Thou must be married to no man but me:
For I am he, am born to tame you, Kate:
And bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate 17
Conformable, as other household Kates.

Here comes your father; never make denial,
I must and will have Katharine to my wife.

Re-enter BAPTISTA, GREMIO, and TRANIO. Bap. Now,

Signior Petruchio: How speed you with

My daughter?

Pet.

How but well, sir? how but well? It were impossible I should speed amiss.

Bap. Why, how now, daughter Katharine; in your dumps?

Kath. Call you me, daughter? now I promise you, You have show'd a tender fatherly regard, To wish me wed to one half lunatick;

A mad-cap ruffian, and a swearing Jack,

That thinks with oaths to face the matter out.
Pet. Father, 'tis thus :-yourself and all the world,
That talk'd of her, have talk'd amiss of her;
If she be curst, it is for policy:

For she's not froward, but modest as the dove;
She is not hot, but temperate as the morn;
For patience she will prove a second Grissel 18;
And Roman Lucrece for her chastity:

And to conclude,-we have 'greed so well together,
That upon Sunday is the wedding-day.

Kath. I'll see thee hang'd on Sunday first.

17 Thus the first folio. The second folio reads:-' a wild Kat to a Kate.' The modern editors, a wild cat.'

18 The story of Griselda, so beautifully related by Chaucer, was taken by him from Boccaccio. It is thought to be older than the time of the Florentine, as it is to be found among the old fubliaux.

Gre. Hark, Petruchio! she says she'll see thee hang'd first.

Tra. Is this your speeding? nay, then, good night our part!

Pet. Be patient, gentlemen; I choose her for myself;

If she and I be pleas'd, what's that to you?
'Tis bargain'd 'twixt us twain, being alone,
That she shall still be curst in company.
I tell

you, 'tis incredible to believe

How much she loves me: O, the kindest Kate !—
She hung about my neck; and kiss on kiss
She vied 19 so fast, protesting oath on oath,
That in a twink she won me to her love.
O, you are novices! 'tis a world to see
How tame, when men and women are alone,

20

A meacock 21 wretch can make the curstest shrew.—
Give me thy hand, Kate: I will unto Venice,
To buy apparel 'gainst the wedding-day :-
Provide the feast, father, and bid the guests;
I will be sure, my Katharine shall be fine.

Bap. I know not what to say: but give me your hands;

God send you joy, Petruchio! 'tis a match.

19 So in the old play :

Redoubling kiss on kiss upon my cheeks.' To vie was a term in the old vocabulary of gaming, for to wager the goodness of one hand against another. There was also to revie and other variations. Mr. Gifford has clearly explained the terms in a note on Every Man in his Humour, Act iv. Sc. 1. Petruchio here appears to mean that Katherine played as for a wager with her kisses, vieing or staking kiss on kiss with him.

20 This phrase, which frequently occurs in old writers, is equivalent to, it is a wonder, or a matter of admiration to see.

21 A tame dastardly creature, particularly an overmild husband. A mecocke or pezzant, that hath his head under his wives girdle, or that lets his wife be his maister.'-Junius's Nomenclator, by Fleming, 1585, p. 532.

Gre. Tra. Amen, say we; we will be witnesses. Pet. Father, and wife, and gentlemen, adieu; I will to Venice, Sunday comes apace:We will have rings, and things, and fine array; And kiss me, Kate, we will be married o' Sunday. [Exeunt PET. and KATH. severally. Gre. Was ever match clapp'd up so suddenly? Bap. Faith, gentlemen, now I play a merchant's part,

And venture madly on a desperate mart.

Tra. "Twas a commodity lay fretting by you: "Twill bring you gain, or perish on the seas.

Bap. The gain I seek is— quiet in the match. Gre. No doubt, but he hath got a quiet catch. But now, Baptista, to your younger daughter;Now is the day we long have looked for; I am your neighbour, and was suitor first.

Tra. And I am one, that love Bianca more Than words can witness, or your thoughts can guess. Gre. Youngling! thou canst not love so dear as I. Tra. Grey-beard! thy love doth freeze.

Gre. But thine doth fry. Skipper, stand back; 'tis age that nourisheth.

Tra. But youth, in ladies' eyes that flourisheth. Bap. Content you, gentlemen; I'll compound this strife:

"Tis deeds must win the prize; and he, of both, That can assure my daughter greatest dower, Shall have Bianca's love

Say, Signior Gremio, what can you assure her?

Gre. First, as you know, my house within the city Is richly furnished with plate and gold;

Basons, and ewers, to lave her dainty hands;
My hangings all of Tyrian tapestry:

In ivory coffers I have stuff'd my crowns;

In cypress chests my arras, counterpoints 22,
Costly apparel, tents 23, and canopies.

Fine linen, Turkey cushions boss'd with pearl,
Valance of Venice gold in needle-work,
Pewter 24 and brass, and all things that belong
To house, or housekeeping: then, at my farm,
I have a hundred milch-kine to the pail,
Six score fat oxen standing in my stalls,
And all things answerable to this portion.
Myself am struck in years, I must confess;
. And, if I die to-morrow, this is hers,
If, whilst I live, she will be only mine.
Tra. That, only, came well in.- -Sir, list to me:
I am my
father's heir, and only son:
If I may have your daughter to my wife,
I'll leave her houses three or four as good,
Within rich Pisa walls, as any one

Old Signior Gremio has in Padua;

Besides two thousand ducats by the year,
Of fruitful land, all which shall be her jointure.-
What, have I pinch'd you, Signior Gremio?

Gre. Two thousand ducats by the year, of land! My land amounts not to so much in all:

22 Coverings for beds; now called counterpanes. Anciently composed of patch-work, and so contrived that every pane or partition of them was contrasted with a different colour. Hence the change of the last syllable to pane. From Baret it appears that both terms were then in use.

23 Tents were hangings, tentes, French, probably so named from the tenters upon which they were hung, tenture de tapisserie signified a suit of hangings. The following passage shows that a canopy was sometimes a tester, a canopy properly that hangeth aboute beddes to keepe away gnattes, sometimes a tent or pavilion, some have used it for a testorne to hange over a bed.'Baret in voce.

24 Pewter was considered as such costly furniture, that we find in the Northumberland household book vessels of pewter were hired by the year.

That she shall have; besides an argosy 25,
That now is lying in Marseilles' road:-
What, have I chok'd you with an argosy?

Tra. Gremio, 'tis known, my father hath no less Than three great argosies; besides two galliasses 26, And twelve tight galleys: these I will assure her, And twice as much, whate'er thou offer'st next.

Gre. Nay, I have offer'd all, I have no more; And she can have no more than all I have ;

If

you like me, she shall have me and mine. Tra. Why, then the maid is mine from all the world, By your firm promise; Gremio is out-vied 27.

If

Bap. I must confess, your offer is the best;
And, let your father make her the assurance,
She is your own; else, you must pardon me:
you should die before him, where's her dower?
Tra. That's but a cavil; he is old, I young.
Gre. And may not young men die, as well as old?
Bap. Well, gentlemen,

I am thus resolv'd:-On Sunday next, you know,
My daughter Katharine is to be married:
Now, on the Sunday following, shall Bianca
Be bride to you, if you make this assurance;
If not, to Signior Gremio:

And so I take my leave, and thank you both. [Exit. Gre. Adieu, good neighbour.-Now I fear thee not;

Sirrah, young gamester, your father were a fool
To give thee all, and, in his waning age,

Set foot under thy table: Tut! a toy!

An old Italian fox is not so kind, my boy. [Exit.

25 A large vessel either for merchandise or war.

26 A galiass, galeazza, Ital. was a great or double galley. The masts were three, and the number of seats for rowers thirty-two. 27 The origin of this term is also from gaming. When one man vied upon another, he was said to be outvied.

VOL. III.

M M