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Gre. Was ever match clapt up fo fuddenly?
Bap. Faith, gentlemen, I play a merchant's part,
And venture madly on a defperate mart.

Tre. 'Twas a commodity lay fretting by you;
'Twill bring you gain, or perish on the feas.
Bap. The gain I feek is quiet in the match.
Gre. No doubt, but he hath got a quiet catch!
But now, Baptifta, to your younger daughter;
Now is the day we long have look'd for :
I am your neighbour, and was fuitor firft.

Tra. And I am one, that love Bianca more
Than words can witnefs, or your thoughts can guefs.
Gre. Youngling! thou canst not love fo dear as I.
Tra. Grey-beard! thy love doth freeze,

Gre. But thine doth fry '.

Skipper, ftand back; 'tis age that nourifheth.

Tra. But youth in ladies eyes that flourisheth. Bap. Content you, Gentlemen, I will compound this ftrife;

'Tis deeds must win the prize; and he, of both, That can affure my daughter greatest dower, Shall have Bianca's love.

Say Signior Gremio, what can you affure her?

Gre. First, as you know, my house within the city Is richly furnished with plate and gold, Bafons and ewers to lave her dainty hands: My hangings all of Tyrian tapestry;

1 Old Gremio's notions are
confirmed by Shadwell.
The fire of love in youthful blood,
Like what is kindled in brush-
[wood,

But for a moment burns
But when crept into aged veins,
It flowly burns, and long remains,

It glows, and with a fullen [beat, Like fire in logs, it burns, and [warms us long; And though the flame be not [fo great,

Yet is the beat as frong.

In

In ivory coffers I have ftuft my crowns;
In cypress chefts my arras, counterpoints,
Coftly apparel, tents and canopies,

Fine linen, Turkey cushions bofs'd with pearl;
Valance of Venice gold in needle-work;
Pewter and brafs, and all things that belong
To house, or houfe-keeping: then, at my farm,
I have a hundred milch-kine to the pail,
Six score fat oxen standing in my ftalls;
And all things anfwerable to this portion.
Myself am ftruck in years, I must confefs,
And if I die to-morrow, this is hers;
If, whilft I live, fhe will be only mine.
Tra. That only come well in
I am my father's heir, and only fon;
If I may have your daughter to my wife,
I'll leave her houses three or four as good,
Within rich Pifa walls, as any one
Old Signior Gremio has in Padua ;

Sir, lift to me;

Befides two thousand ducats by the year
Of fruitful land; all which fhall be her jointure.
What, have I pinch'd you, Signior Gremio?
Gre. Two thousand ducats by the year of land!
My land amounts to but fo much in all:
That the fhall have, befides an Argofie

2 Gre. Two thousand ducats by
the
year of land!
My land amounts not to fo much

in all :

That ye shall have, and —]
Tho' all the copies concur in this
reading, furely, if we examine
the reasoning, fomething will be
found wrong. Gremio is startled
at the high fettlement Tranio
propofes; tays, his whole estate
in land can't match it, yet he'll
fettle fo much a year upon her,
&c. This is playing at croís
purposes. The change of the

negative in the fecond line falves the abfurdity, and fets the paffage right. Gremio and Tranio are vyeing in their offers to carry Bianca: The latter boldly proposes to fettle land to the amount of two thousand ducats per annum. My whole eftate, says the other, in land, amounts but to that value; yet fhe fhall have that: I'll endow her with the whole; and confign a rich veffel to her ufe, over and above. Thus all is intelligible, and he goes on to outbid his rival. WARBURT

That

That now is lying in Marseilles's road.
What, have I choak'd you with an Argofie?

Tra. Gremio, 'tis known, my father hath no lefs Than three great Argofies, befides two galliaffes And twelve tight gallies; thefe I will affure her, And twice as much, whate'er thou offer'ft next.

Gre. Nay, I have offer'd all; I have no more; And the can have no more than all I have; If you like me, the fhall have me and mine. Tra. Why, then the maid is mine from all the world, By your firm promife; Gremio is out-vied.

Bap. I muft confefs, your offer is the best;
And let your father make her the assurance,
She is your own, elfe you must pardon me:
If you fhould 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, then I am thus refolv'd :
On Sunday next, you know,

My daughter Catharine is to be married:
Now on the Sunday following fhall Bianca
Be bride to you, if you make this affurance;
If not, to Signior-Gremio:

And fo I take my leave, and thank you both. [Exit.
Gr. 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 ten3:

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

[The Prefenters, above, speak here.

Sly. Sim, when will the Fool come again?

Sim. Anon, my Lord.

Sly. Give's fome more drink bere-where's the tapfler?

bere, Sim, eat fome of these things.

Sim. So I do, my Lord.

Sly. Here, Sim, I drink to thee.

A CT III.

SCENE I.

Baptifta's Houfe.

Enter Lucentio, Hortenfio, and Bianca.

LUCENT I O.

Mdler, forbear; you grow too forward, Sir:
Have you fo foon forgot the entertainment
Her fifter Catharine welcom'd you withal?
Hor. Wrangling Pedant, this is
The patronefs of heavenly harmony;
Then give me leave to have prerogative;
And when in mufick we have fpent an hour,
Your lecture fhall have leifure for as much.
Luc. Prepofterous afs! that never read so far

If the word hart be right, I do not fee any ufe of the latter quotation.

When will the Fool come again?] The character of the fool has not been introduced in this drama, therefore I believe

that the word again fhould be omitted, and that Sly afks, When will the fool come? the fool, being the favourite of the vulgar, or as we now phrase it, of the upper gallery, was naturally expected in every interlude.

Το

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 philofophy,
And while I paufe, ferve in your harmony.

Hor. Sirrah, I will not bear thefe Braves of thine.
Bian. Why, Gentlemen, you do me wrong,
To ftrive for that which refteth in my choice:
I am no breeching scholar in the fchools;
I'll not be tied 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 inftrument, play you the while
His lecture will be done, ere you have tun'd.
Hor. You'll leave his lecture, when I am in tune?
[Hortenfio retires.
Luc. That will be never; tune your inftrument.
Bian. Where left we laft?

Luc. Here, Madam:

Hac ibat Simois, hic eft Sigeia tellus,

Hic fteterat Priami regia celja fenis.

Bian. Conftrue them.

Luc. Hac ibat, as I told you before, Simois, I am Lucentio, bie eft, fon unto Lucentio of Pifa, Sigeia tellus, disguised thus to get your love, hic fleterat, and that Lucentio that comes a wooing, Priami, is my man Tranio, regia, bearing my port, celfa fenis, that we might beguile the old Pantaloon 4.

Hor. Madam, my inftrument's in tune [Returning.
Bian. Let's hear, O fie, the treble jars.

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

Bian. Now let me fee, if I can conftrue it: Hac ibat Simois, I know you not, hic eft Sigeia tellus, I trust you not, hic fteterat Priami, take heed he hear us not, regia, prefume not, celfa fenis, despair not.

Hor. Madam, tis now in tune.

4 Pantaloon, the old cully in Italian farces.

Luc.

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