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Sly. 'Tis much.--Servants, leave me and her alone.Madam, undrefs you, and come now to bed.-Sim, drink to her.

Lady. Thrice noble Lord, let me entreat of you, To pardon me yet for a night or two.

Or, if not fo, until the fun be fet;

For your Phyficians have exprefly charg'd,
In peril to incur your former malady,
That I fhould yet abfent me from your
bed.
I hope, this reafon ftands for my excufe.

Sly. Ay, it ftands fo, that I may hardly tarry fo long; but I would be loath to fall into my dream again I will therefore tarry in defpight of the flesh and the blood.

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Mell. Your Honour's Players, hearing your a
mendment,

Are come to play a pleafant comedy;
For fo your Doctors hold it very meet,

Seeing too much faddness hath congeal'd your blood;
And melancholy is the nurfe 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; is it not a Commodity? a Christmas gambol, or a tumbling trick? Lady. No, my good Lord, it is more pleasing stuff. Sly. What, houfhold stuff?.

Lady. It is a kind of history.

Sly. Well, we'll fee't: come, Madam wife, fit by my fide, and let the world flip, we fhall ne'er be younger.

THE

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SCENE I.

A Street in PADU A.

Flourish. Enter Lucentio and Tranio.

LUCENT 10.

RANIO, fince for the great defire I had
To fee fair Padua, nursery of arts,

I am arriv'd from fruitful Lombardy 1,

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:
Most trusty fervant, well approv'd in all,
Here let us breathe, and haply inftitute
A courfe of learning, and ingenious studies.
Pifa, renowned for grave citizens,

Gave me my Being: and my father first,

A merchant of great traffick through the world:
Vincentio's come of the Bentivoli,

from fruitful Lombardy.] So Mr. Theobald. The former editions, instead of from had for. ingenious.] I rather

think it was written ingenuous ftudier, but of this and a thoufand fuch obfervations there is little certainty.

Lucentio

2

Lucentio his fon, brought up in Florence,
It shall become, to ferve 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 philofophy
Will I apply, that treats of happiness
By virtue fpecially to be atchiev'd.
Tell me thy mind, for I have Pifa left,
And am to Padua come, as he that leaves
A fhallow plash to plunge him in the deep,
And with fatiety feeks to quench his thirst.
Tra. Me pardonato, gentle mafter mine,
I am in all affected as yourself :

Glad, that you thus continue your refolve,
To fuck the sweets of fweet philosophy:
Only, good master, while we do admire
This virtue, and this moral difcipline,
Let's be no Stoicks, nor no ftocks, I pray;
Or, fo devote to Ariftotle's checks,
As Ovid be an outcalt quite abjur'd.

Talk Logick with acquaintance that you have,
And practice Rhetorick in your common talk;
Mufick and Poefy use to quicken you;

The Mathematicks, and the Metaphyficks,
Fall to them, as you find your ftomach ferves you;
No profit grows, where is no pleasure ta'en:
In brief, Sir, ftudy what you most affect.

Luc. Gramercies, Tranio, well dost thou advise; If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore,

We could at once put us in readiness ;
And take a lodging fit to entertain
Such friends, as time in Padua fhall beget.
But stay a while, what company is this?

Tra. Mafter, fome fhew to welcome us to town.

2 Sir Thomas Hanmer, and after him Dr. Warburton, read to virtue; but formerly ply and ap

ply were indifferently used, as to ply or apply his ftudies.

SCENE

SCENE II.

Enter Baptifta with Catharina and Bianca, Gremio and Hortenfio. Lucentio and Tranio ftand by.

Bap. Gentlemen both, importune me no farther, For how I firmly am refolv'd, you know; That is, not to beftow my youngest daughter, Before I have a husband for the elder;

If either of you both love Catharina,.

Because I know you well, and love you well,
Leave fhall you have to court her at your pleasure.
Gre. To cart her rather.-She's too rough for me.
There, there, Hortenfio, will
you any wife?
Cath. I pray you, Sir, is it your will

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

for you;

Unless you were of gentler, milder, mould.

Cath. I'faith, Sir, you fhall never need to fear,
I wis, it is not half way to her heart:

But if it were, doubt not, her care fhall be
To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd ftool,
And paint your face, and ufe you like a fool.
Hor. From all fuch devils, good Lord, deliver us.
Gre. And me too, good Lord.

Tra. Hush, master, here's fome good pastime]
toward.

That wench is ftark mad, or wonderful fro

ward.

Luc. But in the other's filence I do fee Maid's mild behaviour and fobriety.

Peace, Tranio.

Tra. Well faid, Mafter; mum! and gaze

your fill.

Bap. Gentlemen, that I may foon make good What I have faid, Bianca, get you in;

VOL. III.

Safide.

And

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

Cath. A pretty Peat! it is best put finger in the eye, and the knew why.

Bian. Sifter, content you in my discontent.
-Sir, to your pleasure humbly I fubfcribe:
My books and inftruments fhall be my company,
On them to look, and practise by myself.

Luc. Hark, Tranio, thou may't hear Minerva
fpeak.

[afide. Hor. Signior Baptifta, will you be fo* ftrange? Sorry am I, that our good will effects

Bianca's grief.

Gre. Why will you mew her up,
Signior Baptifta, for this fiend of hell,

And make her bear the penance of her tongue?
Bap. Gentlemen, content ye; I am refolv'd.

Go in, Bianca

[Exit. Bianca.
And for I know, fhe taketh moft delight
In mufick, inftruments, and poetry;
School-mafters will I keep within my house,
Fit to inftruct her youth. If you, Hortenfio,
Or Signior Gremio, you know any fuch,
Prefer them hither: for to cunning men †
I will be very kind; and liberal

To mine own children, in good bringing up;
And fo farewel: Catharina, you may stay,
For I have more to commune with Bianca.

[Exit.

Cath. Why, and, I truft, I may go too, may I not? what, fhall I be appointed hours, as tho' belike, I knew not what to take, and what to leave? ha!

3 A pretty Peat.] Peat or conduct. Pet is a word of endearment from petit, little, as if it meant pretty little thing.

*So ftrange.] That is, fo odd, fo different from others in your

[Exit.

Cunning men.] Cunning had not yet loft its original fignification of knowing, learned, as may be obferved in the tranflation of the Bible.

SCENE

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