The Jew of Malta · Act II · Scene III (2/2) (1/2)
Enter Officers, with Ithamore and other Slaves.33
First Officer This is the market-place, here let ’em stand: Fear not their sale, for they’ll be quickly bought.
Second Officer Every one’s price is written on his back, And so much must they yield, or not be sold.
First Officer Here comes the Jew; had not his goods been seized, He’d give us present money for them all.
Enter Barabas.
Barabas In spite of these swine-eating Christians⁠— Unchosen nation, never circumcised, Such as (poor villains!) such were ne’er thought upon Till Titus and Vespasian conquered us⁠— Am I become as wealthy as I was: They hoped my daughter would ha’ been a nun; But she’s at home, and I have bought a house As great and fair as is the governor’s; And there, in spite of Malta, will I dwell, Having Ferneze’s hand; whose heart I’ll have, Ay, and his son’s too, or it shall go hard. I am not of the tribe of Levi, I, That can so soon forget an injury. We Jews can fawn like spaniels when we please: And when we grin we bite; yet are our looks As innocent and harmless as a lamb’s. I learned in Florence how to kiss my hand, Heave up my shoulders when they call me dog,34 And duck as low as any barefoot friar; Hoping to see them starve upon a stall, Or else be gathered for in our synagogue, That, when the offering-basin comes to me, Even for charity I may spit into’t.⁠— Here comes Don Lodowick, the governor’s son, One that I love for his good father’s sake.
Enter Lodowick.
Lodowick I hear the wealthy Jew walked this way: I’ll seek him out, and so insinuate, That I may have a sight of Abigail; For Don Mathias tells me she is fair.
Barabas Now will I show myself To have more of the serpent than the dove; That is, more knave than fool. Aside.
Lodowick Yond’ walks the Jew; now for fair Abigail.
Barabas Ay, ay, no doubt but she’s at your command. Aside.
Lodowick Barabas, thou know’st I am the governor’s son.
Barabas I would you were his father, too, sir; That’s all the harm I wish you.⁠—The slave looks Like a hog’s cheek new singed. Aside.
Lodowick Whither walk’st thou, Barabas?
Barabas No further: ’tis a custom held with us, That when we speak with Gentiles like to you, We turn into the air to purge ourselves: For unto us the promise doth belong.
Lodowick Well, Barabas, canst help me to a diamond?
Barabas O, sir, your father had my diamonds. Yet I have one left that will serve your turn:⁠— I mean my daughter: but ere he shall have her I’ll sacrifice her on a pile of wood. I ha’ the poison of the city for him, And the white leprosy. Aside.
Lodowick What sparkle does it give without a foil?
Barabas The diamond that I talk of ne’er was foiled:⁠—35 But, when he touches it, it will be foiled. Aside. Lord Lodowick, it sparkles bright and fair.
Lodowick Is it square or pointed? pray, let me know.
Barabas Pointed it is, good sir⁠—but not for you. Aside.
Lodowick I like it much the better.
Barabas So do I too.
Lodowick How shows it by night?
Barabas Outshines Cynthia’s rays: You’ll like it better far o’ nights than days. Aside.
Lodowick And what’s the price?
Barabas Your life, an if you have it. Aside. O my lord, We will not jar about the price; come to my house And I will give’t your honour⁠—with a vengeance. Aside.
Lodowick No, Barabas, I will deserve it first.
Barabas Good sir, Your father has deserved it at my hands, Who, of mere charity and Christian truth, To bring me to religious purity, And as it were in catechising sort, To make me mindful of my mortal sins, Against my will, and whether I would or no, Seized all I had, and thrust me out o’ doors, And made my house a place for nuns most chaste.
Lodowick No doubt your soul shall reap the fruit of it.
Barabas Ay, but, my lord, the harvest is far off. And yet I know the prayers of those nuns And holy friars, having money for their pains, Are wondrous;⁠—and indeed do no man good: Aside. And seeing they are not idle, but still doing, ’Tis likely they in time may reap some fruit, I mean in fullness of perfection.
Lodowick Good Barabas, glance not at our holy nuns
Barabas No, but I do it through a burning zeal⁠— Hoping ere long to set the house afire; For though they do a while increase and multiply, I’ll have a saying to that nunnery. Aside. As for the diamond, sir, I told you of, Come home, and there’s no price shall make us part, Even for your honourable father’s sake⁠— It shall go hard but I will see your death. Aside. But now I must be gone to buy a slave.
Lodowick And, Barabas, I’ll bear thee company.
Barabas Come, then⁠—here’s the market-place.⁠— What’s the price of this slave? Two hundred crowns! Do the Turks weigh so much?
First Officer Sir, that’s his price.
Barabas What, can he steal, that you demand so much? Belike he has some new trick for a purse; An if he has, he is worth three hundred plates,36 So that, being bought, the town-seal might be got To keep him for his lifetime from the gallows: The sessions day is critical to thieves, And few or none ’scape but by being purged.
Lodowick Rat’st thou this Moor but at two hundred plates?
First Officer No more, my lord.
Barabas Why should this Turk be dearer than that Moor?
First Officer Because he is young, and has more qualities.
Barabas What, hast the philosopher’s stone? an thou hast, break my head with it, I’ll forgive thee.
Slave No, sir; I can cut and shave
Barabas Let me see, sirrah; are you not an old shaver?
Slave Alas, sir, I am a very youth.
Barabas A youth! I’ll buy you, and marry you to Lady Vanity,37 if you do well.
Slave I will serve you, sir.
Barabas Some wicked trick or other. It may be, under colour of shaving, thou’lt cut my throat for my goods. Tell me, hast thou thy health well?
Slave Ay, passing well.
Barabas So much the worse; I must have one that’s sickly, an’t be but for sparing victuals: ’tis not a stone of beef a day will maintain you in these chops; let me see one that’s somewhat leaner.
First Officer Here’s a leaner, how like you him?
Barabas Where wast thou born?
Ithamore In Thrace; brought up in Arabia.
Barabas So much the better, thou art for my turn. An hundred crowns? I’ll have him; there’s the coin. Gives money.
First Officer Then mark him, sir, and take him hence.
Barabas Ay, mark him, you were best, for this is he That by my help shall do much villany. Aside. My lord, farewell: Come, sirrah; you are mine. As for the diamond, it shall be yours; I pray, sir, be no stranger at my house, All that I have shall be at your command.
Enter Mathias and his mother Katharine.
Mathias What make the Jew and Lodowick so private? I fear me ’tis about fair Abigail. Aside.
Barabas Yonder comes Don Mathias; let us stay;38
Exit Lodowick.
He loves my daughter, and she holds him dear: But I have sworn to frustrate both their hopes, And be revenged upon the governor.
Katharine This Moor is comeliest, is he not? speak, son.
Mathias No, this is the better, mother, view this well.
Barabas Seem not to know me here before your mother, Lest she mistrust the match that is in hand: When you have brought her home, come to my house; Think of me as thy father; son, farewell.
Mathias But wherefore talked Don Lodowick with you?
Barabas Tush, man! we talked of diamonds, not of Abigail.
Katharine Tell me, Mathias, is not that the Jew?
Barabas As for the comment on the Maccabees, I have it, sir, and ’tis at your command.
Mathias Yes, madam, and my talk with him was but About the borrowing of a book or two.
Katharine Converse not with him, he is cast off from heaven. Thou hast thy crowns, fellow; come, let’s away.
Mathias Sirrah, Jew, remember the book.
Barabas Marry, will I, sir.
Exeunt Mathias and his Mother.
First Officer Come, I have made a reasonable market; let’s away.
Exeunt Officers with Slaves.
Barabas Now let me know thy name, and therewithal Thy birth, condition, and profession.
Ithamore Faith, sir, my birth is but mean; my name’s Ithamore, my profession what you please.
Barabas Hast thou no trade? then listen to my words, And I will teach thee that shall stick by thee: First, be thou void of these affections, Compassion, love, vain hope, and heartless fear, Be moved at nothing, see thou pity none, But to thyself smile when the Christians moan.
Ithamore O, brave, master, I worship your nose39 for this.
Barabas As for myself, I walk abroad o’ nights And kill sick people groaning under walls: Sometimes I go about and poison wells; And now and then, to cherish Christian thieves, I am content to lose some of my crowns, That I may, walking in my gallery, See ’em go pinioned along by my door. Being young, I studied physic, and began To practise first upon the Italian; There I enriched the priests with burials, And always kept the sexton’s arms in ure40 With digging graves and ringing dead men’s knells: And, after that, was I an engineer, And in the wars ’twixt France and Germany, Under pretence of helping Charles the Fifth, Slew friend and enemy with my stratagems. Then after that was I an usurer, And with extorting, cozening, forfeiting, And tricks belonging unto brokery, I filled the jails with bankrupts in a year, And with young orphans planted hospitals, And every moon made some or other mad, And now and then one hang himself for grief, Pinning upon his breast a long great scroll How I with interest tormented him. But mark how I am blest for plaguing them; I have as much coin as will buy the town. But tell me now, how hast thou spent thy time?
Ithamore ’Faith, master, In setting Christian villages on fire, Chaining of eunuchs, binding galley-slaves. One time I was an hostler in an inn, And in the night-time secretly would I steal To travellers’ chambers, and there cut their throats: Once at Jerusalem, where the pilgrims kneeled, I strewed powder on the marble stones, And therewithal their knees would rankle so, That I have laughed a-good41 to see the cripples Go limping home to Christendom on stilts.
Barabas Why this is something: make account of me As of thy fellow; we are villains both: Both circumcised, we hate Christians both: Be true and secret, thou shalt want no gold. But stand aside, here comes Don Lodowick.
Enter Lodowick.42
Lodowick O Barabas, well met; Where is the diamond you told me of?
Barabas I have it for you, sir; please you walk in with me: What, ho, Abigail! open the door, I say.
Enter Abigail, with letters.
Abigail In good time, father; here are letters come From Ormus, and the post stays here within.
Barabas Give me the letters.⁠—Daughter, do you hear, Entertain Lodowick the governor’s son With all the courtesy you can afford; Provided that you keep your maidenhead. Use him as if he were a Philistine; Dissemble, swear, protest, vow love to him, He is not of the seed of Abraham. Aside. I am a little busy, sir, pray pardon me. Abigail, bid him welcome for my sake.
Abigail For your sake and his own he’s welcome hither.
Barabas Daughter, a word more; kiss him; speak him fair, And like a cunning Jew so cast about, That ye be both made sure43 ere you come out. Aside.
Abigail O father! Don Mathias is my love.
Barabas I know it: yet, I say, make love to him; Do, it is requisite it should be so⁠—Aside. Nay, on my life, it is my factor’s hand⁠— But go you in, I’ll think upon the account.
Exeunt Abigail and Lodowick into the house.
The account is made, for Lodowick he dies. My factor sends me word a merchant’s fled That owes me for a hundred tun of wine: I weigh it thus much; Snapping his fingers. I have wealth enough. For now by this has he kissed Abigail; And she vows love to him, and he to her. As sure as heaven rained manna for the Jews, So sure shall he and Don Mathias die: His father was my chiefest enemy.
Enter Mathias.
Whither goes Don Mathias? stay awhile.
Mathias Whither, but to my fair love Abigail?
Barabas Thou know’st, and heaven can witness this is true, That I intend my daughter shall be thine.
Mathias Ay, Barabas, or else thou wrong’st me much.
Barabas O, Heaven forbid I should have such a thought. Pardon me though I weep: the governor’s son Will, whether I will or no, have Abigail: He sends her letters, bracelets, jewels, rings.
Mathias Does she receive them?
Barabas She! No, Mathias, no, but sends them back, And, when he comes, she locks herself up fast; Yet through the keyhole will he talk to her, While she runs to the window looking out When you should come and hale him from the door
Mathias O treacherous Lodowick!
Barabas Even now as I came home, he slipt me in, And I am sure he is with Abigail.
Mathias I’ll rouse him thence.
Barabas Not for all Malta, therefore sheathe your sword; If you love me, no quarrels in my house; But steal you in, and seem to see him not; I’ll give him such a warning ere he goes As he shall have small hopes of Abigail. Away, for here they come.
Reenter Lodowick and Abigail.
Mathias What, hand in hand! I cannot suffer this.
Barabas Mathias, as thou lov’st me, not a word.
Mathias Well, let it pass; another time shall serve.
Exit into the house.
Lodowick Barabas, is not that the widow’s son?
Barabas Ay, and take heed, for he hath sworn your death.
Lodowick My death! what, is the base-born peasant mad?
Barabas No, no, but happily he stands in fear Of that which you, I think, ne’er dream upon, My daughter here, a paltry silly girl.
Lodowick Why, loves she Don Mathias?
Barabas Doth she not with her smiling answer you?
Abigail He has my heart; I smile against my will. Aside.
Lodowick Barabas, thou know’st I have loved thy daughter long.
Barabas And so has she done you, even from a child.
Lodowick And now I can no longer hold my mind.
Barabas Nor I the affection that I bear to you.
Lodowick This is thy diamond, tell me, shall I have it?
Barabas Win it, and wear it, it is yet unsoiled. O! but I know your lordship would disdain To marry with the daughter of a Jew; And yet I’ll give her many a golden cross44 With Christian posies round about the ring.
Lodowick ’Tis not thy wealth, but her that I esteem. Yet crave I thy consent.
Barabas And mine you have, yet let me talk to her.⁠— This offspring of Cain, this Jebusite, That never tasted of the Passover, Nor e’er shall see the land of Canaan, Nor our Messias that is yet to come; This gentle maggot, Lodowick, I mean, Must be deluded: let him have thy hand, But keep thy heart till Don Mathias comes. Aside.
Abigail What, shall I be betrothed to Lodowick?