Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-02-15


The Philadelphia Ledger in the course OF
a recent article in relation to the large
number OF ancient myths destroyed by
recent Investigations, thus refers to the
story of the jew who demanded the forfeit
Of u ound Of aesh;
This last is very old story. Its origin
has been carried back 70 the middle of the
fourteenth century but il was fret pub
lishsd in a Latin collection of tales, bear
ing the title of Gesia Romdnorun, which
were translated into English in the time
of Henry VI (l422 -61.l It also appeared
In an old English ballad Of the fifteenth
century called GsrRulus but Shakespeare,
Is is supposed, derived II from Il story in
the collection of tales called II IeeaTons,
written in Italian, by Giovanni Florentine,
about the middle Of the fourteenth ecu
tury, though not published for nearly two
hundred years afterwards (at Milan, in
1851 In all of these versions OF the story
the plot is substantially the same as that
Of the play, which was written and per-
formed In by Shakespeare in 1894, and pub
lished in London on the 2sth of October,
1900, under the title of "The most excel
lent Historic of the Merchant of Venice,
with the extreme crVeltie OF Shylocke, the
Jewe, towards the sayd Merchant, in cut
ting pound of his flesh aud the obtayn-
ing of Portia by the choyse of three
chests" There seems to have been au-
other play founded on the same story,
which Is mentioned by Stephen Gossou,
Puritan, In his ,SehOols Of abuse, or, "Plea-
SAINT invective against poets, pipers, plai-
ere, testers and such like caterpilers of a
commonwealth, published in 1879 ii
was called ''The Jew" and is praised for
representing the bloody minds Of usurers.
The world is now called upon to set
aside the Gesid RomGnorWa, Gernutus, II
PsearOHs, old stephen Gosson and Shak-
speare. A correspondent of the Jewish
Chronicle has referred to the 1lth book OF
Gregorio Leli's Biography Of Sixtus ",
wherein he tlnds the following aneedote ;
A Roman merchant, named Sechi, heard
that the English Admiral Blake had con-
quered St. Domingo, and he communicated
the news to a Jewish merchant, named
Ceneda. The latter was so confident OF
the falsity Of the report, that, after re-
peated protestations, be said, 81 bet q
pound Of my hesh that the report is un-
true" "And l lay a thousand scudi
against It," rejoined the Christian, who
caused bond TO be drawn up TO the effect
that, In case the report should prove un-
true, then the Christian merchant, Signor
Paul NJ. Sechi, would be bound TO paw tue
Jewish merchant 1000 scudl aud il Il
should prove true, then the Christian mer-
chant was to be Justified and empowered
TO cut, with his own hand, with a we'll
sharpened knife, a pound Of the jews
| fair flesh from that part of the body which
! il might please him to choose" The news
/ proved true, and, consequently, the Jews
/ fesh became forfeited. The Christian
crayed the penalty and forfeit Of his
bond" but the authorities, having got
wind Of the affair, ieported it to the Pore,
and he condemned both the jew and
the Christian to the galleys, from which
punishment they could ransom themselves
only by paying fiue of 2,0Oe scudi (worth
at that time about sec, ,o0O,) to the Hospital
| Of the Slxtlne Bridge.