As Stephen Sly, and old John Naps of Greece,
And Peter Turf, and Henry Pimpernell,

And twenty more fuch names and men as thefe,
Which never were, nor no man ever faw.

Sly. Now Lord be thanked for my good amends! All. Amen.

Sly. By th’Mafs, I think I am a Lord indeed. What is thy name?

Man. Sim, an't please your Honour.

Sly. Sim? that's as much as to fay, Simeon or Simon

put forth thy hand and fill the pot.

The fervant gives him drink.]

I thank thee; thou shalt not lofe by it.
Lady. How fares my noble Lord?

Sly. Marry, I fare well, for here is cheer enough. Where's my wife?

Lady. Here noble Lord, what is thy will with her? Sly. Are you my wife, and will not call me hufband?

My men should call me Lord, I am your good man. Lady. My hufband and my Lord, my Lord and husband;

I am your wife in all obedience.

Sly. I know it well: what muft I call her?

Lord. Madam.

Sly, Alce madam, or Joan madam?

Lord. Madam, and nothing elfe, fo Lords call La

[dies. Sly. Come, fit down on my knee. Sim, drink to her. Madam wife, they fay, that I have dream'd, and slept above fome fifteen years and more.

Lady. Ay, and the time feems thirty unto me, Being all this time abandon'd from your bed.

Sly.

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.

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 fadnefs 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 thoufand harms, and lengthens life.

Sly. Marry, I will; let them play; is it not a Commoditya Christmas gambol, or a tumbling trick? Lady. No, my good Lord, it is more pleafing ftuff. Sly. What, houfhold stuff?

Lady. It is a kind of hiftory.

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

THE

TAMING of the SHREW.

ACTI. SCENE I.

T

A Street in PADU A.

Flourish. Enter Lucentio and Tranio.

LUCENTI O.

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

I am arriv'd from fruitful Lombardy,
The pleafant garden of great Italy;

And, by my father's love and leave, am arm'd
With his good-will, and thy good company:
Moft trusty servant, well approv'd in all,
Here let us breathe, and haply inftitute
A course of learning, and ingenious ftudies.
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,

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

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

Lucentio

Lucentio his fon, brought up in Florence,
It fhall become, to ferve all hopes conceiv'd,
To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds:
And therefore, Tranio, for the time I ftudy,
Virtue and that part of philofophy 2
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 plafh 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 fweets of fweet philofophy:
Only, good mafter, while we do admire
This virtue, and this moral difcipline,
Let's be no Stoicks, nor no stocks, I pray,
Or, fo devote to Ariftotle's checks,
As Ovid be an outcaft quite abjur❜d.

Talk Logick with acquaintance that you have,
And practice Rhetorick in your common talk;
Mufick and Poefy ufe 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, study what you most affect.

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

We could at once put us in readiness;

And take a lodging fit to entertain

Such friends, as time in Padua fhall beget.
But ftay 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 bestow 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 shall 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 shall be
To comb your noddie 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, mafter, here's fome good paftime) 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;

rafide.

VOL. III.

C