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 neighbor, 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. Gray-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, seignior Gremio, what can you assure her?

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

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

In ivory coffers I have stuffed my crowns;
In cypress chests my arras, counterpoints,1
Costly apparel, tents, and canopies;

Fine linen, Turkey cushions bossed with pearl,
Valance of Venice gold in needle-work,
Pewter and brass, and all things that belong
To house, or house-keeping. 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,

1 Coverings for beds; now called counterpanes.

2 Tents were hangings, tentes (French), probably so named from the tenters upon which they were hung.

I'll leave her houses three or four as good,
Within rich Pisa walls, as any one
Old seignior Gremio has in Padua ;
Besides two thousand ducats by the year,
Of fruitful land, all which shall be her jointure.-
What, have I pinched you, seignior Gremio?
Gre. Two thousand ducats by the year, of land!
My land amounts not to so much in all:
That she shall have; besides an argosy,
That now is lying in Marseilles' road.
What, have I choked you with an argosy?

Tra. Gremio,'tis known my father hath no less
Than three great argosies; besides two galliasses,1
And twelve tight galleys. These I will assure her,
And twice as much, whate'er thou offer'st next,
Gre. Nay, I have offered 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 outvied.

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 resolved.-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 seignior Gremio.

And so I take my leave, and thank you both.

[Exit.

Gre. Adieu, good neighbor.-Now, I fear thee not; Sirrah, young gamester, your father were a fool

To give thee all, and, in his waning age,

1 A galiass (galeazza, Ital.) was a great or double galley. The masts were three, and the number of seats for rowers thirty-two.

Set foot under thy table. Tut! a toy!

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

[Exit.

Tra. A vengeance on your crafty withered hide!

Yet I have faced it with a card of ten.1

'Tis in my head to do my master good:-
I see no reason, but supposed Lucentio
Must get a father, called-supposed Vincentio;
And that's a wonder. Fathers, commonly,

Do get their children; but, in this case of wooing,
A child shall get a sire, if I fail not of my cunning.

[Exit.2

ACT III.

SCENE I. A Room in Baptista's House.

Enter LUCENTIO, HORTENSIO, and BIANCA. Luc. Fiddler, forbear; you grow too forward, sir. Have you so soon forgot the entertainment Her sister Katharine welcomed you withal? Hor. But, wrangling pedant, this is The patroness of heavenly harmony. Then give me leave to have prerogative; And when in music we have spent an hour, Your lecture shall have leisure for as much.

1 This phrase, which often occurs in old writers, was most probably derived from some game at cards, wherein the standing boldly upon a ten was often successful.

2 After this Mr. Pope introduced the following speeches of the presenters, as they are called; from the old play :

Slie. When will the fool come again?*

Sim. Anon, my lord.

Slie. Give some more drink here; where's the tapster? Here, Sim, eat some of these things.

Sim. I do, my lord.

Slie. Here, Sim, I drink to thee.

This probably alludes to the custom of filling up the vacancy of the stage between the acts by the appearance of a fool on the stage; unless Sly meant Sander, the servant to Ferando, in the old piece, which seems likely from a subsequent passage.

Luc. Preposterous ass! that never read so far
To know the cause why music was ordained!
Was it not to refresh the mind of man,

After his studies, or his usual pain?
Then give me leave to read philosophy,
And, while I pause, serve in your harmony.

Hor. Sirrah, I will not bear these braves of thine.
Bian. Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong,
To strive for that which resteth in my choice.
I am no breeching scholar in the schools;
I'll not be tied to hours, nor 'pointed times,
But learn my lessons as I please myself.
And, to cut off all strife, here sit we down.-
Take you your instrument, play you the whiles;
His lecture will be done ere you have tuned.
Hor. You'll leave his lecture when I am in tune?
[TO BIANCA.-HORTENSIO retires.
Luc. That will be never!-Tune your
instrument.
Bian. Where left we last?

Luc. Here, madam.

Hac ibat Simois; hic est Sigeia tellus;
Hic steterat Priami regia celsa senis.
Bian. Construe them.

Luc. Hac ibat, as I told you before,'-Simois, I am Lucentio, hic est, son unto Vincentio of Pisa,-Sigeia tellus, disguised thus to get your love;-Hic steterat, and that Lucentio that comes a wooing, Priami, is my man Tranio,-regia, bearing my port,-celsa senis, that we might beguile the old pantaloon.

Hor. Madam, my instrument's in tune. [Returning. Bian. Let's hear.[HORTENSIO plays.

O fie! The treble jars.

Luc. Spit in the hole, man, and tune again.

Bian. Now let me see if I can construe it. Hac ibat Simois, I know you not;-hic est Sigeia tellus, I trust you not;-Hic steterat Priami, take heed he

1 This species of humor, in which Latin is translated into English of a perfectly different meaning, is to be found in two plays of Middleton, The Witch, and The Chaste Maid of Cheapside; and in other writers.

hear us not; regia, presume not;-celsa senis, despair

not.

Hor. Madam, 'tis now in tune.

Luc.

All but the base.

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

jars.

How fiery and forward our pedant is!

Now, for my life, the knave doth court my love.
Pedascule, I'll watch you better yet.

Bian. In time I may believe, yet I mistrust.
Luc. Mistrust it not; for sure,

acides

Was Ajax,2-called so from his grandfather.

Bian. I must believe my master; else, I promise

you,

I should be arguing still upon that doubt.
But let it rest. Now, Licio, to you.—
Good masters, take it not unkindly, pray,
That I have been thus pleasant with you both.
Hor. You may go walk, [To LUCENTIO.] and give
me leave awhile;

My lessons make no music in three parts.

Luc. Are you so formal, sir? Well, I must wait, And watch withal; for, but I be deceived,

3

Our fine musician groweth amorous.

[Aside.

Hor. Madam, before you touch the instrument,

To learn the order of my fingering,
I must begin with rudiments of art;
To teach you gamut in a briefer sort,
More pleasant, pithy, and effectual,
Than hath been taught by any of my trade.
And there it is in writing, fairly drawn.
Bian. Why, I am past my gamut long ago.
Hor. Yet read the gamut of Hortensio.

1 Pedant.

2 "This is only said to deceive Hortensio, who is supposed to be listening. The pedigree of Ajax, however, is properly made out, and might have been taken from Golding's Version of Ovid's Metamorphoses, book xiii." or, it may be added, from any historical and poetical dictionary, such as is appended to Cooper's Latin Dictionary, and others of that time. 3 But is here used in its exceptive sense of be-out, without.