Enter a Servant. Serv. Your honour's players, hearing your amend ment, Are come to play a pleasant comedy, Seeing too much sadness hath congeal'd your blood, Therefore, they thought it good you hear a play, And frame your mind to mirth and merriment, Which bars a thousand harms, and lengthens life. Sly. Marry, I will; let them play it: Is not a commonty a Christmas gambol, or a tumblingtrick?7 Page. No, my good lord; it is more pleasing stuff. Sly. What, houshold stuff? Page. It is a kind of history. Sly. Well, we'll see't: Come, madam wife, sit by my side, and let the world slip; we shall ne'er be younger. [They sit down. Is not a commonty a Christmas gambol, or a tumbling trick?] Thus the old copies; the modern ones read-It is not a commodity, &c. Commonty for comedy, &c. STEEVENS. In the old play the players themselves use the word commodity corruptly for a comedy. BLACKstone. ACT I. SCENE I. Padua. A public Place. Enter LUCENTIO and TRANIO. Luc. Tranio, since-for the great desire I had To see fair Padua, nursery of arts,I am arriv'd for fruitful Lombardy, The pleasant garden of great Italy; And, by my father's love and leave, am arm'd With his good will, and thy good company, Most trusty servant, well approv'd in all; Here let us breathe, and happily institute A course of learning, and ingenious studies. Pisa, renowned for grave citizens, Gave me my being, and my father first, A merchant of great traffick through the world, Vincentio his son, brought up in Florence, 8 ingenious-] It was probably written ingenuous studies, but of this and a thousand such observations there is little certainty. In Cole's Dictionary, 1677, it is remarked—“ ingenuous and ingenious are too often confounded." 9to serve all hopes conceiv'd,] To fulfil the expectations of his friends. VOL. III. EE Tra. Mi perdonate, gentle master mine, Glad that you thus continue your resolve, have, Luc. Gramercies, Tranio, well dost thou advise. If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore, We could at once put us in readiness; Tra. Master, some show, to welcome us to town. Enter BAPTISTA, KATHARINA, BIANCA, GREMIO, and HORTENSIO. LUCENTIO and TRANIO stand aside. Bap. Gentlemen, impórtune me no further, For how I firmly am resolv'd you know; That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter, -Aristotle's checks,] Tranio is here descanting on academical learning, and mentions by name six of the seven liberal sciences. I suspect this to be a mis-print, made by some copyist er compositor, for ethicks. The sense confirms it. BLACKSTONE. to quicken you;] i. e. animate. Because I know you well, and love you well, me: There, there Hortensio, will you any wife? Kath. I pray you, sir, [To BAP.] 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. Kath. I'faith, sir, you shall never need to fear; I wis, it is not half way to her heart : But, if it were, doubt not her care should be Hor. From all such devils, good Lord, deliver us! Gre. And me too, good Lord! Tra. Hush, master! here is some good pastime toward; That wench is stark mad, or wonderful froward. Maid's mild behaviour and sobriety. Peace, Tranio. Tra. Well said, master; mum! and gaze your fill. Bap. Gentlemen, that I may soon make good Put finger in the eye,-an she knew why. A pretty peat!] Peat or pet is a word of endearment from petit, little, as if it meant pretty little thing. My books, and instruments, shall be my company; On them to look, and practise by myself. Luc. Hark, Tranio! thou may'st hear Minerva speak. [Aside. Hor. Signior Baptista, will you be so strange ?4 Sorry am I, that our good will effects Bianca's grief. Gre. Why, will you mew her up, And make her bear the penance of her tongue? ' To mine own children in good bringing-up; For I have more to commune with Bianca. [Exit. not? What, shall I be appointed hours; as though, be like, I knew not what to take, and what to leave? Ha! [Exit. Gre. You may go to the devil's dam; your gifts" are so good, here is none will hold you. Their love is not so great, Hortensio, but we may blow our so strange?] That is, so odd, so different from others in your conduct. JOHNSON. your — cunning men-] Cunning had not yet lost its original signification of knowing, learned, as may be observed in the translation of the Bible. JOHNSON. -your gifts-] Gifts for endowments. |