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And will not promise her to any man,
Until the eldest Sister first be wed;
The younger then is free, and not before.

Tra. If it be fo, Sir, that you are the man
Muft fteed us all, and me amongst the reft;
And if you break the ice, and do this feat,
Atchieve the elder, fet the younger free
For our accefs; whofe hap fhall be to have her,
Will not fo graceless be, to be ingrate.

Hor. Sir, you fay well, and well you do conceive;
And fince you do profefs to be a fuitor,
You must, as we do, gratify this Gentleman,
To whom we all reft generally beholden.

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Tra. Sir, I fhall not be flack; in fign whereof,
Please ye, we may conitrve this afternoon *,
And quaff carouses to our Miftrets' health,
And do as adverfaries do in law,

Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.

Gru. Bion. O excellent motion! fellows, let's be

gone.

Hor. The motion's good indeed, and be it fo, Petruchio, I fhall be your ben venuto.

[Exeunt.

[The Prefenters, above, speak berę. 1 Man. My Lord, you nod; you do not mind the Play. Sly. Yea, by St. Ann, do I. A good matter, furely ! -comes there any more of it?

Lady. My Lord, 'tis but begun.

Sly. 'Tis a very excellent piece of work, Madam Lady. 'Would, 'twere done!

4 Pleafe ye, we may contrive this afternoon,] Mr. Theobald afks what they were to contrive? and then fays, a foolish corruption poffeffes the place, and fo alters it to convive; in which he is followed, as he pretty conftantly is, when wrong, by the Oxford Editor. But the common reading is right, and the Critic was only ignorant of the

meaning of it. Contrive does not fignify here to project, but to spend and wear out. As in this paffage of Spenfer,

Three ages fuch as mortal men

CONTEIVE.

Fairy Queen, B xi. ch. 9. WARBURTON. The word is ufed in the fame fenfe of Spending or wearing out, in the Palace of Pleasure,

ACT

A C T II.

SCENE I.

Baptifta's House in Padua.

GOOD

Enter Catharina and Bianca.

BIANCA.

OOD Sifter, wrong me not, nor wrong yourfelf,

5

To make a bond-maid and a flave of me;
That I difdain; but for these other Gawds,
Unbind my hands, I'll pull them off myself;
Yea, all my raiment, to my petticoat,
Or, what you will command me, will I do;
So well I know my duty to my elders.

Cath. Of all thy Suitors here, I charge thee, tell
Whom thou lov'ft beft: fee, thou diffemble not.
Bian. Believe me, Sifter, of all men alive
I never yet beheld that special face,

Which I could fancy more than any other.
Cath. Minion, thou lieft; is't not Hortenfio?
Bian. If you affect him, fifter, here I fwear,
I'll plead for you myself, but you shall have him.
Cath. Oh, then, belike, you fancy riches more;
You will have Gremio, to keep you fair".

Bian. Is it for him you do fo envy me?
Nay, then you jeft; and now, I well perceive,
You have but jested with me all this while;

5 but for thefe other

Goods. This is fo trifling and unexpreffive a Word, that, I am fatisfied our Author wrote, Gawds (i. e. Toys, trifling Ornaments); a Term that he freVOL. III.

quently ufes and feems fond of

6

THEOBALD.

to keep you fair.] I fhould wish to read, To keep you fine. But either word may serve.

D

I

I pr'ythee, fifter Kate, untie my hands,

Cath. If that be jeft, then all the reft was fo. [Strikes her.

Enter Baptifta.

Bap. Why, how now, dame, whence grows this infolence?

Bianca, ftand afide; poor girl, fhe weeps;

Go ply thy needle, meddle not with her.
For fhame, thou hilding' of a devilish spirit,
Why doft thou wrong her, that did ne'er wrong thee?
When did fhe cross thee with a bitter word?

Cath. Her filence flouts me; and I'll be reveng'd.

[Flies after Bianca.

Bap. What, in my fight?-Bianca, get thee in. [Exit Bianca. Cath. Will you not fuffer me? nay, now I fee, She is your treafure; fhe muft have a husband I must dance bare-foot on her wedding-day, And, for your love to her, lead apes in hell: Talk not to me, I will go fit and weep, 'Till I can find occafion of revenge.

[Exit Cath.

Bap. Was ever gentleman thus griev'd, as I? But who comes here?

SCENE II.

Enter Gremio, Lucentio in the babit of a mean man; Petruchio with Hortenfio, like a musician; Tranio and Biondello bearing a lute and books.

Gre. Good morrow, neighbour Baptifta.

Bap. Good morrow, neighbour Gremio: God fave you, Gentlemen.

bilding-] The word bilding, or hinderling, is a low wretch; it is applied to Ca

I

tharine for the coarfenefs of her behaviour.

Pet.

Pet. And you, good Sir; pray, have you not a daughter call'd Catharina, fair and virtuous?

Bap. I have a daughter, Sir, call'd Catharina.
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 bafhful modefty,

Her wondrous qualities and mild behaviour,
Am bold to fhew myfelf a forward guest
Within your houfe, to make mine eye the witnefs
Or that Report, which I fo oft have heard.
And, for an entrance to my entertainment,

[Prefenting Hortenfio.
I do prefent you with a man of mine,
Cunning in mufick, and the mathematicks,
To inftruct her fully in thofe fciences,
Whereof, I know, fhe is not ignorant:
Accept of him, or elfe you do me wrong,
His name is Licio, born in Mantua.

Bap You're welcome, Sir, and he for your good fake. But for my daughter Catharina, this I know, She is not for your turn, the more's my grief. Pet. I fee you do not mean to part with her; Or else you like not of my company.

Bap. Miftake me not, I speak but what I find. Whence are you, Sir? what may I call your name? Pet. Petruchio is my name, Antonio's fon,

A man well known throughout all Italy.

Bap. Iknow him well: you are welcome for his fake. Gre. Saving your tale, Petruchio, I pray, let us, that are poor petitioners, fpeak too. Baccalare! you are marvellous forward.

Baccare, you are marvellous forward.] We muft read, Baccalare; by which the Italians mean, thou arrogant, prefump

tuous man! the word is ufed fcornfully, upon any one that would affume a port of grandeur.

D 2

WARBURTON.

Pet

Pet. Oh, pardon me, Signior Gremio, I would fain be doing.

9

Gre. I doubt it not, Sir, but you will curfe your

wooing.

Neighbour, this is a gift very grateful, I am sure of it. To exprefs the like kindness myself, that have been more kindly beholden to you than any, free leave give to this young scholar, that hath been long ftudying at Reims, [Prefenting Lucentio.] as cunning in Greek, Latin, and other languages, as the other in mufick and mathematicks; his name is Cambio; pray, accept his fervice.

Bap. A thousand thanks, Signior Gremio: welcome, good Cambio. But, gentle Sir, methinks, you walk like a ftranger; [To Tranio] may I be fo bold to know the cause of your coming?

Tra. Pardon me, Sir, the boldness is mine own, That, being a ftranger in this city here,

Do make myself a fuitor to your daughter,

Unto Bianca, fair and virtuous :

Nor is your firm refolve unknown to me,
In the preferment of the eldest fifter.
This liberty is all that I request;

That, upon knowledge of my parentage,

I may have welcome 'mongst the reft that wooe,
And free accefs and favour as the reft,

And, toward the education of your daughters,
1 here bestow a simple Inftrument,

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

9 I doubt it not, Sir, but you will curfe your wooing neighbours. This is a gift] This nonfenfe may be rectified by only pointing

[They greet privately.

it thus, I doubt it not, Sir, but you will curfe your wooing. Neigh bour, this is a gift, &c. addreffing himself to Baptifta.

WARBURTON.

Bap.

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