : I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all Here to this devil, to deliver you. Por. Your wife would give you little thanks for that, f 1 70 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act IV. If she were by, to hear you make the offer. Gra. I have a wife, whom, I protest, I love : I would she were in heaven, so she could Entreat some power to change this currish Jew. 290 Ner. 'Tis well you offer it behind her back ; The wish would make else an unquiet house. Shy. These be the Christian husbands. I have a daughter ; Would any of the stock of Barrabas Had been her husband rather than a Christian ! [Aside. 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 : 300 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 : " Take then 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. 310 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 : Sc. L] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 71 He shall have nothing but the penalty. 320 Gra. 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 cut'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 scale do turn But in the estimation of a hair, Thou diest and all thy goods are confiscate. 330 Gra. A second Daniel, a Daniel, Jew ! Now, infidel, I have you on the hip. Por. Why doth the Jew pause ? take thy forfeiture. Y Shy. Give me myjnin^roal, 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 ? 340 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 ! »L^^ 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 350 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 72 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act IV. Of the Duke only, 'gainst all other voice. In which predicament, I say, thou stand'st ; For it appears, by manifest proceeding, That indirectly, and directly too, Thou hast contrived against the very life Of the defendant ; and thou hast incurred The danger formerly by me rehearsed. 360 Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the Duke. Gra. Beg that thou mayst have leave to hang thyself : And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state, Thou hast not left the value of a cord ; Therefore thou must be hang'd at the state's charge. Duke. That thou shalt see the difference of our spirits, 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. 370 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 380 The other half in use, 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. Sc. L] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 73 Duke. He shall do this, or else I do recant The pardon that I late pronounced here. 390 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 shalt thou have two godfathers : Had I been judge, thou shouldst have had ten more, To bring thee to the gallows, not the font. [Exit Shy. Duke. Sir, I entreat you home with me to dinner. Por. I humbly do desire your Grace of pardon : 400 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 and his tram. 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. 410 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, 420 74 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act IV. Not as a fee ; grant me two things, I pray you, Not to deny me, and to pardon me. Por. You press me far, and therefore I will yield. Give me your gloves, I'll wear them for your sake ; [To Ant. And, for your love, 111 take this ring from you : [ To Bass. 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 ; 430 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 answered. Bass. Good sir, this ring was given me by my wife ; And when she put it on, she made me vow 440 That I should neither sell nor give nor lose it. Por. That 'sense serves many men to save their gifts. An if your wife be not a mad- woman, And know how well I have deserved the 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 ; 450 Give him the ring, and bring him, if thou canst, Unto Antonio's house : away ! make haste. [Exit Gratiano. Sc. II.] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 75 Come, you and I will thither presently ; And in the morning early will we both Fly toward Belmont : come, Antonio. [Exeunt. Scexe 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 o'erta'en : My Lord Bassanio upon more advice Hath sent you here this ring, and doth entreat Your company at dinner. Por. That cannot be : His ring I do accept most thankfully : And so, I pray you, tell him : furthermore, 10 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 risf^ [Aside to Portia. Which I did make him swear to keep forever. Por. [Aside to Ner.] Thou mayst, I warrant. We shall have old swearing That they did give the rings away to men ; But we'll outface them, and outswear them too. [Aloud.] Away ! make haste : thou know'st where I will tarry. Ner. Come, good sir, will you show me to this house ? [Exeunt. 76 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act V. ACT FIFTH. Scene I. — Belmont. Avenue to Portia's house. Enter Lorenzo and Jessica. Lor. The moon shines bright : in such a night as this, When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees And they did make no noise, in such a night Troilus methinks mounted the Troyan walls, And sighed 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 dismayed away. Lor. In such a night Stood Dido with a willow in her hand 10 Upon the wild sea banks, and waft her love To come again to Carthage. Jes. In such a night Medea gathered the enchanted herbs That did renew old iEson. Lor. In such a night Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew, And with an unthrif t love did run from Venice As far as Belmont. Jes. In such a night Did young Lorenzo swear he loved her well, Stealing her soul with many vows of faith And ne'er a true one. Lor. In such a night 20 Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew, Slander her love, and he forgave it her. Sc. L] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 77 Jes. I would out-night you, did no body come ; But, hark, I hear the footing of a man. Enter Stephano. Lor. Who comes so fast in silence of the night ? Steph. A friend. Lor. A friend ! what friend ? your name, I pray you, friend ? Steph. Steph ano is my name ; and I bring word My mistress will before the break of day Be here at Belmont : she doth stray about 30 By holy crosses, where she kneels and prays For happy wedlock hours. Lor. Who comes with her ? Steph. None but a holy hermit and her maid. I pray you, is my master yet returned ? Lor. He is not, nor we have not heard from him. But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica, And ceremoniously let us prepare Some welcome for the mistress of the house. Enter Launcelot. La UN". Sola, sola ! wo ha, ho ! sola, sola ! Lor. Who calls ? 40 Laux. Sola ! did you see Master Lorenzo ? Master Lo- renzo, sola, sola ? Lor. Leave hollaing, man : here. Laun. Sola ! where ? where ? Lor. Here. Laun. Tell him there's a post come from my master, with his horn full of good news : my master will be here ere morning. [Exit. Lor. Sweet soul, let's in, and there expect their coming. 78 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act V. And yet no matter : why should we go in ? 50 My friend Stephano, signify, I pray you, Within the house, your mistress is at hand ; And bring your music forth into the air. [Exit Stephano. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank ! Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears : soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony. Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold : There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st But in his motion like an angel sings, 61 Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins ; Such harmony is in immortal souls ; But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it. Enter Musicians. Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn ! With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear, And draw her home with music. [Music. Jes. I am never merry when I hear sweet music. Lor. The reason is, your spirits are attentive : 70 For do but note a wild and wanton herd, Or race of youthful and unhandled colts, Fetching mad bounds, bellowing and neighing loud, Which is the hot condition of their blood ; If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound, Or any air of music touch their ears, You shall perceive them make a mutual stand, Their savage eyes turn'd to a modest gaze By the sweet power of music : therefore the poet 79 Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones and floods ; Sc. L] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 70 Since nought so stockish, hard and full of rage, But music for the time doth change his nature. The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils ; The motions of his spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as Erebus : Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music. Enter Portia and Nerissa. Por. That light we see is burning in my hall. How far that little candle throws his beams ! 90 So shines a good deed in a naughty world. Ner. When the moon shone, we did not see the candle. Por. So doth the greater glory dim the less : A substitute shines brightly as a king, Until a king be by ; and then his state Empties itself, as doth an inland brook Into the main of waters. Music ! hark ! Ner. It is your music, madam, of the house. Por. Nothing is good, I see, without respect : Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day. 100 Ner. Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam. Por. The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark, When neither is attended ; and I think The nightingale, if she should sing by day, When every goose is cackling, would be thought No better a musician than the wren. How many things by season seasoned are To their right praise and true perfection ! Peace, ho ! the moon sleeps with Endymion, And would not be awaked. [Music ceases. Lor. That is the voice, 110 Or I am much deceived, of Portia. 80 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act V. Por. He knows me as the blind man knows the cuckoo, By the bad voice. Lor. Dear lady, welcome home. Por. We have been praying for our husbands' healths, Which speed, we hope, the better for our words. Are they returned ? Lor. Madam, they are not yet ; But there is come a messenger before, To signify their coming. Por. Go in, Nerissa ; Give order to my servants that they take No note at all of our being absent hence ; 120 Nor you, Lorenzo ; Jessica, nor you. [A tucket sounds. Lor. Your husband is at hand ; I hear his trumpet : We are no tell-tales, madam ; fear you not. Por. This night methinks is but the daylight sick ; It looks a little paler : 'tis a day, Such as the day is when the sun is hid. Enter Bassanio, Antonio, Gratiano, and their fol- loivers. Bass. We should hold day with the Antipodes, If you would walk in absence of the sun. Por. Let me give light, but let me not be light ; For a light wife doth make a heavy husband, 130 And never be Bassanio so for me ; But God sort all ! You are welcome home, my lord. Bass. I thank you, madam. Give welcome to my friend. This is the man, this is Antonio, To whom I am so infinitely bound. Por. You should in all sense be much bound to him, For, as I hear, he was much bound for you. Ant. No more than I am well acquitted of. Sc. I.] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 81 Por. Sir, you are very welcome to our house : It must appear in other ways than words, 140 Therefore I scant this breathing courtesy. Gra. [To Nerissa.] By yonder moon I swear you do me wrong ; In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk. Por. A quarrel, ho, already ! what's the matter ? Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring That she did give me, whose posy was For all the world like cutler's poetry Upon a knife, " Love me, and leave me not." Ner. What talk you of the posy or the value ? You swore to me, when I did give it you, 150 That you would wear it till your hour of death, And that it should lie with you in your grave : Though not for me, yet for your vehement oaths, You should have been respective, and have kept it. Gave it a judge's clerk ! no, God's my judge, The clerk will ne'er wear hair on's face that had it. Gra. He will, an if he live to be a man. Ner. Ay, if a woman live to be a man. Gra. Now, by this hand, I gave it to a youth, A kind of boy, a little scrubbed boy, 160 No higher than thyself, the judge's clerk, A prating boy, that begg'd it as a fee : I could not for my heart deny it him. Por. You were to blame, I must be plain with yon, To part so slightly with your wife's first gift ; A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger And so riveted with faith unto your flesh. I gave my love a ring, and made him swear Never to part with it ; and here he stands ; I dare be sworn for him he would not leave it 170 Nor pluck it from his finger, for the wealth That the world masters. Now, in faith, Gratiano, 6 82 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act V. You give your wife too unkind a cause of grief : An 'twere to me, I should be mad at it. Bass. [Aside.] Why, I were best to cut my left hand off, And swear I lost the ring defending it. Gra. My Lord Bassanio gave his ring away Unto the judge that begg'd it, and indeed Deserved it too ; and then the boy, his clerk, That took some pains in writing, he begg'd mine ; 180 And neither man nor master would take aught But the two rings. Por. What ring gave you, my lord ? Not that, I hope, which you received of me. Bass. If I could add a lie unto a fault, I would deny it ; but you see my finger Hath not the ring upon it, it is gone. Por. Even so void is your false heart of truth. By heaven, I will ne'er come in your bed Until I see the ring. Ner. Nor I in yours Till I again see mine. Bass. Sweet Portia, 190 If you did know to whom I gave the ring, If you did know for whom I gave the ring, And would conceive for what I gave the ring, And how unwillingly I left the ring, When nought would be accepted but the ring, You would abate the strength of your displeasure. Por. If you had known the virtue of the ring, Or half her worthiness that gave the ring, Or your own honour to contain the ring, You would not then have parted with the ring. 200 What man is there so much unreasonable, If you had pleased to have defended it With any terms of zeal, wanted the modesty To urge the thing held as a ceremony ? Sc. I. ] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 83 Nerissa teaches me what to believe : I'll die for't but some woman had the ring. Bass. No, by my honour, madam, by my soul, No woman had it, but a civil doctor, Which did refuse three thousand ducats of me, And begg'd the ring; the which I did deny him, 210 And suffer'd him to go displeased away ; Even he that did uphold the very life Of my dear friend. AVhat should I say, sweet lady ? I was enforced to send it after him ; I was beset with shame and courtesy ; My honour would not let ingratitude So much besmear it. Pardon me, good lady ; For, by these blessed candles of the night, Had you been there, I think you would have begg'd The ring of me to give the worthy doctor. 220 Por. Let not that doctor e'er come near my house : Since he hath got the jewel that I loved, And that which you did swear .to keep for me, I will become as liberal as you ; I '11 not deny him anything I have. Ner. And I his clerk ; therefore be well advised How yon do leave me to mine own protection. Ant. I am the unhappy subject of these quarrels. Por. Sir, grieve not you ; you are welcome notwith- standing. Bass. Portia, forgive me this enforced wrong ; 230 And, in the hearing of these many friends, I swear to thee, even by thine own fair eyes, Wherein I see myself — Por. Mark you but that ! In both my eyes he doubly sees himself ; In each eye, one : swear by your double self, And there's an oath of credit. Bass. Nay, but hear me : 84 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act V. Pardon this fault, and by my soul I swear I never more will break an oath with thee. Ant. I once did lend my body for his wealth ; Which, but for him that had your husband's ring, 240 Had quite miscarried ; I dare be bound again, My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord Will never more break faith advisedly. Por. Then you shall be his surety. Give him this, And bid him keep it better than the other. Ant. Here, Lord Bassanio ; swear to keep this ring. Bass. By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor ! Por. You are all amazed : Here is a letter ; read it at your leisure ; It comes from Padua, from Bellario : 250 There you shall find that Portia was the doctor, Nerissa there her clerk : Lorenzo here Shall witness I set forth as soon as you, And even but now returned ; I have not yet Entered my house. .Antonio, you are welcome ; And I have better news in store for you Than you expect : unseal this letter soon ; There you shall find three of your argosies Are richly come to harbour suddenly : You shall not know by what strange accident 260 I chanced on this letter. Ant. I am dumb. Bass. Were you the doctor and I knew you not ? Gra. Were you the clerk that is to make me cuckold ? Ner. Ay, but the clerk that never means to do it, Unless he live until he be a man. Bass. Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow : When I am absent, then lie with my wife. Ant. Sweet lady, you have given me life and living ; For here I read for certain that my ships Are safely come to road. Sc. I.] THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 85 Por. How now, Lorenzo ! 270 My clerk hath some good comforts too for yon. Ner. Ay, and Til give them him without a fee. There do I give to you and Jessica, From the rich Jew, a special deed of gift, After his death, of all he dies possessed of. Lor. Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way Of starved people. Por. It is almost morning, And yet I am sure you are not satisfied Of these events at full. Let us go in ; And charge us there upon inter'gatories, 280 And we will answer all things faithfully. Gra. Well, while I live I'll fear no other thing So sore as keeping safe Nerissa's ring. \Exeunt. NOTES I. Bibliography. Dr. Furness gives a list of books (p. 468 ff.) "from which citations have been made at first hand" for his Variorum edition of this play. The more important of these books, along with a few others, have been mentioned in footnotes to the present In- troduction and in the Notes. A wider range is presented by the "Catalogue of the Works of William Shakespeare, Original and Translated, in the Barton Collection " (Boston Public Library), compiled by J. M. Hubbard, Boston, 1878, and by the "Cata- logue of Works Relating to William Shakespeare and his Writ- ings," same collection, library, and compiler, Boston, 1880. For material connected with our play, which has appeared since Dr. Furness made his list, see the "Bibliographic" (by Albert Cohn) in the German Shakespeare Jahrbuch, xxiv, (1887-88), xxvii, (1889-91), xxix-xxx (1892-93). Moreover, in Shakesperiana and in Poet Lore (see particularly W. J. Rolfe on our play, 1890, Jan. ff.) there have been communications of more or less value about characters of the play, questions of text and interpreta- tion, and even discussion of wider problems, — such as the proper method of teaching. Shylock is a tempting subject ; and thus one finds (Browning Society Papers for 1887-88, part x) " On Browning's Jews and Shakspere's Jew," and (Academy, June 18, Aug. 6, 1887) "Shylock and his Predecessors"; while in the Jahrbuch, touching the endless legal discussion, one will find "Zur Shylockfabel" by J. Bolte, xxvii, 225 ff. ; and "Shake- speare als Rechtsphilosoph " (in our play as well as in "Measure for Measure "), xxviii, 54 ft". G. H. Radford's little book, " Shy- lock and Others," London, 1894, is disappointing after the clever skit about Falstaff which the author had previously published along with certain essays of Mr. Birrell. For his own preparation — "a man's reach," says Browning, NOTES 87 "should exceed his grasp " — the teacher may read all the good tilings written about and upon our play ; but the scholar needs spare diet of this sort. "Very little meat and a great deal of table-cloth " will be his comment in after-life, when he thinks of ceaseless consultation of books. A safe rule for him, it would seem, is to read whatever throws light upon the meaning of the play, — on words, sentences, allusions, figures of speech, customs, habits of thought, points of view, — and to avoid the interminable discussion of character, motive, and psychological problems gen- erally. A little honest study of Galenical medicine, of Ptole- maic astronomy, which will teach him how to understand the play, is of more value than volumes of rant about Shakspere's genius. Passages of the play itself, appreciated in every word, every turn of phrase, every cadence, and safely committed to memory, are worth a library of subtle "interpretation," a wilder- ness of phrases about Shakspere's " art." It would hardly be un- fair to apply to Shakspere himself and certain of his cloudy inter- preters what Goethe said about poetry and poets : Wer treibt die Dichtkunst aus der Welt ?— Die Poeten ! II. The Language op the Plat. Chaucer wrote in his native speech, the speech of London, or, in wider scope, the Midland dialect, and he made it the literary language of England, that "Standard English" which has held its own down to our time. It is interesting to note that the chief rival of this Standard English, the Northern or Scottish dialect, which made such important claims for recognition in the work of Barbour, Dunbar, and Lyudesay, lost its independence in Shak- spere's day through the union of Scotland and England under James I. Englishmen under Elizabeth began to recognize that London English was the literary language: see the often quoted passage from Puttenham's "Arte of English Poesie " (1589), chapter "Of Language" (Arber's reprint, p. 156 ff.); they dis- cussed the vexatious problems of new words, and felt a vivid in- terest in all questions of language : think, for example, of Ben Jon- son's "Grammar," of Gill's "Logonomia Anglica" (1619), and other works of the kind. In brief, Shakspere had the advantage 88 MERCHANT OF VENICE of a speech fixed to the degree of stability but not of inflexibility. Hence, in great measure, the variety and richness of his vocabu- lary. He uses, as is well known, more words than any other English writer of prominence, notwithstanding his works show fewer foreign words than any piece of our literature except the English Bible. Kluge (Jahj-buch, xxviii, 1 fi°.) credits him with 20,000 words, — although the older estimate was content with 15,000; and he attains this number in spite of the fact that he "avoids provincialisms and archaisms." These are significant facts; and one may add for comparison Kluge's estimate of 9,000 words for the "Iliad " and the "Odyssey," 8,000 for Milton, 700 for an ordinary opera libretto, and about 3,000 for the talk of an educated man. Yet Shakspere invented no words, and like Luther, remarks Kluge, took what he needed from the speech of house, street, and field. When he uses a word from the Latin, there are good reasons for his choice: see Lowell's defence of such words as "incarnadine" in " Shakspere Once More," in the collection of essays called "Among My Books." Particular questions must be left to the Notes ; in general, a student should strive to look at Shakspere's language not merely as matter of detail, but as a poetical dialect, a speech in itself. He should acquire as far as possible a feeling for this language as a whole. What certain critics condemn in the linguistic study of Shakspere is mainly a pedantry, a pettiness of the teacher — or editor — who thinks these words and constructions proper puzzles for the learner as an end in themselves. Regard them as helps in learning Shakspere's speech, and the criticism falls. — The Variorum edition of the "Merchant of Venice" contains the flower of grammatical as well as of other notes. For general reference, the teacher will turn constantly to a good dictionary, — Skeat's for etymology, the ' ' Century " or Murray's for histories of words, and, for older stages of the language, Grein's ' ' Sprach- schatz," Stratmann's "Old English Dictionary," and the un- finished but valuable Glossary of Matzner's " Altenglische Sprachproben " ; to a good grammar, — Abbott's " Shakespearian Grammar," and the "Grammatical Observations" in Schmidt's excellent Appendix to the "Lexicon," for special cases, and, for wider questions, Koch's ' ' Historische Grammatik der Englischen Sprache," Matzner's "English Grammar," 3 vols., translated by NOTES g9 C. J. Grece, and Sweet's handy little " Short Historical English Grammar." There is a special study of the language of this play by Dr. Karl Meurer, "Der Sprachgebrauch in Shakspere's Merchant of Venice," from which some facts have been taken for the following notes. In regard to the pronunciation of Shakspere's English, a few hints must suffice; the teacher who is curious in this matter may consult the "Early English Pronunciation" of Mr. A. J. Ellis, the more systematic work of Dr. Sweet on the " History of Eng- lish Sounds," or the "Phonology" in his just-mentioned " Short Historical English Grammar." It is well known that when Eng- lish sounds changed, the symbols, for the most part, remained unaltered, or else were inadequately altered : cf. Anglo-Saxon Hdan, modern English ride (the vowel has become diphthong, but the "letter" is the same), with Old High German ritan, modern German reiten, where the symbol has changed with the sound. Hence, for example, the isolated character of English long vowels compared with those of other languages. About 1600, English sounds were changing character, and ap- proaching the modern standard. In reading Chaucer, one must pronounce the words as Chaucer pronounced them, with the re- sult that one seems to be reading a foreign tongue; if one should modernize outright, chaos would come into the metre and the rimes, while modern pronunciation, joined to a nice observance of the final e, would make worse than chaos. Hence one reads Chaucer in Chaucerian English. But there is no difficulty of that sort in the way of reading Shakspere as a modern writer. Mod- ern he is, to all intents and purposes; and while here and there a word may have lost sonorousness by change of sound, the differ- ence is trifling. As a mere matter of antiquarian interest, there- fore, the teacher might explain to his class the scheme of A. J. Ellis for reading a part of Portia's famous speech in its probable original sounds: see this speech in Ellis's "Early English Pro- nunciation," p. 98G, with remarks on the various sounds, begin- ning at p. 973 ff. Cf. also Sweet, "Short Historical Grammar," p. 58 ff. The striking differences are in the sounds of the vowels, and in such consonants as (h) gh, now vocalized, but then prob- ably sounded somewhat like German ch. It is possible that the k in knave and the w in write were still sounded. 90 MERCHANT OF VENICE In regard to the style of Shakspere's plays, we may take to heart some excellent remarks by ten Brink, — a man who combined delicacy of critical judgment and admirable insight in the article of poetry with accuracy and method as a master in English philology. "By Shakspere's style I mean, in the widest sense, the form in which he expresses what he has to say, — the com- position of his works and the structure of his scenes, as well as his utterance in detail, his language in its vivid and plas- tic qualities, the melodious flow and dramatic movement of his verse. If one were to attempt with a word to characterize the style of Shakspere, one might call it Complete, Immediate, In- evitable. Shakspere's spiritual vision is at once widely compre- hensive and extremely sharp, discerning all the particulars of a given group, seeing things never on the flat surface, but always as complete and moulded figures, — and looking them through and through. He has the marvellous faculty of seeing at the same time, and of reproducing in mental process, his chief subject and all that belongs to it. Whatever he sees, he will and must ex- press ; and his expression is more apt to exceed than to fall short. Moreover, lie is wont to draw the plans of his work with a sure hand and after careful reflection; for details, however, lie trusts to the inspiration of the moment. Haply the right word is not at his call, and he must wrestle with the spirit of the language as Jacob with the Lord. ... In such cases, when a word or image which he has used is not what is needed, and he adds another, he does not erase the first, but leaves it, and lets himself be borne along by the stream of thought. . . . So in ' Macbeth ' : The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood Is stopp'd ; the very source of it is stopp'd. 1 ' The development of Shakspere's style, however, ten Brink goes on to say, is not a steady progress to artistic perfection. The earliest works show an undue preponderance of delight in sensuous form at the expense of intellectual vigor; gradually the poet reaches, say in his middle period, the height of artistic success ; form and thought hold exquisite balance. Thence down to his latest works, form loses ground, and the thought, gaining in weight and speed, outstrips the beauty and fitness NOTES 91 of expression. As regards the four periods, then, of Shakspere's dramatic career, ten Brink thinks the diction of the first " lyric " in character ; of the second, particularly in the histories, "rhetorical" ; of the third, in the great tragedies, "dramatic and compressed," and of the fourth, in the romances, con- densed, fragmentary, even now and then confused and obscure. — See ten Brink, "Shakspere," pp. 42 ff., 64. III. The Metre. Shakspere wrote chiefly in rimeless five-stress verse of the so- called "iambic" movement; but "rimeless" is true, strictly taken, only of his latest plays, not of the earlier, and the strict iambic scheme, except in the final measure, is frequently broken. In the "Winter's Tale" there is no rimed verse, and in the "Tempest" there is but one riming couplet. In "Love's Labour's Lost," a very early play, there are more than one thou- sand riming verses. " Julius Caesar," a play of the middle period, has 2,241 lines of blank verse to 34 rimed verses. See, for these and kindred facts, Fleay's table, Transactions New Shakspere Society, i, 1G. We have already noted the increasing freedom from metrical restraint which marks Shakspere's passage from early plays to late. Better is ten Brink's statement ("Shak- spere," p. 44) that in the early plays rhythm lies on the surface ; in the later plays it is below (in der Tiefe). Shakspere grew more and more impatient of the verse as a unit, a boundary, and showed an increasing love for irregular rhythmic periods which do not coincide with the verses, but stretch from one caesura to another: see Conrad, "Metrische Untersuchungen," Jahrbuch, xxxi, 324. In other words, " end-stopt " verses abouud in the earlier plays, unstopt in the later. In " Love's Labour's Lost " the proportion of unstopt to end-stopt is 1: 18.14 ; in the " Winter's Tale," 1:2.12. Moreover, light endings and double endings abound in these later plays, and, of course, tend to obliterate the verse-limits and give a freedom as of prose. Finally, the later verse is rougher, more hurried, and more irregular. Now, the "Merchant of Venice" is of the early middle period, and offers few of these peculiarities just noted ; but it has a freedom of movement distinctly superior to the extreme smoothness of 92 MERCHANT OF VENICE the first efforts, and thus forms an excellent introduction to Shak- spere's verse. A few remarks are in order concerning Shaksperian verse in general. In the first place, rule-of-thumb scansion is to be banned ; the verse, not the foot, is the metrical unit, and a verse unsatisfactory as to its parts will often be found perfect as a whole. It is rhythm, a flowing, a movement, which gives the note of verse; and few individual lines represent perfectly the metrical type. Secondly, when a verse shows conflict between the metri- cal scheme and the natural accent of the words, we have to in- quire whether the words in question ought not to be (a) expanded (as the -ion, -ean of so many words : cf. I, i, 8, and III, iv, 28 ; see also hair, III, ii, 298 ; prayers, IV, i, 126 ; command{e)ment, IV, i, 449), or (b) contracted (as — perhaps — converted in III, ii, 168 ; you had, III, ii, 238), and whether we should throw the accent (c) towards the beginning (obscure, II, vii, 51) or (d) towards the end (obdurate, IV, i, 8) of the word. Certain con- siderations, however, must modify these inquiries. In regard to (a), we have to consider the pause in a verse, — a pause which often takes the place of a syllable, especially of a light syllable after an emphatic accent. Dowden speaks of this pause "ex- pressing surprise or sudden emotion, or accompanying a change of speakers, and leaving a gap in the verse, — a gap through which we feel the wind of passion and of song." As to (b), the student must remember that slurring, — rapid pronunciation rather than contraction, — is often in question, or even the outright measure of three syllables : see a list of " Trisyllabic Measures " in Ellis, "Early English Pronunciation," (iii) p. 941 ft 7 ., as well as the question of slurring or pronouncing the syllables, discussed by Mayor, " Chapters on Metre," p. 158 ff. ; and for (c) and (d) we have the undoubted and important fact of " hovering accent." This schwebende Betonung, as the Germans call it, is admirably treated by ten Brink for Chaucerian verse : " Chaucers Sprache und Verskunst," p. 155 ff. See also Schipper, " Englische Metrik," ii, 38 ff. Thus in II, vii, 51 : To rib her cerecloth in the obscure grave, or in IV, i, 296 : We trifle time : I pray thee, pursue sentence, NOTES 93 one need not pronounce obscure, pursue, but must suspend the accent, strike a balance between the demands of the verse and the demands of the word, — obscure, pursue. Again, hovering accent will help even such a verse as IV, i, 270: Of such misery doth she cut me off. The question of Alexandrines, — verses with six measures, — is not particularly important for our play; but it may be remarked that Abbott, who as a general thing forces Shaksperian verse too much into a rigid scheme, is at fault in his prevailing hostility to the Alexandrine : see Ellis, " E. E. P.," p . 943 If. Where a verse is divided between two speakers, each part has frequently three accents, making the whole verse an Alexandrine. It is a ques- tion whether we are to read III, ii, 245 : And I must freely have the half of anything, as Alexandrine, or as a triple ending. Other questions relating to metre will be treated in the follow- ing notes; but the teacher will find opportunity to discuss with his class, from time to time, such points as the relation borne by the metre of a given passage to the mood of the speaker (see Mayor, " Chapters on Metre," p. 175 ff.), the place of the verse- pause, and the use of prose (as in I, iii), of rime, and of allitera- tion. He will find the "Notes on Shakspere's Versification," by George H. Browne, A.M., Boston, 1884, with its blank leaves for private notes, an excellent help in any metrical analysis of the play. In his " Metrische Untersuchungen " (Shakespeare Jahrbuch, xxxi, 318 ff.) H. Conrad takes a representative play from each of the four "periods" of Shakspere's dramatic activity, — the "Comedy of Errors," the "Merchant of Venice," "Henry V.," and "Macbeth," assuming, for our play, 1595 as date of com- position. From this article some useful tables may be quoted by way of comparing our play with "Macbeth." It is well known that every line of Shakspere's verse does not contain exactly five rhetorically accented syllables. There may be only two (though this slightly forces the facts) : This supernatural soliciting (" Macbeth "), 94 MERCHANT OF VENICE or there may be seven ( ? ) : — That which hath made them drunk hath made me b61d (" Macbeth"). Conrad's table of accents in each verse of the two plays gives these percentages: — 2 3 4 5 6 7 2.9 2.5 33.4 25.7 48.5 47.7 15.6 22.7 0.7 0.2 In proportion to 1,000 regular lines, Conrad counts: — " Merchant." "Macbeth." 2 14 12 29 28 As regards the regularity of the verse, — the adherence to a strict "iambic" scheme, — Conrad counts as follows, noting that a spondaic measure (.a. *. for ^ j.) is not counted as irregular: — Absolutely regular. Absolutely irregular. Blank verse. Rimed. "Merchant" ... "Macbeth" 10.2 9.3 5.4 10. 94.2 94.1 6.2 5.4 Run-on verses, in percentages, with character of endings: — Total. Light. Heavy. 18.6 24.8 18. 23.4 0.6 1.4 " Comedy of Errors " 6.2 6. 0.2 With regard to double or feminine endings, Conrad counts 15.2 per cent, for our play, 25.6 for "Macbeth." As to the caesura, or pause, he notes (p. 346) that in the progress of Shakspere's plays, as we assume the chronological sequence, this pause moves NOTES 95 Counting steadily from the beginning towards the end of the verse. according to their position after a given syllable of the verse, the table of pauses runs thus : — 1-3 4-5 6-9 15. 10.9 5.6 52.6 52. 38. 29.5 33 9 " Macbeth. " 52.7 That is to say, with the increase of run-on verse, the caesura naturally moves towards the end of the line. IV. Duration of the Action. The careful reader of this play can hardly fail to notice that the lines of the plot call for an extent of time which seems im- possible when regarded from the point of view imposed by the admirable dramatic action. If three months must pass between the making of the bond and the trial, there is an intolerable weight hung upon what ought to be the swift and triumphant courtship of Bassanio. True, the splendid art of Shakspere keeps us from dwelling on this discrepancy, or even from thinking of it; but it exists, and how shall we explain it ? An ingenious theory of Professor Wilson, assuming that Shakspere uses "two different computations of time, by one of which time is protracted and by the other contracted," is well described by Dr. Furness in the Variorum "Othello," p. 358 ff. "It is as though the hour-hand pointed to historic time, while the minute- hand, recording fresh sensations with every swing of the pendu- lum, tells dramatic time. While the former has traveled from one figure to another, the latter has traversed the whole twelve, and is true to the hour when the hammer falls." In his Variorum edition (p. 338 ff.) Dr. Furness applies this theory to our play. Whatever Shakspere intended, — and it may be doubted that he deliberately worked out any scheme of this sort, — his artistic skill is irresistible, and that discrepancy of historic and dramatic time has no effect upon the general unity of the action and the impression of great probability left on the reader's mind. Per- haps it is best to apply to this point what many commentators 96 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act I. — particularly Professor Wendell — have remarked upon the in- herent absurdity of plot, action, and circumstances in the "Merchant of Venice" as a whole, — absurdity that seizes one the moment one looks at the material separated from the art. This Jew and his bond are absurd, Bassanio's plan is prepos- terous, the trial-scene is inconceivable by any test of common sense, — and so on. But when we have read the play " we have not only been asked to accept this nonsense; we have unhesitat- ingly accepted it. Shakspere's art has made it plausible " (Wen- dell, "Shakspere," p. 145). Surely we may let the artist play his game with time as well as with place and circumstance. V. Explanatory and Critical Notes. The student would do well to follow Dr. Furnivall's hint, and read the " Two Gentlemen of Verona" and then "Othello," in order to compare the playwright's earliest and latest treatment of an Italian theme. ACT I. Scene I. The quartos indicate neither act nor scene. The first folio divided the play into acts, but not into scenes. As to Venice, and Shakspere's point of view, one must remember that Venice to the Londoner then would be in some respects what London is to the Venetian of to-day. 1. Sad. See Dowden, " New Studies in Literature," p. 95, — " Essay on Donne ": " We talk of melancholy as a disease of the nineteenth century, but . . . Donne, in one of his sermons, speaks of the peculiar liability of men in his own time to ' an ex- traordinary sadness, a predominant melancholy, a faintness of heart, a cheerlessness, a joylessness of- spirit.' " Despite objec- tions urged by Dr. Furness against the Clarendon ("The Mer- chant of Venice," edited for the Clarendon Press by Clark and Wright) note, it seems best not only to accept this sadness as Antonio's "humour" — in the Elizabethan sense — but to regard it as a proper point of departure according to Shakspere's idea of a comedy (see ten Brink, " Shakspere," p. Ill), which must be- Sc. I.] NOTES 97 gin in a more or less "painful" fashion and end in general pleasure. Shakspere, however, breaks conventional bonds of this sort as soon as they touch a character, and he makes An- tonio's sadness a consistent part of his temperament. Nor does he spoil tragic unity by any such forced antithesis as some critics have supposed. One thinks of Hamlet's " all's ill about my heart," which suits Hamlet precisely as the light-heartedness of Romeo suits the latter. 5. Abbott (§ 405) supplies "under necessity." Perhaps learn here = u teach " : "I am yet to be taught." For these unfinished lines, see Abbott, § 511. 6. Want-wit = idiot (Schmidt). 8. Ocean, trisyllabic. Note the imitative quality of the rhythm, and cf. Milton, "Nativity Hymn," 66: Whispering new joys to the mild ocean, and Marlowe, "Hero and Leander": To sound forth music to the ocean, where in both cases the rime is with "began." See v, 102, as compared with v, 91 ; II, i, 1, and many other cases. 9. Argosies = "large merchantmen" (Schmidt). 11. Pageants. The pageant was originally the platform or stage drawn about the streets and used for the miracle plays, — a huge affair, often with upper and lower story. (See Ward, " Eng. Dram. Lit.," i, 32 ff.) Our "floats" in parades have been sug- gested as a modern instance. Perhaps, as Clarendon suggests, Shakspere "had in his mind the gay barges used in the pag- eants on the Thames." Of course, the show itself was called by the name of the vehicle ; but Shakspere used the word in its primitive sense. 16. A " run-on " line. 17. Still = always, constantly. Cf. Ben Jonson's Still to be neat, still to be drest . . . 19. Roads = where ships ride at anchor, a haven. Cf. Hampton Roads. 22. Cooling. Note the acceut after a pause, where word- accent overrides verse-accent. See Abbott, § 452 (8). 98 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act I. 23. Schmidt explains: " Would blow an ague to me." Me — dative. 27. Andrew. The name of the ship, of course ; possibly, as some commentators think, named after the Italian admiral, Andrew Doria. Docked. The quartos and the folio have docks. Variorum calls attention to the ease with which s and d could be confused. Hence Rowe's emendation is probably correct. 28. Vailing, letting down, lowering, with the connotation of yielding or acknowledging a superior; so Marlowe, "Edward II.," I, ii, 19: "For vailing of his bonnet" = doffing hat, and (iv, 276) : " Make him vail the top-flag of his pride." 29. Burial = burial-place. 35 ff. Possibly a line is lost; but the sense is plain enough. 36. Thought. Though not necessary, it is possible that "thought " has here the meaning of "anxiety," as in " Take no thought for the morrow," so that we should understand : " Shall I have this anxiety in thinking ? " etc. Such playing with words — "have the thought," "lack the thought" — was a fashion of Shakspere's time. See 47 ff. 42. Bottom, a ship. Cf. "bottomry" in law, and see Drayton, " Battle of Agincourt," quoted by Richardson: From Holland, Flanders and from Zealand won By weekly pay, three-score twelve bottoms came, From fifty upward to five hundred ton . . . 50. An Alexandrine, or verse of six measures. 52 ff. That is, laugh all the time, so that their eyes are con- tinually half-shut; and laugh at anything, — a bagpiper, or what not. The -er in oagpiper has a stress not entirely relieved by hovering accent and by the preceding two heavy syllables. To use these syllables in rimed verse is a fashion revived by modern poets. We find it in Keats (sped : garlanded), and very often in Swinburne and Rossetti. Chaucer rimes heavier inflec- tional syllables like -ing (wedding : home-coming). In Chapman's continuation of Marlowe's "Hero and Leander " there is a re- markable case of " wrenched accent," — the line is perhaps (seised?) an Alexandrine: — . . . For his return, he all love's goods did show, In Hero seised for him., in him for Hero,— Sc. I.] NOTES 99 which is more than matched by the Leander : her of the Sixth Sestiad. But Chapman is often as rough as Donne, and sins against Putten ham's law that " the good maker [poet] will not wrench his word to helpe his rime." 54. Other = others. See Abbott, § 12. — Delius remarks that two-headed in the oath anticipates the two classes. Aspect, undoubtedly pronounced aspect {cf. Milton, "P. L.," ii, 301). Abbott (§ 490) gives a list of such words; but the undoubted cases have beguiled editors and commentators into changing the accent whenever the metre seems to require it. Shakspere has complete and complete, and Schmidt (" Lexicon," p. 1413 ff.) gives a valuable list of such words, with an attempt to define a difference in the use of each word according to the accent. But often it is not necessary to assume shifted accent. In "Hamlet," III, ii, 65 : No, let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp, an intelligent reading of the verse does not require us to accent absurd, but rather to use hovering accent : absurd. All our words of Germanic origin have the so-called "logical accent," that is, a stress on the root-syllable, as distinguished from the grammati- cal and rhythmical accent of Greek and Latin. Words of French origin in Chaucer seem to hesitate between the original accent and one conformed to English usage, but the final tendency in dissyl- labic words of the sort was to throw the accent to the first syllable, which (though it might be a prefix) seemed to pass for the root-syllable. So (in Chaucer) goddesse and goddesse, and many more of the sort. Moreover, the great law of Germanic rhythm ordains that the verse-accent and the word-accent shall coincide. "Wrenched accent is characteristic of early stages of a given metrical system (as in Surrey's blank verse as well as his rhymed iambic pentameters) ; hovering accent is common with Shak- spere and with Milton. Cf. the latter's Universal reproach, far worse to bear, as well as the license of transposed accents, most common in the first measure of a verse and after the pause. To sum up, hover- 100 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act I. ing accent is generally to be preferred to shifted accent. In I, i, 121, and II, vii, 51 :— That you today promised to tell me of,— To rib her cerecloth in the obscure grave, — we read not promised, but promised ; not obscure, but obscure. So Milton, "P. L.,"ii, 210; iii, 564; " Cornus," 449:— Our supreme foe in time may much remit.— Through the pure marble air his oblique way.— Wherewith she freez'd her foes to congeal" cl stone. Aspect, however, is a clear case, and so is revenue in "Hani- let," III, ii, ear- That no revenue hast but thy good spirits, with many others. But the student should always bear in mind (a) the freedom of transposed accents, a relief from monotony which occurs constantly, and (b) this "hovering accent." 55. In way = in the way. See Abbott, § 89. 58. A device to help identification of Bassanio by the specta- tors. Note that he is Antonio's kinsman. 59. Abbott (§ 469) gives but one accent to Antonio, thus forc- ing the verse into the usual scheme. 61. Prevented, anticipated, as in the Bible. Words derived from the Latin are nearly always used by Elizabethan writers in a sense closer to the Latin than the modern meaning. Such are Herrick's candor of the teeth, the famous passage about elephants endorsed with towers, and countless Latinisnis of Sir Thomas Browne: e. g., "to conclude in a moist relentment," — said of bodies buried instead of burned. For Shakspere's Latin, see Elze, " W. Shakespeare," p. 370 ff. For actual foreign words and phrases found in the play, see Schmidt's Appendix to the " Lexicon." 63 ff. Professor Moulton thinks this is said " with blunt plain- ness, as if Salarino were not worth the trouble of keeping up polite fiction." 67. " We see little of you. Must you go ? " 74. Respect upon = consideration for. Abbott (§ 191) consid- ers that the literal meaning of respect (= looking at) influences the choice of a preposition. 78. Q.j has one instead of man. Sc. I.] NOTES 101 79. A sad one. We cannot agree with Variorum that sad here means simply "grave," as in "sad ostent," II, ii, 205. See I, i, 1, note; and the " mortifying groans '' just below, which, antithe- sis to Gratiano's merry way of life, indicate Antonio's constitu- tional melancholy. 79. Fool. A familiar character in the old comedies, remarks Warburton. Thus in "The Longer Thou Livest the More Fool Thou Art" (about 1575) "here entereth Moros, counterfeiting a vaine gesture and a foolish countenance, synging the foote [i. e., burden] of many songes, asfooles were wont." 80. Old — i. e., wrinkles that shall not come until extreme old age, and come then only from laughing. Old = "of age." See Schmidt (p. 1414) on "Adjectives doing the office of the first part of compound nouns"; and cf. old icoes ("Lucrece," 1096) = "woes of old age." 82. Mortifying = causing death. See above note to I. 61. — To cool — to be depressed, to weaken. Cf. the antithetical phrase: "It warms my heart," — revives me. Mental influence upon the body is here correctly set forth, and Rolfe notes that the only other mention of jaundice in Shakspere ("Troilus," I, iii, 2) makes the cause a mental one.' 90 ff. "Maintain an obstinate silence so as to get the reputa- tion (opinion) of wisdom." 92. Conceit = mental faculty (Schmidt). Cf. concept. 93. The folios read "sir an Oracle," which finds great praise from R. G. White. But Sir Oracle is like Sir Prudence ("Tem- pest," II, i, 286), Sir Smile ("Winter's Tale," I, ii, 196), Sir Valour ("Troilus," I, iii, 176), and seems natural enough for Gratiano's purpose. — As who — French " comme qui dirait " (Clarendon). See Abbott, § 257. 98. Would — they would: "Ellipsis of Nominative," Abbott, §399. See " S. Matthew," v, 22. It is this style which M. Arnold blamed in his comments on "Macbeth," I, vii, 63 ff., in the " Essay on Translating Homer." 101. Melancholy — that is, the "wilful stillness," the sadness and silence — is a bait which catches only a facile reputation — the foolish gudgeon. In Shakspere's natural history this fish matches the woodcock among birds. Probably melancholy = of melancholy : see above, note to 1. 80. 102 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act I. 108. Moe = more : Anglo-Saxon ma. Northern form (in " Fair Janet ") = mae. Chaucer has both wordes mo and wordes more. 110. Gear, a wide word, like "thing." See "Sir Andrew Barton"; Child, "Ballads," viii, 505: "I like not of this geare," and " For howe soe ever this geare doth goe." Ill ff. Abbott (§ 490) scans : Thanks faith, | for ?ilence | is 6nly | commend | able In a neat's | tongue dried | and a maid | not vend | ible. But we can hardly force these lines into the regular scheme of the blank verse. Rhythm as well as rime breaks away from us. Mr. Gosse has wrongly asserted that triple measure is practically unknown in verse of this period (" Shakspere to Pope," pp. 9, 160, Am. ed.). The couplet is rather in rough anapestic verse of four accents, a modification of the "tumbling" variety dis- credited by Puttenham. 113. Rowe's sensible emendation from the original It is that any thing now. 124. Port — bearing, carriage. Something = somewhat. 126. To be abridged; i.e., curtailed. Abbott (§356) gives a good list of similar cases in Shakspere where to retains its old force as a preposition used with the dative case of the infinitive ; here one may paraphrase by "with regard to" or the like; Cf. 1. 154 below, and IV, i, 429 : " I will not shame myself to give you this." A good list of Anglo-Saxon infinitive-dative forms with to can be found in Grein's " Sprachschatz," ii, 541 ff. For infinitive without to, see I, iii, 163. 129. Time. Cf. "Hamlet," I, ii, 62 : "Take thy fair hour, Laertes." 130. Caged = pledged. 132. Warranty. A number of Germanic words, such as ward, wise, warrant, passing into French, and again into English, were changed to corresponding forms with the initial g: guard, guise, guarantee or guaranty. Hence the doublets, usually with some differentiation of meaning. 136. Still = always. See 1. 17 above. 141. His = its. Abbott, § 228 : " Its " came into use about 1600, but "is not in the authorized version of the Bible." Flights range. Sc. I.] NOTES 103 142. Advised, considered. Cf IV, ii, 6. 143. Forth = out. See other cases in Schmidt (3). — The line has six accents, but is rhythmical, and needs no "treatment," — such as Abbott's (§ 466) the other forth as one "foot," with other not only slurred into 6>V, but unaccented. 144. The greater flexibility of English in Shakspere's time allowed nouns to be used as adjectives (childhood = childish) and verbs (" toy her greatness "). See Abbott, §§ 22, 430. 145. P we innocence. Variorum suggests " foolishness," which cannot be far out of the way. Bassanio is not too proud of his scheme. 148. Self = same. 154. To wind. See note, above, to 1. 126. 161. Prest = ready. 162. Belmont. See passage from "II Pecorone, " Introd., p. xxxiv. 164. Sometimes = sometime, formerly. Abbott, § 68, a. 165 ff. Undervalued to, of no less value when compared to. Cf. " Hyperion to a satyr," " Hamlet," I, ii, 140. 169. Golden hair and fair complexion have always been the budge of beauty with Germanic races, from Woden down to the knights and ladies of the popular ballad ; and Shakspere's own apologies for the dark lady of the Sonnets (127, 130, 131, 132, 137, 141, 147, 150, 152), the "woman colour'd ill," are well known. The sunny locks of Portia are probably a concession to the English public who would take a stage-beauty on no other terms ; for it is to be doubted that they knew anything about Titian's golden-haired beauties (see Variorum, p. xi), or cared for local color on a basis of Burton's wisdom (" Anatomy of Melan- choly," iii, 2) : " We have grey eyes for the most part . . . they be childish eyes, dull and heavy. Many commend on the other side Spanish ladies and those Greek dames . . . for the blackness of their eyes." Note the apologetic tone of Donne ("Elegy") : The last I saw in all extremes is fair, And holds me in the sunbeams of her hair . . . Another's brown, Hike her not the xvorse ; Her tongue is soft and takes [= enchants] me with discourse — or of Nicholas Yonge's "Madrigal" : " Brown is my love," where, 104 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act I. however, editors tell us that the original words were Italian. Golden hair was popular enough in ancient Rome. 175. Note the omission of the relative, and cf. "Sir Patrick Spens" : And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens, Was walking on the sand. 177. The Clarendon editors point out Antonio's inconsistency in this statement. See 11. 41-45 above. — Commodity is merchan- dise, something to be used as "collateral." 178. Neither need not be contracted into an actual monosylla- ble. Cf. Tennyson, "Princess": Myriads of rivulets hurrying through the lawns. 183. Presently = immediately. Cf. "by and by." 185. As a favor, in the way either of business or of friendship. Scene II. Portia and Nerissa. — " Shakspere's waiting-women," says Miss Latham ( Trans. New ShaJcsp. Soc, 1887-92, p. 91 ff.), " are sharply divided into the gentlewomen and the domestic servants." She notes the custom (see " Paston Letters," 28 Jan., 1457) of sending young ladies to live in the household of some lady of a higher position than their own. Even married women filled such a place, like Emilia in "Othello" (III, i), where Cassio speaks of " the gentlewoman." Nerissa, then, belongs to the class of gen- tlewomen along with Helena (" All's Well "), Ursula and Mar- garet ("Much Ado"), Lucetta ("Two Gentlemen"), and Maria (" Twelfth Night"). See also Hunter's note in Var., p. xi. 1. Portia is by no means so sad as Antonio, not to mention Macbeth's world-weariness ; but aside from the Shaksperian notion of comedy (see note to I, i, 1), and the artistic reason for introducing the heroine in this mood, Portia has on her mind that perplexing business of the chests, and perhaps some tender recollections of Bassanio's earlier visit. 1-26. The antithesis and general style remind one of Euphu- ism, a very proper thing when one remembers that " Euphues " was in the first instance a book for ladies. For Euphuism, seethe introduction to Arber's reprint of "Euphues"; Jusser- Sc. II.] NOTES 105 and, "The English Novel in the Time of Shakespeare," chap, iii ; and an excellent article by Dr. Laudmann, Trans. New Shdksp. Soc, Feb. 10, 1882. The revival of learning led to this refinement of native speech. Spain was the chief source of Euphuism, and the thing was in vogue before Lyly wrote his novel ; for Guevara had been translated into English, and his alto estilo was duly imitated. In Italy, too, as Laudmann points out, there were "the conceits of the Petrarchists, and Marini and the Marinists ; in France we meet Ronsard and his school, Du Bartas and the Precieuses." See Introd., p. xxiv, for the re- marks of Amoretto. "Euphues" was written for ladies of the English court. The style is overwhelmingly antithetical, allitera- tive, full of similes, and these are based on a preposterous natural history. Portia and Nerissa do not talk direct Euphuism ; but the sentences have a distinctly Euphuistic balance. Not even Armado (in "Love's Labour's Lost ") parodies Euphuism ; he sim- ply shows stilted talk of the Spanish style. The only direct parody of Euphuism in Shakspere, thinks Dr. Landmann, is " I Henry IV," II, iv, 438 : " Harry, I do not only marvel," etc. Euphuism lost its main vogue about 1590, thanks to Sidney. See Drayton (in 1627) to Henry Reynolds, " Of Poets and Poesie " : The noble Sidney . . . . . . did first reduce Our tongue from Lyly's writing then in use ; Talking of stones, stars, plants, of fishes, flies, Playing with words and idle similes ; As the English apes and very zanies be Of every thing that they do hear and see, So imitating his ridiculous tricks, They spake and writ all like mere lunatics. Reduce, of course, = " lead back." But Sidney himself could be affected enough, and employed repetition of catchwords by way of making his style brilliant. There are touches of the sort in this scene between Portia and Nerissa. See Jusserand, " Eng. Novel," p. 255 ff. 7. Mean (a). Folio reads small, defeating play on words. To be seated in the mean, to attain the "golden mean," was the great vir- tue preached by mediaeval didactic poetry. Temper antia, mother of all the virtues, was recommended particularly to women. 106 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act I. 10. Sentences = sentential, maxims, as in Tacitus; for the di- rectly didactic sentence, see the advice of Polonius to Laertes in "Hamlet." To prudence is added piety in George Herbert's Church Porch. 25. Nor refuse none. The freedom of oldest English to use more than one negative in a clause, lingers in Shakspere's time. Cf. "Nor never none shall mistress be of it," " Twelfth Night," IK, i, 171. See Koch, "Englische Satzlehre," p. 525 ff., and Abbott, § 406. 32. Folio and Q. 2 read: out one toho you shall ... In our text, who is nominative to love. 35. I pray thee. Thou and thee were used to servants and to intimate friends, or else expressed contempt, as "What trade, thou knave, thou naughty knave, what trade ? " in "Jul. Caes.," I, i, 16. Ye and you, as singular pronouns, began to be used soon after Anglo-Saxon times ; you, as nominative, occurs as early as the fifteenth century. — In regard to the naming of the suitors, it has been pointed out that this is a repetition, with great im- provement, of the scene between Julia and Lucetta, " Two Gen- tlemen," I, ii. — Ward, "Dram. Lit.," i, 279, suggests that our present scene may imply a tribute to the "much wooed " Eliza- beth herself. 37. Level — aim. 38. Steevens pointed out that the Neapolitans were famous horsemen. 39. Colt - " a young foolish fellow."— Schmidt. 44. County = count. — Q. a and fol. print Palentine. Cf. mes- senger < messager, passenger < passager, etc. 45 ff. Dr. Furness suggests that this may mean: "If you will not have me, I don't care ; take your choice; " or " If . . . , let it alone, — do as you will;" or, again, omitting the comma, and so supplying, in Neptuue's manner, a reason for the frown: " If you will not have me choose, ! " 47 if. Weeping philosopher — Heraclitus. 49. Had rather. On this construction, which is correct enough, see not only F. Hall, American Journal Philology, ii, 281, but also an excellent note in Jespersen, "Progress in Language," London, 1894, p. 226 ff . : " . . . had rather is to be taken as a whole, governing the following infinitive. Had rather is used by the Sc. II.] NOTES 107 best authors; by Shakespeare at least some sixty times." Had is better than would, which some people think the only correct phrase; but Jespersen shows that even the folio began to feel uneasy, and once ("Rich. Ill," III, vii, 161) changed had to would. 52. By = in regard to. See II, ix, 26; Abbott, § 145. 59. A-capering. Capering is the verbal noun, and a = on. Cf. "a hunting," "a fishing." In " The house is building," we understand such an a = on. 70. Proper man's picture. Proper = handsome. " Man's-pict- ure," if so taken (instead of proper-man'' s p.), would be like mannsbild in German (Middle High German marines bilde), where Hid = person. 71. Dumb-show. Familiar to Shakspere's audiences. See "Hamlet," III, ii. — Suited = dressed. 75. Scottish. So the quartos. The folio, for good reason with King James in the question, has "other." — The Frenchman would naturally side with the Scot. 80. Another, sc. " box of the ear." 90. You should refuse, as Clarendon notes, = our "you would refuse." Cf the famous "She should have died hereafter," "Macbeth," V, v, 17; and, equally famous, Marlowe, " Tambur- laine," part I, V, i: "If all the pens, etc. . . . yet should there hover," etc. 97. The having any. English present participles originally ended in -ende; the northern form was -inde. Finally this ending became -ing, thus causing confusion with the verbal nouns. Shakspere frequently allows the verbal noun to take an object, as if it were a participle: so 116, below; II, ii, 72; etc. Pepys, in his "Diary," is very fond of this construction. 101. Your father's imposition = what your father has imposed. 103. Sibylla = probably the Cumaean whom ./Eneas consulted, said to be the same who came to King Tarquin with the famous books. 107. Fol. has: "I wish them a . . ." In 1605 was passed the act forbidding "the great abuse of the holy Name of God in Stage-playes, " although, as Variorum points out, the folio lias elsewhere "God forbid " and kindred expressions. For the terrific swearing indulged in by people under Elizabeth, see 108 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act I. Traill, "Social England," iii, 384, and Stubbes, "Anatomy of Abuses," p. 132. 112 if., 117 if. There is no hesitation, no coquetry in Portia's words, although some actresses seem to think it in place. Noth- ing could be finer than the simplicity of "I remember him well." 120. The foure strangers. Commentators have remarked that there were six. Scene III. Shylock. Farmer pointed out a pamphlet, printed about the time of the play, called " Caleb Shillocke his Prophecie, or the Jewes Prediction " ; and Clarendon refers to a ballad of the same title in the Pepys Collection. The name, then, was known in Shakspere's day. — A dissertation on Shylock is out of place in these notes, particularly in regard to the insoluble problem of what Shakspere " meant." The grimness of Shylock forbids us to assume mere diversion. Whether he was drawn from life, one can hardly say; but S. L. Lee ("The Original of Shylock," Gen- tleman 's Magazine, February, 1880) shows that there were some Jews in England at the time, in spite of the unrevoked banish- ment long years before. Honigman (Jahrbuch, xvii, 203) in- sists on the double character of Shylock as a moral Caliban and yet a hero and martyr. Victor Hugo, generalizing in his usual fashion, makes Shylock the incarnate spirit of the Jewish race, — if one may use this word "race" after Darmesteter's protest. Ten Brink, more subtly, compares Shylock with Richard III ("Shakspere," p. 119 if.), and calls the former one of the drama- tist's most successful characters, — successful in conception, suc- cessful in artistic elaboration. Certainly it was common enough in Elizabethan drama to blend in one character the successful but detestable with the ruined but tragic and admirable. Mar- lowe's " Edward II." offers material for this consideration. The King, and even Mortimer, are detestable in their success, digni- fied in their tragic ruin. How far Shylock appealed to the Shak- sperian audience as such a tragic character, how far he ministered to the traditional hatred and contempt for Jews — "I am a Jew else " (II, ii, 107), notes Mr. Lee, was a common phrase of protest — it is difficult to say. Surely we can get a footing on firmer ground if we take the case of Malvolio in "Twelfth Sc. III.] NOTES 109 Night." The tragedy-hint is far less marked, to be sure, pre- cisely as the whole play is sunnier, calmer than the "Merchant of Venice." But there is a certain tragic appeal, a suggestion of undeserved fate, in Malvolio's fall, which all the grotesqueness of the situation cannot hide. Probably the safest refuge in either case is an appeal to Shaksperian irony, along with a wholesome resolve to accept Shylock as we find him, and say, without further question of motive, what Dryden is reported to have said about Chaucer: "Here is God's plenty." — For the wider subject of Elizabethan England and the Jews, see Mr. S. L. Lee's paper under that title in Trans. Neio Shahs. Soc, 1887-92, p. 143 ff. From 1290 to the time of Cromwell, says Green, there were no Jews in England; but Green is too fond of positive statements, and Lee makes out a good case for Jews in London from whom Shakspere might have drawn his Shylock. — For the opinions of actors about this character, see Variorum, pp. 370-394. The dramatic skill of Shakspere in these three scenes is striking enough. First, we have sad Antonio, with merry foils, and the romantic quest of Bassanio. Secondly, there is Portia, mocking her own solicitude in light play of wit over a more than grave situation, with the pretty half-confession about Bassanio. Now comes this Shylock, striking straight into the two motives — friendship and love — witli a tragic threat so admirable in its weaving that we utterly forget the flimsy material, the absurd character of that merry bond. Exposition, the object of a first act, was never better achieved than here. 1. Ducats. What value one sets upon the ducat, — whether Coryat's 4s. 8d., in which case one must increase six or eight fold in order to get a modern equivalent, or not, — it is evident that Shakspere meant this to be a large sum of money. 4. The which. See Abbott, § 270. 7. May . . . Will. Are you able to help me, and will you do me the favor ? 18. Rialto. "At the farthest side of the bridge as you come from St. Mark's, is a most stately building, being the Exchange of Venice, where the Venetian gentlemen and the merchants doe meete twice a day, betwixt eleven and twelve of the clocke in the morning, and betwixt five and sixe of the clocke in the after- HO .MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act I. noon." — Coryat, in Var. Clarendon quotes Florio's derivation from Rivo Alto, a high shore. 20. Squandered— "scattered," the original meaning of the Word. See Skeat's "Etym. Diet." 37 '. A fawning publican. Note the change to verse. As for the expression, snrely "publican" in the biblical sense is meant, as Elze insists. In "fawning," however, the commentators find a difficulty. Professor Moulton (" Shaks. as Dram. Artist," p. 61) actually gives the line to Antonio ! The "publican," how- ever, would "fawn" on his superiors, after the manner, say, of German officials, and Antonio, in Shylock's view, would " fawn" on his superiors, the richer merchants, and the noblemen of Ven- ice. Shylock he would treat, and does treat, with the insolence of a Roman publican towards the Jews. The " low simplicity," alluded to below, justifies the "fawning," and "publican" is a good, mouth-filling epithet for Shylock's purposes. 38 if. See Abbott, § 151. 41. Usance —that is, usury, interest — was still regarded in Shak- spere's time as an unholy thing. Bacon's "Essay of Usurie " is well known. English law, however, recognized interest in Shaks- pere's time, — usury was legalized by Henry VIII., — striving to limit it to ten and then to eight per cent. " In the Middle Ages, borrowing implied misfortune or thriftlessness, and lending at interest meant generally the taking advantage of a neighbour's distress or folly."— Traill, " Social England," p. 543. This feel- ing was still strong, in spite of mercantile and legal customs. Thus iu a tract already quoted, John Udall's " State of the Church of England " (Arber's "Eng. Schol. Lib.," No. 5), which appeared in 1588, the usurer — one of the characters — is said to live by "an unlawful trade," aud the bishops are blamed for befriending such a fellow. Says the usurer of his puritan critic : " He . . . tooke me up . . . because I saide I lived by my money and was of no other trade, calling me caterpillar, thief and murderer, and saide plainly, that he that robbed in Stan-gate-hole was an honester man than I." And the puritan : " Sir, I saide nothing to him but the truth out of the Word of God, in condemning of usurie . . . and shewed him the horribleuess of the sinne, the inconveniences temporal that come of it in the commonwealth, and the judgements of God against the practises thereof." We Sc. III.] NOTES HI need not wonder at Antonio's point of view. On this whole sub- ject, see Lecky, "History of Rationalism in Europe," ii, 241 ff. It must be remembered that Jews were permitted to ply this trade, because they " had no scruples on the subject and . . . had adopted this profession partly because of the great profits they could derive from it, and partly because it was almost the only one open to them." 42. Upon the hip. A term in wrestling. See IV, i, 332, and "Othello," II, i, 314. 47. Which he calls interest. " Le Fevre, who was tutor to Louis XIII., mentions that in his time the term interest had been sub- stituted for usury, and he added : 'C'est la proprement ce qu'on peut appeler Part de chicaner avec Dieu.' Marot also, who wrote in the first half of the sixteenth century, made this change the object of a sarcasm : ' On ne prete plus k Tusure, Mais tant qu'on veut a rinteret.' 1 " — Lecky, "Hist. Rationalism in Europe," ii, 257. 58. Excess; i. e., over the amount ; interest. 59. Ripe wants, "arrived at a point where they must be sup- plied."— Schmidt. 60. Q.i reads : " Are you resolv'd How much he would have ? " Fol. : "Is he yet possess'd How much he would ?" — where the second he is probably a misprint for ye, as in our text, which fol- lows the other quartos. This, of course, must be addressed to Bassanio, who does not answer. Dr. Furness prefers the read- ing of Q.j. See his note in Var., p. 40 ff. 69. As = "for so": Abbott, § 110. 74. Compromised = agreed. Cf. Lat. compromissum, a bond or engagement. Eanling = a new-born lamb. See Skeat's "Diet.," under yean. 75. Pied = party-colored. 77. Peeledme. Me — ethical dative, frequent in Shakspere. Cf. Abbott, § 220. 97. Beholding = "beholden," as often in the plays. 111. Still (= always) have I borne it . The commenta- tors refer to Marlowe's " Jew of Malta," ii, 2, especially : I learn'd in Florence how to kiss my hand, Heave up my shoulders when they call me dog. 112 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act I. 113. Call. Called would make a better antithesis : see Vari- orum. 114. Gaberdine, " a long and loose outer garment," but not dis- tinctively Jewish. The yellow bonnet was the mark of the Jew. 136. A breed for. Fol. reads of. A breed for barren metal is increase, interest (harping, perhaps, on Shylock's story about Jacob) for a thing which is barren and cannot in any natural way beget increase. 138. Who if he break. Shakspere may have been thinking (see Var.) of a construction like Qui si Jidem franget ; but it is the com- mon " anacoluthon," noticed, e. g., in the opening sentence of Milton's "Areopagitica,"and iu cases mentioned by Abbott, § 249. See also a sentence quoted by Koch from an older translation of the Bible (John, x, 12) : " A schepherde, whos ben not the scheep his owney 142. Doit, " smallest piece of money." 145. This were kindness — sc. in any one else. — For the metre, see Abbott, § 514. 147. Single bond. Possibly an English legal phrase meaning " without condition" ; but this requires us to adopt Mr. Rolfe's suggestion that Shylock wishes Antonio to think the "condi- tion" of the forfeit of a pound of flesh really no condition at all, a bit of sheer fun. Schmidt says single is " mere," " only" ; but Dr. Furness would explain it as referring to Antonio, — "sepa- rate," which is really the explanation of Clarendon, — "without sureties." 151. Equal, exact. — For is nearly redundant : Abbott, § 148. 163. Teaches, the Northern or Late Northumbrian plural in -s, in- stead of the original (Anglo-Saxon) -th of Southern English. This Northern -s took the place of -th in the singular, 3d pers. ; but in the plural is now found only in dialect. The ballads are fond of it ; and cf. the song in "Cymbeline," II, iii : . . . Phoebus 'gins arise His steeds to water at those springs On chaliced flowers that lies . . . 165. Break his day. In "The Geste of Robin Hood " there is a legal case which makes good reading for comparison with our play. Cf. 103 3 : " I am come to holde my day," and 106 1 : "Tliy daye is broke." Act II., Sc. I.] NOTES 113 168. For estimable, slurred, see Abbott, § 495. 172. For my love. Does not this mean: "And, as regards my love, my friendly motive in the business, do not misunderstand me . . ." ? 177. Fearful = to be feared, untrustworthy. Cf 'painful, in "Sonnet "25, = "taking pains," with the ordinary "full of pain"; careful ("Rich. II.," II, ii, 75) = "full of care," with the ordinary " taking care." 178. Knave = "boy" (Ger. Knabe), with humorous or con- temptuous connotation, like our " rogue," " rascal," etc. ACT II. Scene I. "The old stage direction is as follows: ' Enter Morochus, a tawny Moore all in white and three or foure followers accordingly, with Portia, Nerissa, and their traine.' " — Clarendon. 1. Complexion. So many figures of speech in Elizabethan poetry are based upon the doctrines of Galenical medicine, that the teacher would do well either to give his class an account of the "humours" and kindred lore, or else require a brief theme on the subject, with reference to a good cyclopaedia. Here com- plexion has its modern meaning, but in III, i, 27 it means nature, temperament, the complex of "humours" in the body. When these were well balanced, the complexion (best shown by the color of the face) was good. 6. Reddest. Red blood, of course, indicating courage, high birth, and manly qualities generally. — For the superlative, see Abbott, § 10. 12. Thoughts = affection; somewhat like "fancy." 14. Nice = "fanciful, fastidious" (Clarendon). 18. Wit = judgment. 20 ff. Commentators have pointed out the dubious nature of this compliment. Cf. Portia's remarks on the other suitors. Clarendon thinks that /air plays on Morocco's complexion. 25. Sophy. This, in Shakspere's time, had "grown to be the common name of the Emperor of Persia." 114 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act II. 26. Clarendon suggests that Solyman the Magnificeut may be meant, and his unfortunate campaigns against Persia in 1535. 27. Outstare. Q. 2 and fol. have on-stare. 29. Note the hovering accent of the final measure in this verse. 31. Alas the while, originally, as commentators suggest, an im- precation upon conditions of the present time. ' ' Woe worth the day," quoted from Ezekiel, xxx, 2 (add the well-known passage in "Lady of the Lake"), is generally misunderstood. Worth = "be to," from the Anglo-Saxon pres. subj. of weorfian ; and this helps us to understand the original flavor of imprecation. 36. Page. Theobald's happy emendation for the rage of quar- tos and folios. — Lichas, "an attendant of Hercules, brought his master the poisoned garment." — Smith, " Class. Diet." 44. Temple. Keightley wishes to read table. 46. Blest or cursedst. Both superlatives. See Schmidt's list of similar cases, p. 1419; cf. "A weak and colder palate," "Troil.," IV, iv, 7 ; " The generous and gravest citizens," "Measure," IV, vi, 13 ; and Goethe, "Faust," II, iii (Lament for Byron) : "Dirin Mar und triiben Tagen." Scene II. "Enter the Clowne alone" is the original stage direction. 1. Commentators suggest, in view of what follows, that "will not serve" should be read. But Launcelot says it in a kind of coaxing doubt: " Surely my conscience will yield, serve me, do as I wish." 8 ff. Steevens pointed out "Much Ado," III, iv, 51: I scorn that with my heels. 10. Via was used in England to encourage horses. 16. Something grow to, Cf. "As You Like It," I, i, 90 : "Begin you to grow upon me ? I will physic your rankness." Clarendon explains it as a " household phrase applied to milk when burnt to the bottom of the saucepan, and thence acquiring an unpleas- ant taste." 20. Q.! here reads: "Fiend . . . you counsel ill," a reading retained by Pope and others, and defended by Dr. Furness. Sc. II.] NOTES 115 22. God bless the mark, an apologetic or satiric phrase. Mark is obscure. Professor Child suggested to Dr. Furness a reference to Ezekiel, ix, 6. 25 if. Incarnal. Other texts read incarnation. Of course, in- carnate is meant. See confusions, 1. 35. The similar antics of Dogberry, the clown in "Hamlet," and other of Shakspere's characters, will occur to the reader; but it must be noted that this was a time when new words, "inkhorn terms," were flood- ing the English language, and rousing people to lively interest in the matter of vocabulary. Fiedler ("Gram, der Engl. Sprache," 2d ed., p. 106) remarks that of Elizabethan writers Bacon and Raleigh are conspicuous for refusing such facile coin- age. The great majority, however, held with Marlowe's pedant that it is "a special gift to form a verb." 34. Sand-blind, probably a popular etymology (sand, as if specks or blurs in the eyes) from a supposed sam-blind = half- blind.—" Cent. Diet." 35. Confusions, for "conclusions," which is the reading of Q.i. 40. Marry = Mary, a common oath. 41. Of no hand. See Abbott, § 165. 43. Sonties. Schmidt prefers sante or sanctity as the original word. Others say saintes. 49. Master. "The title which men give to esquires and other gentlemen." Webster, in the dedication of the " White Devil," gives this title to his brother dramatists. 51. Well to live: " With every prospect of a long life " (Vari- orum) ; "in good case " (Schmidt). 52. A 1 — he. Cf the a in quotha. This colloquial contrac- tion occurs in Chaucer (cf. Kittredge, "Troilus," p. 152), and is still common in certain dialects. As ha it occurs for he in Early Middle English. An't = an it, if it. An is probably a weaken- ing of older and = if. 54. Ergo (for a list of foreign words used by Launcelot, see Schmidt, p. 1425 3.) is here used in its proper meaning: "Be- cause I am 'your worship,' and Launcelot is my friend, there- fore, are you not talking of Master Launcelot ? " 57. Therefore [I am] Master Launcelot. 65. Hovel-post = "post of a shed." 66. Father was a common and familiar title for old men. 116 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act II. 78. Launcelot has knelt with his back to his father, which ex- plains the following mistake about hair and beard. 89. Lord toorshipped might he be ! Ingenious attempts to refer this phrase to Launcelot are idle enough. It is merely another way of saying " Lord be praised ! " 91. Fill = " thill" = shaft of a cart. 98 ff. Set up my rest. Cf. "Horn, and Jul.," IV, v, 6, and per- haps Lear, I, i, 125. It was probably a phrase used in a game of cards (primero ?), and meant to risk one's money, to lay a heavy wager on the chance of the game; hence to be fully resolved. 103. Give me. This so-called ethical dative is so common in Shakspere that the teacher should use the examples given by Abbott (§ 220), and should call attention not only to the same idiom in modern German, but also to kindred phrases like "your philosophy" ("Hamlet," I, v, 167), common now in col- loquial English. 115. Gramercy. Chaucer ("Nonne Prestes Tale," 150) uses the older form : Madame, quod he, graunt [= grand] mercy of your lore. 124. Cater-cousins. Note Gobbo's apology for using the phrase. The sense is plain, — "on poor terms of intimacy," — but the meaning of cater is obscure. Johnson suggested quatre; i. e., fourth cousins. Hales thinks of" mess-fellow " ; i. e., cater. Clar- endon: "May the word come from queteur, and mean 'as good friends as two friars begging for rival convents ? ' " The " New English Dictionary " practically inclines to the explanation of Hales, and suggests the parallel of foster-father, etc. Cater = ca- tour, " aphetic form of acatour," one who purchases food. 127. Frutify, with some such notion as " certify," and possi- bly (see Variorum) harking back to Launcelot's specify, which is taken as "spicify," — spice and fruit. 139. Preferred = recommended. Preferment = promotion. 143. Clarendon quotes the Scotch proverb : The grace of God is geir enough. 148. Guarded = trimmed, and this (Aug. -Sax. trymman) means "strengthened," which is almost the same as guarded. 151. Table — the palm of the hand. The commentators sug- gest many explanations ; but may we not get good sense by read- Sc. IV.] NOTES 117 ing as for a ? "Which doth offer (i. e., itself) to swear upon (== for swearing upon) as book (i. e., so veracious that one could use it as Bible, etc.)." I shall have good fortune would then be a sentence by itself. 153. Simple line, "an ordinary line," said ironically. The ex- pressions are taken from palmistry. 172. Abbott's explanation (§ 212) of this theeh certainly wrong. See an excellent discussion of the substitution of thee for. thou, in Jespersen's "Progress in Language," London, 1894, p. 247 ff. In unemphatic position the -ou (then u) weakened precisely as our -ou (= u) weakens in you when the pronoun has no emphasis. There can be no question, however, that the impersonal construc- tion with datives ("if you like"= if it like you) helped the gen- eral change from nominative (ye, thou) to dative (you, thee). 177. Liberal = gross, too "free," licentious. Cf. the "liberal shepherds," "Hamlet," IV, vii, 171. 180. Misconsterd spells the folio, as the word was then pro- nounced. (Afisconstred : Qq.) 185. Hood . . . with my hat. Hats were then worn at meals ; and consistent Quakers early in this century kept on their hats when at table. 188. Sad ostent: "show of staid and serious behavior." (Johnson.) Scene III. 5. Soon at supper, like soon at night = this very night. See Schmidt (3). 10. Tears must show what my tongue would say if it could come to utterance. 11. Did. The oldest editions read do. 12. Get = beget ; if we retain do in the line above, get has its Scene IV. 5. Us. Either = " for ourselves," or misprint for as, which is the reading of F. 4 . — Note hovering accent in final measure, and cf. 23, 39, and II, vi, 40, as well as I, i, 53. US MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act II. G. Quaintly, strikingly, in such a way as to attract attention. Skeat notes that cognitus, from which quaint is derived, was con- fused with comptus = neat, graceful. 13. Perhaps Dr. Furness goes too far in making this conven- tional quibble testify to the fact that Jessica is not of an Oriental complexion. Variorum, p. 81. 23. Provided of. Cf. "Macbeth," I, ii, 13 : Supplied of kernes and gallowglasses. 26. Some hour. Abbott, § 21 : " About an hour. " 29. Needs, adverbial genitive : " of necessity." — What follows involves zeugma of the verb : "She has directed . . . [and has told me] what gold," etc. (Schmidt, p. 1419). Cf. IV, i, 75 ff. 37. Faithless, without faith, infidel. Scene V. 19. Clarendon quotes dream-lore : "Some say that to dream of money, and all kind of coyne is ill." — As for to-night, cf 1. 37, below, where it is used in the modern sense. Here, to-night means " this night," "last night." For the general use cf. (Koch, "Satzlehre," p. 380): "To middan dsege ic ete " : I dine at mid-day. See also Abbott, § 190. 24. Black-Monday, Easter-Monday. Cf. " Piers Plowman " (ed. Skeat), iii, 192 : And draddest to be ded for a dym On "the morrow after Easter Day (1360), King Edward with his host lay before the city of Paris ; which day was full dark of mist and hail, and so bitter cold that many men died on their horsebacks with the cold ; wherefore unto this day it hath oeen called the Black Monday y — Stow, quoted by Skeat. 30. Wry-neck 'd fife. Instrument or performer ? " To send a trumpet" — i. e., a man with a trumpet — is a common phrase; and see Variorum (note, p. 89) for the position of a fife-player's head. Probably, however, the instrument is meant. 33. It is doubtful whether masks or actually painted faces be meant. In any case Shylock is thinking both of the disguise and of the deception. Be. VI.] NOTES 119 43. For omitted relative, see I, i, 175. — Jewes read the quartos and folios ; but this spelling does not exclude the Jeicess 1 of our text, an emendation which began with Pope. Perhaps there is a reference to some proverb about "a Jew's eye" in the way of mutilation or ransom ; but no actual proverbs are quoted. 46. Patch = a fool, a jester, probably so named from the motley dress. A term of contempt. Gf. "Macbeth," V, iii, 16 : " What soldiers, patch ? " 48. Wild-cats, as Clarendon suggests, prowl and prey by night, sleep during the day ; but one never knows what astounding notion may lie at the root of any Elizabethan reference to ani- mals. See Jusserand's "Engl. Novel," p. 106 ff. 50 ft. That . . . his = whose. Gf. Chaucer, "Knight's Tale," 1851 ff . : . . . namely oon [one], That with a spere was thirled [pierced] his brest-boon. Scene VI. 2. The half lines exactly correspond, and together make an Alexandrine ; common in Shakspere. 5. The doves which draw the chariot of Venus. Schmidt con- siders that faster, as applied to the second member of the sen- tence, means " more firmly " : " Their swiftness in sealing bonds is greater than their firm constancy in keeping them." Of course (see Variorum) it is Venus, drawn by the pigeons, who seals the bonds. 7. Obliged — bound by contract. (Clarendon.) 9. Abbott, § 394. 10. Clarendon quotes "King John," V, iv, 52 : We will untread the steps of damned flight, i. e., tread in reverse order; retrace. 14. Qq. have younger; fol.i, 2 , yonger. Rowe suggested the modern reading. 15. Scarfed, adorned with flags. — Commentators point out the disturbing she (17), as well as a change from a prodigal to the prodigal (son). Variorum hints at possible corruption of the text. For the gender, Meurer notes that silver (II, vii, 22), 120 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act II. fortune, misfortune, nature, and even the wealthy Andrew are feminine. 16. Cf "Othello," IV, ii, 78 ff. 24. "Metrically defective," say the commentators, and suggest "Come, approach," or " Come, then, approach." But apjwoach may be trisyllabic, like so many words with r ; and the preced- ing pause alone would compensate for the omitted syllable. 30. Who. A common accusative in this construction, not only in Shakspere's time, but at present. The clash between "gram- mar " and usage is recognized more in America than in England. Whom in a question like " Whom do you mean ? " Sweet (" Short Historical English Grammar," § 384) declares to be "extinct." See Jespersen's admirable book, "Progress in Language," § 171, with examples and references. 35. Exchange ; i. e., for a boy's dress. All the women in the play wear this disguise on occasion ; and Jusserand reminds us ("Engl. Nov.," p. 238) that not only were the novels full of this expedient, but it was common in real life. Queen Elizabeth was actually advised to travel as page to Melville, the Scottish am- bassador, that she might meet the Queen of Scots. " Alas," sighed Elizabeth, "if I might do it thus! " 42. Too too. Cf. "Hamlet," I, ii, 129. A common iteration : "often used [as a compound] to denote exceeding." See Vari- orum, p. 98. 44. Should oe = ought to be. 51. Hood. Malone took this to be the hood of Gratiano's "masqued habit"; Steevens preferred a friar's hood; "White says the oath is "by my self," i. e., "by my estate," etc., making hood = Anglo-Saxon had, one's profession or rank. As Gratiano is not unlike those gentlemen of light literature who swear so terribly by their boots, we may refer this weighty matter to the toilet, and support its dignity by a line in Marlowe's "Edw. II." (I, iv), where Gaveston . . . wears a short Italian hooded cloak, Larded with pearl. Gentile: In the fob, gentle, a confusion intended by Shakspere. 52. Beshrew = curse. Sc. VII. J NOTES 121 Scene VII. 4. Who, for which. Not as common a transfer as which for who. Cf. "King John, "II, i, 575: The world, who of itself is peised well. 5, 7, 9. The inscriptions are in the so-called Alexandrine measure. 26. If thou be'st. See Schmidt's list under Be (4), where "thou oe'st = thou be after if." Of course, the form is indicative, and Mr. Rolfe says it must not be confounded with the subjunctive he; but that is precisely what happened in older forms of mod- ern English. See Sweet, "Short Historical English Grammar," p. 189 ff. 30. Disabling = discrediting, disparagement. 41. " Hyrcania was a name given to a district of indefinite ex- tent south of the Caspian." — Clarendon. 43, 47. Portia is here an incipient refrain to mark off a stanzaic arrangement of blank verse familiar to us in Tennyson's "Tears, Idle Tears " in "The Princess." Marlowe was fond of such an arrangement, and Professor Katharine Lee Bates, in her edition of this play, quotes the lines about Zenocrate from " Tambur- laine," Part II, II, iv. — See the famous amcebean verses of this play (V, i, 1 ff.) for a different device. 50. It = lead. 51. Rib = enclose. Cerecloth = shroud, so called from the wax in the fabric. Of. cerements, which Hood uses in his "Bridge of Sighs." — Obscure. Note the " hovering accent." 53. Clarendon points out that this was the ratio in England in 1600. 56. The angel was worth ten shillings and had a device of Michael piercing the dragon. — Clarendon. Whether Angelus and Anglus "moved our former kings " to such coinage, may be left in doubt. 57. Insculp'd upon. An angel engraved upon the coin; where- as here an angel (Portia's picture) lies within. 69. Tombs. Quartos and folios read timber. The emendation is Dr. Johnson's. 122 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act II. 77. Part = depart. Cf. Milton, " Nativ. Hymn," 183 ff. : From haunted spring, and dale Edg'd with poplar pale, The parting genius is with sighing sent. The "flourish of cornets, 1 ' appropriate here, is found (in the folio) at the beginning of the next scene. The editors of the "Cambridge Shakspere" (II, 449, note) have made the transfer. Scene VIII. 19 ff. The hurrying and huddled metre corresponds admirably to the mood of Shylock. 27. Reasoned = discussed, talked. 33. You were best. The dative you, partly for phonetic and partly for syntactic reasons, absorbed the functions of the nomi- native ye, and such a construction as this (= for you [it] were best) became unintelligible. Few ordinary readers now know that methinks (= it seems to me) is a very different phrase from "I think " ; and this ignorance spoils the force of Hamlet's " Me- thinks I see my father." The loss of the dative is responsible for such a construction as "He was given a reception." Con- fusion had begun in Shakspere's time, and he uses "I were better," "I were best" (V, 175), as well as the phrase under discussion. 39. Slubber = slur over. 42. Mind of -love. Heath, followed by Abbott (§ 169), puts a comma after mind, and makes of love — "for the sake of the love you bear me"; but Clarendon reads as in our text, and explains " loving mind." To insert the comma is wrong, for it spoils the metre; but the interpretation of mind of love needs discussion. Unquestionably of + noun is often used to express a quality, and so takes the place of an adjective, as a god of power = powerful god ; thieves of mercy = merciful ; brow of youth = youthful, and oath of credit, below, V, 236. Schmidt includes our phrase in his valuable list (p. 797), but he also includes waste of shame ("Sonnet" 129) in The expense of spirit in a waste of shame „. Is lust in action, Sc. IX.] NOTES 123 glossing = ''shameful waste." This robs of its force one of the strongest lines ever written, besides jarring upon metrical em- phasis. "The shame is not merely an accident, but the essence,' 1 writes a distinguished English scholar who agrees with the present editor, — a waste which is shame. There is not the same objection to mind of love = loving mind ; but it seems better to understand it as objective, — "your mind bent upon love, your purposes of courtship." Cf. "Love's Labour's Lost," V, ii, 412: Henceforth my wooing mind shall he express'd In russet yeas . . . and in this play, above, II, v, 37 : I have no mind of feasting forth to-night. 48. Sensible — sensitive. 52. The heaviness, sadness, to which he clings. Scene IX. 9. Three things, a sort of spondee ; the accents of verse and of word are equally heavy, and unite to give proper emphasis. 18. To hazard. Clarendon takes this as a noun. 19. Addressed = prepared. 26. By = for. 27. Fond = foolish. 28. Note the metre. — The martlet is the martin, — Hirundo urbica, says Schmidt. This is not a case of Euphuistic natural history. See also "Macbeth," I, vi, 4. 41. Estates, "ranks and dignities." 44. Cover, " wear their hats as masters." — Clarendon. 61. Mr. M. F. Libby, of Toronto, kindly permits the editor to quote an unpublished note on this line. He thinks it means: "I have the misfortune to reject you as a suitor; do not make me add insult to injury by declaring that yon deserved nothing better than you got," — that is, the line refers to Portia's attitude, and is not, as Eccles thought, a rebuke to Arragon. It is surely no rebuke; but perhaps a better explanation would be: " Do not confuse the insult (of the idiot's head and the inscription) with my purely judicial attitude in presiding over your choice and enforcing its 124 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act III. conditions." If the line refers to Arragon, it is consoling, not rebuking: " You made a bad judgment, but you committed no offence," — though this is UDlikely. — Note the hovering accent on distinct. 68. I wis. See ywis (= Ger. gewiss, "certainly' 1 ) in Skeat's " Dictionary." Shakspere probably uses the phrase as pronoun and verb, and so understood it as = "I wot." Even in Chaucer's time wist was occasionally used in the indicative present, second person. Of course, iwu, ywis, was common enough in Middle English, and may have been an adverb still for Shakspere, with corrupted spelling. In both cases the root is the same. 86. Dyce pointed out this "sportive rejoinder" of Portia, who is merry in her relief of mind, and calls the servant "my lord " in answer to his "my lady," as Prince Hal greets Mrs. Quickly ("I Hen. IV.," II, iv, 315): Hostess.— O Jesu, my lord the prince ! Prince.— How now, my lady the hostess ! 89. Sensible regreets = perceptible or tangible greetings. 92. Likely — pleasing, one who fits his office. 98. High-day — holiday, exceptionally fine, choice. ACT III. Scene I. 2. "Unchecked — uncontradicted. 3 ff. The Goodwin Sands in the English Channel, then often called "The Narrow Sea." 9. Dr. Furness, rejecting White's "ginger-nuts," and improv- ing on the "snap off, break short," of older editors, suggests that knapped = "nibbled," and points to "Measure for Meas- ure," IV, iii, 8: — "ginger was not much in request, for the old women were all dead," — as proof that gossips affected the root. Delius explains in the same way. 27. Complexion, temperament, and hence "nature." See note II, i, 1. Match = bargain. / Sc. II.] NOTES 125 49 ff. Note the forcible prose of this passage. Would it be improved by metre ? 64. Humility = humanity, kindness. Schmidt has shown that with Shakspere humanity = human nature, never what we call "humane" qualities. 85. Thou. Fol.. 2 has then, which Dr. Furness commends. 100. The Qq. and Ff. have here, which Rowe changed to where, adding the interrogation mark. Dr. Furness defends the original reading on the ground that Shylock had heard rumors of the wreck (cf. 1. 2 ff. of this scene), but would not trust the report, but now learns the truth of it, and that the wreck did not hap- pen in England, but is known "here in Genoa." 113. The Turquoise (fol. Turkies) is the stone for a lover's ring, as it changed its color if the giver fell into trouble or grew incon- stant. For similar tests, cf. Child, "Ballads," i, 260 ff., 268 ff. The point here is that Shylock values the ring for its association with Leah. Scene II. 6. Quality = manner (Schmidt). 7 ff. These lines have occasioned much comment. They may mean (1) "Lest you should not know me well enough, as things stand, for such a step as marriage, — although, after all, maid- enly modesty will keep me from saying much of my feelings, — stay here some month or two before you venture " ; or (2) " For fear you may not understand why I wish you to postpone your hazard, — let me say . . . but, you know, a girl thinks many things she doesn't say, — I will simply ask you to wait a month or two." Those who wish to consider the passage curiously, may read the long note in Variorum (p. 134 ff.) and track the references. In any case, Portia's sentiment is clear ; and nothing could be more charming than the growth of " a day or two " into " some month or two." 15. Overlooked, " subdued by the look " (Schmidt), fascinated, bewitched (Clarendon) ; with reference to "Merry Wives," V, v, 87. Is there not also a reference to reviewing, looking over, in the sense of making an inventory ? Then the "dividing" comes in, after Shakspere's manner. Cf. a similar play on the word 126 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act III. oversee, which Schmidt uses in one sense for comparison with over- look, in "Lucrece," 1205 ff. : Thou, Collatine, shalt oversee this will ; How was I overseen that thou shalt see it ! 20. If it prove so, — that I, yours really, am not yours by this lot, — Fortune, not I, ought to bear the torture of loss and separation. 22. Peize, poise, weigh: "to retard by hanging weights" (Steevens). 39. Fear (for) the enjoying, lest I shall not enjoy. Abbott, §200. 32. Torture was not unknown in England under Elizabeth, though it "had always been illegal." James I. presided in per- son over the torture of Dr. Fian, accused of witchcraft; and the diabolical character of Scotch tortures is well known. 49 ft. Malone thought that this was an allusion to the corona- tion of Henry IV. of France in 1594. 54. More love. " Because Hercules rescued Hesione, not for love of the lady, but for the sake of the horses promised him by La- omedon. See Ovid's 'Metamorphoses,' xi, 211-214." — Clarendon. 56. Virgin tribute = tribute of virgins : see note to I, i, 80. 61. Live thou = if thou live. — Much much more, the reading of Q. 2 . Cf. too too, above, II, vi, 42. 63. Schmidt makes fancy in this place = love. So "fancy- free," "Mids. N. Dr.," II, i, 164. Dr. Furness interprets : "As the song says, fancies (which sometimes in Shakespeare mean genuine passion, but here it hints only a passing sentiment) come by gazing, have no life deeper than the eyes where they are born." Hence, the song tells Bassanio to beware of merely external attractions ; and Bassanio responds : " So — I understand the hint — so may the outward shows," etc. If one objects to this forced interpretation of fancy, and desires to understand it as love pure and simple, one may consider the answer in the song as condi- tional. If love be merely a matter of the eyes, and if the lover can always "meet in some fresh cheek the power of fancy" ("As You Like It," III, v, 29), then love is no real love ; hence, — and the moral is the same. 67. Eyes. Qq. have eye. Sc. II.] NOTES 127 81. Vice, F. a . The quartos and F.j have voice. 87. Excrement = the " beards " of 1. 85, — " that which grows out of the body," another illustration of the rule that words derived from the Latin tend in time to lose their original meaning. 94. Supposed fairness = "surmounting fictitious beauty," ex- plains Clarendon. Mr. Rolfe connects with preceding line : "On the strength of their fictitious beauty." 95 ff. Clarendon refers to "Timon,"IV, iii, 144, and "Son- net" 68. 97. Gulled. This is not a participle, but an adjective (see Schmidt, p. 1417), and means "full of guile." 99. This is the great crux of our play. Dr. Furness has two pages of notes, and since the date of this Variorum edition the discussion goes merrily on : see, for example, Notes and Que- ries, 1889, Jan. 19 (p. 42), May 18 (p. 384), July 20 (p. 44).— In spite of objections, why not retain text and punctuation, and find sufficient antithesis by laying stress on Indian ? " The beauteous scarf is the deceptive ornament which leads to the expectation of something beneath it letter than an Indian beauty" (Bray, quoted by Variorum). — We remember the prejudice for fair beauty : see above, note to I, i, 169. 102. Hard food for Midas. As Dr. Furness points out, Shak- spere probably got his knowledge of Ovid from Arthur Golding's translation of the "Metamorphoses," in which (xi, 102 ff.) is told the story of Midas. 106. Paleness. On account of (103) pale, "Warburton read plainness, which Dr. Furness, for various reasons, seems to ap- prove. 107. Ten Brink prettily uses this choice of the leaden casket as illustration against the pet argument of the Baconians, contend- ing that we too should not insist on outward greatness or suc- cess as conditions for a work of genius. 109. As = namely. 112. Bain. F.„ F. 2 , and Q. 2 have mine; Q. i has rangu / Q. 3 , Q. 4 have rein. The last (= check, rein in) would give the best reading. 115. Counterfeit = portrait. Cf. the German Conterfei and Conterfeien. 124. The having in this " negligent construction " depends on 128 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act III. the preceding he, which gives way to the one as subject of what follows. This huddling style, however, — note the break in 123, — suits the occasion. 126. Unfurnished, "not equipped with its fellow eye." — Clarendon. 130. Continent. Note the nearness to the Latin: " that which contains." 140. That is, to "claim her with a kiss," as the "note" di- rected, which is to be " confinn'd, sign'd, ratified " by Portia. 141. Prize, " a contest for a reward." — Schmidt. 149. Mr. M. F. Libby insists upon Shakspere's art in "show- ing the height of a character by foils or graded inferiors," just as he shows the height of Dover Cliffs by steps. Morocco is the first step, and Arragon the second; so we come to "the modest and manly Bassanio." — Dr. Furness, with his usual kindness, sent this note, as well as that for II, ix, 61, to the editor; and Mr. Libby has kindly allowed both to be quoted in these Notes. 157. Livings, "property, possession, fortune." — Schmidt. 159. Sum of something. The folios read nothing. Clarendon puts a dash before something, as if Portia were hesitating "for a word which shall describe herself appropriately." 162. Clarendon pronounces the line " defective both in metre and sense," and seems to approve Capell's "happier than this in that . . ." Fol.i reads "happier then this"; Fol. 2 , 3 , 4 "happier then in this," which is the reading Variorum prefers, considering that the in is really present in the then of Fol.i. — Learn may be dissyllabic, and the sense is good enougli as our text stands. 164. Collier reads in for is. — Clarendon explains happiest as neuter. 192. From me. Dr. Furness approves Abbott, § 158: "none differently from me, none which I do not wish you." Mr. Rolfe, following Dr. Johnson in essentials, suggests: "none away from me, since you have enough yourselves." Certainly, Gratiano seems to be leading up to his request. 200 ff. "You loved: I loved for pastime," — i. e., to avoid the vacancy of delay, — taking for [intermission] in its frequent sense of "for fear of," "to avert." Gratiano, in his jesting fashion, intimates that something had to be done by way of filling up Sc. II.] NOTES 129 this "intermission " of his usual life in Venice. Theobald, how- ever, could see no sense in "loving for intermission," and read You lov'd, I lovM : for intermission No more pertains to me, my lord, than you. That is, I am no more fond of standing idle than you are. Clar- endon follows this reading, and Dr. Furness approves. The Cambridge editors retain the reading as in our text, so that the explanation of Staunton must be followed for 201: "I owe my wife as much to you as to my own efforts." 215. Salerio. Is this a new character, as in our text ? Is it a blunder for Salanio, or even for Salerino ? Like Delius, Dr. Furness agrees with Knight and Dyce that it is not a new char- acter, since the company of that day included so few actors. But the same actor, as nowadays, could appear in another part. My old Venetian friend is really (Dr. Furness points this out) the strongest argument for Salanio. Our text follows the Cam- bridge edition. 219. Very = true. 232. Estate — state. — Here the folios have "Opens the letter"; Q.i, " He opens the letter"; Q. 2 , probably a stage-copy, "Open the letter." 235. Royal merchant. Dr. Johnson pointed out that this was an epithet familiar to Shakspere, because it was applied to Sir Thomas Gresham. 237. Douce: " Antonio with his argosy is not the successful Jason; we are the persons who have won the fleece." — But see I, i, 170, 172. Is it not " We are the Jasons " ?— Daniel (Vari- orum, p. 162) thinks there is a pun on fleece and fleets. 239. Shrewd = evil. See dictionary for the history of the word. 243. Constant = firm, fixed. 247. Unpleasant" st. Abbott, § 473. 258. Mere = absolute. 264. Th. Elze (see Variorum, p. 164), after a hard search through this play, found only three slips in what we now call "local coloring." Venice "never had any direct communication with Mexico." 274. " Denies that strangers have equal rights in Venice." 130 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act III. 276. Magnificoes, chief men of Venice. See "Othello," I, ii, 12. 278. Envious = malicious. 289. Unwearied, superlative : see note, II, i, 46. 303. R. G. White estimates Portia's liberality at a million dollars of our money.— Note the accent after the pause, and con- sequent gain in emphasis. 308. A merry cheer (a merry face), a phrase of Chaucer's time. The opposite was "a carefullchere," " Geste of Robin Hood," 28 2 . 315. Between you and I. See Jespersen, "Progress iu Lang.," $ 156, 192, who explains: " /was preferred to me after and, be- cause the group of words you and I, he and I, etc., in which this particular word-order was required by common politeness, would occur in every-day speech so frequently as to make it practically a sort of stock-phrase taken as a whole, the last word of which was therefore not inflected." The modern motive for such a phrase (the vague notion that me is ungrammatical however used) could not have obtained in Shakspere's day. Scene III. 9. Naughty = wicked. See V, 91. — Fond = foolish. 10. Cf. the familiar hymn : " Whene'er I take my walks abroad ..." 19. Kept — dwelt. 25. "Allow to hold good."— Clarendon. 27 ff. Note construction, and cf. above, III, ii, 124. If it oe de- nied {■= the denial of the conveniences, privileges, that strangers have) forms a subject for will much impeach. Some editors make the denial refer to the course of law. 32. Bated = weakened. Scene IV. 2. Conceit, concept, notion. See I, i, 92, and "Hamlet," II, ii, 579. 6. To show the pupil that gentleman is a dative, hardly to Sc. V.] NOTES 131 be used at present, is not mere grammatical information; it is by noting the greater flexibility of form and construction, the greater freedom of vocabulary, that one learns the Shakspere dialect, and that is the real object of this linguistic analysis. 21. Folios and Q. 2 have cruelty. 25. See note to 1. 6 above, and Abbott, § 451, for such words used as nouns. 30. Of. (Schmidt) "Nor child nor woman's face," " Corio- lanus," V, iii, 130. 46. Thee. To the servant. You to Lorenzo and Jessica. The thou and thee to Nerissa springs from familiarity, not from superiority. 49. Padua. Theobald's correction for the "Mantua" of the old texts. 52. Imagined = "imaginable," or else "of imagination," as we still say "swift as thought." Milton has unreproved = not to be reproved, "Par. Lost," iv, 493, and "Allegro," 40; unremoved = not to be removed, iv, 987; whereas (iv, 843) inviolable seems to mean inviolate. 53. Tranect, a ferry. Traject would be nearer the Italian iraghetto, and Rovve, approved by many, substitutes the former word instead of tranect, a word not met with elsewhere. — The evi- dences of acquaintance with actual scenes and customs of Venice which one finds in this play have led to the belief that Shakspere had actually visited the city, and even in his description of Bel- mont had a definite place (see Variorum, p. 175 ff.) in mind. 63. Accoutred: Rowe. Q. 2 , 3 , 4 and folios read accoutered ; Q. x apparreld. 72. I could not do withal, I could not help it. Among the many instances quoted by editors, this from Nash, — "If he die of a sur- feit, I cannot do withal, it is his best. See note, Var., p. 179 ff. 77. Jacks. A term of contempt. Scene V. Elze thinks (sec Variorum, p. 184) that this scene, otherwise too trivial, is meant, under cover of the clown's bells, to bring 132 MERCHANT OF VENICE /Act III. out Shakspere's notion about the conversion of Jews, and to dis- approve in advance the penalty imposed upon Shylock. 3. I fear you ; i.e., " for you." Cf ' ' Hamlet, " I, iii, 52 : " Fear me not." 4. Agitation, probably (Eccles) for "cogitation." 14 ff. Malone noted the allusion to the well-known line of a modern Latin poet, Philippe Gualtier, in his poem entitled "Alex- andreis " : Incidis in Scyllam, cupiens vitare Charybdim. The poem belongs to the thirteenth century, and Steevens says it became " a common school-book." — See Variorum, p. 182. 20. Enow, the plural of enough. 42. Cover here = put on the hat. 43. Quarrelling with occasion. "Contrary to, and seeking to elude, the matter in question." — Schmidt. " Quibbling on every opportunity." — Clarendon. Probably Shakspere had both of these notions in his mind. 52. Launcelot has just made a ridiculous application of the rule for " proper words in proper places." Lorenzo laughs at the clown's sudden fit of precision: " O dear discretion (cf discerno), how his words are suited (in exaggerated nicety of applica- tion) ! " — If the student thinks Lorenzo means more than this, he may consult Variorum, p. 185. 53. Allen suggested: hath, planted in his memory, 57. Defy ilxe matter = slight the real meaning. — Cheer'st. Q. t is probably better: Howfar\t thou? 64. So Q.,. Folios: And if on earth he do not mean it, it Is reason . . . Pope changed to merit it, In. Halliwell suggests find. One ex- pects, Clarendon remarks, some word meaning appreciate ; but Dr. Furness approves Capell's explanation: to mean it = " to ob- serve moderation " ; and this certainly allows us to retain the reading of our text. Act IV., So. I.J NOTES 133 ACT IV. Scene I. 1. What. Not an exclamation of surprise, as in Bernardo's question, "What, is Horatio there?" ("Hamlet," I, i, 19), but the well-known exclamation, as in the opening line of the "Beowulf": Ilwost! 6. From — of. 7. Qualify = temper. 20. Remorse = pity. 26. Moiety = portion. 34. Gentle. Dr. Furness admits the possibility of an intended pun here, but pleads against the likelihood. 39. An unimportant blunder. As White remarks, this threat would have little terror for the Doge of Venice. 46. Baned = killed. Ang.-Sax. bana, a murderer. 47. Gaping ; i. e. , with its mouth open (garnished with a lemon), as served on the table for Christmas dinner, or else " squealing" : "let not the doubt which, disturb our souls," advises R. G. White. 50. The old editions had for sole punctuation in this line a full stop after affection, and read in the next line : Masters of passion. Thirlby suggested the reading of our text. Dr. Furness prefers for affection, master of passion . . . 56. Woollen dag-pipe. Either a bag-pipe with woollen covering, or (Capell) a icawling bag-pipe. One may repeat White's remark, above, note to 1. 47. 65 ft*. It is hardly necessary to assume here imitation of the stichic arrangement familiar in classical drama. 68. Offence = injured feeling, sense of wrong. Whereupon, as Clarendon notes, Shylock treats the word as meaning the actual injury. 73 ff. The reading of Q.j, except that bleat is there uleake. 76. And [command them] to make no noise. 77. Fretten. There is nothing "irregular "here. Fret (like German fressen) is for for-eat, — if one may so modernize, — "to devour," then " to chafe" ; and fretten corresponds with eaten as past participle : Anglo-Sax. freten. The folios read fretted. 134 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act IV. 82. The offices of adjective and noun are exchanged. We should say " convenient brevity and plainness." See Schmidt, 1417. 105. Whether Portia knew or did not know that the Duke had sent for Bellario, is not important. To the latter she sent Bal- thazar for certain "notes and garments" (III, iv, 50); but before that, in Bassanio's absence, she may have communicated with her learned cousin. For Elze's possible model for Bellario, see Vari- orum, p. 458 ff. 121. Edwin Booth, in a letter to the editor of the Variorum (see p. 384), notes this as a case of Shakspere's shiftiness as a theatrical manager, and says it is, notwithstanding, " a most dangerous ' bit of business,' and apt to cause a laugh." 125. Hangman = executioner. 128. Inexecrdble, "that cannot be execrated enough " (Claren- don); but Dr. Furness prefers inexorable, the reading of fol. s , 4 . 134 ff. In the Variorum (p. 207) Dr. Furness thinks there is corruption here, or even that it is an actor's addition. But in Shakespeariana (August, 1888, p. 356) he quotes from certain travels to show that wolves were actually hanged. Who, etc. (as in constructions noted above, III, ii, 124 ; iii, 27 ff.) = "and [when] he [was] hang'd," etc., " did his fell soul fleet," etc. 142. Cureless. So the quartos. The folios have endless. 161. Is not the lethim lack a printer's repetition from 160 ? Let his lack of years be no impediment to a reverend estimation, is good sense. If we retain the phrase, we may explain : be no impediment [so as, or, of a hind] to let him lack, etc. 167. Come, Qq. Came, Ff. 168. Place; i. e., beside the Duke. 170. Schmidt (under 6) makes question — " discussion, disquisi- tion, consideration," but (3) "judicial trial" would be better. 178. Banger = jurisdiction, power. Cf Chaucer, " C. T.," 663: In daunger hadde he at his owne giee The yonge gurles of the diocise. It is sometimes used for " debt." 180 ff. The fabric of this whole passage needs no praise, but the weaving of it may be noted, perhaps, without trenching too much on the territory of those amphibious commentators who Sc. I.] NOTES 135 are never sure whether they are on the land of philology or in the sea of aesthetics. First comes Portia's quite natural must (180) ; as Abbott (§ 314) remarks, it lacks "the notion of compulsion," — as if she said : u Then there is nothing for you except the Jew's mercy," — but Shylock, standing always for the law, asks why he "must" be merciful, though his question is by no means in the sense of Nathan's Jcein Mensch muss micssen. Directly as answer to this, without any appeal to rhetoric, comes Portia's plea for mercy. " On what compulsion ? None. The quality (= nature, character) of mercy is that it acts without compulsion ; it is not strain'd (= constrained)." Again, in 186-195 note the unforced but exquisite balance of thought. The assertion that Mercy becomes The throned monarch better than his crown, is repeated in the exactly corresponding passage below : And earthly power doth then show UJcest Goal's When mercy seasons justice ; while the six intervening lines contrast the terror of the law and the diviner sway of merc3 r . 184. Blest (nn adjective, not a participle) = full of blessing. See other examples : Schmidt, p. 1417 ; and cf. Ill, ii, 97. 189. Awe = that which inspires awe. 202. See above, 1. 134, and references. 212. That malice, not honesty, is behind this appeal to the law. 221. Daniel. See the story of Susannah (Apocrypha), of Bel and the Dragon, and Ezekiel, xxviii, 3 ; Daniel, vi, 3. 231. See I, iii, 152 ff. — But Shylock has specified his choice in the bond. 246. Hath full relation — may be applied. 249. More elder. Abbott, § 11. 253. Balance. Plural on account of the sibilant ending. 261. You. The folios have come. 266. Still her use = it is always her wont. 270. By dwelling (with the so-called hovering accent) on the words Of such misery, we can bring this verse within the bounds of any but rule-of-thumb scansion. Or we may read Of such a with F. 2 , 3 , 4 . 273. "Speak well of me when I am dead." — Clarendon. Or could it be : Speak well of the way in which I died ? (Qi.) 279. Presently = instantly, the reading of the other quartos and of the folios. The jest is not ill-timed, but pathetic enough. 136 3IERCHANT OF VENICE [Act IV. 294. Barrdbas. The common pronunciation in Shakspere's day. 296. Pursue. Hovering accent. 316. This offer. Q. 3 reads his. 326. In the substance, "in the mass, in the gross weight." — Clarendon. 332. Cf. I, iii, 42. 333. Dr. Furness suggests that in this " pause " Shakspere may intimate to us that the play is trembling between tragedy and comedy. Suppose Shy lock had taken his forfeiture, — and the consequences! In the next line the Jew renounces his hero- ism, his tragic chance, but not his dignity. He craved the law, and the law — as all agree — turns out to be a quibbling thing. Much has been written about the character of the law in this play, and what Shakspere " intended " by the discomfiture of Shylock: see Variorum, p. 403 ff. We have, however, to remem- ber that the facts were in the main handed down to the play- wright from his predecessors in narrative, even barriug the possibility that an older play gave the facts of the trial as we have them. The pupil would probably be interested in the "Dramatic Reverie " of R. H. Home, printed by Dr. Furness, p. 400 ff., and should notice Home's attempt to hit the Shaksperian cadence of verse as well as general style. 344 fE. This is the really strong case against Shylock, and is evidently Bellario's contribution. The quibble about blood and an exact pound was Portia's. 350. Contrive — plot. 355. Predicament, "a definite class, state, or condition." — "Cent. Diet." Cf. "the lowest in the predicament of your friends." 360. Formerly, like "the above" in a document. 370. In the Academy (Jan. 9, 1892, p. 38) Professor Tyrrell suggests that drive should he derive in. its sense of "turn from the course, deflect," as in Latin, and as used in " II Hen. IV.,'' IV, v, 43 : "this crown . . . which . . . derives itself to me." 371. Antonio's portion must not be thus commuted. 378. If the Duke will remit the fine, for which the forfeiture of half of Shylock's estate was to be commuted, Antonio will take the half due to himself, but simply hold.it " in use," in trust, for Sc. L] NOTES 137 Lorenzo and Jessica. Antonio is to get nothing out of the ar- rangement ; but there seems to be some doubt whether the inter- est of this half was to fall to Shylock during his life (Ritson), or to the children (Clarendon). 397. The twelve jurymen. 398. Exit Shylock. Further stress on this martyrdom of Shy- lock would have defeated the "comedy." I pray ijou, give me leave to go from hence ; I am not well . . . is all that the drama can bear ; and the skill of the artist now plays rapidly and firmly about the jest of the rings and the em- barrassment of the husbands, with moonlight and music and laughter for the close. A good parallel for study is the solution offered by Chaucer for a corresponding problem in narrative. The tragic death of Arcite in "The Knight's Tale " must be fol- lowed by the marriage of Palamon. The transition is admirable. The death itself is described with a dash of cynicism : And certeynly ther nature wil not wirche, Farwel phisik ; go ber the man to chirche. His spirit chaungede hous and wente ther, As I cam never, I can nat tellen wher ;— and then we have the gibes about widows, and that masterly con- solation offered by old Egeus : " Eight as ther deyde nevere man, 11 quod he, " That he ne lyvede in erthe in som degree, Right so ther lyvede nevere man, 1 ' he seyde, " In al this world, that som tyme he ne deyde." Then Theseus, with his commonplaces, bores us into sheer for- getfulness of the tragedy, and we are all agog for a wedding. Shakspere tells us nothing more about Shylock. Villains like Edmund and Iago are provided for in a tragedy ; but Shylock vanishes. He is hardly mentioned again, and only in an imper- sonal way. Nothing whatever is said of the trial. There is no hint of sadness ; even the merchant seems to have undergone a general toning-up, and his "liver-trouble," as Booth called it, 138 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act V. is cured — though at V, 228, there is threat of an attack. Yet there are those who assert that all the merriment is superfluous, and would end the play with this same Exit Shylock ! All good artists, from Shakspere to Uncle Remus, know better than that. 404. Gratify, express your thanks to, recompense. 410. Cope, in general "to eucounter," and so, here, "to re- ward " : We reward your pains with (withal) three thousand ducats. Gratify and cope are polite euphemisms. 429. To give = by giving. 443. An = and = if. See Murray's "New English Diet.," I, 317, under C. 449. Co?)imand[e]me?it : quadrisyllable. 453. Presently — at once. Scene II. 6. Advice, deliberation. Cf. I, i, 142. 15. Old, like "brave," " fine," or the like. For examples, see Schmidt (7). Mr. Rolfe compares "high old time." "We still apply " old," somewhat in the sense of Latin ills, when we speak of favorites, famous people, and the like. Cf. also " Here, old pup !" to a dog ; and the German "alter Junge," used jocularly to a friend. ACT V. Here is pure romance, comedy as Shakspere understood it, air prodigally "sweet after showers," to make us forget the tempest of threatened tragedy. Poetic justice is fairly wanton here, and almost ironical. The argosies come back ; everybody is happy ; and even Shylock has his Christianity. The same half- ironical treatment prevails at the end of " Is You Like It," Celia marrying Oliver, and the wicked Duke turning monk on such flimsy provocation. Only a German, however, could quarrel with the motivirung in our play ; for Shakspere takes care to open this fifth act with such charm of moonlight, of old romance and young Act V.] NOTES 139 love, that we accept the happiness without asking too nicely how it all came to pass. — For the Elizabethan love of music, whicli plays such a part in this act, both by special mention and in the fabric of the rhythm, see Introduction, p. xxi. 1 ff. Matthew Arnold has claimed for the Celtic element in English poetry that "natural magic " which he finds so richly represented in these opening lines. The form is amoebean (re- sponsive), and reminds one — very distantly — of the pastorals of Vergil or of Theocritus, as well as of the mediaeval imitations ; but this merry flyting of the lovers has a spontaneous charm unknown to the cleverest pastoral. These lovers, by the way, are Lorenzo and Jessica by name, but they are really Bassanio and Portia, whose first glimpse of the honeymoon is thus taken by deputy. The alba, or, as the Germans call it, the Tagelied, — alternate stanzas sung by lovers parting at daybreak*, — is also famous among lyrics, and has brought out admirable poetry ; but, again, the matchless little Tagelied in "Romeo and Juliet," where the lovers part, puts to shame all deliberate work of the kind. Note that blank verse such as this has all the quality of rime. A stanzaic effect is given, not only by the responsive arrangement, but by the refrain, which here opens instead of closing the stanza. For comparison (only for the stanzaic effect, not for the amoebean), read Tennyson's "Tears, Idle Tears " and Lamb's "Old. Familiar Faces." Further, it is worth noting that the refrain throughout stands in the second half of the verse. 4. Troilus. The tale of Troy divine, as told in mediaeval ro- mance, was not the classical story. Benoit de Sainte More, in his French "Roman de Troie," with late Latin "histories" for source, made Briseida {— Briseis) heroine of a love story, with Troilus and Diomedes as her lovers. Then came Guido da Co- lonna with his Latin " Historia Trojana" (1287). Boccaccio transformed this dry stuff into his fascinating "Filostrato" (= " The Love-Prostrated "). Brilliant as this was, Chaucer far surpassed it with his "Troilus and Cryseide," and gave the last touch of tragic romance to a story which is "Trojan" only in name. Probably, when the "Merchant of Venice" was brought out, there was a play of "Troilus and Cressida " familiar to the public, and serving afterwards as basis for Shakspere's cynical 140 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act V. drama. Steevens first noticed that Chaucer himself furnished the facts for this line. See "Troilus," V, stanza xcvi (Aldine ed.) : Upon the walles fast ek wold he walke ; And on the Greekes oost he wolde se, And to himself right thus he wolde talke : " Lo yonder is myn owene lady free, Or elles yonder ther the tentes bee, And thennes cometh this eyr that is so soote, That in my soule I feele it doth me boote." 7. Thisbe. Commentators have pointed out that the stories of Thisbe, Dido, and Medea were also told by Chaucer. See "Le- gend of Good Women," ii, iii, iv. In the case of Thisbe there seems to be reference to Ovid ("Metamorphoses," iv, 55 ff.), per- haps known to Shakspere in Golding's translation, as well as to Chaucer, who, however, provided for the moonlight : For by the moone she saugh yt wel withalle. It is worth noting, in regard to Shakspere's knowledge of Chau- cer, that the latter was by no means, as now, the exclusive prop- erty of scholars and scholarly minded people. — (Pert-rip. "And to the tree she gooth a ful goode paas." — Chaucer. 10. Dido. The truth seems to be, says Mr. Hunter, — see Vari- orum, p. 239, — "that Shakespeare has transferred to Dido what he found in Chaucer's ' Legend ' concerning Ariadne " : And to the stronde baref ote f aste she wente, No man she sawe, and yet shone the mone, And hye upon a rokke she wente sone, And saw his barge saylyng in the see . . . Hir kerchefe on a pole styked she Ascaunce that he shulde hyt wel ysee. 11. "If a hyphen be needed at all, it should connect ' wilde ' and 'sea.'" — Dr. Furness. Waft = "wafted," waved, beckoned. — Note the cadence of this and the preceding line. There "a cadence of this sort in " Co- mus." Compare with the latter, Milton's blank verse in "Paradise Lost," and with the present passage compare the verse of the great tragedies. 13. Medea. Clarendon notes that this is from Ovid's "Meta- morphoses," vii ; and that Gower, in his " Confessio Aman- Act V] NOTES 141 tis" (book v), has a description of Medea gathering herbs by moonlight. 14. This verse of two parts, like 12, offers no difficulty in scan- sion, provided it be kept in two parts. The pause takes the place of a light syllable, such as "and," — a word which Fol. 2 and many editors have inserted. Cf. 17, 20. 28. Stephano here; in the " Tempest," V, i, 277, Stephano, the proper pronunciation. Of course, in this verse one may easily read Stephano ; but cf. 51. 31. Holy crosses, still familiar to the traveller in southern Europe. 41. Q. t has : 31. Lorenzo, M. Lorenzo. Fol.o had 3f. Lorenzo and 31. Lorenza, whence Fol. 3 finely reads u 31. Lorenzo and Mrs. Lorenza." Fol.i lias M. Lorenzo, & M. Lorenzo, where &, it is conjectured, should be an interrogation point. 49. Sweet soul, taken by the editors from the end of Launcelot's preceding speech, and given to Lorenzo. 53. On these bands of musicians kept by rich or powerful persons in England, see Elze, "Shakspere," p. 411. 59. Patines. Fol.i, with Q. 2 , 3 , reads pattens, Q.i patients, and Fol. 2 patterns. " The ' patine ' is a plate used in the Eucharist," says Clarendon, "and the image is thus much finer and more suitable to ' the floor of heaven ' than the commonplace ' pat- terns.'" Dr. Furness suggests that with the full moon few stars would be visible, and the " patines " are broken clouds "like flaky disks of curdled gold." The next line, of course, in any case, refers to the stars. 60 ff. A host of references to this music of the spheres could be marshalled from classical and modern literature. The best known, and nearest to our text, is in Milton's "Arcades " (62 ff.) : . . . Then listen I To the celestial Sirens' harmony That sit upon the nine enfolded spheres, And sing to those that hold the vital shears, And turn the adamantine spindle round, On which the fa^ of gods and men is wound. Such sweet compulsion doth in music lie, To lull the daughters of Necessity, And keep unsteady Nature to her law, And the low world in measured motion draw After the heavenly tune which none can hear Of human mould with gross unpurged ear. 142 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act V. The student should notice other references to the doctrine, such as the beautiful passage in "Mid. Night's Dr.," II, i, 153 : And certain stars shot madly from their spheres, with kindred passages : see Elze, " Shakspere," p. 391, note, and Variorum, p. 249 (in reference to Montaigne's "Essay on Cus- tom"). Of the classical passages usually quoted, see Cicero's " Somnium Scipionis," 5. For wider astronomical notions of the time, see Furnivall on " Shakspere's Astronomy," in Trans. New Shahs. Soc, 1877-79 ; and, in particular, the debate on "divine astrology" in Marlowe's "Dr. Faustus,"sc. vi (= v of the older editions). Aristotle, it is interesting to note, was sceptical about this music, and ridiculed the explanation that we do not hear it because it is always with us, as workers in brass cannot hear the perpetual noise they make. 62. Cherubim. The singular is used in "Othello," IV, ii, 63, and conies from the French. 65. Close it in. Fol. and Q.! read close in it, which Dr. Furness accepts by reading "close-in it." The sense is plain enough. 71. Commentators note the same idea in "Tempest," IV, i, 176. 77. Mutual, common. 86. Spirit. It is unnecessary to make a monosyllable of this ; and if it be done, it is certainly wrong to say it was pronounced sprite. There was a Middle English sprit ; and cf. the rime in that treasure-house of wrenched accents, Chapman's continuation of Marlowe's "Hero and Leander" (3d Sestiad), — spirits: wits; sit : spirit. 99. Respect, relation. Goodness is a relative quality. 101. Attended [to], noticed, explaius Clarendon. Dr. Furness goes back to the notion of " respect," relativity, and takes at- tended literally ; i. e., by the fit season. 109. To the musicians.— Ho!— cf. Chaucer, "Knight's Tale," 848, — Malone's emendation for how. 114. Husband health, Q M . Pope made the change. 115. Speed, prosper. 122. Tucket, "a flourish on a trumpet." 141. Courtesy which consists merely in breath, words. 146. Accent omitted, and compensating pause ? — Posy, the verse inscribed in a rinsj on a knife, etc. As a motto went with a Act V.] NOTES 143 gift of flowers, posy (= poesy) came to mean a nosegay. Arber ("English Garner," i, 611 fT.) gives a list of " Love Posies," from a MS. " written about 1596." — I hope to see You yield to me; Con- tinue you , For I am true ; This ring is round and hath no end, So is my love unto my friend — are specimens. 148. Leave me not, do not part from me, give me away, — "cut- ler's poetry," instead of some fine amorous sentiment. 154. Respective, considerate : see I, i, 74. 160. Scrubbed, stunted, small : Ang.-Sax. scrob, shrub. 167. Read the line with strong emphasis on riveted, and the metre takes care of itself. 173. Rule-of-thumb scansion fares ill in this case ; but if the verse itself be taken as unit, with rapid movement in You give your wife and a cause of grief \ with emphasis on too unkind, the result is satisfactory. 175. I were best, for me were best ; see examples of the change in Jespersen's "Progress in Language," p. 225 ft"., and note above to II, viii, 33. 191 ff. The repetition of ring at this climax, with everybody, spectators included, party to the joke, except the lovers and An- tonio, gives a touch of farce and jollity to a situation which must not even hint at tragic danger. Similar passages have been pointed out, — -the most remarkable in "Edward III," II, i, 156 ff., — " where ' the sun ' ends eight consecutive lines." See Vari- orum, p. 262. 197. Virtue = power. Cf the virtuous ring (magical power) in Milton's " II Penseroso," 113. 199. "Your honor involved in the safe-keeping of the ring " (Clarendon). Contain here = retain. Note the infinitive. 203. Lacked modesty [to such an extent] as to urge [= "de- mand" ; cf IV, i, 313] a thing held as sacred. 208. Of course, Doctor of Civil Law. 218. This "kenning," of which Shakspere is fond, was quaintly used — mainly for the sun— by Anglo-Saxon poets : Goal's candle, heaven-candle, world-candle, day-candle, joy-candle of man ; in one instance, however, a star is called heaven-candle. 235. Double, full of duplicity. 259. Wealth, weal, prosperity. 260. Which refers to the lending, not to wealth. 144 MERCHANT OF VENICE [Act V. 279. Your rich argosies are unexpectedly come to port. 288. Cf. Ill, ii, 157. 298 ff. See Allen's explanation, Variorum, p. 267 : "You are not satisfied [but would like to know of these events] at full." 300. Inter 'gatories. See Clarendon's quotation from Lord Camp- bell : "In the Court of Queen's Bench, when a complaint is made against a person for a ' contempt,' the practice is that before sentence is finally pronounced he is sent into the Crown Office, and being there 'charged upon interrogatories,' he is made to swear that he will answer all things faithfully." Longmans' English Classics. LONGMANS' ENGLISH CLASSICS EDITED BY GEORGE RICE CARPENTER, A.B., Professor of Rhetoric and English Composition in Columbia College. This series is designed for use in secondary schools in accordance with the system of study recommended and outlined by the National Committee of Ten, and in direct preparation for the uniform entrance requirements in Eng- lish, now adopted by the principal American colleges and universities. Each Volume contains full Notes, Introductions, Bibliographies, and other explanatory and illustrative matter. Crown 8vo, cloth. Books Prescribed for the 1896 Examinations, FOR READING. Irving's Tales of a Traveller. With an introduction by Professor Brander Matthews, of Columbia College, and explan- atory notes by the general editor of the series. With Portrait of Irving. [Ready. George Eliot's Silas Marner. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Robert Herrick, A.B., Assistant Professor of Rhetoric in the University of Chicago. With Portrait of George Eliot. [Ready. Scott's WOODSTOCK. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Bliss Perry, A.M., Professor of Oratory and ^Esthetic Criticism in the College of New Jersey. With Portrait of Sir Walter Scott. [Ready. LONGMANS' ENGLISH CLASSICS Books Prescribed for i8g6 — Continued. Defoe's History of the Plague in London. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Professor G. R. Carpenter, of Columbia College. With Portrait of Defoe. [Ready. Macaulay's Essay on Milton. Edited, with introduction and notes, by James Greenleaf Croswell, A.B., Head-master of the Brearley School, New York, formerly Assistant Professor of Greek in Harvard University. With Portrait of Macaulay. {Ready. Shakspere's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Edited, with introduction and notes, by George Pierce Baker, A.B., Assistant Professor of English in Harvard University. With Frontispiece. [ Just Ready. FOR STUDY. Webster's First Bunker Hill Oration, together with other Addresses relating to the Revolution. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Fred Newton Scott, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Rhetoric in the University of Michigan. With Portrait of Daniel Webster. {Ready. Shakspere's Merchant of Venice. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Francis B. Gummere, Ph.D., Professor of English in Haverford College , Member of the Conference on English of the National Committee of Ten. With Portrait. [ Just Ready. Milton's L'Allegro, II Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas. Edited, with introductions and notes, by William P. Trent, A.M., Professor of English in the University of the South. With Portrait of Milton. {Ready. ' ' I take great pleasure in acknowledging, if I have not waited too long, the receipt of the two beautiful volumes in your English Classics, Irving's ' Tales of a Traveller' and George Eliot's ' Silas Marner,' and in thanking you for them. They are not only thoroughly well edited, but excellent specimens of book-making, such books as a student may take pleasure in having, not merely for a task book but for a permanent possession. It is a wise project on your part, I think, to accustom young students to value books for their intrinsic worth, and that by the practical way of making the books good and attractive. I shall take great pleasure, as occasion arises, to recommend the series." — Prof. John F. Genung, Amherst College. LONGMANS' ENGLISH CLASSICS " You are to be congratulated upon the excellence of the series of English Classics which you are now publishing-, if I may judge of it by the three numbers I have examined. ... Of these, the intro- ductions, the suggestions to teachers, the chronological tables, and the notes are most admirable in design and execution. The editor-in-chief and his associates have rendered a distinct service to secondary schools, and the publishers have done superior mechanical work in the issue of this series." — Charles C. Ramsay, Principal of Durfee High School, Fall River, Mass. "With the two (volumes) I have already acknowledged and these four, I find myself increasingly pleased as I examine. As a series the books have two strong points: there is a unity of method in editing that I have seen in no other series; the books are freer from objections in regard to the amount and kind of editing than any other series I know." — Byron Groce, Master in English, Boston Latin School. "I am your debtor for two specimens of your series of English Classics, designed for secondary schools in preparation for entrance examinations to college. With their clear type, good paper, sober and attractive binding — good enough for any library shelves — with their introductions, suggestions to teachers, and notes at the bottom of the pages, I do not see how much more could be desired." —Prof. D. L. Maulsby, Tufts College. "Admirably adapted to accomplish what you intend — to interest young persons in thoughtful reading of noble literature. The help given seems just what is needed; its generosity is not of the sort to make the young student unable to help himself. I am greatly pleased with the plan and with its execution." — Prof. C. B. Bradley, University of California; Member of English Conference of the National Committee of Ten. " Let me thank you for four more volumes of your excellent series of English Classics. ... As specimens of book-making they are among the most attractive books I have ever seen for school use; and the careful editing supplies just enough information to stimulate a young reader. I hope that the series may soon be completed and be widely used." — Prof. W. E. Mead, Wesleyan University. "The series is admirably planned, the ' Suggestions to Teachers' being a peculiarly valuable feature. I welcome all books looking toward better English teaching in the secondary schools." — Prof. Katherine Lee Bates, Wellesley College. " They are thoroughly edited and attractively presented, and cannot fail to be welcome when used for the college entrance requirements in English." — Prof. Charles F. Richardson, Dartmouth College. LONGMANS' ENGLISH CLASSICS Irving's ' Tales of a Traveller.' " I feel bound to say that, if the series of English Classics is carried out after the plan of this initial volume, it will contribute much toward making the study of literature a pure delight." — Prof. A. G. Newcomer, Leland Stanford Jr. University. " I have looked through the first volume of your English Classics, Irving's ' Tales of a Traveller,' and do not see how literature could be made more attractive to the secondary schools." — Prof. Edward A. Allen, University of Missouri ; Member of the English Conference of the National Committee of Ten. " I have received your Irving's ' Tales of a Traveller' and examined it with much pleasure. The helpful suggestions to teachers, the judicious notes, the careful editing, and the substantial binding make it the most desirable volume for class use on the subject, that has come to> my notice." — Edwin Cornell, Principal of Central Valley Union School, N. Y. George Eliot's ■ Silas Marner.' "This book is really attractive and inviting. The introduction, particularly the suggestions to pupils and teachers, is a piece of real helpfulness and wisdom." — D. E. Bowman, Principal of High School, Waterville, Me. "The edition of 'Silas Marner' recently sent out by you leaves nothing undone. I find the book handsome, the notes sensible and clear. I'm glad to see a book so well adapted to High School needs, and I shall recommend it, without reserve, as a safe and clean book to put before our pupils." — James W. McLane, Central High School, Cleveland, O. Scott's ' Woodstock.' " Scott's ' Woodstock,' edited by Professor Bliss Perry, deepens the impression made by the earlier numbers that this series, Longmans' English Classics, is one of unusual excellence in the editing, and will prove a valuable auxiliary in the reform of English teaching now generally in progress. . . . We have, in addition to the unabridged text of the novel, a careful editorial introduction ; the author's intro- duction, preface and notes ; a reprint of ' The Just Devil of Woodstock'; and such foot-notes as the student will need as he turns from page tO' page. Besides all this apparatus, many of the chapters have appended a few suggestive hints for character-study, collateral reading and dis- cussions of the art of fiction. All this matter is so skillfully distributed that it does not weigh upon the conscience, and is not likely to make the LONGMANS' ENGLISH CLASSICS -student forget that he is, after all, reading a novel chiefly for the pleasure it affords. The entire aim of this volume and its companions is literary rather than historical or linguistic, and in this fact their chief value is to be found." — The Dial. ' ' I heartily approve of the manner in which the editor's work has been done. This book, if properly used by the teacher and supple- mented by the work so clearly suggested in the notes, may be made of great value to students, not only as literature but as affording oppor- tunity for historical research and exercise in composition." — Lillian G. Kimball, State Normal School, Oshkosh, Wis. 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LONGMANS' ENGLISH CLASSICS " I beg to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of Macaulay's ' Essay on Milton ' and Webster's ' First Bunker Hill Oration ' in your series of English Classics. These works for preparatory study are nowhere better edited or presented in more artistic form. I am glad you find it possible to publish so good a book for so little money." — Prof. W. H. Crawshaw, Colgate University. " I am especially pleased with Mr. Croswell's introduction to, and notes at the bottom of the page of, his edition of Macaulay's ' Essay on Milton.' I have never seen notes on a text that were more admirable than these. They contain just the information proper to impart, and are unusually well expressed. — Charles C. Ramsay, Principal of Fall River High School. Webster's 'First Bunker Hill Oration,' Etc. " Permit me to acknowledge with gratitude the receipt of Dr. Scott's edition of Webster's ' First Bunker Hill Oration ' and other addresses re- lating to the Revolution. I am greatly pleased with the volume, both in its externals and in the judicious helps that accompany the text. A faithful use of the suggestions herein offered would certainly make for genuine culture." — Ray Greene Huling, Principal of English High School, Cambridge, Mass.; Secretary of the New England Association of Colleges and Preparatory Schools; Member of the History Conference of the National Committee of Ten. " ' First Bunker Hill Oration ' and the ' Essay on Milton ' seem in every way to be the handsomest and best edited edition on the market." — Theodore C. Mitchell, Secretary of the Schoolmasters' Association of New York and Vicinity. Books Prescribed for the i8gy Examinations. FOR READING. Shakspere's As You Like It. With an introduction by Barrett Wendell, A.B., Assistant Professor of English in Harvard University, and notes by William Lyon Phelps, Ph.D., Instructor in English Literature in Yale University. [Ready. Defoe's History of the Plague in London. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Professor G. R. Carpenter, of Columbia College. With Portrait of Defoe. [Ready. Irving's Tales of a Traveller. With an introduction by Professor Brander Matthews, of Columbia College, and explan- atory notes by the general editor of the series. With Portrait of Irving. [Ready. LONGMANS' ENGLISH CLASSICS Books Prescribed for 18Q7— Continued. — --George Eliot's Silas Marner. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Robert Herrick, A.B., Assistant Professor of Rhetoric in the University of Chicago. With Portrait of George Eliot. [Ready. FOR STUDY. Shakspere's Merchant of Venice. Edited, with introduction ^ and notes, by Francis B. Gummere, Ph.D., Professor of English in Haverford College; Member of the Conference on English of the National Committee of Ten. With Portrait. [Just Ready. Burke's Speech on Conciliation with America. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Albert S. Cook, Ph.D., Professor of the English Language and Literature in Yale University. With Portrait of Burke. [Preparing. SCOTT'S Marmion. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Robert Morss Lovett, A.B., Instructor in Rhetoric in the University of Chicago. With Portrait of Sir Walter Scott. [Preparing. Macaulay's Life of Samuel Johnson. Edited, with intro- duction and notes, by the Rev. Huber Gray Buehler, of the Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, Conn. With Portrait of Johnson. [In the Press. Books Prescribed for the 1898 Examinations, FOR READING. Milton's Paradise Lost. Books I. and II. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Edward Everett Hale, Jr., Ph.D., Professor of Rhetoric and Logic in Union College. With Portrait of Milton. [Preparing. Pope's Homer's Iliad. Books I., VI., XXII., and XXIV. Edited, with introduction and notes, by William H. Maxwell, A.M., Superintendent of Public Instruction, Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Chairman National Committee of Fifteen ; Member of English Conference of the National Committee of Ten. With Portrait of Pope. [Preparing. LONGMANS? ENGLISH CLASSICS Books Prescribed for i8g8 — Continued. The Sir Roger de Coverley Papers, from "The Spectator." Edited, with introduction and notes, by D. O. S. Lowell, A.M., of the Roxbury Latin School, Roxbury, Mass. With Portrait of Addison. [In the Press. Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield. Edited, with intro- duction and notes, by Mary A. Jordan, A.M., Professor of Rhetoric and Old English in Smith College. With Portrait of Goldsmith. [Preparing. Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Herbert Bates, A.B., Instructor in English in the University of Nebraska. With Portrait of Coleridge. [Ready. Southey's Life of Nelson. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Edwin L. Miller, A.M., of the Englewood High School, Illinois. With Portrait of Nelson. [In the Press. Carlyle's Essay on Burns. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Wilson Farrand, A.M., Associate Principal of the Newark Academy, Newark, N. J. With Portrait of Burns. [In the Press. FOR STUDY. Shakspere's Macbeth. Edited, with introduction and notes, - by John Matthews Manly, Ph.D., Professor of the English Language in Brown University. With Portrait. [Preparing. Burke's Speech on Conciliation with America. Edited, with introduction and notes, by Albert S. Cook, Ph.D., Pro- fessor of the English Language and Literature in Yale University. With Portrait of Burke. [Preparing. De Ouincey's Flight of a Tartar Tribe. Edited, with intro- duction and notes, by Charles Sears Baldwin, Ph.D., Instructor in Rhetoric in Yale University. With Portrait of De Quincey. [Preparing. \* Other Volumes to follow. LONGMANS' ENGLISH CLASSICS It has been the aim of the publishers to secure editors of high reputation for scholarship, experience, and skill, and to provide a series thoroughly adapted, by uniformity of plan and thoroughness of execution, to present educa- tional needs. The chief distinguishing features of the series are the following : i. Each volume contains full ''Suggestions for Teach- ers and Students," with bibliographies, and, in many cases, lists of topics recommended for further reading or study, subjects for themes and compositions, specimen examination papers, etc. It is therefore hoped that the series will contribute largely to the working out of sound methods in teaching English. 2. The works prescribed for reading are treated, in every case, as literature, not as texts for narrow linguistic study, and edited with a view to interesting the student in the book in question both in itself and as representative of a literary type or of a period of literature, and of leading him on to read other standard works of the same age or kind understanding^ and appreciatively. 3. These editions are not issued anonymously, nor are they hackwork, — the result of mere compilation. They are the original work of scholars and men of letters who are conversant with the topics of which they treat. 4. Colleges and preparatory schools are both repre- sented in the list of editors (the preparatory schools more prominently in the lists for 1897 and 1898), and it is in- tended that the series shall exemplify the ripest methods of American scholars for the teaching of English — the result in some cases of years of actual experience in secondary school work, and, in others, the formulation of the experience acquired by professors who observe care- fully the needs of students who present themselves for admission to college. 5. The volumes are uniform in size and style, are well printed and bound, and constitute a well-edited set of standard works, fit for permanent use and possession — a nucleus for a library of English literature. LONGMANS, GREEN, &> CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. " ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS. By Beverley E. Warner, M.A. With Bibliography, Chronological Tables, and Index. Crown 8vo, 331 pages, $1.75. This volume had its origin in a course of lectures on the study of history as illustrated in the plays of Shakespeare. The lectures have been recast, pruned, and amplified, and much machinery has been added in the way of tables of contents, bibliography, chronological tables, and index. With such helps it is hoped that this book may effect a working partnership between the chronicle of the formal historian and the epic of the dramatic poet. They are addressed especially to those readers and students of English History who may not have discovered what an aid to the understanding of certain important phases of England's national development lies in these historical plays, which cover a period of three hundred years — from King John and Magna Charta to Henry VIII. and the Reformation. " This unique book should be generally and carefully read. As a commen- tary upon the history in Shakespeare's plays, it is highly interesting ; while the views of English History, shown through the medium of the great poet, are admirable. After reading the work, one should be a far more appreciative student of English History, and a more interested reader of Shakespeare.'' ■ — Public Opinion, New York. " The work has been well done, and the volume will be a valuable aid to students, particularly the younger ones, and to the average reader, in connec- tion with this interesting group of plays." — Literary World, Boston. " Mr. Warner's book is thoroughly interesting, and really valuable. It calls special attention to the genuine historical value of the plays which he examines, whether they be genuine histories or not.'' — The Churchman. " To read Mr. Warner's learned and interesting pages is to come back to Shakespeare with a new appieciation." — Book Buyer. " Mr. Warner's book is full of suggestion gathered not merely from Shakespeare, but from the chronicles which he used and from the efforts of modern historians to restore the life of the period to which the plays relate." — Tribune, New York. " We take much pleasure in commending this volume to readers and stu- dents of the great dramatist. It presents in a systematic, intelligent, and verv useful order a large amount of critical information as to the historical plays which adds enormously to their interest, and which without this aid can be obtained only at the cost of much searching of publications not easy to be had, such as the ' New Shakespeare Society's Transactions,' or T. P. Courtenay" a 1 Commentaries on the Historical Plays of Shakespeare.' This labor and much more in the way of the direct study of the dramas, and of the obscure and diffi- cult history with which they are concerned, has been done by the author of this volume, and its results presented in a clear, condensed, and highly interesting form, which we have found to be so satisfactory as to be practically indispensa- ble in a small working Shakespearian library." — Independent, New York. " What the chronicle plays of Shakespeare have accomplished as a contribu- tion to the understanding of English history is clearly set forth in Mr. Warner's solidly excellent book." — Chatauquan. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 15 East Sixteenth Street, New York. L ONGMA NS 3 GREEN, &> CO.'S PL ~BLICA TIONS. PLAYS OF SHAKESPEARE. Falcon Edition. The following volumes, each with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary, are now ready. Price 35 cents each play : Julius Caesar. By H. C. Beech- ing, Rector of Yattendon, and late Exhibitioner of Balliol College, Oxford. The Merchant of Venice. By H. C. Beeching. King Henry IV. Part I. By Oliver Elton, late Scholar of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. King Henry IV. Part II. By A. D. Innes, M.A., late Scholar of Oriel College, Oxford. King Henry V. By A. D. Innes, M.A. King John. By Oliver Elton. Twelfth Night. By H. Howard Crawley. King Richard III. By W. H. Payne Smith, M.A., Senior Stu- dent of Christ Church, Oxford ; and Assistant Master at Rugby School. Much Ado About Nothing. By A. W. Verity, M. A., late Scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge. Coriolanus. By H. C. Beeching. Taming of the Shrew. By H H. Crawley. King Richard II. By E. K. Chambers, B.A. The Tempest. By A. C. Liddell, M.A. *** " yulius Ccesar" is prescribed for the entrance examinations of 1894, if Twelfth Night" for 1895, and the " Merchant of Venice" for 1894, 1895, and 1896, at Harvard and other imiversitics and colleges. " The only school edition of Shakespeare's plays, so far as I know, the notes of which are aesthetic rather than linguistic, stimulant rather than dispiriting, is that called 'the Falcon.' From 'The Taming of the Shrew' in this edition, for example, a student could learn the use of the gallery over the stage, and so might get his eyes opened a little to the physical conditions of the theatre un- der Elizabeth — conditions which dominate the form of the Elizabethan drama." — Prof. Brander Matthews, in the Educational Review, April, 1892. " The ' Falcon' Edition has earned a reputation for scholarship, taste, and judgment. The notes are in all cases excellent. Everything that is likely to present any difficulty is explained clearly, accurately, and not verbosely ; and familiarity is shown both with the writings of the Elizabethans and with the Shakespearean scholarship of to-day." — Jotirnal of Education. "A particularly pure text, with introductory remarks, glossaries, and notes of an excellence for which this edition is renowned." — Educational Times. " An edition now well known among teachers and students, and which offers much instruction and enjoyment to the thoughtful reader. The editing is char- acterized by conscientious care, judgment, and skill." — Schoolmaster. " Mr. Beeching's Julius Cezsar is not only an excellent school-book, but a model of good Shakespeare editing for all readers ; and his Merchant of Venice is no less." — Academy. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 15 East Sixteenth Street, New York. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.' S PUBLICATIONS, EPOCHS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. MESSRS. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO. have the pleasure to state that they are now publishing a short series of books treating of the history of America, under the general title Epochs of American History. The series is under the editorship of Dr. Albert Bushnell Hart, Assistant Professor of History in Harvard College, who has also prepared all the maps for the several volumes. Each volume contains about 300 pages, similar in size and style to the page of the volumes in Messrs. Longmans' series, ' Epochs of Modern History,' with full marginal analysis, working bibliogra- phies, maps, and index. The volumes are issued separately, and each is complete in itself. The volumes now ready provide a continuous history of the United States from the foundation of the Colonies to the present time, suited to and intended for class use as well as for general reading and reference. * # * The volumes of this series already issued have been adopted for use as text- books in nearly all the leading Colleges and in many Normal Schools and other institutions. A prospectus, showing Contents and scope of each volume, specimen pages, etc. , will be sent on application to the Publishers. I. THE COLONIES, 1492-1750. By Reuben Gold Thvvaites, Secretary of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin ; author of " Historic Waterways," etc. With four colored maps. pp. xviii.-30i. Cloth. $1.25. CORNELL UNIVERSITY. 11 1 beg leave to acknowledge your courtesy in sending me a copy of the first volume in the series of ' Epochs of American History,' which I have read with great interest and satisfaction. I am pleased, as everyone must be, with the mechanical execution of the book, with the maps, and with the fresh and valua- ble 'Suggestions' and 'References.' .... The work itself appears to me to be quite remarkable for its comprehensiveness, and it presents a vast array of subjects in a way that is admirably fair, clear and orderly." — Professor Moses Coit Tyler, Ithaca, N. Y. WILLIAMS COLLEGE. " It is just the book needed for college students, not too brief to be uninter- esting, admirable in its plan, and well furnished with references to accessible authorities." — Professor Richard A. Rice, Williamstown, Mass. VASSAR COLLEGE. " Perhaps the best recommendation of ' Thwaites' American Colonies ' is the fact that the day after it was received I ordered copies for class-room use. The book is admirable." — Professor Lucy M. Salmon, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. " All that could be desired. This volume is more like a fair treatment of the whole subject of the colonies than any work of the sort yet produced.'* — The Critic. " The subject is virtually a fresh one as approached by Mr. Thwaites. It is a pleasure to call especial attention to some most helpful bibliographical notes provided at the head of each chapter.'' — The Nation. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 91-93 Fifth Avenue, New York. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO: S PUBLICATIONS. EPOCHS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. II. FORMATION OF THE UNION, 1750-1829. By Albert Bushnell Hart, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of History in Harvard University, Member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Author of "Introduction to the Study of Federal Government," "Epoch Maps," etc. With five colored maps. pp. XX.-278. Cloth, $1.25. The second volume of the Epochs of American History aims to follow out the principles laid down for "The Colonies," — the study of causes rather than of events, the development of the American nation out of scattered and inharmonious colonies. The throwing off of English control, the growth out of narrow political conditions, the struggle against foreign domination, and the extension of popular government, are all parts of the uninterrupted process of the Formation of the Union. LELAND STANFORD JR. UNIVERSITY. *' The large and sweeping treatment of the subject, which shows the true re- lations of the events preceding and following the revolution, to the revolution itself, is a real addition to the literature of the subject ; while the bibliography prefixed to each chapter, adds incalculably to the value of the work." — Mary Sheldon Barnes, Palo Alto, Cal. " It is a careful and conscientious study of the period and its events, and should find a place among the text-books of our public schools." — Boston Transcript. " Professor Hart has compressed a vast deal of information into his volume, and makes many things most clear and striking. His maps, showing the terri- torial growth of the United States, are extremely interesting." — New York Times. " . . The causes of the Revolution are clearly and cleverly condensed into a few pages. . . The maps in the work are singularly useful even to adults. There are five of these, which are alone worth the price of the volume." — Magazine 0/ American History. "The formation period of our nation is treated with much care and with great precision. Each chapter is prefaced with copious references to authori- ties, which are valuable to the student who desires to pursue his reading more extensively. There are five valuable maps showing the growth of our country by successive stages and repeated acquisition of territory." — Boston Advertiser. "Dr. Hart is not only a master of the art of condensation, . . . he is what is even of greater importance, an interpreter of history. He perceives the logic of historic events ; hence, in his condensation, he does not neglect proportion, and more than once he gives the student valuable clues to the solution of historical problems." — Atlantic Monthly. " A valuable volume of a valuable series. The author has written with a full knowledge of his subject, and we have little to say except in praise." — English Historical Review. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 91-93 Fifth Avenue, New York. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. EPOCHS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. III. DIVISION AND RE-UNION, i82g-i88g. By Woodrow Wilson, Ph.D., LL.D., Professor of Jurisprudence in Princeton College ; Author of "Congressional Government," "The State — Elements of Historical and Practical Politics," etc., etc. With five colored Maps. 346 pages. Cloth, $1.25. " We regret that we have not space for more quotations from this uncom monly strong, impartial, interesting book. Giving only enough facts to elucidate the matter discussed, it omits no important questions. It furnishes the reader clear-cut views of the right and the wrong of them all. It gives ad- mirable pen-portraits of the great personages of the period with as much free- dom from bias, and as much pains to be just, as if the author were delineating Pericles, or Alcibiades, Sulla, or Caesar. Dr. Wilson has earned the gratitude of seekers after truth by his masterly production."— N. C. University Magazine. " This admirable little volume is one of the few books which nearly meet our ideal of history. It is causal history in the truest sense, tracing the workings of latent influences and far-reaching conditions of their outcome in striking tact, yet the whole current of events is kept in view, and the great personalities of the time, the nerve-centers of history, live intensely and in due proportion in these pages. We do not know the equal of this book for a brief and trust- worthy, and, at the same time, a brilliantly written and sufficient history of these sixty years. We heartily commend it, not only for general reading, but as an admirable text-book." — Post- Graduate and Wooster Quarterly. " Considered as a general history of the United States from 1829 to 1889, his book is marked by excellent sense of proportion, extensive knowledge, im- partiality of judgment, unusual power of summarizing, and an acute political sense. Few writers can more vividly set forth the views of parties." — Atlantic Monthly. " Students of United States history may thank Mr. Wilson for an extreme- ly clear and careful rendering of a period very difficult to handle . . . they will find themselves materially aided in easy comprehension of the political situation of the country by the excellent maps." — N. Y Times. " Professor Wilson writes in a clear and forcible style. . . . The bibli- ographical references at the head of each chapter are both well selected and well arranged, and add greatly to the value of the work, which appears to be especially designed for use in instruction in colleges and preparatory schools." — Yale Review. " It is written in a style admirably clear, vigorous, and attractive, a thorough grasp of the subject is shown, and the development of the theme is lucid and orderly, while the tone is judicial and fair, and the deductions sensible and dispassionate — so far as we can see. ... It would be difficult to construct a better manual of the subject than this, and it adds greatly to the value of this useful series." — Hartford Courant. ". . . One of the most valuable historical works that has appeared in many years. The delicate period of our country's history, with which this work is largely taken up, is treated by the author with an impartiality that is almost unique." — Columbia Law Times. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 91-93 Fifth Avenue, New York. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. ENGLISH HISTORY FOR AMERICANS. By Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Author of "Young Folks' His- tory of the United States," etc., and Edward Channing, Assistant Professor of History in Harvard University. With 77 Illustrations, 6 Colored Maps, Bibliography, a Chronological Table of Contents, and Index. i2mo. Pp. xxxii-334. Teachers' price, $1.20. The name " English History for Americans," which suggests the key-note of this book, is based on the simple fact that it is not the practice of American readers, old or young, to give to English history more than a limited portion of their hours of study. ... It seems clear that such readers will use their time to the best advantage if they devote it mainly to those events in English annals which have had the most direct influence on the history and institutions of their own land. . . . The authors of this book have therefore boldly ventured to modify in their narrative the accustomed scale of proportion ; while it has been their wish, in the treatment of every detail, to accept the best re- sult of modern English investigation, and especially to avoid all unfair or one-sided judgments. . . . Extracts Jrom Author's Preface. DR. W. T. HARRIS, U. S. COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION. " I take great pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of the book, and be- lieve it to be the best introduction to English history hitherto made for the use of schools. It is just what is needed in the school'and in the family. It is the first history of England that I have seen which gives proper attention to socio- logy and the evolution of political ideas, without neglecting what is picturesque and interesting to the popular taste. 1 he device of placing the four historical maps at the beginning and end deserves special mention for its convenience. Allow me to congratulate you on the publication of so excellent a text-book.'* ROXBURY LATIN SCHOOL. ". . . The most noticeable and commendable feature in the book seems to be its Unity. ... I felt the same reluctance to lay the volume down . . . that one experiences in reading a great play or a well-constructed novel. Several things besides the unity conspire thus seductively to lead the reader on. The page is open and attractive, the chapters are short, the type is large and clear, the pictures are well chosen and significant, a surprising number of anecdotes told in a crisp and masterful manner throw valuable side- lights on the main narrative ; the philosophy of history is undeniably there, but sugar-coated, and the graceful style would do credit to a Macaulay. I shall immediately recommend it for use in our school." — Dr. D. O. S. Lowell. LAWRENCEVILLE SCHOOL. 4t In answer to your note of February 23d I beg to say that we have intro- duced your Higginson's English History into our graduating class and are much pleased with it. Therefore whatever endorsement I, as a member of the Committee of Ten, could give the book has already been given by my action in placing it in our classes."— James C. Mackenzie, Lawrenceville, N. J. ANN ARBOR HIGH SCHOOL. " It seems to me the book will do for English history in this country what the ' Young Folks' History of the United States ' has done for the history of our own country — and I consider this high praise." — T. G. Pattengill, Ann Arbor, Mich. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 91-93 Fifth Avenue, New York. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO/S PUBLICATIONS. A STUDENT'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND, from the Earliest Times to 1885. By Samuel Rawson Gardiner, M.A., LL.D., Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, etc.; Author of "The History of England from the Accession of James I. to 1642," etc. Illustrated under the superintend- ence of Mr. W. H. St. John Hope, Assistant Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries, and with the assistance in the choice of Portraits of Mr. George Scharf, C.B., F.S.A., who is recognized as the highest authority on the subject. In one Volume, with 378 Illustrations and full Index. Crown 8vo, cloth, plain, $3.00. The book is also published in three Volumes (each with Index and Table of Contents) as follows : VOLUME I.— B.C. 55-A.D. 1509. 410 pp. With 173 Illustrations and Index. Crown 8vo, $1.20. VOLUME II.— A.D. 1509-1689. 332 pp. With 96 Illustrations and Index. Crown 8vo, $1.20. VOLUME III.— A.D. 1689-1885. 374 pp. With 109 Illustrations and Index. Crown 8vo, $1.20. V Gardiner's "Student's History of England," through Part IX. (to 1789), is recommended hy HARVARD UNIVERSITY as indicating the requirements for admission in this subject ; and the ENTIRE work ie mads the basis for English history study in the University. YALE UNIVERSITY. " Gardiner's ' Student's History of England ' seems to me an admirable short history.''— Prof. C. H. Smith, New Haven, Conn. TRINITY COLLEGE, HARTFORD. 41 It is, in my opinion, by far the best advanced school history of England that I have ever seen. It is clear, concise, and scientific, and, at the same time, attractive and interesting. The illustrations are very good and a valuable addition to the book, as they are not mere pretty pictures, but of real historical and archaeological interest." — Prof. Henry Ferguson. "A unique feature consists of the very numerous illustrations. They throw light on almost every phase of English life in all ages. . . . Never, perhaps, in such a treatise has pictorial illustration been used with so good effect. The alert teacher will find here ample material for useful lessons by leading the pupil to draw the proper inferences and make the proper interpre- tations and comparisons. . . . The style is compact, vigorous, and inter- esting. There is no lack of precision ; and, in the selection of the details, the hand of the scholar thoroughly conversant with the source and with the results of recent criticism is plainly revealed." — The Nation, N. Y. " . . . It is illustrated by pictures of real value ; and when accompanied by the companion ' Atlas of English History' is all that need be desired for its special purpose." — The Churchman, N. Y. """**;4 prospectus and specimen pages of Gardiner* s u Student's History of England'''' will be sent free on application to the publishers. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 15 East Sixteenth Street, New York. LONGMANS, GREEN, &» CO: S PUBLICATIONS. LONGMANS' SCHOOL GRAMMAR. By David Salmon. Part I„, Parts of Speech ; Part II., Classification and Inflection ; Part III., Analysis of Sentences ; Part IV., History and Derivation. With Notes for Teachers and Index. New Edition, Revised. With Preface by E. A. Allen, Professor of English in the University of Missouri. i2mo. 272 pages. 75 cents. " . . . One of the best working grammars we have ever seen, and this applies to all its parts. It is excellently arranged and perfectly graded. Part IV., on History and Derivation, is as beautiful and interesting as it is valuable — but this might be said of the whole book."— New York Teacher. " The Grammar deserves to supersede all others with which we are ac- quainted." — N. Y. Nation, July 2, 1891. PREFACE TO AMERICAN EDITION. It seems to be generally conceded that English grammar is worse taught and less understood than any other subject in the school course. This is, doubtless, largely due to the kind of text-books used, which, for the most part, require methods that violate the laws of pedagogy as well as of language. There are, however, two or three English grammars that are admirable com- mentaries on the facts of the language, but, written from the point of view of the scholar rather than of the learner, they fail to awaken any interest in the subject, and hence are not serviceable for the class-room. My attention was first called to Longmans' School Grammar by a favorable notice of it in the Nation. In hope of finding an answer to the inquiry of numerous teachers for *' the best school grammar," I sent to the Publishers for a copy. An examination of the work, so far from resulting in the usual dis- appointment, left the impression that a successful text-book in a field strewn with failures had at last been produced. For the practical test of the class- room, I placed it in the hands of an accomplished grammarian, who had tried several of the best grammars published, and he declares the results to be most satisfactory. The author's simplicity of method, the clear statement of facts, the orderly arrangement, the wise restraint, manifest on every page, reveal the scholar and practical teacher. No one who had not mastered the language in its early his- torical development could have prepared a school grammar so free from sense- less rules and endless details. The most striking feature, minimum of precept, maximum of example, will commend itself to all teachers who follow rational methods. In this edition, the Publishers have adapted the illustrative sentences to the ready comprehension of American pupils, and I take pleasure in recom- mending the book, in behalf of our mother tongue, to the teachers of our Pub- lic and Private Schools. Edward A Allen. University of Missouri, May, 1891. MR. HALE'S SCHOOL, BOSTON. " I have used your Grammar and Composition during the last year in my school, and like them both very much indeed. They are the best books of the kind I have ever seen, and supply a want I have felt for a good many years." — Albert Hale, Boston, Mass. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 15 East Sixteenth Street, New York. LONGMANS, GREEN, &> COS S PUBLICATIONS. LONGMANS' SCHOOL GRAMMAR.— OPINIONS. GIRLS' high school, boston, mass. *' When you put Longmans' School Grammar in my hands, some year or two ago, I used it a little while with a boy of nine years, with perfect satisfac- tion and approval. The exigencies of the boy's school arrangements inter- cepted that course in grammar and caused the book to be laid aside. To-day I have taken the book and have examined it all, from cover to cover. It is simply a perfect grammar. Its beginnings are made with utmost gentleness and reasonableness, and it goes at least quite as far as in any portion of our public schools course it is, for the present, desirable to think of going. The author has adjusted his book to the very best conceivable methods of teaching, and goes hand in hand with the instructor as a guide and a help. Grammar should, so taught, become a pleasure to teacher and pupil. Especially do I relish the author's pages of ' Notes for Teachers,' at the end of the book. The man who could write these notes should enlarge them into a monograph on the teaching of English Grammar. He would, thereby, add a valuable contribu- tion to our stock of available pedagogic helps. I must add in closing, that while the book in question has, of course, but small occasion to touch disputed points of English Grammar, it never incurs the censure that school grammars are almost sure to deserve, of insufficient acquaintance with modern linguistic science. In short, the writer has shown himself scientifically, as well as peda- gogically, altogether competent for his task." —Principal Samuel Thurber. high school, fort wayne, ind. " . . . . It is not often that one has occasion to be enthusiastic over a school-book, especially over an English Grammar, but out of pure enthusiasm, I write to express my grateful appreciation of this one. It is, without exception, the best English Grammar that I have ever seen for children from twelve to fifteen years of age. It is excellent in matter and method. Every page shows the hand of a wise and skilful teacher. The author has been content to present the facts of English Grammar in a way intelligible to children. The book is so intelligible and so interesting from start to finish that only the genius of dulness can make it dry. There are no definitions inconsistent with the facts of our language, no facts atwar with the definitions. There are other grammars that are more ''complete " and as correct in teaching, but not one to be compared with it in adaptation to the needs of young students. It will not chloroform the intelligence."— Principal C. T. Lane. HIGH SCHOOL, MINOOKA, ILL. " We introduced your School Grammar into our schools the first of this term, and are highly satisfied with the results. In my judgment there is no better work extant for the class of pupils for which it is designed." —Principal E. F. Adams. NEWARK ACADEMY, NEWARK, N. J. *' We are using with much satisfaction your Longmans' School Grammar, adopted for use in our classes over a year since. Its strong points are simplic- ity of arrangement, and abundance of examples for practice. In these par- ticulars I know of no other book equal to it." — Dr. S. A. Farrand. \* A Prospectus showing contents and specimen pages may be had of the Pub- lishers. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 15 East Sixteenth Street, New York. \ N - V ^