Had you been as wife as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old,
Your anfever had not been inferol'd':
Fare you well; your fuit is cold.

Mor. Cold, indeed; and labour loft Then, farewel, heat; and, welcome, froft.Portia, adieu! I have too griev'd a heart To take a tedious leave: thus lofers part.

[Exit.

Por. A gentle riddance:-Draw the curtains,

go;

Let all of his complexion chufe me fo7. [Exeunt.

SCENE VIII.

Venice.

Enter Salarino and Salanio.

Sal. Why man, I saw Baffanio under fail
With him is Gratiano gone along;

And in their fhip, I am fure, Lorenzo is not.
Sala. The villain' Jew with outcries rais'd the duke;
Who went with him to fearch Baffanio's fhip.

Sal. He came too late, the fhip was under fail;
But there the duke was given to understand,
That in a gondola were feen together
Lorenzo and his amorous Jeffica:

6 Your anfever had not been inferol'd:] Since there is an answer inferol'd or written in every casket, I believe for your we should read this. When the words were written y' and ys, the mistake was eafy. JOHNSON.

7 Chufe me fo.] The old quarto edition of 1600 has no diftribution of acts, but proceeds from the beginning to the end in an unbroken tenour. This play therefore having been probably divided without authority by the publishers of the first folio, lies open to a new regulation, if any more commodious divifion can be propofed. The ftory is itfelf fo wildly incredible, and the changes of the fcene fo frequent and capricious, that the proba bility of action does not deferve much care; yet it may be proper to obferve, that, by concluding the fecond act here, time is given for Baffanio's paffage to Belmont. JOHNSON.

Befides,

Befides, Anthonio certify'd the duke,
They were not with Baffanio in his ship.
Sala. I never heard a paffion fo confus'd,
So ftrange, outrageous, and fo variable,
As the dog Jew did utter in the streets:
My daughter!-O my ducats!-O my daughter!
Fled with a Chriftian ?—O my Christian ducats!—
fuftice! the law! my ducats, and my daughter!
A fealed bag, two fealed bags of ducats,

Of double ducats fol'n from me by my daughter!
And jewels; two fiones, two rich and precious ftones,
Stol'n by my daughter!--Fuftice! find the girl!
She hath the ftones upon her, and the ducats!

Sal. Why, all the boys in Venice follow him, Crying, his ftones, his daughter, and his ducats, Sala. Let good Anthonio look he keep his day: Or he fhall pay for this,

Sal. Marry, well remember'd:

I reafon'd with a Frenchman yesterday;
Who told me,-in the narrow feas, that part
The French and English, there mifcarried
A veffel of our country, richly fraught:
I thought upon Anthonio, when he told me;
And with'd in filence that it were not his,

Sala. You were beft to tell Anthonio what you hear;

Yet do not fuddenly, for it may grieve him.

Sal. A kinder gentleman treads not the earth.
I faw Baffanio and Anthonio part:

Baffanio told him, he would make fome fpeed
Of his return; he answer'd,- Do not sv,

* I reafon'd with a Frenchman yefterday ;] i. e. I converfed. So, in King John:

Our griefs, and not our manners reason now." Again, in Chapman's tranflation of the fourth book of the Odyley:

"The morning fhall yield time to you and me, "To do what fits, and reafon mutually." "See vol. i. p. 162. STEEVENS.

• Slubber

• Slubber not business for my fake, Bassanio,
But ftay the very riping of the time;
And for the few's bond, which he hath of me,
Let it not enter in your mind of love:
Be merry; and employ your chiefeft thoughts
To courtship, and fuch fair oftents of love
As fhall conveniently become you there:

And even there, his eye being big with tears,
Turning his face, he put his hand behind him,
And with affection wondrous fenfible

He wrung Baffanio's hand, and fo they parted.
Sala. I think, he only loves the world for him.
I pray thee, let us go, and find him out,
And quicken his embraced heaviness

With

9 Slubber not] To fubber is to do any thing carelefly, imperfectly. So, in Nath's Lenten Stuff, &c. 1599.

"they Лubber'd thee over fo negligently."

STEEVENS.

1-your mind of love:] So all the copies, but I fufpect fome corruption. JOHNSON.

This imaginary corruption is removed by only putting a com ma after mind. LANGTON.

Of love, is an adjuration fometimes used by Shakspeare. So, Merry Wives, act ii. fc. 7:

"Quick -defires you to fend her your little page, of all "loves" i. e. fhe defires you to fend him by all means.

Your mind of love may, however, in this inftance, mean-your loving mind. So, in the Tragedie of Cræfus, 1604: "A mind of treafon is a treasonable mind.

2

Those that speak freely, have no mind of treason.”
STEEVENS.

EMBRACED heaviness] This unmeaning epithet would

make me choose rather to read:

ENRACED heaviness,

from the French enraciner, accrefcere, inveterafcere. So, in

Much Ado about Nothing:

"I could not have owed her a more ROOTED love."

And, again, in Otbello:

"With one of an INGRAFT infirmity." WARBURTON. Of Dr. Warburton's correction it is only neceffary to observe, that it has produced a new word, which cannot be received without neceffity. When I thought the paffage corrupted, it seemed

to

Ner. Quick, quick, I pray thee, draw the curtain
ftraight;

The prince of Arragon hath ta'en his oath,
And comes to his election prefently.

Enter Arragon, his train; Portia with hers. Flourish of cornets.

Por. Behold, there ftand the cafkets, noble prince: If you chufe that wherein I am contain'd, Straight fhall our nuptial rites be folemniz'd; But if you fail, without more fpeech, my lord, You must be gone from hence immediately.

Ar. I am enjoin'd by oath to obferve three things: First, never to unfold to any one

Which cafket 'twas I chofe; next, if I fail
Of the right cafket, never in my life

To woo a maid in way of marriage; laftly
If I do fail in fortune of my choice,
Immediately to leave you and be gone.

Por. To thefe injunctions every one doth fwear, That comes to hazard for my worthless felf.

to me not improbable that Shakspeare had written entranced beaviness, mufing, abftracted, moping melancholy. But I know not why any great efforts fhould be made to change a word which has no uncommodious or unufual fenfe. We fay of a man now, that he hugs his forrows, and why might not Anthonio embrace beaviness? JOHNSON.

So, in Much Ado about Nothing, fc. i:

"You embrace your charge too willingly." Again, in this play of the Merchant of Venice, act iii. fc. 2:

66

doubtful thoughts and rafh-embrac'd defpair. STEEVENS.

Ar.

Ar. And fo have I addreft me: Fortune now To my heart's hope!-Gold, filver, and base lead. Who chufeth me, must give and hazard all he hath : You fhall look fairer, ere I give, or hazard. What fays the golden cheft? ha! let me fee :Who chufeth me, fhall gain what many men defire. What many men defire,- That many may be meant Of the fool multitude, that chufe by fhow, Not learning more than the fond eye doth teach; Which pries not to the interior, but, like the martlet Builds in the weather on the outward wall,. Even in the force and road of cafualty. I will not chufe what many men defire, Because I will not jump with common fpirits, And rank me with the barbarous multitudes. Why, then to thee, thou filver treasure-house; Tell me once more what title thou doft bear : Who chufeth me, fhall get as much as he deferves; And well faid too; For who fhall go about To cozen fortune, and be honourable Without the stamp of merit? Let none prefume To wear an undeferved dignity.

O, that estates, degrees, and offices,

Were not deriv'd corruptly! and that clear honour
Were purchas'd by the merit of the wearer!
How many then fhould cover, that ftand bare?
How many be commanded, that command?
How much low peafantry would then be gleaned

3 And fo have I addreft me:] To addrefs is to prepare. The meaning is, I have prepared myfelf by the fame ceremonies. STEEVENS.

I believe we should read:

"And fo have I. Addrefs me, Fortune, now,
"To my heart's hope!"

So, in the Merry Wives of Windfor, at iii. fcene the laft, Fal

Raff fays,

66 -I will then addrefs me to my appointment."

4-in the force] i. e. the power. STEEVEN.

TYRWHITT.

From