Hor. I promis'd, we would be contributors, And bear his charge of wooing, whatsoe'er.

Gre. And so we will; provided, that he win her. Gru. I would I were as sure of a good dinner. [Aside. Enter TRANIO, bravely apparell'd; and BIONDEllo. Tra. Gentlemen, God save you! If I may be bold, Tell me, I beseech you, which is the readiest way To the house of signior Baptista Minola?

Gre. He that has the two fair daughters-is't he you mean? [Aside to TRANIO.

Tra. Even he. Biondello!

Gre. Hark you, sir; you mean not her to

Tra. Perhaps, him and her, sir; What have you to do?
Pet. Not her that chides, sir, at any hand, I pray.
Tra. I love no chiders, sir :-Biondello, let's away.
Luc. Well begun, Tranio.

Hor. Sir, a word ere you go ;

[Aside.

Are you a suitor to the maid you talk of, yea, or no?
Tra. An if I be, sir, is it any offence?

Gre. No; if, without more words, you will get you hence,

Tra. Why, sir, I pray, are not the streets as free

For me, as for you ?

Gre. But so is not she.

Tra. For what reason, I beseech you?
Gre. For this reason, if you'll know,-

That she's the choice love of signior Gremio

Hor. That she's the chosen of signior Hortensio.
Tra. Softly, my masters! if you be gentlemen,
Do me this right,-hear me with patience.
Baptista is a noble gentleman,

To whom my father is not all unknown;
And, were his daughter fairer than she is,
She may more suitors have, and me for one.
Fair Leda's daughter had a thousand wooers;
Then well one more may fair Bianca have:
And so she shall; Lucentio shall make one,
Though Paris came, in hope to speed alone.

Gre. What this gentleman will out-talk us all.
Luc. Sir, give him head; I know, he'll prove a jade.
Pet. Hortensio, to what end are all these words?
Hor. Sir, let me be so bold as to ask you,

Did you yet ever see Baptista's daughter?

Tra. No, sir; but hear I do, that he hath two;
The one as famous for a scolding tongue,
As is the other for beauteous modesty.

Pet. Sir, sir, the first`s for me; let her go by.
Gre. Yea, leave that labour to great Hercules;
And let it be more than Alcides' twelve.

Pet. Sir, understand you this of me, insooth ;—
The younger daughter, whom you hearken for,
Her father keeps from all access of suitors;
And will not promise her to any man,
Until the eldest sister first be wed:
The youngest then is free, and not before.
Tra. If it be so, sir, that you are the man
Must stead us all, and me among the rest;
An if you break the ice, and do this feat,—
Achieve the elder, set the younger free
For our access,--whose hap shall be to have her,
Will not so graceless be, to be ingrate.

Hor. Sir, you say well, and well you do conceive; And since you do profess to be a suitor,

You must, as we do, gratify this gentleman,

To whom we all rest generally beholden.

Tra. Sir, I shall not be slack in sign whereof,
Please ye we may contrive this afternoon,
And quaff carouses to our mistress' health;
And do as adversaries do in law,-

Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.

Gru. Bion. O'excellent motion !-Fellows, let's begone. Hor. The motion's good indeed, and be it so ;— Petruchio, I shall be your ben venuto.

ACT II.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I.-The same. A room in BAPTISTA'S House. Enter KATHARINA and BIANCA.

Bianca.

Good sister, wrong me not, nor wrong yourself,
To make a bondmaid and a slave of me;
That I disdain: but for these other gawds,
Unbind my hands, I'll pull them off myself,
Yea, all my raiment, to my petticoat ;
Or, what you will command me, will I do,

So well I know my duty to my elders.

Kath. Of all thy suitors, here I charge thee, tell
Whom thou lov'st best: see thou dissemble not.

Bian. Believe me, sister, of all the men alive,
I never yet beheld that special face
Which I could fancy more than any other.

Kath. Minion, thou liest; Is't not Hortensio ?
Bian. If you affect him, sister, here I swear,
I'll plead for you myself, but you shall have him.
Kath. O then, belike, you fancy riches more;
You will have Gremio to keep you fair.

Bian. Is it for him you do envy me so ?
Nay, then you jest; and now I well perceive,
You have but jested with me all this while :
I pr'ythee, sister Kate, untie my hands.

Kath. If that be jest, then all the rest was so.

Enter BAPTISTA.

[Strikes her.

Bap. Why, how now, dame! whence grows this inso

lence ?

Bianca, stand aside ;-poor girl! she weeps:

Go ply thy needle; meddle not with her.

-For shame, thou hilding of a devilish spirit,
Why dost thou wrong her that did ne'er wrong thee
When did she cross thee with a bitter word?
Kath. Her silence flouts me, and I'll be reveng'd.
[Flies after BIANCA.
Bap. What, in my sight ?-Bianca, get thee in.

[Exit BIANC
Kath. Will you not suffer me? Nay, now I see,
She is your treasure, she must have a husband;
I must dance bare-foot on her wedding-day,
And, for your love to her, lead apes in hell.
Talk not to me; I will go sit and weep,
Till I can find occasion of revenge.

[Exit KATH.

Bap. Was ever gentleman thus griev'd as I?

But who comes here ?

[5] The word hilding or hinderling, is a low wretch: it is applied to Katharine for the coarseness of her behaviour. JOHNSON.

[6] To lead apes" was in our author's time, as at present one of the employments of a bear-herd, who often carries about one of those animals along with his bear: but I know not how this phrase came to be applied to old maids. MALONE. That women who refused to bear children, should, after death, be condemned to the care of apes in leading-strings, might have been considered as an act of posthumous retribution. STEEVENS.

Enter GREMIO, with LUCENTIO in the habit of a mean man;
PETRUCHIO, with HORTENSIO as a musician; and TRA-
NIO, with BIONDELLO bearing a lute and books.
Gre. Good-morrow, neighbour Baptista.

Bap. Good-morrow, neighbour Gremio: God save you, gentlemen!

Pet. And you, good sir! Pray, have you not a daughter Call'd Katharina, fair, and virtuous?

Bap. I have a daughter, sir, call'd Katharina.

Gre. You are too blunt, go to it orderly.

Pet. You wrong me, signior Gremio; give me leave.— I am a gentleman of Verona, sir,

That.-hearing of her beauty, and her wit,

Her affability, and bashful modesty,

Her wondrous qualities, and mild behaviour,—
Am bold to show myself a forward guest

Within your house, to make mine eye the witness
Of that report which I so oft have heard.
And, for an entrance to my entertainment,
I do present you with a man of mine,

[Presenting HoRtensio.

Cunning in music, and the mathematics,
To instruct her fully in those sciences,
Whereof, I know, she is not ignorant :
Accept of him, or else you do me wrong;
His name is Licio, born in Mantua.

Bap. You're welcome, sir; and he, for your good sake: But for my daughter Katharine,-this I know,

She is not for your turn, the more my grief.

Pet. I see, you do not mean to part with her;

Or else you like not of my company.

Bap. Mistake me not, I speak but as I find.

Whence are you, sir, what may I call your name?
Pet. Petruchio is my name; Antonio's son,

A man well known throughout all Italy.

Bap. I know him well: you are welcome for his sake. Gre. Saving your tale, Petruchio, I pray,

Let us, that are poor petitioners, speak too:

Baccare you are marvellous forward.

Pet. O, pardon me, signior Gremio; I would fain be doing.

Gre. I doubt it not, sir; but you will curse your wooing.

[7] The word is an old proverbial one. FARMER.

-Neighbour, this is a gift very grateful, I am sure of it. To express the like kindness myself, that have been more kindly beholden to you than any, I freely give unto you this young scholar, that hath been long studying at Rheims [Presenting LUCENTIO]; as cunning in Greek, Latin, and other languages, as the other in music and mathematics : his name is Cambio; pray, accept his service.

Bap. A thousand thanks, signior Gremio: welcome, Good Cambio.-But, gentle sir, methinks, you walk like a stranger; [To TRANIO.] May I be so bold to know the cause of your coming?

Tra. Pardon me, sir, the boldness is mine own; That, being a stranger in this city here,

Do make myself a suitor to your daughter,

Unto Bianca, fair, and virtuous.

Nor is your firm resolve unknown to me,
In the preferment of the elder sister:
This liberty is all that I request,--
That, upon knowledge of my parentage,

I may have welcome 'mongst the rest that woo,
And free access and favour as the rest.

And, toward the education of your daughters,
I here bestow a simple instrument,

And this small packet of Greek and Latin books :"
If you accept them, then their worth is great.
Bup. Lucentio is your name? of whence, I pray
Tra. Of Pisa, sir; son to Vicentio.

Bap. A mighty man of Pisa; by report

I know him well: you are very welcome, sir.

?

Take you [To HoR.] the lute, and you [To Luc.] the

set of books,

You shall go see your pupils presently.

Holla, within!--Sirrah, lead

Enter a Servant.

These gentlemen to my daughters; and tell them both, These are their tutors; bid them use them well.— [Exit servant, with HORT. LUCEN. and BION

We will go walk a little in the orchard,

And then to dinner: You are passing welcome,

And so I pray you all to think yourselves.

Pet. Signior Baptista, my business asketh haste,

[8] In Queen Elizabeth's time the young ladies of quality were usually instructed in the learned languages, if any pains were bestowed on their minds at all Lady Jane Grey and her sisters, Queen Elizabeth. &e are trife intances. PERCY M 2

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VOL. III.