—apparent cruelly: That is, seeming cruelty; not real.
—where thou now where for whereas.
—I'll not answer that;
But, say, it is my humour; The Jew being asked a question
which the law does not require him to answer, stands upon his
right, and refuses; but afterwards gratifies his own malignity by
such answers as he knows will aggravate the pain of the enquirer.
I will not answer, says he, as to a legal or serious question, but,
since you want an answer, will this serve you?—JOHNSON.
—a gaping pig; By a gaping pig, Shakespeare, I believe,
meant a pig prepared for the table; for in that state is the epithet,
gaping, most applicable to this animal. So, in Fletcher's Elder
Brother—
"And they stand gaping like a roasted pig."
A passage in one of Nashe's pamphlets (which perhaps furnished our author with his instance), may serve to confirm the observation: "The causes conducting unto wrath are as diverse as the actions of a man's life. Some will take on like a madman, if they see a pig come to the table. Sotericus, the surgeon, was cholerick at the sight of sturgeon," &c. Pierce Pennylesse his Supplication to the Devil, 1592.—MALONE.
—question with the Jew.; To question is to converse.
Padua is the place of education for the civil law in Italy.
Cannot impugn you,; To impugn, is to oppose, to controvert.
You stand within his danger,; Id est, within his power—within his reach or control.
The quality of mercy is not strain'd; "Mercy is seasonable in the time of affliction, as clouds of rain in the time of drought." —Ecclesiasticus xxxv., 20.
—malice bears down truth.; Malice oppresses honesty. A true man in old language is an honest man.
—Barrabas; Shakespeare seems to have followed the pronunciation of the name of this robber usual to the Theatre, Barrabas being sounded Barabas throughout Marlowe's Jews of Malta.
Ay, for the state; That is, the state's moiety may be commuted for a fine, but not Antonio's.
The other half in use,; Let him have it at interest during the Jew's life, to render it on his death to Lorenzo.
thou should'st have had ten more,; Id est, a jury of twelve men, to condemn thee to be hanged.
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 overtaken: My lord Bassanio, upon more advice,[112] Hath sent you here this ring; and doth entreat Your company at dinner.
Por. That cannot be: This ring I do accept most thankfully, And so, I pray you, tell him: Furthermore, 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 ring,
[To PORTIA.
Which I did make him swear to keep for ever.
Por. Thou may'st, I warrant. We shall have old swearing,[113] That they did give the rings away to men; But we'll outface them, and outswear them, too. Away, make haste; thou know'st where I will tarry.
Ner. Come, good Sir, will you show me to this house?
[Exeunt.
END OF ACT FOURTH.
upon more advice,; Id est, upon more reflection.
old swearing; Of this once common augmentative in colloquial language there are various instances in our author.
(A) This scene represents the Sala dei Pregádi, or Hall of the Senators. In Venice the tribunal for criminal cases was composed of forty judges, ordinarily presided over by one of three selected from the Council of the Doge, and draughted for the most part, if not wholly, from the members of the Senate. The Doge, who on all occasions was attended by his particular officers, had the right of sitting in the councils, or on the tribunal. The authority for the six senators in red (in this scene) is taken from the picture at Hampton Court Palace, where the Doge of Venice, in state, is receiving Sir Henry Wootton, ambassador from James the First. The picture is by Odoardo Fialletti, better known as an engraver than as a painter, and who was living at Venice when Sir Henry Wootton was ambassador there.
(B) The first Doge, or Duke of Venice, was Paolo Luca Anafesto, elected A.D. 697, and the last was Luigi Manini, who yielded the city, which had just completed the eleventh century of its sway, to the victorious arms of Buonaparte, in 1797.
(C) We are not to imagine the word royal to be only a ranting, sounding epithet. It is used with great propriety, and shows the poet well acquainted with the history of the people whom he here brings upon the stage. For when the French and Venetians, in the beginning of the thirteenth century, had won Constantinople, the French, under the Emperor Henry, endeavoured to extend their conquests into the provinces of the Grecian Empire on the Terra firma; while the Venetians, who were masters of the sea, gave liberty to any subjects of the republic, who would fit out vessels, to make themselves masters of the isles of the Archipelago, and other maritime places; and to enjoy their conquests in sovereignty: only doing homage to the republic for their several principalities. By virtue of this licence, the Sanudi, the Justinianii, the Grimaldi, the Summaripi, and others, all Venetian merchants, erected principalities in several places of the Archipelago (which their descendants enjoyed for many generations), and thereby became truly and properly royal merchants, which, indeed was the title generally given them all over Europe. Hence, the most eminent of our own merchants (while publick spirit resided amongst them, and before it was aped by faction), were called royal merchants.—Warburton.
This epithet was in our poet's time more striking and better understood, because Gresham was then commonly dignified with the title of the royal merchant.—Johnson.
(D) This judgment is related by Gracian, the celebrated Spanish Jesuit, in his Hero, with a reflection at the conclusion of it;—
"The vivacity of that great Turke enters into competition with that of Solomon: a Jew pretended to cut an ounce of the flesh of a Christian upon a penalty of usury; he urged it to the Prince, with as much obstinacy, as perfidiousness towards God. The great Judge commanded a pair of scales to be brought, threatening the Jew with death if he cut either more or less: And this was to give a sharp decision to a malicious process, and to the world a miracle of subtilty."—The Hero, p. 24, &c.
Gregorio Leti, in his Life of Sixtus V., has a similar story. The papacy of Sixtus began in 1583. He died Aug. 29, 1590.—Steevens
Enter LORENZO and JESSICA.
Enter LANCELOT.
Lau. Sola, sola, we ha, ho, sola, sola.
Lor. Who calls?
Lau. Sola! Did you see master Lorenzo, and mistress Lorenzo? sola, sola
Lor. Leave holloing, man; here.
Lau. Sola! where? where?
Lor. Here.
Lau. 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.
Enter MUSICIANS.