Yet was his soul but flown beyond the Alps;
And, now the Guise is dead, is come from
France,

To view this land, and frolic with his friends.
To some perhaps my name is odious;

But such as love me, guard me from their

tongues,

And let them know that I am Machiavel,
And weigh not men, and therefore not men's
words.

Admir'd I am of those that hate me most:
Though some speak openly against my books,
Yet will they read me, and thereby attain
To Peter's chair; and, when they cast me off,
Are poison'd by my climbing followers.
I count religion but a childish toy,
And hold there is no sin but ignorance.
Birds of the air will tell of murders past!

I am asham'd to hear such fooleries. Many will talk of title to a crown: What right had Cæsar to the ? empery Might first made kings, and laws were then most

sure

*

When, like the Draco's,t they were writ in

blood.

Hence comes it that a strong-built citadel
Commands much more than letters can import:
Which maxim had ‡ Phalaris observ'd,
H'ad never bellow'd, in a brazen bull,

Of great ones' envy: o' the poor petty wights
Let me be envied and not pitièd.
But whither am I bound? I come not, I,
To read a lecture here § in Britain,
But to present the tragedy of a Jew,
Who smiles to see how full his bags are cramm'd;
Which money was not got without my means.
I crave but this,-grace him as he deserves,
And let him not be entertain'd the worse
Because he favours me.

[Exit.

BARABAS discovered in his counting-house, with heaps of gold before him.

Bara. So that of thus much that return was made;

And of the third part of the Persian ships

*the Guise] "i.e. the Duke of Guise, who had been the principal contriver and actor in the horrid massacre of St. Bartholomew's day, 1572. He met with his deserved fate, being assassinated, by order of the French king, in 1588." REED (apud Dodsley's 0. P.). And see our author's Massacre at Paris.

↑ Act I.] The Scenes of this play are not marked in the old ed.; nor in the present edition,- because occasionally (where the audience were to suppose a change of place, it was impossible to mark them.

Fie, what a trouble 'tis to count this trash!
Well fare the Arabians, who so richly pay
The things they traffic for with wedge of gold,
Whereof a man may easily in a day
Tell that which may maintain him all his life.
The needy groom, that never finger'd groat,
Would make a miracle of thus much coin;
But he whose steel-barr'd coffers are cramm'd
full,

And all his life-time hath been tired,
Wearying his fingers' ends with telling it,
Would in his age be loath to labour so,
And for a pound to sweat himself to death.
Give me the merchants of the Indian mines,
That trade in metal of the purest mould;
The wealthy Moor, that in the eastern rocks
Without control can pick his riches up,
And in his house heap pearl like pebble-stones,
Receive them free, and sell them by the weight;
Bags of fiery opals, sapphires, amethysts,
Jacinths, hard topaz, grass-green emeralds,
Beauteous rubies, sparkling diamonds,
And seld-seen † costly stones of so great price,
As one of them, indifferently rated,
And of a carat of this quantity,
May serve, in peril of calamity,

To ransom great kings from captivity.

This is the ware wherein consists my wealth; And thus methinks should men of judgment frame

Their means of traffic from the vulgar trade,
And, as their wealth increaseth, so inclose
Infinite riches in a little room.

But now how stands the wind?

Into what corner peers my halcyon's bill?

Ha! to the east? yes. See how stand the vanes-
East and by south: why, then, I hope my ships
I sent for Egypt and the bordering isles
Are gotten up by Nilus' winding banks;
Mine argosy from Alexandria,

Loaden with spice and silks, now under sail,

called this “a diminutive, to express the Jew's contempt of a metal inferior in value to gold," he did not know that the word occurs in Scripture: "a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings." Isaiah, vii. 23.-Old ed. siluerbings."

*Tell] i.e. count.

tseld-seen] i.c. seldom-seen.

Into what corner peers my halcyon's bill?] "It was anciently believed that this bird (the king-fisher), if hung up, would vary with the wind, and by that means shew from what quarter it blew." STEEVENS (apud Dodsley's 0. P.),-who refers to the note on the following passage of Shakespeare's King Lear, act ii. sc. 2; "Renege, affirm, and turn their halcyon beaks

With every gale and vary of their masters," &c.

Are smoothly gliding down by Candy-shore To Malta, through our Mediterranean sea.— But who comes here?

Enter a Merchant. How now!

Merch. Barabas, thy ships are safe,
Riding in Malta-road; and all the merchants
With other merchandise are safe arriv'd,
And have sent me to know whether yourself
Will come and custom them.*

Bara. The ships are safe thou say'st, and richly fraught?

Merch. They are.

Bara. Why, then, go bid them come ashore, And bring with them their bills of entry:

I hope our credit in the custom-house
Will serve as well as I were present there.
Go send 'em threescore camels, thirty mules,
And twenty waggons, to bring up the ware.
But art thou master in a ship of mine,
And is thy credit not enough for that?

Merch. The very custom barely comes to

more

Than many merchants of the town are worth,
And therefore far exceeds my credit, sir.

Bara. Go tell 'em the Jew of Malta sent thee,

man:

Tush, who amongst 'em knows not Barabas?
Merch. I go.

Bara. So, then, there's somewhat come.-
Sirrah, which of my ships art thou master of?
Merch. Of the Speranza, sir.

Bara. And saw'st thou not

Mine argosy at Alexandria?

Thou couldst not come from Egypt, or by Caire,
But at the entry there into the sea,

Where Nilus pays his tribute to the main,
Thou needs must sail by Alexandria.

Merch. I neither saw them, nor inquir'd of

Enter a Second Merchant.

Sec. Merch. Thine argosy from Alexandria,
Know, Barabas, doth ride in Malta-road,
Laden with riches, and exceeding store
Of Persian silks, of gold, and orient pearl.

Bara. How chance you came not with those other ships

That sail'd by Egypt?

Sec. Merch. Sir, we saw 'em not.

Ay, wealthier far than any Christian.

I must confess we come not to be kings:
That's not our fault: alas, our number's few!
And crowns come either by succession,
Or urg'd by force; and nothing violent,
Oft have I heard tell, can be permanent.
Give us a peaceful rule; make Christians kings,
That thirst so much for principality.

I have no charge, nor many children,

And thus are we on every side enrich'd:
These are the blessings promis'd to the Jews,
And herein was old Abraham's happiness:
What more may heaven do for earthly man
Than thus to pour out plenty in their laps,
Ripping the bowels of the earth for them,
Making the sea [s] their servants, and the winds
To drive their substance with successful blasts?
Who hateth me but for my happiness?

Or who is honour'd now but for his wealth?
Rather had I, a Jew, be hated thus,
Than pitied in a Christian poverty;
For I can see no fruits in all their faith.
But malice, falsehood, and excessive pride,
Which methinks fits not their profession.
Haply some hapless man hath conscience,
And for his conscience lives in beggary.
They say we are scatter'd nation:

I cannot tell; but we have scambled + up
More wealth by far than those that brag of faith:
There's Kirriah Jairim, the great Jew of Greece,
Obed in Bairseth, Nones in Portugal,
Myself in Malta, some in Italy,
Many in France, and wealthy every one;

fraught] i.e. freight.

+ scambled] i.e. scrambled. (Coles gives in his Dict. "To scamble, certatim arripere"; and afterwards renders "To scramble" by the very same Latin words.)

As Agamemnon did his Iphigen;

And all I have is hers.-But who comes here?

Enter three Jews.*

First Jew. Tusb, tell not me; 'twas done of policy.

Sec. Jew. Come, therefore, let us go to Barabas; For he can counsel best in these affairs: And here he comes.

Bara. Why, how now, countrymen ! Why flock you thus to me in multitudes ? What accident's betided to the Jews?

First Jew. A fleet of warlike galleys, Barabas, Are come from Turkey, and lie in our road: And they this day sit in the council-house To entertain them and their embassy.

Bara. Why, let 'em come, so they come not to war;

Or let 'em war, so we be conquerors.—
Nay, let 'em combat, conquer, and kill all,
So they spare me, my daughter, and my wealth.
[Aside.

First Jew. Were it for confirmation of a league, They would not come in warlike manner thus.

Sec. Jew. I fear their coming will afflict us all. Bara. Fondt men, what dream you of their multitudes?

What need they treat of peace that are in league?
The Turks and those of Malta are in league:
Tut, tut, there is some other matter in't.

First Jew. Why, Barabas, they come for peace

or war.

Bara. Haply for neither, but to pass along, Towards Venice, by the Adriatic sea, With whom they have attempted many times, But never could effect their stratagem.

Third Jew. And very wisely said; it may be so. Sec. Jew. But there's a meeting in the senatehouse,

And all the Jews in Malta must be there.

* Enter three Jews] A change of scene is supposed here, -to a street or to the Exchange.

+ Fond] i.e. Foolish.