rt awards you a pound of Antonio's flesh," said Portia to the
money-lender.

"Most righteous judge!" cried Shylock. "A sentence: come, prepare."

"Tarry a little. This bond gives you no right to Antonio's blood, only
to his flesh. If, then, you spill a drop of his blood, all your property
will be forfeited to the State. Such is the Law."

And Shylock, in his fear, said, "Then I will take Bassanio's offer."

"No," said Portia sternly, "you shall have nothing but your bond. Take
your pound of flesh, but remember, that if you take more or less, even
by the weight of a hair, you will lose your property and your life."

Shylock now grew very much frightened. "Give me my three thousand ducats
that I lent him, and let him go."

Bassanio would have paid it to him, but said Portia, "No! He shall have
nothing but his bond."

"You, a foreigner," she added, "have sought to take the life of a
Venetian citizen, and thus by the Venetian law, your life and goods are
forfeited. Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the Duke."

Thus were the tables turned, and no mercy would have been shown to
Shylock had it not been for Antonio. As it was, the money-lender
forfeited half his fortune to the State, and he had to settle the other
half on his daughter's husband, and with this he had to be content.

Bassanio, in his gratitude to the clever lawyer, was induced to part
with the ring his wife had given him, and with which he had promised
never to part, and when on his return to Belmont he confessed as much to
Portia, she seemed very angry, and vowed she would not be friends with
him until she had her ring again. But at last she told him that it was
she who, in the disguise of the lawyer, had saved his friend's life, and
got the ring from him. So Bassanio was forgiven, and made happier
than ever, to know how rich a prize he had drawn in the lottery of the
caskets.

TIMON OF ATHENS

Four hundred years before the birth of Christ, a man lived in Athens
whose generosity was not only great, but absurd. He was very rich, but
no worldly wealth was enough for a man who spent and gave like Timon. If
anybody gave Timon a horse, he received from Timon twenty better horses.
If anybody borrowed money of Timon and offered to repay it, Timon was
offended. If a poet had written a poem and Timon had time to read it, he
would be sure to buy it; and a painter had only to hold up his canvas in
front of Timon to receive double its market price.