Bap. The gain I seek is, quiet in the match.
Gre. No doubt but he hath got a quiet catch.
But now, Baptista, to your younger daughter :
Now is the day we long have lookèd for:
I am your neighbour, and was suitor first.

Tra. And I am one that love Bianca more
Than words can witness, or your thoughts can guess.
Gre. Youngling, thou canst not love so dear as I.
Tra. Graybeard, thy love doth freeze.

But thine doth fry.

Gre.
Skipper, stand back: 'tis age that nourisheth.

Tra. But youth in ladies' eyes that flourisheth.

Bap. Content you, gentlemen: I'll compound this strife: 'Tis deeds must win the prize; and he, of both,

That can assure my daughter greatest dower

Shall have Bianca's love.

Say, Signior Gremio, what can you assure her?

Gre. First, as you know, my house within the city

Is richly furnished with plate and gold;

Basins and ewers, to lave her dainty hands

My hangings all of Tyrian tapestry;

In ivory coffers I have stuff'd my crowns;
In cyprus chests my arras-counterpoints, 18
Costly apparel, tents, and canopies, 19

ز

Fine linen, Turkey cushions boss'd 20 with pearl,
Valance of Venice gold in needlework;

Pewter 21 and brass, and all things that belong

18 Arras-counterpoints are simply counterpoints, or what we call counterpanes, made of arras; and the latter was a general term for tapestries and hangings.

19" A canopy properly that hangeth aboute beddes to keepe away gnattes." So says Baret. Tents were hangings; probably so named from the tenters upon which they were hung.

20 Boss'd is studded. Valance is fringe.

21 Pewter was so costly, that vessels made of it were hired by the year.

To house or housekeeping: then, at my farm
I have a hundred milch-kine to the pail,
Sixscore fat oxen standing in my stalls;
And all things answerable to this portion.
Myself am struck in years, I must confess;
And, if I die to-morrow, this is hers,

If whilst I live she will be only mine.

Tra. That only came well in.—Sir, list to me : I am my father's heir and only son:

If I may have your daughter to my wife,

I'll leave her houses three or four as good,
Within rich Pisa walls, as any one
Old Signior Gremio has in Padua ;
Besides two thousand ducats by the year
Of fruitful land, all which shall be her jointure.
What, have I pinch'd you, Signior Gremio?

Gre. Two thousand ducats by the year of land!

My land amounts but to so much in all :
That she shall have; besides an argosy 22
That now is lying in Marseilles' road.
What, have I choked you with an argosy?

Tra. Gremio, 'tis known my father hath no less Than three great argosies; besides two galliasses, 23 And twelve tight galleys: these I will assure her, And twice as much, whate'er thou offer'st next.

Gre. Nay, I have offer'd all,—I have no more;

And she can have no more than all I have:

If

you like me, she shall have me and mine.

Tra. Why, then the maid is mine from all the world, By your firm promise: Gremio is out-vied.

Bap. I must confess your offer is the best;

22 An argosy was a large vessel, man-of-war or merchant-man.

23 A galliass was a great double galley, with three masts, and thirty-two seats for rowers.

And, let your father make her the assurance,
She is your own; else, you must pardon me :
If you should die before him, where's her dower?
Tra. That's but a cavil: he is old, I young.

Gre. And may not young men die, as well as old?
Bap. Well, gentlemen,

I'm thus resolved: On Sunday next you know
My daughter Catharine is to be married:
Now, on the Sunday following, shall Bianca

Be bride to you, if you make this assurance;
If not, to Signior Gremio:

And so, I take my leave, and thank you both.
Gre. Adieu, good neighbour.—

[Exit BAPTISTA.

Now I fear thee not:

Sirrah young gamester, your father were a fool
To give thee all, and in his waning age
Set foot under thy table: tut, a toy!

An old Italian fox is not so kind, my boy.

Tra. A vengeance on your crafty wither'd hide!
Yet I have faced it with a card of ten.24
'Tis in my head to do my master good:
I see no reason but supposed Lucentio
Must get a father, call'd-supposed Vincentio ;
And that's a wonder: fathers commonly

Do get their children; but, in this case of wooing,
A child shall get a sire, if I fail not of my cunning.

[Exit.

[Exit.

24 A phrase from some game at cards, where the standing boldly upon a ten-spot was often successful. Nares explains, "I conceive the force of the phrase to have expressed, originally, the confidence or impudence of one who, with a ten, as at brag, faced or outfaced one who really had a faced card against him. To face meant, as it still does, to bully, to attack by impudence of face."

ACT III.

SCENE I.- Padua. A Room in BAPTISTA'S House.

Enter LUCENTIO, HORTENSIO, and BIANCA.

Luc. Fiddler, forbear; you grow too forward, sir:
Have you so soon forgot the entertainment
Her sister Catharine welcomed you withal?
Hor. But, wrangling pedant, this is
The patroness of heavenly harmony :
Then give me leave to have prerogative;
And when in music we have spent an hour,
Your lecture shall have leisure for as much.
Luc. Preposterous 1 ass, that never read so far
To know the cause why music was ordain'd!
Was it not to refresh the mind of man
After his studies or his usual pain?

Then give me leave to read philosophy,

And, while I pause, serve in your harmony.

Hor. Sirrah, I will not bear these braves of thine.
Bian. Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong,
To strive for that which resteth in my choice:
I am no breeching scholar 2 in the schools;
I'll not be tied to hours nor 'pointed times,
But learn my lessons as I please myself.
And, to cut off all strife, here sit we down :

Take you your instrument, play you the whiles;

1 Preposterous is here used in its proper classical sense of putting the last first, or hind-side-before.

2 A breeching scholar is a scholar liable to be breeched or flogged. So, in The Merry Wives, iv. 1, Sir Hugh Evans says to the boy, William Page, "if you forget your quies, your quæs, and your quods, you must be preeches."

His lecture will be done ere you have tuned.

Hor. [To BIANCA.] You'll leave his lecture when I am in

[Reads.] Hac ibat Simois; hic est Sigeia tellus; Hic steterat Priami regia celsa senis.3

Bian. Construe them.

Luc. Hac ibat, as I told you before, -Simois, I am Lucentio,hic est, son unto Vincentio of Pisa, -Sigeia tellus, disguised thus to get your love ;-Hic steterat, and that Lucentio that comes a-wooing, — Priami, is my man Tranio, regia, bearing my port, celsa senis, that we might beguile the old pantaloon.4

Hor. [Coming forward.] Madam, my instrument's in

Bian. Now let me see if I can construe it :

Hac ibat Simois, I know you not,—hic est Sigeia tellus, I trust you not; Hic steterat Priami, take heed he hear us not,—regia, presume not, — celsa senis, despair not.

Hor. Madam, 'tis now in tune.

Luc.

All but the base.

Hor. The base is right; 'tis the base knave that jars. [Aside.] How fiery and forward is our pedant!

3 These verses are from Ovid's Epistolæ Heroïdum, Penelope Ulyssi, 33. 4 Pantaloon was the name of a character that figured on the Italian stage. The humour of translating Latin into English of a totally different sense

was not uncommon.