SCENE II.

Enter Baptifta, Gremio, Tranio, Katharina, Lucentio, Bianca, and attendants.

Bap. Signior Lucentio, this is the 'pointed day
That Kath'rine and Petruchio fhould be married;
And yet we hear not of our fon-in-law.

What will be said? what mockery will it be,
To want the bridegroom when the priest attends
To speak the ceremonial rites of marriage?
What fays Lucentio to this fhame of ours?

Kath. No fhame but mine; I muft, forfooth, be
forc'd

To give my hand oppos'd against my heart,
Unto a mad-brain rudesby, full of spleen,
Who woo'd in haste, and means to wed at leifure.
I told you, I, he was a frantick fool,
Hiding his bitter jefts in blunt behaviour:
And to be noted for a merry man,

He'll woo a thoufand, 'point the day of marriage,
Make friends, invite, yes, and proclaim the banes;
Yet never means to wed where he hath woo'd.
Now muft the world point at poor Katharine,
And fay, lo there is mad Petruchio's wife,
If it would please him come and marry her.
Tra. Patience, good Katharine, and Baptifta too;
Upon my life Petruchio means but well,
What ever fortune ftays him from his word.
Tho' he be blunt, I know him paffing wife;
Tho' he be merry, yet withal he's honest.

Kath. Would Katharine had never feen him tho' [Exit weeping. Bap. Go, girl, I cannot blame thee now to weep; For fuch an injury would vex a faint,

Much more a fhrew of thy impatient humour.

SCENE

SCENE III.

Enter Biondello.

Bion. Mafter, Mafter; old news, and fuch news as you never heard of

Bap. It is new and old too? how may that be?
Bion. Why,

coming?

is it not news to hear of Petruchio's

Bap. Is he come ?

Bion. Why no, Sir.
Bap. What then?

Bion. He is coming.

Bap. When will he be here?

Bion. When he ftands where I am, and fees you there.

Tra. But fay, what to thine old news?

Bion. Why Petruchio is coming in a new hat and an old jerkin; a pair of old breeches thrice turn'd; a pair of boots that have been candle-cafes, one buckled, ⚫ another lac'd; an old rufty fword ta'en out of the town-armory, with a broken hilt, and chapeless, with two broken points; his horfe hip'd with an ◄ old mothy faddle, the ftirrups of no kindred; befides poffeft with the glanders, and like to mofe in the chine, troubled with the lampaffe, infected with the fashions, full of windgalls, fped with fpavins, raied with the yellows, paft cure of the fives, ftark fpoiled with the ftaggers, begnawn with the bots, waid in the back and fhoulder-fhotten, near-legg'd < before, and with a half checkt bit, and a headstall of fheep's leather, which being reftrain'd to keep him from ftumbling hath been often burft, and now repair'd with knots; one girt fix times piec'd, and a woman's crupper of velure, which hath two letters for her name, fairly fet down in ftuds, and here and there piec'd with packthread.

Bap. Who comes with him?

Bion. Oh Sir, his lackey, for all the world caparifon'd like the horfe, with a linnen ftock on one

leg,

leg, and a kerfey boot-hofe on the other, garter'd with a red and blue lift, an old hat, and the humour of forty fancies prickt up in't for a feather: a monfter, a very monfter in apparel, and not like a chriftian footboy, or gentleman's lackey.

Tra. 'Tis fome odd humour pricks him to this fashion; Yet oftentimes he goes but mean apparell'd.

Bap. I am glad he's come, howfoever he comes.
Bion. Why Sir, he comes not,

Bap. Didft thou not fay he comes?

Bion. Who? that Petruchio came?

Bap. Ay, that Petruchio came.

Bion. No, Sir; I fay his horfe comes with him on his back.

Bap. Why that's all one.

Bion. Nay, by St. Jamy, I hold you a penny

A horfe and a man is more than one, and yet not many.

SCENE IV.

Enter Petruchio and Grumio fantastically habited.

Pet. Come, where be thefe gallants? who is at home? Bap. You're welcome, Sir.

Pet. And yet I come not well.

Bap. And yet you halt not.

Tra. Not fo well 'parell'd as I wish you were.
Pet. Were it better, I fhould rush in thus.

But where is Kate? where is my lovely bride?
How does my father? gentles, methinks you frown:
And wherefore gaze this goodly company,

As if they faw fome wondrous monument,
Some comet, or unusual prodigy?

Bap. Why, Sir, you know this is your wedding-day:
Firft were we fad, fearing you would not come;
Now fadder, that you come fo unprovided.
Fie, doff this habit, fhame to your eftate,
An eye-fore to our folemn feftival.

Tra. And tell us what occafion of import Hath all fo long detain'd you from your wife, And fent you hither fo unlike your felf?

Pet

Pet. Tedious it were to tell, and harsh to hear: Sufficeth I am come to keep my word, Tho' in fome part enforced to digrefs, Which at more leifure I will fo excufe, fhall well be fatisfied withal.

As you

But where is Kate? I ftay too long from her;
The morning wears; 'tis time we were at church.
Tra. See not your bride in these unreverent robes
Go to my chamber, put on cloaths of mine.

Pet. Not I; believe me, thus I'll visit her.
Bap. But thus, I truft, you will not marry her
Pet. Good footh, even thus; therefore ha' done with
words;

felf.

To me fhe's married, not unto my cloaths:
Could I repair what fhe will wear in me,
As I could change thefe poor accoutrements,
'Twere well for Kate, and better for
But what a fool am I to chat with you,
When I fhould bid good-morrow to my bride,
And feal the title with a lovely kifs?

my

Tra. He hath fome meaning in his mad attire:

We will perfuade him, be it poffible,

To put on better ere he go to church.

[Exit

Bap. I'll after him, and see the event of this. [Exit.

Tra. But, Sir, our love concerneth us to add
Her father's liking; which to bring to pass,
As I before imparted to your worship,
I am to get a man, (whate'er he be
It skills not much, we'll fit him to our turn)
And he fhall be Vincentio of Pifa,

And make affurance here in Padua
Of greater fums than I have promised :
So fhall you quietly enjoy your hope,
And marry fweet Bianca with confent.

Luc. Were it not that my fellow school-master
Doth watch Bianca's steps fo narrowly,
Twere good methinks to fteal our marriage;
VOL. III.

C

Which

Which once perform'd, let all the world fay no,
I'll keep my own, defpight of all the world.

Tra. That by degrees we mean to look into,
And watch our vantage in this business:
We'll over-reach the gray-beard Gremio,
The narrow-prying father Minola,
The quaint musician amorous Licio;
All for my mafter's fake Lucentio.

SCENE VI.

Enter Gremio.

Now, Signior Gremio, came you from the church?
Gre. As willingly as e'er I came from school.
Tra. And is the bride and bridegroom coming home?
Gre. A bridegroom fay you? 'tis a groom indeed,
A grumbling groom, and that the girl fhall find.
Tra. Crufter than fhe why 'tis impoffible.
Gre. Why he's a devil, a devil, a very fiend.
Tra. Why he's a devil, a devil, the devil's dam.
Gre. Tut she's a lamb, a dove, a fool to him:
I'll tell you, Sir Lucentio, when the priest
Should ask if Katharine fhould be his wife?
Ay, by gogs-woons, quoth he; and fwore fo loud,
That all amaz'd the prieft let fall the book;
And as he stoop'd again to take it up,

This mad-brain'd bridegroom took him fuch a cuff,
That down fell prieft and book, and book and priest.
Now take them up, quoth he, if any list.

Tra. What faid the wench, when he rofe up again? Gre. Trembled and fhook; for why, he ftamp'd and fwore,

As if the vicar meant to cozen him.

But after many ceremonies done,

He calls for wine: a health, quoth he; as if
H'ad been aboard carowzing to his mates
After a ftorm; quaft off the mufcadel,
And threw the fops, all in the fexton's face;
Having no other caufe, but that his beard
Grew thin and hungerly, and feem'd to ask

His