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Which I could fancy more than any other.
Kath. Minion, thou liest; Is 't not Hortensio?
Bian. If you affect him, sister, here I swear,
I'll plead for you myself, but you shall have him.
Kath. O then, belike, you fancy riches more;
You will have Gremio to keep you fair.2

Bian. Is it for him you do envy me so?
Nay, then you jest; and now I well perceive,
You have but jested with me all this while:
I pr'ythee, sister Kate, untie my hands.

Kath. If that be jest, then all the rest was so.

Enter BAPTISTA.'

[Strikes her.

Bap. Why, how now, dame! whence grows this insolence?

Bianca, stand aside;-poor girl! she weeps:-
Go ply thy needle; meddle not with her.-
For shame, thou hilding3 of a devilish spirit,
Why dost thou wrong her that did ne'er wrong thee?
When did she cross thee with a bitter word?

Kath. Her silence flouts me, and I'll be reveng'd.

[Flies after BIAN.

Bap. What, in my sight?-Bianca, get thee in.

[Exit BIAN. Kath. Will you not suffer me? Nay, now I see, She is your treasure, she must have a husband; I must dance bare-foot on her wedding-day, And, for your love to her, lead apes in hell."

2- to keep you fair.] I wish to read-to keep you fine. But either word may serve. Johnson.

3 - hilding -] The word hilding or hinderling, is a low wretch; it is applied to Katharina for the coarseness of her behaviour. Johnson.

▲ Will you not suffer me?] The old copy reads-What, will, &c. The compositor probably caught the former word from the preceding line. Corrected by Mr. Pope. Malone.

5 And, for your love to her, lead apes in hell.]"To lead apes" was in our author's time, as at present, one of the employments of a bear-herd, who often carries about one of those animals along with his bear: but I know not how this phrase came to be applied to old maids. We meet with it again in Much Ado about Nothing: "Therefore (says Beatrice) I will even take six-pence in earnest of the bear-herd, and lead his apes to hell. Malone.

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Talk not to me; I will go sit and weep,
Till I can find occasion of revenge.

[Exit KATH.

Bah. Was ever gentleman thus griev❜d as I?

But who comes here?

Enter GREMIO, with LUCENTIO in the habit of a mean man; PETRUCHIO, with HORTENSIO as a Musician; and TRANIO, with BIONDELLO bearing a lute and books. Gre. Good-morrow, neighbour Baptista.

Bap. Good-morrow, neighbour Gremio: God save you, gentlemen!

Pet. And you, good sir! Pray, have you not a daughter Call'd Katharina, fair, and virtuous?

Bap. I have a daughter, sir, call'd Katharina.
Gre. You are too blunt, go to it orderly.

Pet. You wrong me, signior Gremio; give me leave.I am a gentleman of Verona, sir,

That, hearing of her beauty, and her wit,

Her affability, and bashful modesty,

Her wondrous qualities, and mild behaviour,

Am bold to show myself a forward guest

Within your house, to make mine eye the witness
Of that report which I so oft have heard.

And, for an entrance to my entertainment,

I do present you with a man of mine, [Presenting HOR.
Cunning in musick, and the mathematicks,

To instruct her fully in those sciences,
Whereof, I know, she is not ignorant:

Accept of him, or else you do me wrong;

His name is Licio, born in Mantua.

Bap. You're welcome, sir; and he, for your good sake:

But for my daughter Katharine,-this I know,

She is not for your turn, the more my grief.
Pet. I see you do not mean to part with her;

Or else you like not of my company.

Bap. Mistake me not, I speak but as I find. Whence are you, sir? what may I call your name? Pet. Petruchio is my name; Antonio's son,

That women who refused to bear children, should, after death, be condemned to the care of apes in leading-strings, might have been considered as an act of posthumous retribution. Steevens.

A man well known throughout all Italy.

Bap. I know him well: you are welcome for his sake.
Gre. Saving your tale, Petruchio, I pray,

Let us, that are poor petitioners, speak too:
Baccare! you are marvellous forward."

Pet. O, pardon me, signior Gremio; I would fain be

doing:

Gre. I doubt it not, sir; but you will curse your woo

ing..

Neighbour, this is a gift very grateful, I am sure of it. To express the like kindness myself, that have been more kindly beholden to you than any, I freely give unto you this young scholar,' [presenting Luc.] that hath

6 Baccare! you are marvellous forward.] We must read-Baccalare; by which the Italians mean, thou arrogant, presumptuous man? the word is used scornfully upon any one that would assume a port of grandeur. Warburton.

The word is neither wrong nor Italian: it was an old proverbial one, used by John Heywood; who hath made, what he pleases to call, Epigrams upon it. Take two of them, such as they are: "Backare, qouth Mortimer to his sow,

"Went that sow backe at that bidding, trow you?”
"Backare, quoth Mortimer to his sow: se,

"Mortimer's sow speaketh as good Latin as he." Howel takes this from Heywood, in his Old Sawes and Adages: and Philpot introduces it into the proverbs collected by Camden. Farmer.

Again, in the ancient Enterlude of The Repentance of Mary Magdalene, 1567:

"Nay, hoa there, Backare, you must stand apart:

"You love me best, I trow, mystresse Mary."

Again, in John Lyly's Midas, 1592: "The masculine gender is more worthy than the feminine, and therefore, Licio, Backare.” Again, in John Grange's Golden Aphroditis, 1577: "—yet wrested he so his effeminate bande to the seige of backwarde affection, that both trumpe and drumme sounded nothing for their larum, but Baccare, Baccare." Steevens.

7 Neighbour,] The old copy has-neighbours. Corrected by Mr. Theobald. Malone.

8 I doubt it not, sir; but you will curse your wooing.

Neighbour, this is a gift-] The old copy gives the passage as follows:

I doubt it not, sir. But you will curse

Your wooing neighbors: this is a guift. Steevens.

This nonsense may be rectified by only pointing it thus: I doubt it not, sir, but you will curse your wooing. Neighbour, this is a gift, &c. addressing himself to Baptista. Warburton.

been long studying at Rheims; as cunning in Greek, Latin, and other languages, as the other in musick and mathematicks: his name is Cambio; pray, accept his service.

Bap. A thousand thanks, signior Gremio: welcome, good Cambio. But, gentle sir, [to TRA.] methinks, you walk like a stranger; May I be so bold to know the cause of your coming?

Tra. Pardon me, sir, the boldness is mine own; That, being a stranger in this city here,

Do make myself a suitor to your daughter,

Unto Bianca, fair, and virtuous.

Nor is your firm resolve unknown to me,
In the preferment of the eldest sister:
This liberty is all that I request,—

That, upon knowledge of my parentage,

I may have welcome 'mongst the rest that woo,
And free access and favour as the rest.

And, toward the education of your daughters,
I here bestow a simple instrument,

And this small packet of Greek and Latin books:1
If you accept them, then their worth is great.

Bap. Lucentio is your name? of whence, I pray?

91 freely give unto you this young scholar,] Our modern editors had been long content with the following sophisticated reading: free leave give to this young scholar,

Steevens.

This is an injudicious correction of the first folio, which reads -freely give unto this young scholar. We should read, I believe: I freely give unto you this young scholar,

That hath been long studying at Rheims; as cunning

In Greek, &c. Tyrwhitt.

If this emendation wanted any support, it might be had in the preceding part of this scene, where Petruchio, presenting Hortensio to Baptista, uses almost the same form of words: "And, for an entrance to my entertainment,

"I do present you with a man of mine,

"Cunning in musick," &c.

Free leave give, &c. was the absurd correction of the editor of the third folio. Malone.

1—

this small packet of Greek and Latin books:] In Queen Elizabeth's time the young ladies of quality were usually instructed in the learned languages, if any pains were bestowed on' their minds at all. Lady Jane Grey and her sisters, Queen Elizabeth, &c. are trite instances. Percy.

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Tra. Of Pisa, sir; son to Vincentio.

Bap. A mighty man of Pisa; by report

I know him well: 3 you are very welcome, sir.Take you [to HOR.] the lute, and you [to Luc.] the set of books,

You shall go see your pupils presently.

Holla, within!

Sirrah, lead

Enter a Servant.

These gentlemen to my daughters; and tell them both, These are their tutors; bid them use them well.

[Exit Serv. with HOR. Luc. and BION.

We will go walk a little in the orchard,

And then to dinner: You are passing welcome,
And so I pray you all to think yourselves.

Pet. Signior Baptista, my business asketh haste,
And every day I cannot come to woo."

2 Lucentio is your name?] How should Baptista know this? Perhaps a line is lost, or perhaps our author was negligent. Mr. Theobald supposes they converse privately, and that thus the name is learned; but then the action must stand still; for there is no speech interposed between that of Tranio and this of Bap tista. Another editor imagines that Lucentio's name was written on the packet of books. Malone.

3 I know him well:] It appears in a subsequent part of this play, that Baptista was not personally acquainted with Vincentio. The pedant indeed talks of Vincentio and Baptista having lodged together twenty years before at an inn in Genoa; but this appears to have been a fiction for the nonce; for when the pretended Vin. centio is introduced, Baptista expresses no surprise at his not being the same man with whom he had formerly been acquaint. ed; and, when the real Vincentio appears, he supposes him an impostor. The words therefore, I know him well, must mean, "I know well who he is." Baptista uses the same words before, speaking of Petruchio's father: "I know him well; you are wel. come for his sake"-where they must have the same meaning; viz. I know who he was; for Petruchio's father is supposed to have died before the commencement of this play.

Some of the modern editors point the passage before us thus: A mighty man of Pisa; by report

I know him well.

but it is not so pointed in the old copy, and the regulation seems unnecessary, the very same words having been before used with equal license concerning the father of Petruchio.

Again, in Timon of Athens: "We know him for no less, though we are but strangers to him." Malone.

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