Like envious floods, o'er-ran her lovely face,
She was the fairest creature in the world;
And yet she is inferior to none.

Sır. Am I a lord? and have I fuch a lady?
Or do I dream? or have I dream'd till now?
I do not fleep: I see, I hear, I speak,
I smell sweet favours, and I feel soft things :-
Upon my life, I am a lord, indeed;

And not a tinker, nor Christophero Sly.-
Well, bring our lady hither to our fight;
And once again, a pot o' the smallest ale.

2 SERV. Will't please your mightiness to wash your hands?

[SERVANTS prefent an ewer, bafon, and napkin.

O, how we joy to see your wit reftor'd!

O, that once more you knew but what you are!
These fifteen years you have been in a dream:
Or, when you wak'd, fo wak'd as if you flept.
Sır. These fifteen years! by my fay, a goodly nap,
But did I never speak of all that time?

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

And say, you would prefent her at the leet,
Because she brought ftone jugs, and no feal'd quarts:
Sometimes, you would call out for Cicely Hacket.
Sır. Ay, the woman's maid of the house.

[maid;

3 SERV. Why, fir, you know no house, nor no fuch

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

And twenty more fuch names and men as these,

Which never were, nor no man ever faw.

Str. Now, Lord be thanked for my good amends! ALL. Amen.

Str. I thank thee; thou shalt not lofe by it.

Enter the PAGE, as a lady, with Attendants.

PAGE. How fares my noble lord?

Str. Marry, I fare well; for here is cheer enough. Where is my wife?

PAGE. Here, noble lord; What is thy will with her? Sır. Are you my wife, and will not call me-husband? My men should call me-lord; I am your goodman. PAGE. My husband and my lord, my lord and husband; I am your wife in all obedience.

Sur. I know it well:-What muft I call her?
LORD. Madam.

Sır. Al'ce madam, or Joan madam ?

LORD. Madam, and nothing else; fo lords call ladies. Sır. Madam wife, they say, that I have dream'd, and slept Above fome fifteen year and more.

PACE. Ay, and the time feems thirty unto me; Being all this time abandon'd from your bed.

Sır. 'Tis much;-Servants, leave me and her alone.

Madam, undrefs 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 fo, until the fun be fet:
For your phyficians have expressly charg'd,
In peril to incur your former malady,
That I fhould yet abfent me from your
I hope, this reafon stands for my excufe.

bed:

Sır. Ay, it stands fo, that I may hardly tarry fo long. But I would be loth to fall into my dreams again; I will therefore tarry, in despite of the flesh and the blood.

Enter a SERVANT.

SERV. Your honour's players, hearing your amendment, Are come to play a pleasant comedy,'

For fo

your

doctors hold it very meet;

Seeing too much fadness 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.

SLr. Marry, I will; let them play it: Is not a com-
monty a Christmas gambol, or a tumbling trick?
PAGE. No, my good lord; it is more pleasing stuff,
SLY. What, houfhold ftuff?

PAGE. It is a kind of history.

Sır. Well, we'll fee't: Come, madam wife, sit by my fide, and let the world flip; we shall ne'er be younger. [They fit down,

ACT I.

SCENE I. Padua. A public Place.
Enter LUCENTIO and TRANIO.

Luc. Tranio, fince-for the great defire I had
To fee fair Padua, nursery of arts,—

I am arriv'd 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,
Most trusty servant, well approv'd in all;
Here let us breathe, and happily institute
A courfe of learning, and ingenious ftudies.
Pifa, renowned for grave citizens,
Gave me my being, and my father first,

A merchant of great traffick through the world,
Vincentio, come of the Bentivolii.

Vincentio his fon, brought up in Florence,
It shall become, to ferve all hopes conceiv'd,
To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds:
And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study,
Virtue, and that part of philofophy
Will I apply, that treats of happiness
By virtue 'specially to be achiev’d.
Tell me thy mind: for I have Pisa left,
And am to Padua come; as he that leaves
A fhallow plash, to plunge him in the deep,
And with fatiety feeks to quench his thirst,
TRA. Mi perdonate, gentle mafler mine,
I am in all affected as yourself;
Glad that you thus continue your refolve,
To fuck the sweets of fweet philosophy.
Only, good mafter, while we do admire
This virtue, and this moral discipline,
Let's be no ftoicks, nor no ftocks, I pray;
Or fo devote to Aristotle's checks,

As Ovid be an outcaft quite abjur'd:

Talk logick with acquaintance that

you have, And practice rhetorick in your common talk; Mufick and poefy ufe, to quicken you;

The mathematicks, and the metaphyficks,
Fall to them, as you find

your

ftomach ferves you:

No profit grows, where is no pleasure ta’en ;—

In brief, fir, study, what you most affect.

Luc. Gramercies, Tranio, well doft thou advise.

If, Biondello, thou wert come afhore,

We could at once put us in readiness ;
And take a lodging, fit to entertain

Such friends as time in Padua fhall beget.
But stay awhile: What company is this?

TRA. Mafter, fome fhow, to welcome us to town.
Enter BAPTISTA, KATHARINA, BIANCA, GREMIO, and
HORTENSIO. LUCENTIO and TRAN10 ftand afide.
BAP. Gentlemen, impórtune me no further,
For how I firmly am refolv'd you know;
That is,—not to bestow my youngest daughter,
Before I have a husband for the elder

If either of you both love Katharina,

Because I know you well, and love you well,

Leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure.
GRE. To cart her rather: She's too rough for me :-
There, there Hortenfio, will
you any wife?

KATH. I pray you, fir, [To BAP.] is it your will

To make a ftale of me amongst these mates?

HOR. Mates, maid! how mean you that? no mates for you,

Unless you were of gentler, milder mould.

KATH. I'faith, fir, you shall never need to fear;

I wis, it is not half way to her heart :

But, if it were, doubt not, her care fhould be
To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd stool,
And paint your face, and ufe you like a fool.

HOR. From all fuch devils, good Lord, deliver us!
GRE. And me too, good Lord!

TRA. Hush, mafter! here is fome good paftime to ward;

That wench is ftark mad, or wonderful froward,

Luc. But in the other's filence I do fee

Maids' mild behaviour and fobriety.

Peace, Tranio.

TRA. Well faid, mafter; mum! and gaze your fill.