Mess. Your honour's players, hearing your amendment,

Are come to play a pleasant comedy;
For so your doctors hold it very meet,
Seeing too much sadness hath congeal'd your
blood,

And melancholy is the nurse of frenzy: Therefore they thought it good you hear a play,

And frame your mind to mirth and merriment,

Which bars a thousand harms and lengthens life.

Sly. Marry, I will, let them play it. Is 't not a commonty1 a Christmas gambold or a tumb ling-trick?

141

Page. No, my good lord; it is more pleasing stuff.

Sly. What, household stuff?

Page. It is a kind of history.

Sly. Well, we'll see 't. Come, madam wife, sit by my side, and let the world slip: we shall ne'er be younger.

Flourish.

SCENE I. Padua. A public place.
Enter LUCENTIO and his man TRANIO.
Luc. Tranio, since, for the great desire I
had

To see fair Padua, nursery of arts,
I am arriv'd for fruitful Lombardy,
The pleasant garden of great Italy;

And, by my father's love and leave, am arm'd
With his good will, and thy good company,
My trusty servant, well approv'd in all;
Here let us breathe, and haply institute

A course of learning and ingenious studies.

10

[Pisa, renowned for grave citizens,
Gave me my being, and my father first,
A merchant of great traffic through the world,
Vincentio, come of the Bentivolii.
Lucentio his son, brought up in Florence,
It shall become, to serve all hopes conceiv'd,
To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds:
And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study,—
Virtue, and that part of philosophy
Will I apply, that treats of happiness

1 Commonty, a corruption of commodity; here = comedy.

30

Glad that you thus continue your resolve To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy.] Only, good master, while we do admire This virtue, and this moral discipline, Let's be no stoics nor no stocks, I pray; Or so devote to Aristotle's ethics, As Ovid be an outcast quite abjur'd: [Balk logic3 with acquaintance that you have, And practise rhetoric in your common talk; Music and poesy use to quicken you; The mathematics, and the metaphysics, Fall to them as you find your stomach serves you;

No profit grows where is no pleasure ta'en:] In brief, sir, study what you most affect.

40

Kath. [To Baptista] I pray you, sir, is it your will

To make a stale1 of me amongst these mates? Hor. Mates, maid! how mean you that? no

mates for you,

Unless you were of gentler, milder mould. 60 Kath. I' faith, sir, you shall never need to fear:

I wis it is not half way to her heart;
But if it were, doubt not her care should be
To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd stool,
And paint your face, and use you like a fool.
Hor. From all such devils, good Lord de-
liver us!

Gre. And me too, good Lord!

Tra. [Aside to Lucentio] Hush, master! here's some good pastime toward:

That wench is stark mad or wonderful froward.

Luc. [Aside to Tranio] But in the other's silence do I see

Maid's mild behaviour and sobriety.
Peace, Tranio!

70

Tra. [Aside to Lucentio] Well said, master; mum! and gaze your fill.

Bap. Well, gentlemen, that I may soon make good

What I have said, Bianca, get you in:

And let it not displease thee, good Bianca,
For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl.

Kath. A pretty peat!5 it is best
Put finger in the eye, an she knew why.

81

Bian. Sister, content you in my discontent.
Sir, to your pleasure humbly I subscribe:
My books and instruments shall be my com-
pany,

On them to look, and practise by myself.
Luc. [Aside to Tranio] Hark, Tranio! thou
may'st hear Minerva speak.
Hor. Signior Baptista, will you be so strange?
Sorry am I that our good will effects
Bianca's grief.

Gre.
Why will you mew her up,
Signior Baptista, for this fiend of hell,
And make her bear the penance of her tongue?
Bap. Content ye, gentlemen; I am resolv'd:
Go in, Bianca:

4 A stale, i.e. a common harlot.

[Exit Bianca.

5 Peat, i.e. little pet, from petit (Fr.).

Gre. You may go to the devil's dam: [your gifts are so good, here's none will hold you. Our love is not so great, Hortensio, but we may blow our nails together, and fast it fairly out: our cake's dough on both sides.] Farewell: yet, for the love I bear my sweet Bianca, if I can by any means light on a fit man to teach her that wherein she delights, I will wish him to her father.

Hor. So will I, Signior Gremio: but a word,

1 Cunning, i.e. skilful.

2 Wish him to, i.e. recommend him to.

Hor. Tush, Gremio, though it pass your patience and mine to endure her loud alarums, why, man, there be good fellows in the world, an a man could light on them, would take her with all faults, and money enough.

Gre. I cannot tell: but I had as lief take her dowry with this condition,-to be whipped at the high cross every morning.

Hor. Faith, as you say, there's small choice in rotten apples. But come; since this bar in law makes us friends, it shall be so far forth friendly maintained, till by helping Baptista's eldest daughter to a husband, we set his youngest free for a husband, and then have to 't afresh.-Sweet Bianca!--Happy man be his dole! He that runs fastest gets the ring. How say you, Signior Gremio?

Gre. I am agreed; and would I had given him the best horse in Padua to begin his wooing, that would thoroughly woo her, wed her, and bed her, and rid the house of her! Come [Exeunt Gremio and Hortensio. 150 Tra. I pray, sir, tell me,—is it possible That love should of a sudden take such hold?

on.

Luc. O Tranio, till I found it to be true, I never thought it possible or likely; But see, while idly I stood looking on, I found the effect of love in idleness: And now in plainness do confess to thee,-[That art to me as secret and as dear As Anna to the queen of Carthage was,-] Tranio, I burn, I pine; I perish, Tranio, If I achieve not this young modest girl. Counsel me, Tranio, for I know thou canst; Assist me, Tranio, for I know thou wilt.

160

[Tra. Master, it is no time to chide you

now;

Affection is not rated1 from the heart:

If love have touch'd you, nought remains but

So,

Redime te captum quam queas minimo.

Luc. Gramercies, lad, go forward; this con

tents:

The rest will comfort, for thy counsel's sound.]

Rated, scolded.

170

Tra. Master, you look'd so longly on the maid, Perhaps you mark'd not what's the pith of all. Luc. O yes, I saw sweet beauty in her face, Such as the daughter of Agenor2 had, That made great Jove to humble him to her hand,

When with his knees he kiss'd the Cretan strand.

Tra. Saw you no more? mark'd you not how her sister

Began to scold and raise up such a storm, That mortal ears might hardly endure the din?

Luc. Tranio, I saw her coral lips to move, And with her breath she did perfume the air:

Sacred and sweet was all I saw in her.

130

Tra. Nay, then, 't is time to stir him from his trance.

I pray, awake, sir: if you love the maid, Bend thoughts and wits to achieve her. Thus

it stands:

Her eldest sister is so curst and shrewd,3 That, till the father rid his hands of her, Master, your love must live a maid at home; And therefore has he closely mew'd her up, Because he will not be annoy'd with suitors.

Luc. Ah, Tranio, what a cruel father's he! But art thou not advis'd, he took some care 191 To get her cunning schoolmasters to instruct her?

Tra. Ay, marry, am I, sir; and now 'tis plotted.

Luc. I have it, Tranio.

Luc. Basta; content thee, for I have it full.
We have not yet been seen in any house, 204
Nor can we be distinguish'd by our faces
For man or master; then it follows thus;-
Thou shalt be master, Tranio, in my stead,
Keephouse, and port,2 and servants, as I should:
I will some other be; some Florentine,
Some Neapolitan, or mean man of Pisa.
'Tis hatch'd and shall be so:-Tranio, at once
Uncase thee; take my colour'd hat and cloak:
When Biondello comes, he waits on thee;
But I will charm him first to keep his tongue.
[They exchange habits.

Tra. So had you need.
In brief, sir, sith it thus your pleasure is,
And I am tied to be obedient;

210

Luc. Sirrah, come hither: 't is no time to
jest,

And therefore frame your manners to the time.
Your fellow Tranio here, to save my life,
Puts my apparel and my countenance on,
And I for my escape have put on his;
For in a quarrel, since I came ashore,
I kill'd a man, and fear I was descried:
Wait you on him, I charge you, as becomes,
While I make way from hence to save my life:
You understand me?
Bion.

I, sir!-[Aside] Ne'er a whit. 240

1 Basta, i.e. enough! (Italian). Dialectic abbreviation for abbastanza. 2 Port, state.

Enter PETRUCHIO and his man GRUMIO. Pet. Verona, for a while I take my leave, To see my friends in Padua, but of all My best beloved and approved friend, Hortensio; and I trow this is his house. Here, sirrah Grumio; knock,—knock, I say. Gru. Knock, sir! whom should I knock? is there any man has rebused3 your worship? [Pet. Villain, I say, knock me here soundly. › Gru. Knock you here, sir! why, sir, what am I, sir, that I should knock you here, sir? 10 Pet. Villain, I say, knock me at this gate, And rap me well, or I'll knock your knave's pate.

3 Rebused, probably intentional mistake for abused.