Curt. Both on one horse? Gru. What's that to thee? Gru. Tell thou the tale. Curt. By this reckoning he is more fhrew than fhe. ; Gru. Ay, and that thou and the proudest of you all fhall find, when he comes home. But what talk I of this call forth Nathaniel, Jofeph, Nicholas, Philip, Walter, Sugerfop, and the reft: let their heads be fleekly comb'd, their blue coats brush'd, and their garters of an indifferent knit; let them curt'fie with their left legs, and not prefume to touch a hair of my master's horfe tail, 'till they kifs their hands. Are they all ready? Curt. They are. Gru. Call them forth. Curt. Do you hear, ho? you must meet my master to countenance my mistress. Gru. Why, fhe hath a face of her own. Curt. Who knows not that? Gru. Thou, it feems, that call'ft for company to countenance her. Curt. I call them forth to credit her. Enter four or five Serving-men. Gru. Why, fhe comes to borrow nothing of them. Phil. How now, Grumio? Nich. Fellow Grumio! Nath. How now, old lad. Gru. Welcome, you; how now, you; what, you; fellow, you; and thus much for greeting. Now, my fpruce companions, is all ready, and all things neat? Nat. All things are ready; how near is our master? Gru. E'en at hand, alighted by this; and therefore be not cock's paffion, filence! I hear my master. Enter Petruchio and Kate. Pet. Where be these knaves? what, no man at door to hold my ftirrup, nor to take my horfe? where is Nathaniel, Gregory, Philip? All Serv. Here, here, Sir; here, Sir. Pet. Here, Sir, here, Sir, here, Sir, here, Sir? Did not I bid thee meet me in the park, Gru. Here, Sir, as foolish as I was before. Gru. Nathaniel's coat, Sir, was not fully made; And Walter's dagger was not come from fheathing: Yet as they are, here are they come to meet you. Pet. Go, rafcals, go, and fetch my fupper in. Where is the life that late I led? Enter Servants with Supper. Why, when, I fay? nay, good fweet Kate, be merry. It was the Friar of Orders grey, [Sings. Out, out, you rogue! you pluck my foot awry. [Strikes him. Be merry, Kate: fome water here; what hoa! Enter one with water. Where's my spaniel Troilus? firrah, get you hence, Cath. Patience, I pray you, 'twas a fault unwilling. Pet. A whorelon, beatle-headed, flap-ear'd knave: Come, Kate, fit down, I know, you have a ftomach. Will you give thanks, fweet Kate, or elfe fhall I? What's this, mutton? I Ser. Yes. Pet. Who brought it? Ser. I. Pet. 'Tis burnt, and fo is all the meat: Pet. I tell thee, Kate, 'twas burnt and dry'd away, And And for this night we'll faft for company. Nath. Peter, didft ever fee the like? Peter. He kills her in her own humour. Enter Curtis, a Servant. Curt. In her chamber, making a fermon of conti- And rails and fwears, and rates; that the, poor foul, [Exeunt. Enter Petruchio. Pet. Thus have I politickly begun my reign, ¥4 [Exit. SCENE SCENE, before Baptifta's Houfe. Enter Tranio and Hortenfio. S't poffible, friend Licio, that Bianca (19) Doth fancy any other but Lucentio? I tell you, Sir, fhe bears me fair in hand. Hor. To fatisfy you, Sir, in what I faid, Stand by, and mark the manner of his teaching. [They fland by. Enter Bianca and Lucentio. Luc. Now, miftrefs, profit you in what you read? Bian. What, mafter, read you? firft, refolve me that. Luc. I read That I profefs, the art of love. Bian. And may you prove, Sir, mafter of your art! Luc. While you, fweet dear, prove mistress of my heart. [They retire backward. Hor. Quick proceeders! marry! now, tell me, I pray, you that durft fwear that your mistress Bianca lov'd none in the world fo well as Lucentio. (19) Is't poffible, friend Licio, &c.] This Scene Mr. Pope, upon what Authority I can't pretend to guefs, has in his Editions made the First of the Fifth A&t in doing which, he has fhewn the very Power and Force of Criticifm. The Confequence of this judicious Regulation is, that two unpardonable Abfurdities are fix'd upon the Author, which he could not poffibly have committed. For, in the first place, by this fhuffing the Scenes out of their true Pofition, we find Hortenfio, in the fourth Act, already gone from Baptifta's to Petruchio's Countryhoufe; and afterwards in the Beginning of the fifth A&t we find him firft forming the Refolution of quitting Bianca; and Tranio immediately informs Us, he is gone to the Taming-School to Petruchio. There is a Figure, indeed, in Rhetorick, call'd, segv Terepor: But this is an Abuse of it, which the Rhetoricians will never adopt upon Mr. Pope's Authority. Again, by this Mifplacing, the Pedant makes his first Entrance, and quits the Stage with Tranio in order to go and dress himself like Vincentio, whom he was to perfonate: but his Second Entrance is upon the very Heels of his Exit; and without any Interval of an Act, or one Word intervening, he comes out again equipp'd like Vincentio. If fuch a Critick be fit to publifh a Stage-Writer, I fhall not envy Mr. Pope's Admirers, if they fhould think fit to applaud his Sagacity. I have replac'd the Scenes in that Order, in which I found them in the Old Books. Tra. |