SCENE VIII. Enter Jaques de Boys.
Jaq. de B. Let me have audience for a word or two.
I am the fecond fon of old Sir Rowland,
That bring these tidings to this fair affembly.
Duke Frederick, hearing how that every day
Men of great worth reforted to this foreft,
Addrefs'd a mighty power which were on foot
In his own conduct purposely to take
His brother here, and put him to the fword:
And to the fkirts of this wild wood he came,
Where meeting with an old religious man,
After fome queftion with him, was converted
Both from his enterprize, and from the world;
His crown bequeathing to his banish'd brother,
And all their lands reftor'd to them again
That were with him exil'd. This to be true,
I do engage my life.

Duke Sen. Welcome, young man :

Thou offer'ft fairly to thy brothers wedding;
To one, his lands with-held; and to the other,
A land itself at large, a potent Dukedom.
Firft, in this foreft, let us do those ends
That here were well begun, and well begot:
And, after, every of this happy number
That have endur'd shrewd days and nights with us
Shall fhare the good of our returned fortune,
According to the measure of their states.
Mean time, forget this new-fall'n dignity,
And fall into our ruftick revelry:

Play, mufick; and you brides and bridegrooms all,
With measures heap'd in joy, to th' measures fall,
Faq. Sir, by your patience: if I heard you rightly,
The Duke hath put on a religious life,

And thrown into neglect the pompous court.
Jaq. de B. He bath.

[To the Duke.

Jaq. To him will I: out of these convertites There is much matter to be heard and learn'd. You to your former honour I bequeath, Your patience and your virtue well deferve it: You to a love that your true faith doth merit; [ToOria. VOL. III.

You

You to your land, and love, and great allies;

You to a long, and well-deferved bed;

[To Oli. [To Syl.

And you to wrangling; for thy loving voyage [To the Clown.
Is but for two months victuall'd: fo to your pleafures:
I am for other than for dancing measures.
Duke Sen. Stay, Jaques, ftay.

Jaq. To fee no paftime, I: what you would have
I'll stay to know at your abandon'd cave.

[Exit. Duke Sen. Proceed, proceed; we will begin these rites, As we do truft they'll end, in true delights.

Rof. It is not the fashion to fee the lady the epilogue; but it is no more unhand fome than to fee the lord the prologue. If it be true that good wine needs no bus, 'tis true that a good play needs no epilogue. Yet to good wine they do ufe good bufhes; and good plays prove the better by the help of good epilogues. What a cafe am I in then, that am neither a good epilogue, nor can infinuate with you in the behalf of a good play! I am not furnish'd like a beggar; therefore to beg will not become me. My way is to conjure you, and I'll begin with the women. Î charge you, O women, for the love you bear to men, to like as much of this play as pleases them and I charge you, O men, for the love you bear to women, (as I perceive by your fimpering none of you hate them) to like as much as pleases them, that between you and the women the play may pleafe. If I were a woman, * I would kifs as many of you as had beards that pleas'd me, complexions that lik'd me, and breaths that I defy'd not: and I am fure, as many as have good beards, or good faces, or sweet breaths, will for my kind offer, when I make curt'fie, bid me farewel. [Exeunt omnes.

Note, that in this Author's time the parts of women were always perform'd by men or boys.

THE

TAMING

OF THE

SHRE W

G 2

A Lord, before whom the Play is fuppos'd to be play'd.
CHRISTOPHER SLY, a drunken Tinker.

Hoftefs.

Page, Players, Huntsmen, and other Servants attending on the Lord.

The Perfons of the Play itself are,

BAPTISTA, Father to Catharina and Bianca, very rich. VINCENTIO, an old Gentleman of Pifa.

LUCENTIO, Son to Vincentio, in love with Bianca. PETRUCHIO, 4 Gentleman of Verona, a fuitor to Catharina.

GREMIO, } Pretenders to Bianca.

HORTENSIO,

TRANIO,

BIONDELLO,

Servants to Lucentio.

GRUMIO, Servant to Petruchio.

PEDANT, an old fellow fet up to perfonate Vincentio,

CATHARINA, the Shrew.

BIANCA, ber Sifter.

Widow.

Taylor, Haberdashers, with Servants attending on Baptifta

and Petruchio.

SCENE, fometimes in Padua, and fometimes in Petruchio's Houfe in the Country.

THE

THE

Taming of the Shrew.

Sly.

INDUCTION. SCENE I. Enter Hostels and Sly. "'LL pheeze you, in faith.

Hoft. A pair of ftocks, you rogue.

Sly. Y'are a baggage; the Slies are no rogues. Look in the Chronicles, we came in with Richard Conqueror; therefore* paucus pallabris, let the world flide: Seffa.

Hoft. You will not pay for the glaffes you have burft ? Sly. No, not a deniere: † go by, Jeronymo,go to thy cold bed and warm thee.

Hoft. I know my remedy; I must go fetch the Thirdborough. [Exit. Sly. Third, or fourth, or fifth borough, I'll answer him by law; I'll not budge an inch, boy; let him come, and kindly. [Falls afleep.

SCENE II.

Wind borns. Enter a Lord from bunting, with a train. Lord. Huntsman, I charge thee tender well my hounds; Leech Merriman, the poor cur is imboft ;

A

He means to fay, pocas palabras.

Go by, Feronymo, was a kind of by word in the Author's days, as appears by its being ufed in the fame manner by en Johnson Beaumont and Fletcher, and other writers near that time. It arofe firit from a pallage in an old play call'd Hieron me or The Spanif Tragedy.

G 3

And