JlTERARY.
“ Portia ”
GUS NEWTON.
O F ALL the female characters that Shakespeare has pictur
ed to us, surely “ Portia ” is the most beautiful, refined
and accomplished; and when we add to this the fact that she
was immensely rich it is no wonder that the wide world was
not ignorant of her worth and that the four winds blew in re
nowned suitors from every coast.
Some of these suitors were perhaps attracted by her
beauty; some by her refinement and culture; some by her
superior mental capacity, and some, who may properly be
called fortune-hunters—of whom we have a goodly number in
our so called 11 bon ton ” society circles—were doubtless very
much in love with her immense fortune; but none of them seem
to have taken into consideration as many of her excellent qual
ities as does Bassanio when he says:
‘‘ In Belmont is a lady richly left,
And she is fair, and, fairer than that word,
Of wondrous virtues. Sometimes from her eyes
I did receive fair speechless messages.
Her name is Portia; and nothing undervalued
To Cato’s daughter, Brutus’ Portia;
Nor is the wide world ignorant of her worth
For the four winds blow in from every coast
Renowned suitors;” etc.