Bap. Well, gentlemen,

I am thus refolv'd :-On Sunday next, you know,
My daughter Catherine is to be marry'd':

Now, on the Sunday following, fhall Bianca-
Be bride to you, Lucentio, if you

Make this affurance; if not, to fignior Gremio:
And fo I take my leave, and thank you both.

[Exit. "Gre. Adieu, good neighbour.-Now I fear thee not; "Sirrah, young gamefter, your father were a fool "To give thee all, and, in his waining age, Set foot under thy table: Tut! a toy!

"An old Italian fox is not fo kind, my boy.

[Exit.

"Tra. A vengeance on your crafty wither'd hide!

"Yet I have fac'd it with a card of ten.

" "Tis in my head to do my mafter good :— "I fee no reason, but fuppos'd Lucentio

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May get a father, call'd-fuppos'd Vincentio ; "And that's a wonder: fathers, commonly, "Do get their children; but, in this cafe of wooing, "A child fhall get a fire, if I fail not of my cunning [Exit.

"SCENE II. The fame. Another Room. "Enter Lucentio, and Bianca, converfing; to them, "Hortenfio.

"Lue Fidler, forbear; you grow too forward, fir: "Have you fo foon forgot the entertainment

"Her fifter Catherine welcom'd you withal?

"Hor. She is a fhrew; but, wrangling pedant, this is "The patronefs of heavenly harmony:

"Then give me leave to have prerogative;

"And when in mufic we have spent an hour, "Your lecture fhall have leifure for as much.

"Luc. Prepoft'rous afs! that never read fo far, "To know the cause why mufic was ordain'd! "Was it not, to refresh the mind of man, "After his ftudies, or his ufual pain? "Then give me leave to read philosophy,

There is no occafion for this or the preceding speech, and nei

ther contains any thing worthy notice.

"And,

"And, when I paufe, ferve in your harmony.

"Hor. Sirrah, I will not bear these braves of thine, "Bia. Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong, "To strive for that which refteth in my choice: "I am no breeching scholar in the schools; "I'll not be ty'd to hours, nor 'pointed times, "But learn my leffons as I pleafe myself. "And, to cut off all ftrife, here fit we down :“ Take you your instrument, play you the whiles ; “His lecture will be done, ere you have tun'd. "Hor. You'll leave his lecture, when I am in tune ? [To Bia. taking up bis Lute,. "Luc. That will be never ;-tune your inftrument. "Bia. Where left we laft?

[Sitting to a Table with Luc. fhewing a Book.

"Luc. Here, madam :-
:-

"Hic ibat Simois; hic eft Sigeia tellus ;
"Hic feterat Priami regia celfa fenis.
"Bia. Conftrue them.

“Luc. Hic ibat, as I told you before,—Simois, I am "Lucentio,—hic eft, fon unto Vincentio of Pisa,—Sigeia "tellus, difguised thus to get your love ;-Hic fteterat, " and that Lucentio that comes a wooing,-Priamt, is "my man Tranio,-regia, bearing my port,-celja fe "nis, that we might beguile the old pantaloon.

“Hor. Madam, my inftrument's in tune. "Bia. Let's hear :

“O, fie! the treble jars.

"Luc. Spit in the hole, man,

"And tune again.

[Hor: plays.

"Bia. Now let me fee if I can conftrue it.

"Hic ibat Simois, I know you not ;—hic eft Sigeia tellus, “ I trust you not ;-Hic fieterat Priami, take heed he “hear us not;—regia, presume not;-celfa fenis, de"fpair not.

Hor. Madam, 'tis now in tune. "Luc. All but the bafe.

"Hor. The base is right; 'tis the base knave that

"jars

"How fiery and how forward is our pedant! [Afide. Now, for my life, the knave doth court my love:

"Pedafcule,

Pedafcule, I'll watch you better yet.
"Bia: In time I may believe, yet I mistruft.

[Seeing Hor. liften.

"Luc. Miftruft it not; for, fure, acides u. Was Ajax,-call'd fo from his grandfather. "Bia. I.muft believe my mafter; elfe, I promife you, "Ifhould be arguing ftill upon that doubt:

But let it reft.-Now, Licio, to you:

[Rifing.

"Good mafters, take it not unkindly, pray, "That I have been thus pleafant with you both. "Hor. You may go walk, [to Lue.] and give me leave a while;

66

My leffons make no mufic in three parts.

"Luc. Are you fo formal, fir ? well, I must wait,

"And watch withal; for, but I be deceiv'd,

"Our fine mufician groweth amorous.

[Retiring,

"Hor. Madam, before you touch the instrument, "To learn the order of my fingering, "I-muß begin with rudiments of art; "To teach you gamut in a briefer fort,

"More pleafant, pithy, and effectual,

"Than hath been taught by any of my trade:

"And there it is in writing, fairly drawn. [Gives a paper, "Bia. Why, I am pait my gamut long ago.

"Hor. Yet read the gamut of Hortenfio.

66.

·Bia. Gamut I am, the ground of all accord, [Reads.
"A re, to plead Hortenfio's passion;

"B me, Bianca, take him for thy lord,
"C faut, that loves with all affection:

"D fol re, one cliff, not two notes have I;
"E la mi, how me pity, or I die.

"Call you this-gamut? tut! I like it not:
"Old fashions please me beft; I am not fo nice,
"To change true rules for odd inventions.

"Enter a Servant.

"Ser. Mistress, your father prays you leave your

“books,

"And help to dress your fifter's chamber up;

You know, to-morrow is the wedding-day.

66

"Bia. Farewel, fweet mafters both; I must be gone. [Exeunt Ser. and Bia. Luc. 'Faith, miftrefs, then I have no caufe to stay. [Exit Lucentio. "Hor. But I have caufe to pry into this pedant; "Methinks, he looks as though he were in love :"Yet if thy thoughts, Bianca, be fo humble, "To caft thy wand'ring eyes on every ftale, "Seize thee, that lift; if once I find thee ranging, "Hortenfio will be quit with thee by changing.

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[Exit"."

ACT III.

SCENE I. The fame. Court before the Houfe.

Enter Baptifta, Gremio, Tranio, Catherine, Bianca, and Attendants; Lucentio, and Hortenfio among them. BAPTISTA.

SIGN

IGNIOR Lucentio, [to Tra.] this is the 'pointed day That Catherine and Petruchio fhould be marry'd, And yet we hear not of our fon-in-law:

What will be faid? what mockery will it be,--
To want the bridegroom, when the priest attends
To fpeak the ceremonial rites of marriage?

What fays Lucentio to this fhame of curs?

Cat. No fhame but mine: I muft, forfooth, be forc'd

To give my hand, oppos'd against my heart,

Unto a mad-brain rudefby, full of fpleen;

Who woo'd in hafte, and means to wed at leifure..
I told you, I,—he was a frantic fool,

Hiding his bitter jefts in blunt behaviour:
And, to be noted for a merry man,

*The whole of this fcene is fo immaterial, fo improbable, and fo ftrained for humour, that our ideas confign it to neglect: the act, from Petruchio's courtship, must ever please, and rifes confiderably above the first,

He'll

He'll woo a thoufand, point the day of marriage,
Make friends, invite, yes, and proclaim the banns;
Yet never means to wed where he hath woo'd.
Now must the world point at poor Catherine;
And fay,-Lo! there is mad Petruchio's wife,
If it would please him come and marry her.

Tra. Patience, good Catherine, and Baptifta too; Upon my life, Petruchio means but well, Whatever fortune stays him from his word : Though he be blunt, I know him paffing wife; Though he be merry, yet withal he's honeft. Cat. 'Would, Catherine had never feen him though! [Exit, weeping: is followed by Bianca, Gremio, Hortenfio, and others.

Bap. Go, girl; I cannot blame thee now to weep; For fuch an injury would vex a faint, Much more a threw of thy impatient temper.

Enter Biondello, baftily.

Bio. Mafter, mafter, [to Tra.] news, old news, and fuch news as you never heard of!

Bap. Is it new and old too? how may that be?

Bio. Why, is it not news, to hear of Petruchio's coming?

Bap. Is he come ?

Bio. Why, no, fir.
Bap. What then?

Bio. He is coming.

Bap. When will he be here?

Bio. When he ftands where I am, and fees
Tra. But fay, what be thine old news?

you there.

Bio. Why, Petruchio is coming, in a new hat, and an old jerkin; a pair of old breeches, thrice turned; a pair of boots that have been candle-cafes, one buckled, another lac'd; an old rusty sword ta'en out of the town armory, with a broken hilt, and chapelefs, with two broken points: His horfe hip'd with an old mothy faddle, the stirrops of no kindred: befides, poffeft with the glanders, and like to mofe in the chine; troubled with the lampafs, infected with the fafhions, full of wind

galls,