Sly. These fifteen years! by my fay, a goodly nap. But did I never speak of all that time?

First Serv. O, yes, my lord, but very idle words:
For though you lay here in this goodly chamber,
Yet would you say ye were beaten out of door;
And rail upon the hostess of the house;

And say you would present her at the leet,
Because she brought stone jugs and no seal'd quarts:
Sometimes you would call out for Cicely Hacket.

Sly. Ay, the woman's maid of the house.

80

85

Third Serv. Why, sir, you know no house nor no such

maid,

Nor no such men as you have reckon'd up,
As Stephen Sly and old John Naps of Greece
And Peter Turph and Henry Pimpernell

And twenty more such names and men as these
Which never were nor no man ever saw.

Sly. Now Lord be thanked for my good amends!
All.

Amen.

Sly. I thank thee: thou shalt not lose by it.

Enter the Page as a lady, attended.

Page. How fares my noble lord?
Sly. Marry, I fare well;
Where is my wife?

84 rail] rail'd Rowe. 86 no] not Collier MS.

91 of Greece] o' th' Green Hanmer
(L. H. apud Theobald conj.). of
Greys or of Greete Halliwell conj.
of Cleeve Elze conj. (Athen. 1868).
o' Friese Bulloch conj.

92 Henry] Harry Capell conj.
96 [One of the Servants presents Sly
with a cup of liquor, which he
drinks. Hudson. See note (VI).

90

95

for here is cheer enough.

100

Page. Here, noble lord: what is thy will with her? Sly. Are you my wife and will not call me husband? My men should call me 'lord:' I am your good-man. Page. My husband and my lord, my lord and husband ; I am your wife in all obedience.

Sly. I know it well. What must I call her?
Lord. Madam.

Sly. Al'ce madam, or Joan madam?

105

110

Lord. 'Madam' and nothing else: so lords call ladies. Sly. Madam wife, they say that I have dream'd And slept above some fifteen year or more.

Page. Ay, and the time seems thirty unto me, Being all this time abandon'd from

your bed.

Sly. 'Tis much. Servants, leave me and her alone. Madam, undress you and come now to bed.

Page. Thrice-noble lord, let me entreat of you To pardon me yet for a night or two;

Or, if not so, until the sun be set:

For your physicians have expressly charged,
In peril to incur your former malady,

That I should yet absent me from your bed:
I hope this reason stands for my excuse.

115

120

Sly. Ay, it stands so that I may hardly tarry so long. But I would be loath to fall into my dreams again: I will therefore tarry in despite of the flesh and the blood.

Enter a Messenger.

127

Mess. Your honour's players, hearing your amendment,
Are come to play a pleasant comedy;
For so your doctors hold it very meet,

Seeing too much sadness 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.

130

Sly. Marry, I will, let them play it. Is not a comonty

a Christmas gambold or a tumbling-trick?

Page. No, my good lord; it is more pleasing stuff. Sly. What, household stuff?

Page. It is a kind of history.

135

Sly. Well, we'll see't. Come, madam wife, sit by my side and let the world slip: we shall ne'er be younger.

140

126 SCENE VI. Pope.
Enter...] Ff. Enter another ser-
vant. Capell.

129 too much] so much Rowe.
134 Marry...Is not] Capell (play't).

Marrie I will let them play, it is
not FQ F2. Marry I will, let
them play, it is not F3. Marry
I will, let them play, is it not F4.
comonty] commodity? Pope, from
(Q), reading with F.
134-140 Marry...younger] Capell
prints as six lines of verse.
135 gambold] Ff Q. gambol Pope.
139, 140 Well...slip] Well, well, we'll

Flourish.

ACT I.

SCENE I. Padua. A public place.

Enter LUCENTIO and his man TRANIO.

Luc. Tranio, since for the great desire I had
To see fair Padua, nursery of arts,

I am arrived 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,
My trusty servant, well approved in all,
Here let us breathe and haply 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 traffic through the world,
Vincentio, come of the Bentivolii.

Vincentio's son brought up in Florence
It shall become to serve all hopes conceived,
To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds:
And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study,

ACT I. SCENE I.] Pope. See note (1).
Padua.] Pope.

A public place.] Capell. A street
in Padua. Theobald.

...Tranio.] Triano. F, Q F

3 for] from Theobald. in Capell (Heath conj.).

8 breathe] F3F4 breath FQ F2.

1

haply] F, Q. happly FF3F4. happily Pope. happ'ly Capell.

9 ingenious] ingenuous Johnson conj.

13 Vincentio, come]
centio's come Ff Q.
come Malone conj.
Collier MS.
Bentivolii.] Rowe.

14 Vincentio's] Ff Q.

5

10

15

Hanmer. Vin

Vincentio's son Vincentio comes

Bentivolij, Ff Q.

Vincentio his

Pope. Lucentio his Hanmer.
son] only son Keightley conj. son
and heir Keightley (Errata).
brought] brough F1.

Virtue and that part of philosophy
Will I apply that treats of happiness
By virtue specially to be achieved.
Tell me thy mind; for I have Pisa left
And am to Padua come, as he that leaves
A shallow plash to plunge him in the deep,
And with satiety seeks to quench his thirst.
Tra. Mi perdonato, gentle master mine,
I am in all affected as yourself;
Glad that you thus continue your resolve
To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy.
Only, good master, while we do admire
This virtue and this moral discipline,
Let's be no stoics nor no stocks, I pray;
Or so devote to Aristotle's checks
As Ovid be an outcast quite abjured:

Balk logic with acquaintance that you have,
And practise rhetoric in your common talk;
Music and poesy use to quicken you;
The mathematics and the metaphysics,

Fall to them as you find your stomach serves you;
No profit grows where is no pleasure ta'en:

In brief, sir, study what you most affect.

Luc. Gramercies, Tranio, well dost thou advise.
If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore,
We could at once put us in readiness,

18 Virtue] To virtue Hanmer.

25 Mi perdonato] Me Pardonato Ff. Me pardinato Q. Mi perdonate Capell (Heath conj.).

28 sweet] fair Anon. conj. Greek Elze conj. (Athen. 1868).

32 checks] Ff Q. ethicks Rann (Blackstone conj.). walks French conj. (Ill. News, 1856). See note (VIII).

VOL. III.

33 Ovid] FF4. Ouid; FQ F2.

34 Balk] Talk Rowe. Chop Capell conj. Hack Anon. conj.

with] with' Hunter conj.

38 you find] om. F4.

serves you] serves Anon. conj. 41 Gramercies] Gramercy Hanmer. 42 thou wert] now were Dyce (Collier

MS.). then were Delius conj.

2