Sith needs thou wilt thy forfeit have;

Which is of flesh a pound:

See that thou fhed no drop of bloud,
Nor yet the man confound.

35

For if thou doe, like murderer,
Thou here fhalt hanged be:

Likewife of flesh fee that thou cut

No more than longes to thee:

For if thou take either more or leffe

To the value of a mite,

Thou shalt be hanged presently,

As is both law and right,

Gernutus now waxt franticke mad,

And wotes not what to say;

Quoth he at last, Ten thousand crownes,

40

45

50

At the last he doth demaund
But for to have his owne.
No, quoth the judge, doe as you lift,
Thy judgement shall be showne.

55

Either take your pound of flesh, quoth he,

Or cancell me your bond.

O cruell judge, then quoth the Jew,

That doth against me stand!

And fo with griping grieved mind

He biddeth them fare-well.

'Then' all the people prays'd the Lord,
That ever this heard tell.

60

*

** Since the first Edition of this book was printed, the Editor hath had reafon to believe that both SHAKESPEARE and the Author of this Ballad are indebted for their Story of the few (however they came by it) to an Italian Novel, which was first printed at Milan in the year 1554, in a book intitled, II Pecorone, nel quale fi Ver. 61. griped. Afbmol. copy. Q4

con

contengono Cinquanta Novelle antiche, &c. republished at Florence about the year 1748, or 9.-The Author was SER. GIOVANNI FIORENTINO, who wrote in 1378; thirty years after the time in which the fcene of Boccace's Decameron is laid. (Vid. Manni Iftoria del Decamerone di Giov. Boccac. 4to Fior. 1744-)

That Shakespeare had his Plot from the Novel itself, is evident from his having fome incidents from it, which are not found in the Ballad: and I think it will also be found that he borrowed from the Ballad fome hints that were not fuggefed by the Novel. (See above, Pt. 2. ver. 25, &c. where, instead of that fpirited defcription of the whetted blade, &c. the Profe Narrative coldly fays, "The "Jew had prepared a razor, &c." See alfo fome other paffages in the fame piece.) This however is spoken with diffidence, as I have at prefent before me only the Abridgement of the Novel which Mr. JOHNSON has given us at the End of his Commentary on Shakespeare's Play. The Tranflation of the Italian Story at large is not eafy to be met with having I believe never been published, though it was printed fome years ago with this title,-THE NOVEL, from which the Merchant of Venice written by Shakespeare "is taken, tranflated from the Italian. To which is added a Tranflation of a Novel from the Decamerone of Boca "caccio. London, Printed for M. Cooper, 1755, 8vo."

XII.

THE PASSIONATE SHEPHERD TO HIS LOVE,

This beautiful fonnet is quoted in the MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, A. 3, fi, 1, and hath been ufually afcribed (10gether with the KPLY) to Shakespeare himfelf by the mo dern editors of his fmaller poems. A copy of this madrigal,

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containing only four ftanzas (the 4th and 6th being wanting), accompanied with the first flanza of the anfwer, being printed in" THE PASSIONATE PILGRIME, and SONNETS TO SUNDRY NOTES OF MUSICKE, by Mr. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, LOND. printed for W. JAGGARD, 1599." Thus was this fonnet, &c. published as Shakespeare's in his life-time.

And yet there is good reafon to believe that (not Shakefeare, but) CHRISTOPHER MARLOW wrote the fong, and Sir WALTER RALEIGH the "Nymph's Reply:" For So we are pofitively affured by Ifaac Walton, a writer of fome credit, who has inferted them both in his COMPLEAT ANGLER * under the character of "that Smooth fong, "which was made by Kit. Marlow, now at least fifty years ago; and. ..an Anfver to it, which was made by Sir Walter Raleigh in his younger days. Old"fashioned poetry, but choicely good."It also paled for Marlow's in the opinion of his contemporaries; for in the old Poetical Mifcellany, intitled ENGLAND'S HELICON, it is printed with the name of Chr Marlow fubjoined to it; and the Reply is fubfcribed Ignoto, which is known to have been a fignature of Sir Walter Raleigh. With the fame fignature Ignoto, in that collection, is an imitation of Marlow's beginning thus;

"COME live with me, and be my dear,
"And we will revel all the year,

"In plains and groves, &c."

Upon the whole I am inclined to attribute them to MARLOW, and RALEIGH; notwithstanding the authority of ShakeSpeare's Book of Sinnets. For it is well known that as be took no care of his own compofitions, fo was he utterly regardless what fpurious things were fathered upon him. Sir JOHN ÜLDCASTLE, The LONDON PRODIGAL, and The

First printed in the year 1653, but probably written some time before.

YORK

YORKSHIRE TRAGEDY, were printed with his name at full length in the title-pages, while he was living, which yet were afterwards rejected by his firft editors HEMINGE and CONDELL, who were his intimate friends (as he mentions both in his will), and therefore no doubt had good authority for fetting them afide *.

The following fonnet appears to have been (as it deserved) a great favourite with our earlier poets: for, befides the imitation above-mentioned, another is to be found amon DONNE's Poems, inlitled The Bait," beginning thus:

6.

"COME live with me, and be my love,
" And we will fome new pleasures prove
"Of golden fands, &c."

As for CHR. MARLOW, who was in high repute for his Dramatic writings, he loft his life by a stab received in a brothel, before the year 1593. See A. Wood, I. 138.

OME live with me, and be my love,

Cand we wil all the pleasures prove
COM

That hils and vallies, dale and field,

And all the craggy mountains yield.

There will we fit upon the rocks,
And fee the fhepherds feed their flocks,

By fhallow rivers, to whofe falls
Melodious birds fing madrigals.

5

*Since the above was written, M. MALONE, with his ufual dif cernment, hath rejected the ftanzas in queftion from the other fonnets, &c. of Shakespeare, in his correct edition of the PASSIONATE PILGRIM, . See his Shakesp. Vol. X. p. 342.

There