Shy. Ju. By our holy Sabbath, I have sworn, This is no answer, thou unfeeling man, A losing suit against him. + Ju. Do all men kill the things they do not love? bond. Were in six parts, and every part a ducat, I would not draw them, I would have Ju. How shalt thou hope for mercy, rendering none? my Shy. The pound of flesh which I demand of him, I stand for judgment; answer; shall I have it? Ju. Then must the Jew be merciful. Shy. On what compulsion must I? tell me that. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Ju. Is he not able to discharge the money? Ant. Yes, here I tender it to him in the court; Shy. I'll have my bond, I will not take thy offer. Can alter a decree established. Shy. O wise, wise Judge, how do I honor thee! (Gives it to the Judge.) Shall I lay perjury upon my soul? No, not for Venice. Ju. Why, this bond is forfeit: And lawfully by this the Jew may claim There is no power in the tongue of man Ju. Why, then, thus it is. You must prepare your bosom for his knife. Ju. For the intent and purpose of the law Which here appeareth due unto the bond. (To Antonio.) So says the bond; does it not, noble Judge? Nearest his heart, those are the very words. Ju. It is so. Are there balance here, to weigh The flesh? Shy. I have them ready. This word here means a learned man. Ju. Have by some surgeon, Shylock, on your charge, Ju. It is not so expressed; but what of that? Ju. Shylock! A pound of that same merchant's flesh is thine! Shy. Most rightful Judge! Ju. And you must cut the flesh from off his breast; Shy. Most learned Judge! A sentence: come, prepare. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods Unto the State of Venice. Shy. Is that the law? Ju. Thyself shalt see the act; For, as thou urgest justice, be assured Thou shalt have justice, more than thou desirest. Ju. The Jew shall have all justice; soft! no haste! Therefore prepare thee to cut off the flesh. As makes it light or heavy, in the substance, Of one poor scruple; nay, if the scale do turn Thou diest, and all thy goods are confiscate. Shy. Give me my principal, and let me go. Thou shalt have merely justice, and the bond. Ju. Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture, Shy. Why, then, the devil give him good of it! Ju. Tarry, Jew: The law hath yet another hold on you. The party 'gainst the which he doth contrive, And the offender's life lies in the mercy Of the court only. Shy. Take my life, then, and all, and pardon not that. Ju. The court in mercy spares thy life, Comes not within our power to remedy; Since what I hold dearer than my life, Ju. The court has mercy on your life ; And with a softer heart, remember mercy too. SHAKSPEARE. QUESTIONS.Why did Shylock choose the pound of flesh rather than the payment of his debt? What does he mean by saying “my deeds upon my head?" In whose favor does the judge decide? How does he eventually relieve Antonio from his danger? How is Shylock punished? Was his punishment just? Why? In the last three lines, which are the verbs? Which of them is in the indicative mode? Which are in the imperative mode? What does the word indicative mean? Why is this mode so called? What does the word imperative mean? See Pinneo's Analytical Grammar, page 63. LESSON LXXIII. REMARK.-Be careful not to read in a faint and low tone, but give due force and emphasis to each word. PRONOUNCE the following words correctly. (The fault consists in inserting a vowel between consonants which should coalesce): Supply, not sup-pul-ly: press, not per-ess: prose, not per-ose: ca-pri-cious, not ca-per-i-cious: Dry-den, not Der-y-den: bright-er, not ber-ight-er: flights, not ful-ights: Par'-al-lel, n. a comparison made. 2. Al-lot'-ed, p. granted, given. La'-tent, a. secret, hidden. E-ject'-ed, v. dismissed, cast out. 3. Punc-til'-ious, a. very particular. 6. Scho-las'-tic, a. scholar-like. 7. Pred-e-ces'-sor, n. one who has gone before another in the same capacity. Ex-u'-ber-ance, n. an overflowing quantity. 8. In-ert', a. powerless, inactive. 9. Dil'-a-to-ry, a. slow, delaying. PARALLEL BETWEEN POPE AND DRYDEN. 1. POPE professed to have learned his poetry from Dryden, whom, whenever an opportunity was presented, he praised through his whole life with unvaried liberality; and perhaps his character may receive some illustration, if he be compared with his master. + 2. Integrity of understanding, and nicety of discernment, were not allotted in a less proportion to Dryden than to Pope. The rectitude of Dryden's mind was sufficiently shown by the dismission of his poetical prejudices, and the rejection of unnatural thoughts and rugged numbers. But Dryden never desired to apply all the judgment that he had. He wrote, and professed to write, merely for the people; and when he pleased others, he contented himself. He spent no time in struggles to rouse latent powers; he never attempted to make that better which was already good, nor often to mend what he must have known to be faulty. He wrote, as he tells us, with very little consideration: when occasion or necessity called upon him, he poured out what the present moment happened to supply, and, when once it had passed the press, ejected it from his mind; for, when he had no pecuniary interest, he had no further solicitude. + 3. Pope was not content to satisfy; he desired to excel, and therefore always endeavored to do his best; he did not court the |