Shall win my love :-and so I take my leave, [Exit HORTENSIO.-LUCENTIO and BIANCA advance. Tra. Mistress Bianca, bless you with such grace, As 'longeth to a lover's blessed case! Nay, I have ta'en you napping, gentle love, And have forsworn you, with Hortensio. Bian. Tranio, you jest. But have you both forsworn me? Tra. Mistress, we have. Then we are rid of Licio. Tra. Ay, and he'll tame her. He says so, Tranio. Tra. 'Faith, he is gone unto the taming-school. Bian. The taming-school! what, is there such a place? Tra. Ay, mistress, and Petruchio is the master; That teacheth tricks eleven and twenty long, To tame a shrew, and charm her chattering tongue. Enter BIONDELLO, running. Bion. O master, master! I have watch'd so long That I'm dog-weary; but at last I spied An ancient angel coming down the hill, Will serve the turn. Tra. What is he, Biondello? Bion. Master, a mercatantè, or a pedant, Tra. If he be credulous, and trust my tale, Ped. God save you, sir! Tra. And you, sir: you are welcome. Travel you far on, or are you at the furthest? Ped. Sir, at the furthest for a week or two; But then up further, and as far as Rome, And so to Tripoly, if God lend me life. Tra. What countryman, I pray? Ped. Of Mantua. Tra. Of Mantua, sir?-marry, God forbid! And come to Padua, careless of your life? Ped. My life, sir! how, I pray for that goes ? hard. Tra. 'Tis death for any one in Mantua To come to Padua. Know you not the cause? Your ships are stay'd at Venice; and the duke, For private quarrel 'twixt your duke and him, Hath publish'd and proclaim'd it openly. 'Tis marvel; but that you are but newly come, You might have heard it else proclaim'd about. Ped. Alas, sir! it is worse for me than so; For I have bills for money by exchange From Florence, and must here deliver them. Tra. Well, sir, to do you courtesy This will I do, and this I will advise you. First, tell me, have you ever been in Pisa? Ped. Ay, sir, in Pisa have I often been; Pisa, renowned for grave citizens. Tra. Among them, know you one Vincentio Ped. I know him not, but I have heard of him: A merchant of incomparable wealth. Tra. He is my father, sir; and, sooth to say, Tra. To save your life in this extremity, His name and credit shall you undertake, Ped. O! sir, I do; and will repute you ever Tra. Then go with me, to make the matter good. This, by the way, I let you understand: [Exeunt. SCENE III.-A Room in PETRUCHIO'S House. Enter KATHARINA, and GRUMIO. Gru. No, no, forsooth; I dare not, for my life. Kath. The more my wrong, the more his spite appears. What, did he marry me to famish me? He does it under name of perfect love; I pr'ythee go, and get me some repast; I care not what, so it be wholesome food. Kath. 'Tis passing good: I pr'ythee let me have it. What say you to a piece of beef, and mustard? Enter PETRUCHIO with a dish of meat, and HOR TENSIO. Pet. How fares my Kate? What, sweeting, all amort? Hor. Mistress, what cheer? 'Faith, as cold as can be. Pet. Pluck up thy spirits; look cheerfully upon me. Here, love; thou seest how diligent I am, Kath. Hor. Signior Petruchio, fie! you are to blame. Come, mistress Kate, I'll bear you company. Pet. [Aside.] Eat it up all, Hortensio, if thou lov'st me. [To her.] Much good do it unto thy gentle heart! With silken coats, and caps, and golden rings, Enter Tailor. Come, tailor, let us see these ornaments; Enter Haberdasher. Lay forth the gown.-What news with you, sir? A knack, a toy, a trick, a baby's cap; Kath. I'll have no bigger: this doth fit the time, And gentlewomen wear such caps as these. Pet. When you are gentle, you shall have one too; And not till then. Hor. [Aside.] That will not be in haste. Kath. Why, sir, I trust, I may have leave to speak, And speak I will; I am no child, no babe : Kath. Love me, or love me not, I like the cap, And it I will have, or I will have none. Pet. Thy gown? why, ay :-come, tailor, let us see't. O, mercy, God! what masking stuff is here? What's this? a sleeve? 'tis like a demi-cannon: What! up and down, carv'd like an apple-tart? Here's snip, and nip, and cut, and slish, and slash, Like to a censer in a barber's shop. Why, what, o' devil's name, tailor, call'st thou this? Hor. [Aside.] I see, she's like to have neither cap nor gown. Tai. You bid me make it orderly and well, According to the fashion, and the time. Pet. Marry, and did; but if you be remember'd, I did not bid you mar it to the time. Go, hop me over every kennel home, Kath. I never saw a better-fashion'd gown, Pet. Why, true; he means to make a puppet of thee. Tai. She says, your worship means to make a puppet of her. Pet. O, monstrous arrogance! Thou liest, thou thread, Thou thimble, Thou yard, three-quarters, half-yard, quarter, nail! Gru. I gave him no order; I gave him the stuff. Gru. The note lies in 's throat, if he say I said so. Tai. "Imprimis, a loose-bodied gown." Gru. Master, if ever I said loose-bodied gown, sew me in the skirts of it, and beat me to death with a bottom of brown thread: I said, a gown. Pet. Proceed. Tai. "With a small compassed cape." Tai. "With a trunk sleeve." Gru. I confess two sleeves. Gru. Error i' the bill, sir; error i' the bill. I commanded the sleeves should be cut out, and sewed up again; and that I'll prove upon thee, though thy little finger be armed in a thimble. Tai. This is true, that I say: an I had thee in place where, thou should'st know it. Gru. I am for thee straight: take thou the bill, give me thy mete-yard, and spare not me. Hor. God-a-mercy, Grumio, then he shall have no odds. Pet. Well, sir, in brief, the gown is not for me. Gru. You are i' the right, sir: 'tis for my mistress. Pet. Go, take it up unto thy master's use. Gru. Villain, not for thy life! Take up my mistress' gown for thy master's use! Pet. Why, sir, what's your conceit in that? Gru. O, sir, the conceit is deeper than you think for. Take up my mistress' gown to his master's use! O, fie, fie, fie! Pet. [Aside.] Hortensio, say thou wilt see the tailor paid. Go take it hence; be gone, and say no more. row: Take no unkindness of his hasty words. [Exeunt Tailor and Haberdasher. Pel. Well, come, my Kate; we will unto your father's, Even in these honest mean habiliments. Our purses shall be proud, our garments poor: And as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, What, is the jay more precious than the lark, Kath. I dare assure you, sir, 'tis almost two, Hor. Why, so this gallant will command the sun [Exeunt. 333 SCENE IV.-Padua. Before BAPTISTA's House. Enter TRANIO, and the Pedant dressed like VINCENTIO. Tra. Sir, this is the house: please it you, that I call? Ped. Ay, what else? and, but I be deceived, Near twenty years ago, in Genoa, Tra. 'Tis well; and hold your own, in any case, With such austerity as 'longeth to a father. Enter BIONDEllo. Ped. I warrant you. But, sir, here comes your boy; 'Twere good, he were school'd. Tra. Fear you not him. Sirrah, Biondello, Now do your duty throughly, I advise you : Imagine 'twere the right Vincentio. Bion. Tut! fear not me. Tra. But hast thou done thy errand to Baptista? Bion. I told him, that your father was at Venice, And that you look'd for him this day in Padua. Tra. Thou'rt a tall fellow: hold thee that to drink. Here comes Baptista.-Set your countenance, sir. Signior Baptista, you are happily met.— Ped. Soft, son! Sir, by your leave: having come to Padua To have him match'd; and, if you please to like Me shall you find ready and willing With one consent to have her so bestow'd; Bap. Sir, pardon me in what I have to say: know best, We be affied, and such assurance ta'en, Bap. Not in my house, Lucentio; for, you know, Tra. Then at my lodging, an it like you: There doth my father lie, and there this night We'll pass the business privately and well. Send for your daughter by your servant here; My boy shall fetch the scrivener presently. The worst is this,-that, at so slender warning, Luc. I pray the gods she may with all my heart! [Exeunt TRANIO, Pedant, and BAPTISTA. Bion. Cambio! Luc. What say'st thou, Biondello? Bion. You saw my master wink and laugh upon you? Luc. Biondello, what of that? Bion. 'Faith, nothing; but he has left me here behind, to expound the meaning or moral of his signs and tokens. Luc. I pray thee, moralize them. Bion. Then thus. Baptista is safe, talking with the deceiving father of a deceitful son. Luc. And what of him? Bion. His daughter is to be brought by you to the supper. Luc. And then? Bion. The old priest at St. Luke's church, is at your command at all hours. Luc. And what of all this? Bion. I cannot tell, expect they are busied about a counterfeit assurance: take you assurance of her, cum privilegio ad imprimendum solùm. To the church!-take the priest, clerk, and some sufficient honest witnesses. If this be not that you look for, I have no more to say, But bid Bianca farewell for ever and a day. Luc. Hear'st thou, Biondello? Bion. I cannot tarry: I knew a wench married in an afternoon as she went to the garden for parsley to stuff a rabbit; and so may you, sir; and so adieu, sir. My master hath appointed me to go to St. Luke's, to bid the priest be ready to come against you come with your appendix. [Exit. Luc. I may, and will, if she be so contented: She will be pleas'd, then wherefore should I doubt ? Hap what hap may, I'll roundly go about her: It shall go hard, if Cambio go without her. [Exit. SCENE V.-A Public Road. Enter PETRUCHIO, KATHARINA, and HORTENSIO. Pet. Come on, o' God's name: once more toward our father's. Good lord! how bright and goodly shines the moon. Kath. The moon! the sun: it is not moonlight now. Pet. I say, it is the moon that shines so bright. Kath. I know, it is the sun that shines so bright. Pet. Now, by my mother's son, and that's myself, It shall be moon, or star, or what I list, Or ere I journey to your father's house.Go on, and fetch our horses back again.— Evermore cross'd, and cross'd; nothing but cross'd. Hor. Say as he says, or we shall never go. Kath. Forward, I pray, since we have come so far, And be it moon, or sun, or what you please. An if you please to call it a rush candle, Hor. Petruchio, go thy ways: the field is won. should run, And not unluckily against the bias.— Enter VINCENTIO, in a travelling dress. [To VINCENTIO.] Good-morrow, gentle mistress: where away? Tell me, sweet Kate, and tell me truly too, Kath. Young budding virgin, fair, and fresh, and sweet, Whither away, or where is thy abode? Happy the parents of so fair a child; Happier the man, whom favourable stars Pet. Why, how now, Kate! I hope thou art not This is a man, old, wrinkled, faded, wither'd, And not a maiden, as thou say'st he is. Kath. Pardon, old father, my mistaking eyes, That have been so bedazzled with the sun, Which way thou travellest: if along with us, Vin. Fair sir, and you my merry mistress, A son of mine, which long I have not seen. Pet. Happily met; the happier for thy son. And now by law, as well as reverend age, I may entitle thee-my loving father: The sister to my wife, this gentlewoman, Thy son by this hath married. Wonder not, Nor be not griev'd: she is of good esteem, Her dowry wealthy, and of worthy birth; Beside, so qualified as may beseem The spouse of any noble gentleman. Let me embrace with old Vincentio; And wander we to see thy honest son, Who will of thy arrival be full joyous. Vin. But is this true? or is it else your pleasure, Like pleasant travellers, to break a jest Upon the company you overtake? Hor. I do assure thee, father, so it is. Pet. Come, go along, and see the truth hereof; For our first merriment hath made thee jealous. [Exeunt PETRUCHIO, KATHARINA, and VINCENTIO. Hor. Well, Petruchio, this has put me in heart. Have to my widow; and if she be froward, Then hast thou taught Hortensio to be untoward. [Exil. |