A C T I.

[40

2 i. e. Vincentio's fon.

5 Meaning his rules.
8 i. c. fo fingular.

fignification of knowing, learned; in which fenfe it is ufed in the tranflation of the Bible.

Gre. You may go to the devil's dam; your gifts are fo good, here is none will hold you. Their love is not fo great, Hortenfio, but we may blow our nails together, and fast it fairly out; our cake's 10 dough on both fides. Farewell:-Yet, for the love I bear my fweet Bianca, if I can by any means light on a fit man, to teach her that wherein the delights, I will wish him to her father.

Hor. So will I, fignior Gremio: But a word, 115|
pray. Though the nature of our quarrel never yet
brook'd parle, know now, upon advice, it touch-
eth us both, that we may yet again have access to
our fair miftrefs, and be happy rivals in Bianca's
love, to labour and effect one thing 'specially.
Gre. What's that, I pray?

Hor. Marry, fir, to get a husband for her fifter.
Gre. A hufband! a devil.
Hor. I fay, a husband.

20

Gre. I fay, a devil: Think'ft thou, Hortenfio, 25 though her father be very rich, any man is fo very a fool to be married to hell?

Hor. Tufh, Gremio! though it pafs your patience, and mine, to endure her loud alarums, why, man, there be good fellows in the world, an a man 30 could light on them, would take her with all her faults, and money enough.

Gre. I cannot tell: but I had as lief take her dowry with this condition,-to be whipp'd at the high cross every morning.

35

Hor. 'Faith, as you fay, there's fmall choice in rotten apples. But, come; fince this bar in law makes us friends, it fhall be fo far forth friendly maintain'd,―till by helping Baptista's eldest daugh-| ter to a husband, we fet his youngeft free for a 40 husband, and then have to't afrefh.-Sweet Bianca! Happy man be his dole! He that runs fafteft, gets the ring. How fay you, figniór Gre

mio?

Gre. I am agreed: and 'would I had given him 45 the best horfe in Padua to begin his wooing, that would thoroughly woo her, wed her, and bed her, and rid the houfe of her. Come on.

[Exeunt Gremio and Hortenfio. Manent Tranio and Lucentis.

Tra. I pray, fir, tell me,-Is it poffible
That love should of a fudden take fuch hold?

Luc. Oh, Tranio, till I found it to be true,
I never thought it poffible, or likely;
But fee! while idly I ftood looking on,
I found the effect of love in idleness;
And now in plainnefs do confefs to thee,-

That art to me as fecret, and as dear,
As Anna to the queen of Carthage was,-
Tranio, I burn, I pine, I perish, Tranio,
If I atchieve not this young modest girl:
Counsel me, Tranio, for I know thou canst;
Affift me, Tranio, for I know thou wilt.

Tra. Mafter, it is no time to chide you now;
Affection is not rated from the heart;
If love have touch'd you, nought remains but fo,
Redime te captum quam queas minimo. [tents;

Luc. Gramercies, lad; go forward: this con-
The reft will comfort, for thy counfel's found.

Tra. Mafter, you look'd fo longly on the maid,
Perhaps you mark'd not what's the pith of all.
Luc. O yes, I faw fweet beauty in her face,
Such as the daughter of Agenor3 had,

That made great Jove to humble him to her hand,
When with his knees he kiss'd the Cretan ftrand.
Tra. Saw you no more? mark'd you not, how
her fifter

Began to fcold; and raise up fuch a ftorm,
That mortal ears might hardly endure the din?

Luc. Tranio, I faw her coral lips to move,
And with her breath the did perfume the air;
Sacred, and sweet, was all I faw in her.

Tra. Nay then, 'tis time to ftir him from his

1 trance.

I pray, awake, fir; If you love the maid,
Bend thoughts and wits to atchieve her. Thus it
ftands:-

Her eldeft fifter is fo curft and fhrewd,
That, 'till the father rid his hands of her,
Mafter, your love muft live a maid at home;
And therefore has he closely mew'd her up,
Because the fhall not be annoy'd with fuitors.

Luc. Ah, Tranio, what a cruel father's he!
But art thou not advis'd, he took fome care
To get her cunning schoolmasters to inftru&t her?
Tra. Ay, marry, am I, fir; and now 'tis plotted.
Luc. I have it, Tranio.

Tra. Mafter, for my hand,

Both our inventions meet and jump in one.
Luc. Tell me thine first.

Tra. You will be schoolmaster,

And undertake the teaching of the maid:
That's your device.

Luc. It is: May it be done?

Tra. Not poffible; For who fhall bear your part, And be in Padua here Vincentio's fon;

5c Keep houfe, and ply his book; welcome his friends;
Vifit his countrymen, and banquet them?

Luc. Bafta; content thee; for I have it full.
We have not yet been feen in any house;
Nor can we be distinguish'd by our faces,

55 For man, or master: then it follows thus ;-
Thou shalt be mafter, Tranio, in my stead,
Keep house, and port 5, and fervants, as I should:

babet, of Lilly.

A proverbial expreffion. Dole originally meant, the provifion given away at the doors of great men's houses. 2 That is, taken you in his toils, his nets; alluding to the captus eft, 3 Europa, to poffefs whom Jupiter is fabled to have transformed himself into a bull. and Spanish word, fignifying enough. 5 Port means figure, show, appearance.

4 An Italian

I will

Before Hortenfia's House in Padua.

Enter Petruchio and Grumio.

Pet. Verona, for a while I take my leave,
To fee my friends in Padua; but, of all,
My best beloved and approved friend,
Hortenfio; and, I trow, this is his houfe:-
Here, firrah Grumio; knock, I say.

Gru. Knock, fir! whom should I knock? is there any man has rebus'd your worship?

Pet. Villain, I fay, knock me here foundly. [fir,
Gru. Knock you here, fir? why, fir, what am I,
That I fhould knock you here, fir?

Pet. Villain, I fay, knock me at this gate,
And rap me well, or I'll knock your knave's pate.
Gru. My mafter is grown quarrelfome: I should

That Lucentio indeed had Baptifta's youngest 40 perhaps, (for ought I fee) two and thirty,---a pip

out?
Whom, would to God, I had well knock'd at first,
Then had not Grumio come by the worst.
Pet. A fenfelefs villain !---Good Hortenfio,

451 bid the rafcal knock upon your gate,
And could not get him for my heart to do it.

Gru. Knock at the gate ?---O heavens !--- [bere,
Spake you not thefe words plain,---Sirrab, knock me
Rap me bere, knock me well, and knock me foundly ?

To make one among these wooers: If thou afk 50 And come you now with---knocking at the gate?

To feek their fortunes farther than at home, 160 Where small experience grows. But, in a few 3,

Meaning, probably, what he alledges.

Signior Hortenfio, thus it stands with me :-
Antonio, my father, is deceas'd;
And I have thruft myself into this maze,
Haply to wive, and thrive, as best I may :
Crowns in my purse I have, and goods at home,
And fo am come abroad to see the world.

Hor. Petruchio, fhall I then come roundly to thee,
And with thee to a shrewd ill-favour'd wife?
Thou'dft thank me but a little for my counsel :
And yet I'll promise thee she shall be rich,
And very rich :---but thou'r: too much my friend,
And I'll not with thee to her.

Pet. Signior Hortenfio, 'twixt fuch friends as we,
Few words fuffice: and, therefore, if thou know
One rich enough to be Petruchio's wife,
(As wealth is burden of my wooing dance)
Be fhe as foul as was Florentius' love',
As old as Sybil, and as curft and shrewd
As Socrates' Xantippe, or a worse,
She moves me not, or not removes, at least,
Affection's edge in me, were the as rough
As are the swelling Adriatic feas :

I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;
If wealthily, then happily in Padua.

Gru. Nay, look you, fir, he tells you flatly what his mind is: Why, give him gold enough, and marry him to a puppet, or an aglet 2-baby: or an old trot with ne'er a tooth in her head, though the have as many diseases as two and fifty horses; why, nothing comes amifs, fo money comes withal.

Hor. Petruchio, fince we have stept thus far in,
I will continue that I broach'd in jeft.
I can, Petruchio, help thee to a wife
With wealth enough, and young, and beauteous;
Brought up, as best becomes a gentlewoman :
Her only fault (and that is fault enough)
Is,---that the is intolerably curft,
And shrewd, and froward; fo beyond all measure,
That, were my state far worser than it is,
I would not wed her for a mine of gold.

Pet. Hortenfio, peace; thou know'ft not gold's
effect:-

Tell me her father's name, and 'tis enough;
For I will board her, though the chide as loud
As thunder, when the clouds in autumn crack.
Hor. Her father is Baptifta Minola,
An affable and courteous gentleman:

Her name is, Katharina Minola,

Renown'd in Padua for her fcolding tongue.

The begin once, he'll rail in his rope-tricks 3. I'll tell you what, fir,---an she stand him but a little, he will throw a figure in her face, and fo disfigure her with it, that the fhall have no more eyes to see 5 withal than a cat: You know him not,' fir.

Hor. Tarry, Petruchio, I must go with thee;
For in Baptifta's keep my treasure is:
He hath the jewel of my life in hold,
His youngest daughter, beautiful Bianca;
10 And her withholds he from me, and other more
Suitors to her, and rivals in my love:
Suppofing it a thing impossible,

(For thofe defects I have before rehears'd)
That ever Katharina will be woo'd,

15 Therefore this order hath Baptifta ta'en ;---
That none fhall have accefs unto Bianca,

20

Till Katharine the curft have got a husband.
Gru. Katharine the curft!

A title for a maid, of all titles the worst.

Hor. Now fhall my friend Petruchio do me grace; And offer me, difguis'd in fober robes,

To old Baptifta as a schoolmafter

Well feen in mufic, to instruct Bianca:

That fo I may by this device, at least,

|25|Have leave and leisure to make love to her,
And, unfufpected, court her by herself.
Enter Gremio, and Lucentio disguis'd, with books under

bis arm.

Gru. Here's no knavery! See; to beguile the 30 old folks, how the young folks lay their heads together! Mafter, master, look about you: Who goes there? ha!

35

Hor. Peace, Grumio; 'tis the rival of my love :---
Petruchio, ftand by a while.

Gru. A proper ftripling, and an amorous!
Gre. O, very well; I have perus'd the note.
Hark you, fir; I'll have them very fairly bound:
All books of love, fee that at any hand ";
And see you read no other lectures to her:
40 You understand me :---Over and bef.de
Signior Baptifta's liberality,

[too,

I'll mend it with a largefs:---Take your paper
And let me have them very well perfum'd;
For fhe is fweeter than perfume itself,

45 To whom they go. What will you read to her ?
Luc. Whate'er I read to her, I'll plead for you,
As for my patron, (stand you fo affur'd)
As firmly as yourself were ftill in place:
Yea, and (perhaps) with more fuccefsful words

Pet. I know her father, though I know not her; 50 Than you, unless you were a scholar, fir.

And he knew my deceafed father well :--

I will not fleep, Hortenfio, till I fee her;
And therefore let me be thus bold with you,
To give you over at this first encounter,
Unless you will accompany me thither.

55

Gru. I pray you, fir, let him go while the humour lafts. O' my word, an fhe knew him as well as I do, fhe would think scolding would do little good upon him: She may, perhaps, call him half a score knaves, or fo: why, that's nothing; an 60

Gre. O this learning! what a thing it is!
Gru. O this woodcock! what an afs it is!
Pet. Peace, firrah.

[Gremio!

Her. Grumio, mum!---God fave you, fignior
Gre. And you are well met, fignior Hortenfio.
Trow you

Whither I am going?---To Baptista Minola.

I promis'd to enquire carefully

About a fchoolmaster for the fair Bianca :
And, by good fortune, I have lighted well

I This alludes to the story of a knight named Florent, who bound himself to marry a deformed hag, provided the taught him the solution of a riddle on which his life depended. 2 The tag of a point. 3. Probably meaning his rogue-tricks. 4 i. e. cuftody, 5 i. e. well versed in myfick.

all events.

6 i. c. at

On

Gre. Belov'd of me,-and that my deeds fhall
Gru. And that his bags fhall prove. [Afide. 10
Her. Gremio, 'tis now no time to vent our love:
Liften to me, and, if you speak me fair,
I'll tell you news indifferent good for either.
Here is a gentleman, whom by chance I met,
Upon agreement from us to his liking,
Will undertake to woo curft Katharine;
Yea, and to marry her, if her dowry please.
Gre. So faid, fo done, is well :-
Hortenfio, have you told him all her faults?

15

Tra. For what reafon, I beseech you?
Gre. For this reason, if you'll know,———
That he's the choice love of fignior Gremio.
Hor. That she's the chofen of fignior Hortenfio.
Tra. Softly, my masters! if you be gentlemen,
Do me this right,-hear me with patience.

Pet. I know she is an irksome, brawling fcold; 20 Baptifta is a noble gentleman,

My mind prefumes, for his own good, and ours.
Hor. I promis'd, we would be contributors,
And bear his charge of wooing, whatfoe'er.
Gre. And fo we will; provided, that he win her.
Gru. I would, I were as fure of a good dinner.
[Afide. 55

To them Tranio bravely apparell'd, and Biondello.
Tra. Gentlemen, God fave you! If I may be bold,
Tell me, I beseech you, which is the readiest way
To the house of fignior Baptifta Minola?

Gre. He that has the two fair daughters? is't he 60 Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends. you mean?

Gru. O excellent motion! Fellows, let's begone. Hor. The motion's good, indeed, and be it so :Petruchio, I fhall be your ben venuto.

'That is, bug-bears. 2 Contrive in this place means to spend, to quear out.