Show eleven different versions of the pound of flesh story exist in the early literature of europe none of which is founded on a historical basis lave ono related by the biographer ot popo sixtus V tho original tale runs as follows simon conada a jew enters into a wager with a christian staking a pound of his flesh against a largo eum of money of tho christian the jew loses the wager and bacchi insists on his forfeit tho case is referred to the governor of the city who in torn places it before the pope who condemns both to lifelong imprisonment from which they are finally released on the payment of a heavy alno an italian giovanni florentine in the sixteenth century was tho first to change the bolea of the jew and christian and in this altered form tho bard of avon found the story the poet himself could scarcely have known any jew personally pince they acro expelled from england years before his timo and were not readmitted until after ills death presenta eions from from popular reports which were always derogatory to tho jewish character the poet derived his of the jew honorah Mo norah |