man under whose patronage they acted. This caution was given two years before "The Merchant of Venice" actually came from the press we find it published in 1600, both by J. Roberts and by Thomas Heyes, in favour of the last of whom we meet with another entry in the Stationers' books, without any proviso, dated,—

"28 Oct., 1600, Tho. Haies.] The booke of the Merchant of Venyce."

By this time the "licence" of the Lord Chamberlain for printing the play had probably been obtained. At the bottom of the title-page of Roberts's edition of 1600, no place is stated where it was to be purchased it is merely, "Printed by J. Roberts, 1600;" while the imprint to the edition of Heyes informs us that it was "printed by I. R.," and that it was "to be sold in Pauls Church-yard," &c. I. R., the printer of the edition of Heyes, was, most likely, J. Roberts; but it is entirely a distinct impression to that which appeared in the same year with the name of Roberts. The edition of Roberts is, on the whole, to be preferred to that of Heyes; but the editors of the folio of 1623 indisputably employed that of Heyes, adopting various misprints, but inserting also several improvements of the text. These are pointed out in our notes in the course of the play. The similarity between the names of Salanio, Salarino, and Salerio, in the Dramatis Personæ, has led to some confusion of the speakers in all the copies, quarto and folio, which it has not always been found easy to set right.

"The Merchant of Venice was performed before James I., on Shrove-Sunday, and again on Shrove-Tuesday, 1605 hence we have a right to infer that it gave great satisfaction at court. The fact is thus recorded in the original account of expenses, made out by the Master of the Revels, and still preserved in the Audit Office :

"By his Matis Plaiers. On Shrovsunday a play of the Marchant of Venis."

"By his Matis Players. On Shrovtusday a play cauled the Martchant of Venis againe, commanded by the Kings Matie."

The name of Shaxberd, for Shakespeare, as "the poet which made the play," is added in the margin opposite both these entries. Notwithstanding the popularity of this drama before the closing of the theatres in 1642, it seems to have been so much forgotten soon after the Restoration, that in 1664, Thomas Jordan made a ballad out of the story of it in his "Royal Arbor of Loyal Poesie," and thought himself at liberty to pervert the original, by making the Jew's daughter the principal instrument of punishing her own father: at the trial, she takes the office which Shakespeare assigns to Portia.

Magnificoes of Venice, Officers of the Court of Justice, Jailors, Servants, and other Attendants.

sons.

SCENE, partly at Venice, and partly at Belmont.

In the old editions, in quarto and folio, there is no enumeration of the per-
It was first given by Rowe.

MERCHANT OF VENICE.

ACT I. SCENE I.

Venice. A Street.

Enter ANTONIO, SALARINO, and SALANIO.

Ant. In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.
It wearies me you say, it wearies you;
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,
I am to learn;

And such a want-wit sadness makes of me,
That I have much ado to know myself.

Salar. Your mind is tossing on the ocean,
There, where your argosies' with portly sail,
Like signiors and rich burghers on the flood,
Or, as it were, the pageants of the sea,
Do overpeer the petty traffickers,
That curt'sy to them, do them reverence,
As they fly by them with their woven wings.
Salan. Believe me, sir, had I such venture forth,
The better part of my affections would
Be with my hopes abroad. I should be still
Plucking the grass to know where sits the wind,
Peering in maps for ports, and piers, and roads;

1 There where your ARGOSIES] "Argosies" were large merchant vessels : the word is said by Steevens to be corrupted from Ragosies, or, ships of Ragusa, celebrated for their size and value; but Mr. Douce (Illustr. of Shakesp. I. 248) has more probably derived it from the classical ship Argo.

And every object that might make me fear
Misfortune to my ventures, out of doubt,
Would make me sad.

Salar.
My wind, cooling my broth,
Would blow me to an ague, when I thought
What harm a wind too great might do at sea.
I should not see the sandy hour-glass run,
But I should think of shallows and of flats,
And see my wealthy Andrew dock'd in sand',
Vailing her high top lower than her ribs,
To kiss her burial.

Should I go to church,

And see the holy edifice of stone,

And not bethink me straight of dangerous rocks,
Which touching but my gentle vessel's side,
Would scatter all her spices on the stream,
Enrobe the roaring waters with my silks,
And, in a word, but even now worth this,

And now worth nothing? Shall I have the thought
To think on this, and shall I lack the thought,
That such a thing bechanc'd would make me sad?
But, tell not me: I know, Antonio

Is sad to think upon his merchandize.

Ant. Believe me, no. I thank my fortune for it,
My ventures are not in one bottom trusted,
Nor to one place; nor is my whole estate
Upon the fortune of this present year:
Therefore, my merchandize makes me not sad.
Salan. Why, then you are in love*.

Ant.

Fie, fie! Salan. Not in love neither? Then let's say, you are sad, Because you are not merry; and 'twere as easy

2 And see my wealthy Andrew DOCK'D in sand,] We must take "Andrew" to be the name of a ship: for "dock'd in sand" all the old editions print "docks in sand." Possibly we might read, "my wealthy Andrew's decks in sand.”

3 VAILING her high top-] To rail means to bow, to lower, and sometimes to submit. Heywood, in his “Fair Maid of the West,” 1631 (not 1613 as quoted by Steevens), speaks of a carvel "vailing her top." See also note 9, p. 89.

4 WHY, then you are in love.] Roberts's 4to. omits "why," Heyes's 4to. and the folio have it as in the text.

For you to laugh, and leap, and say, you are merry,
Because you are not sad. Now, by two-headed Janus,
Nature hath fram'd strange fellows in her time:
Some that will evermore peep through their eyes,
And laugh, like parrots, at a bag-piper;
And other of such vinegar aspect,

That they'll not show their teeth in way of smile,
Though Nestor swear the jest be laughable.

Enter BASSANIO, LORENZO, and GRATIANO.

Salan. Here comes Bassanio, your most noble kins

man,

Gratiano, and Lorenzo. Fare you well:

We leave you now with better company.

Salar. I would have stay'd till I had made you merry, If worthier friends had not prevented me.

Ant. Your worth is very dear in my regard.
I take it, your own business calls on you,
And you embrace the occasion to depart.
Salar. Good morrow, my good lords.

Bass. Good signiors both, when shall we laugh?
Say, when?

You grow exceeding strange: must it be so?

Salar. We'll make our leisures to attend on yours.

[Exeunt SALARINO and SALANIO.

Lor. My lord Bassanio, since you have found Antonio,

We two will leave you; but at dinner-time,

I pray you, have in mind where we must meet.

Bass. I will not fail you.

Gra. You look not well, signior Antonio; You have too much respect upon the world: They lose it, that do buy it with much care. Believe me, you are marvellously chang'd.

Ant. I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano; A stage, where every man' must play a part,

And mine a sad one.

A stage, where every MAN] The 4to. by Roberts has one for "man."