But I would be loth to fall into my dreams again; I will therefore tarry, in despight of the flesh and the blood.

Enter a Messenger.

Meff. Your honour's players, hearing your amendment, Are come to play a pleasant comedy,

For fo your doctors hold it very meet;
Seeing too much fadness hath congeal'd your blood,
And melancholy is the nurse of frenzy,
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.

h

Sly. Marry, I will; let them play it: Is not a
monty a Christmas gambol, or a tumbling trick.
Lady. No, my good lord; it is more pleasing stuff.
Sly. What, houfhold stuff?

Lady. It is a kind of history.

Sly. Well, we'll fee't: Come, madam wife, fit by my fide, and let the world flip; we fhall ne'er be younger.

ACT I. SCENE I.

A Street in Padua.

Flourish. Enter Lucentio, and his man Tranio.

Luc. Tranio, fince-for the great defire I had To fee fair Padua, nursery of arts,

I am arriv'd in fruitful Lombardy,
The pleasant garden of great Italy;
And, by my father's love and leave, am arm'd

commodity-comedy.

With his good will, and thy good company,
Moft trusty servant, well approv'd in all;
Here let us breathe, and happily institute
A course of learning, and ingenious studies.
Pifa, renowned for grave citizens,

Gave me my being, and my father first,

A merchant of great traffick through the world,
Vincentio, come of the Bentivolii.

с

brought up in Florence,

d

e

• Vincentio his fon,
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
Will I apply, that treats of happiness
By virtue specially 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. 'Mi perdonate, gentle master mine,
I am in all affected as yourself;
Glad that you thus continue your resolve,
To fuck the sweets of fweet philofophy.
Only, good mafter, while we do admire
This virtue, and this moral difcipline,
Let's be no ftoicks, nor no stocks, I pray;
Or fo devote to Ariftotle's ethicks,
As Ovid be an outcast quite abjur'd:
Talk logick with acquaintance that you have,
And practise rhetorick in your common talk;
Mufick, and poefy, ufe to quicken you;

e Vincentio's fun, i. e. Lucentio. apply,]-ply, pursue,

% checks.

dserve]-answer, fulfil. Me pardonato.

The

The mathematicks, and the metaphyficks,
Fall to them, as you find your stomach serves you :
No profit grows, where is no pleasure ta’en ;—
In brief, fir, study what you most affect.

Luc. Gramercies, Tranio, well doft thou advise.
If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore,

We could at once put us in readiness ;
And take a lodging, fit to entertain
Such friends as time in Padua fhall beget.
But stay a while: What company is this?

Tra. Mafter, fome show, to welcome us to town.

Enter Baptifta, with Katharina and Bianca. Gremio and Hortenfio. Lucentio and Tranio ftand by.

Bap. Gentlemen, 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 Katharina,
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?

Kath. I pray you, fir, is it your will
To make a ftale 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, fir, you shall never need to fear;
I-wis, it is not half way to her heart:
But, if it were, doubt not, her care fhall be
To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd stool,
And paint your face, and ufe you like a fool.

Hor. From all fuch devils, good Lord, deliver me!

Gre.

Gre. And me too, good Lord!

Tra. Hush, mafter! here is fome good paftime toward; That wench is stark mad, or wonderful froward.

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:

And let it not displease thee, good Bianca;
For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl.
Kath. A pretty peat! 'tis best

h

Put finger in the eye,-an she knew why.

Bian. Sifter, content you in my difcontent.-
Sir, to your pleasure humbly I fubscribe:
My books, and inftruments, shall 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' strange?
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.

h

i

[Exit Bianca.

And for I know, fhe taketh moft delight
In mufick, inftruments, and poetry,
Schoolmasters will I keep within my house,
Fit to instruct her youth.-If you, Hortenfio,→
Or fignior Gremio, you,-know any such,

peat!]-cade, darling; pet, pettish thing.
trange?]-unreasonable.

Prefer

Prefer them hither; for to cunning men
I will be very kind, and liberal

To mine own children in good bringing-up;
And fo farewel. Katharina, you may stay;
For I have more to commune with Bianca.

[Exit.

k

Kath. Why, and, I truft, I may go too, May I not? What, fhall I be appointed hours; as though, belike, I knew not what to take, and what to leave? Ha! [Exit. Gre. You may go to the devil's dam; your gifts are fo good, here is none will hold you. Their 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 sweet Bianca, if I can by any means light on a fit man, to teach her that wherein the delights, I will with him to her father.

Hor. So will I, fignior Gremio: But a word. I pray. Though the nature of our quarrel never yet brook'd parle, know now, upon advice, it toucheth us both, that we may yet again have accefs to our fair miftrefs, and be happy rivals in Bianca's love,-to labour and effect one thing 'specially.

Gre. What's that, I pray ?

Hor. Marry fir, to get a husband for her fifter.

Gre. A husband! a devil.

Hor. I fay, a husband.

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

Hor. Tufh, Gremio! though it pass your patience, and mine, to endure her loud alarums, why, man, there be good fellows in the world, an a man could light on them, would take her with all her faults, and money enough.

k

Their]-Baptifta's in admitting, and Bianca's in encouraging our addreffes. Our.

Gre.