2. The ox hath therefore ftretch'd his yoke in vain n; The human mortals want their winter cheer; 4. And thorough this diftemperature, we fee. And this fame progeny of evil comes abound: In all this there is no difficulty.-All these calamities are the confequences of the diffention between Oberon and Titania ;as feems to be fufficiently pointed out by the word "therefore," fo often repeated.-Thofe lines which have it not, are evidently put in appofition with the preceding line in which that word "therefore" is found. The paffage should be pointed thus. At the words continents- -bleft- -abound—and which, there fhould be a colon-in all other places where the fenfe pauses, a femicolon. MALONE. MERCHANT Duke of Venice. Anthonio, the Merchant of Venice. Salanio', Gratiano, } Friends to Anthonio and Baffanio. Lorenzo, in love with Jeffica. Shylock, a Jew 3. Tubal, a Jew. Launcelot, a Clown, Servant to the Jew. Salerio, a meffenger from Venice. Senators of Venice, Officers, Failer, Servants, and other Attendants. SCENE, partly at Venice, and partly at Belmont, the Seat of Portia. In the old editions in quarto, for J. Roberts, 1600, and in the old folio, 1623, there is no enumeration of the perfons. It was first made by Mr. Rowe. JOHNSON. Salanio.] It is not eafy to determine the orthography of this name. In the old editions the owner of it it is called,-Salanio, Salino and Solanio.. 3 Our author, as Dr. Farmer informs me, took the name of his Jew from an old pamphlet entitled, "Caleb Shillocke, his Prophefie, or the Jewes Prediction." London, printed for T. P. (Thomas Pavyer.) No date. STEEVENS. 4 This character I have restored to the Perfonæ Dramatis. The name appears in the first folio: the defcription is taken from the 4to. STEEVENS. ACT I. SCENE I. A Street in Venice. Enter Anthonio, Salarino, and Salanio. Anth. In footh, I know not why I am fo fad; It wearies me; you fay it wearies you; But The reader will find a diftinct epitome of the novels from which the story of this play is fuppofed to be taken, at the conclufion of the notes. It should however be remembered, that if our poet was at all indebted to the Italian novellifts, it must have been through the medium of fome old tranflation, which has hitherto escaped the researches of his most industrious editors. It appears from a paffage in Stephen Goffon's School of Abuse, &c. 1579, that a play, comprehending the diftinct plots of Shakfpeare's Merchant of Venice, had been exhibited long before he commenced a writer, viz. The Jew fhewn at the Bull, reprefenting the greedineffe of worldly choofers, and the bloody minds of ufurers." Thefe plays, fays Goffon, (for he mentions others with it) are goode and fweete plays, &c. The Jew of Malta, by Marlow, neither was performed nor printed till fome time after the author's death, which happened in 1593, nor do I know of any other play with the fame title. It is therefore not improbable that Shakspeare new-wrote his piece, on the model already mentioned, and that the elder performance, being inferior, was permitted to drop filently into ob livion. This play of Shakspeare had been exhibited before the year 1598, as appears from Meres's Wits Treafury, where it is mentioned with eleven more of our author's pieces. It was enter'd on the books of the Stationers' Company, July 22, in the fame year. It could not have been printed earlier, because it was not yet licenfed. The old fong of Gernutus the Jew of Venice, is published by Dr. Percy in the first volume of his Reliques of ancient English Poetry: and the ballad intituled, The Murtherous lyfe |