The Jew of Malta

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

Barabas

So that of thus much that return was made: And of the third part of the Persian ships, There was the venture summed and satisfied. As for those Sabans, and the men of Uz, That bought my Spanish oils and wines of Greece Here have I purst their paltry silverlings. 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 fingered groat, Would make a miracle of thus much coin: But he whose steel-barred coffers are crammed full, And all his lifeetime 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.

Barabas

How, my lord! my money?

Ferneze

Thine and the rest, For, to be short, amongst you’t must be had.

First Jew

Alas, my lord, the most of us are poor.

Ferneze

Then let the rich increase your portions.

Barabas

Are strangers with your tribute to be taxed?

Second Knight

Have strangers leave with us to get their wealth? Then let them with us contribute.

Barabas

How! equally?

Ferneze

No, Jew, like infidels. For through our sufferance of your hateful lives, Who stand accursed in the sight of Heaven, These taxes and afflictions are befallen, And therefore thus we are determined.⁠— Read there the articles of our decrees.

Officer

Reads. “First, the tribute-money of the Turks shall all be levied amongst the Jews, and each of them to pay one half of his estate.”

Barabas

How! half his estate? I hope you mean not mine. Aside.

Ferneze

Read on.

Officer

Reading. “Secondly, he that denies to pay, shall straight become a Christian.”

Barabas

How! a Christian? Hum, what’s here to do? Aside.

Officer

Reading. “Lastly, he that denies this, shall absolutely lose all he has.”

Three Jews

O my lord, we will give half.

Barabas

O earth-mettled villains, and no Hebrews born! And will you basely thus submit yourselves To leave your goods to their arbitrement?

Ferneze

Why, Barabas, wilt thou be christened?

Barabas

No, governor, I will be no convertite.

Ferneze

Then pay thy half.

Barabas

Why, know you what you did by this device? Half of my substance is a city’s wealth. Governor, it was not got so easily; Nor will I part so slightly therewithal.

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, 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

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 nose 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 ure 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.

Ithamore

Here ’tis, master.

Barabas

Well said, Ithamore! What, hast thou brought The ladle with thee too?

Ithamore

Yes, sir, the proverb says, he that eats with the devil had need of a long spoon; I have brought you a ladle.

Barabas

Very well, Ithamore; then now be secret; And, for thy sake, whom I so dearly love, Now shalt thou see the death of Abigail, That thou mayst freely live to be my heir.

Ithamore

Why, master, will you poison her with a mess of rice porridge? that will preserve life, make her round and plump, and batten more than you are aware.

Barabas

Ay, but, Ithamore, seest thou this? It is a precious powder that I bought Of an Italian, in Ancona, once, Whose operation is to bind, infect, And poison deeply, yet not appear In forty hours after it is ta’en.

Ithamore

How, master?

Barabas

Thus, Ithamore. This even they use in Malta here⁠—’tis called Saint Jacques’ Even⁠—and then, I say, they use To send their alms unto the nunneries: Among the rest bear this, and set it there: There’s a dark entry where they take it in, Where they must neither see the messenger, Nor make inquiry who hath sent it them.

Ithamore

How so?

Barabas

Belike there is some ceremony in’t. There, Ithamore, must thou go place this pot! Stay, let me spice it first.

Ithamore

Pray, do, and let me help you, master. Pray, let me taste first.

Barabas

Prithee, do. Ithamore tastes. What say’st thou now?

Ithamore

Troth, master, I’m loath such a pot of pottage should be spoiled.

Barabas