And, not obedient to his honest will,
What is she, but a foul contending rebel,
And graceless traitor to her loving lord?-
I am asham'd, that women are so simple
To offer war, where they should kneel for peace;
Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway,
When they are bound to serve, love, and obey.
Why are our bodies soft, and weak, and smooth,
Unapt to toil and trouble in the world;
But that our soft conditions, and our hearts,
Should well agree with our external parts?
Come, come, you froward and unable worms!
My mind hath been as big as one of yours,
My heart as great; my reason, haply, more,
To bandy word for word, and frown for frown:
But now, I see our lances are but straws;
Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare,
That seeming to be most, which we least are.
Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot;
And place your hands below your husband's foot:
In token of which duty, if he please,
My hand is ready, may it do him ease.

Pet. Why, there's a wench! Come on, and kiss me,

Kate.

Luc. Well, go thy ways, old lad; for thou shalt ha't.

Vin. 'Tis a good hearing, when children are to ward.

Luc. But a harsh hearing, when women are fro

ward.

Pet. Come, Kate, we'll to-bed:

We three are married, but you two are sped.

'Twas I won the wager, though you hit the white;

[TO LUCENTIO..

And, being a winner, God give you good night!

[Exeunt PETRUchio and KATH.

Hor. Now go thy ways, thou hast tam'd a curst shrew. Luc. 'Tis a wonder, by your leave, she will be tam'd

[Exeunt.

END OF VOL. IV.

Stereotyped and printed by A. WILSON,
Duke-Street, Lincoln's-Inn Fields.

ΑΝΝΟΤΑTIONS

ON

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW.

INDUCTION.

LINE 1. I'll pheese you,] To pheeze or fease, is to separate a twist into single threads. In the figurative sense it may well enough be taken, like teaze or toze, for to harass, to plague. Perhaps I'll pheeze you, may be equivalent to I'll comb your head, a phrase vulgarly used by persons of Sly's character on like occasions.

1

JOHNSON.

Line 2. -no rogues :) That is, vagrants, no mean fellows, JOHNSON.

but gentlemen.

Line 5. -paucas pallabris;] Sly, as an ignorant fellow, is purposely made to aim at languages out of his knowledge, and knock the words out of joint. The Spaniards say, pocas palabras, i. e. few words: as they do likewise, THEOBALD.

Cessa, i. e. be quiet.

Line 7. you have burst ?] To burst and to break were anciently synonimous. Falstaff says-that John of Gaunt burst Shallow's head for crowding in among the marshal's STEEVENS.

men.

Line 11. -I must go fetch the thirdborough.] In the old copies headborough, i. e. a constable; of what class it is use

2

ΑΝΝΟΤΑTIONS ON

[ACT I.

less to demonstrate, though the commentators have taken great pains to ascertain.

Line 18. Brach Merriman, -the poor cur is emboss'd,] Here, says Pope, brach signifies a degenerate hound: but Edwards explains it a hound in general.

The meaning of the latter part of the paragraph seems to be, "I am so little skilled in hunting, that I can hardly " tell whether a bitch be a bitch or not; my judgment goes no further, than just to direct me to call either dog or " bitch by their general name-Hound."

"