55 



come familiar to several hundreds of millions more. Now, one 

 of the most revolting characters which the writer has drawn, is 

 that of Shylock, — blood- thirsty — merciless — vengeful, who will 

 cut the pound of flesh in fulfilment of his bond. Knowing, as we 

 do, that many youthful minds have been trained from Shylock to 

 generalise aud hate the Jew, it is interesting to inquire whether 

 he was a real character or not. This story, of the pound of flesh, 

 was currently known both in Europe and in the East, centuries 

 before Shakspeare was born ; and perhaps the earliest account 

 of it is that given by Mr. Wright,* from a MS. of the four- 

 teenth century. There, the contending parties are two brothers, 

 both Christians, in Denmark, and the King decides between 

 them. Percy is of opinion that Shakspeare founded his play 

 partly on an Italian Novel, first printed at Milan,t in 1554, 

 and partly on a popular ballad called " Gernutus,J the Jew of 

 Venice," both of which give substantially the same version. 

 But what is very remarkable is, that while the oldest version 

 of the story has nothing whatever to do with the Jews, the 

 most modern and apparently the most real one, inverts the or- 

 der of plaintiff and defendant. In it, Shylock is the Christian, 

 and Bassanio is the Jew ; while the Pope (Sixtus V.) acts the 

 combined part of the Duke and Portia !! § This however is not 

 the only instance of a writer lending himself to perpetuate an 

 ancient prejudice. Dickens's portraiture of Fagin in the Novel 

 of " Oliver Twist," is probably a very correct one in all but the 

 paternity of the original. It would be more generous to ac- 

 knowledge that we have too many Eagins among ourselves, than 

 to refer them to a limited class of men who have few writers to 

 defend them. The account of the Jews given in a publication 



* At the Society of Antiquaries, December ICth, 1847. His authority is MS. 

 Harl. No. 7322. 



+ See note to the first line of the Ballad of Sir Hugh, Percy's copy. 



• Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, vol. i. p. 228. 



§ Letis' Life of Pope Sixtus V., translated by Rev. Mr. Farneworth, as quoted by 

 Percy, Trelin;. Dissertation to Gernutus 



