Bian. [Reads.] Gamut I am, the ground of all accord. A re, to plead Hortensio’s passion; B mi, Bianca, take him for thy lord, C faut, that loves with all affection; D sol re, one cliff, two notes have I; E la mi, show pity, or I die. . Call you this—gamut? Tut! I like it not: Old fashions please me best; I am not so nice, To change true rules for odd inventions. Enter a Servant. Serv. Mistress, your father prays you leave your * books, And help to dress your sister’s chamber up; You know to-morrow is the wedding-day. Bian. Farewell, sweet masters both ; I must be QOIle. [Ereunt BIANCA and Servant. Luc. 'Faith, mistress, then I have no cause to stay. [Exit. Hor. But I have cause to pry into this pedant; Methinks he looks as though he were in love.— Yet if thy thoughts, Bianca, be so humble, To cast thy wandering eyes on every stale,' Seize thee that list. If once I find thee ranging, Hortensio will be quit with thee by changing. [Exit. SCENE II. The same. Before Baptista's House. Enter BAPTISTA, GREMio, TRANIo, KATHARINA, B1ANCA, LUCENTIO, and Attendants. Bap. Seignior Lucentio, [To TRANIo.] this is the 'pointed day, That Katharine and Petruchio should be married, 1 A stale was a decoy or bait. Stale here may, however, only mean every common object. And yet we hear not of our son-in-law. Enter BioNDELLO. Bion. Master, master! news, old news,” and such news as you never heard of 1 Humor, caprice, inconstancy. * Them is not in the old copy; it was supplied by Malone: the second folio reads—yes. 3 Old news. These words were added by Rowe, and necessarily, as appears by the reply of Baptista. Old, in the sense of abundant, as, “old turning the key,” &c. occurs elsewhere in Shakspeare. Bap. Is it new and old too? How may that be? Bion. Why, is it not news to hear of Petruchio's coming f Bap. Is he come 8 Bion. Why, no, sir. Bap. What then P Bion. He is coming. Bap. When will he be here Bion. When he stands where I am, and sees you there. Bion. Why, Petruchio is coming, in a new hat and an old jerkin; a pair of old breeches, thrice turned; a pair of boots that have been candle-cases, one buckled, another laced; an old rusty sword ta'en out of the town armory, with a broken hilt and chapeless; with two broken points. His horse hipped with an old mothy saddle, the stirrups of no kindred: besides, possessed with the glanders, and like to mose in the chine; troubled with the lampass, infected with the fashions,” full of windgalls, sped with spavins, raied with the yellows, past cure of the fives,” stark spoiled with the staggers, begnawn with the bots; swayed in the back, and shoulder-shotten; ne'er legged before; and with a half-checked bit, and a head-stall of sheep's leather; which, being restrained to keep him from stumbling, hath been often burst, and now repaired with knots; one girt six times pieced, and a woman's crupper of velure," which hath two letters for her name, fairly set down in studs, and here and there pieced with packthread. Bap. Who comes with him Biom. O sir, his lackey, for all the world caparisoned like the horse; with a linen stock on one leg, and a kersey boot-hose on the other, gartered with a red and 1 Points were tagged laces used in fastening different parts of the dress. 2 i. e. the farcy, called fashions in the west of England. . 4 Velvet. blue list; an old hat, and The humor of forty fancies,' pricked in’t for a feather: a monster, a very monster in apparel; and not like a Christian footboy, or a gentleman’s lackey. - Tra. 'Tis some odd humor pricks him to this fashion !— Yet oftentimes he goes but mean apparelled. Bap. I am glad he is come, howsoever he comes. Bion. Why, sir, he comes not. Bap. Didst thou not say, he comes? Biom. Who? that Petruchio came P Bap. Ay, that Petruchio came. Bion. No, sir; I say, his horse comes with him on his back. --Bap. Why, that's all one. Bion. Nay, by Saint Jamy, I hold you a penny, A horse and a man is more than one, and yet not many. Enter PETRUCHIO and GRUMIo. Pet. Come, where be these gallants P Who is at home P Bap. You are welcome, sir. Pet. And yet I come not well. Bap. And yet you halt not. Tra. - Not so well apparelled As I wish you were. Pet. Were it better, l should rush in thus. : But where is Kate P Where is my lovely bride PHow does my father f—Gentles, methinks you frown. And wherefore gaze this goodly company, As if they saw some wondrous monument, Some comet, or unusual prodigy P Bap. Why, sir, you know, this is your wedding day. 1 Warburton's supposition, that Shakspeare ridicules some popular, cheap book of this title, by making Petruchio prick it up in his footboy's hat instead of a feather, has been well supported by Steevens; he observes that “a penny book, containing forty short poems, would, properly manage; furnish no unapt plume of feathers for the hat of a humorist's servant.” VOL. II. 63 First were we sad, fearing you would not come; ! i. e. to deviate from my promise. - “3 * The old copy reads, “But, sir, love concerneth us to add, Her father's liking.” The emendation is Mr. Tyrwhitt's. The nominative case to the verb concerneth is here understood. |