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 beft 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'ft hear Minerva

speak.

[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 most delight
In mufick, inftruments, and poetry;
School-mafters will I keep within my houfe,
Fit to inftruct her youth. If you, Hortenfio,
Or Signior Gremio, you know any fuch,
Prefer them hither for to cunning ment
I will be very kind; and liberal

To mine own children, in good bringing up;
And fo farewel: Catharina, you may ftay,
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! [Exit.

3 A pretty Peat.] Peat or 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

conduct.

+ Cunning men.] Cunning had not yet loft its original fignifica tion of knowing, learned, as may be observed in the translation of the Bible.

SCENE

Gre. You may go to the devil's dam. Your gifts are fo good, here is none will hold you. Our love is not fo great, Hortenfio, but we may blow our nails together, and faft it fairly out. Our cake's dough on both fides. Farewel; yet for the love I bear my fweet Bianca, if I can by any means light on a fit man to teach her That wherein the delights, I will wish him to her Father.

Hor. So will I, Signior Gremio; but a word, I pray; tho' the nature of our quarrel never yet brook'd Parle, know now, upon advice, it toucheth us both, that we may yet again have access to our fair Mistress, and be happy rivals in Bianca's love, to labour and effect one thing 'specially.

Gre. What's that, I pray?

Hor. Marry, Sir, to get a husband for her fifter.
Gre. A hufband! a devil.

Hor. I fay a husband.

Gre. I fay, a devil. Think'ft thou, Hortenfio, tho' her father be very rich, any man is fo very a fool to be married to hell?

Hor. Tufh, Gremio; tho' it pafs your patience and mine to endure her loud alarms, why, man, there be good fellows in the world, an' a man could light on them, would take her with all her faults, and mony enough.

Gre. I cannot tell; but I had as lief take her dowry with this condition, to be whip'd at the high cross every morning.

Hor. 'Faith, as you fay, there's a small choice in rotten apples. But, come, fince this bar in law makes us friends, it shall be so far forth friendly maintain'd, 'till by helping Baptifta's eldest daughter to a husband, we fet his youngest free for a husband, and then have

C 2

to't

to't afresh. Sweet Bianca! happy man be his dole! he that runs fastest gets the ring; how fay you, Signior Gremio ?

Gre. I am agreed; and would I had given him the beft horse in Padua to begin his wooing, that would throughly woo her, wed her, and bed her, and rid the houfe of her. Come on.

[Exeunt Gremio and Hortenfio,

SCENE IV.

Manent Tranio and Lucentio.

Tra. I pray, Sir, tell, me, is it poffible
That love fhould on a fudden take fuch hold?
Luc. Oh Tranio, 'till I found it to be true,
I never thought it poffible or likely.
But fee, while idly I ftood looking on,
I found th' effect of Love in idleness:
And now in plainnefs do confefs to thee,
(That art to me as fecret, and as dear,
As Anna to the Queen of Carthage was ;)
Tranio, I burn, I pine, I perifh Tranio.
If I atchieve not this young modeft girl :-
Counfel me, Tranio, for, I know, thou canst;
Affift me, Tranio, for, I know, thou wilt.

Tra. Mafter, it is no time to chide you now;
Affection is not rated from the heart.

If love hath touch'd you, nought remains but fo, 4 * Redime te captum quàm queas minimo.

Luc. Gramercy, lad; go forward, this contents; The reft will comfort, for thy counsel's found. Tra. Mafter, you look'd fo longly on the maid,

4 If Love hath TOUCH'D you,

nought remains but fo.] The next line from Terence, fhews that we should read,

If Love bath TOYL'D you, i. e. taken you in his toils, his nets. Alluding to the captus eft,

habet, of the fame Author.

WARBURTON.

* Our author had this line from Lilly, which I mention, that it may not be brought as an argument of his learning.

Per

Perhaps, you mark'd not what's the pith of all.
Luc. O yes, I faw fweet Beauty in her face;
Such as the daughter of Agenor had,

That made great Jove to humble him to her hand,
When with his knees he kifs'd the Cretan strand.
Tra. Saw you no more? mark'd you not, how her
· fifter

Began to fcold, and raise up fuch a storm,
That mortal ears might hardly endure the din?
Luc. Tranio, I faw her coral lips to move,
And with her breath fhe did perfume the air;
Sacred and fweet was all I faw in her.

Tra. Nay, then it is time to ftir him from his trance. I pray, awake, Sir; if you love the maid,

Bend thoughts and wit t'atchieve her. Thus it stands;
Her eldest fifter is fo curft and fhrewd,

That till the Father rids his hands of her,
Master, your love must live a Maid at home;
And therefore has he clofely mew'd her up,
Because the fhall not be annoy'd with fuitors,
Luc. Ah, Tranio, what a cruel Father's he!
But art not thou advis'd he took fome care
To get her cunning fchool-mafters t' inftruct her?
Tra. Ay, marry, am I, Sir; and now 'tis plotted.
Luc. I have it, Tranio.

Tra. Mafter, for my hand,

Both our inventions meet and jump in one.

Luc. Tell me thine firft.

Tra. You will be school-master,

And undertake the teaching of the maid;

That's your device.

Luc. It is may it be done?

Tra. Not poffible: for who fhall bear your part, And be in Padua here Vincentio's fon,

Keep house, and ply his book, welcome his friends,
Vifit his countrymen, and banquet them?

Luc. Bafta ;-content thee; for I have it full.
We have not yet been feen in any house,
C 3

Nor

Nor can we be distinguish'd by our faces,
For man or mafter: then it follows thus.
Thou shalt be mafter, Tranio, in my ftead;

*

Keep houfe, and port, and fervants, as I fhould.
I will fome other be, fome Florentine,

Some Neapolitan, or meaner man of Pifa.
"Tis hatch'd, and fhall be fo: Tranio, at once;
Uncafe thee: take my colour'd hat and cloak.
When Biondello comes, he waits on thee;
But I will charm him firft to keep his tongue.
Tra. So had you need. [They exchange babits.
In brief, good Sir, fith it your pleasure is,
And I am tied to be obedient,

For fo your Father charg'd me at our parting;
(Be ferviceable to my Son, quoth he),
Altho', I think, 'twas in another sense;
I am content to be Lucentio,
Because fo well I love Lucentio.

Luc. Tranio, be fo; becaufe Lucentio loves;
And let me be a flave t'atchieve that Maid,
Whose fudden fight hath thrall'd my wounded eye.

Enter Biondello.

Here comes the rogue. Sirrah, where have you been? Bion. Where have I been? nay, how now, where are you? master, has my fellow Tranio ftoll'n your cloaths, or you ftoll'n his, or both? pray, what's the news?

Luc. Sirrah, come hither: 'tis no time to jest;
And therefore frame your manners to the time.
Your fellow Tranio here, to fave my life,
Puts my apparel and my count'nance on,
And I for my escape have put on his :
For in a quarrel, fince I came ashore,
I kill'd a man, and, fear, I am defcry'd :
Wait you on him, I charge you, as becomes;
While I make way from hence to fave my life.
* Port, is figure, fhow, appearance.

You