Here is a pur of fortune's, sir, or of fortune's cat, (but not a musk-cat,) that has fallen into the unclean fishpond of her displeasure, and, as he says, is muddied withal: Pray you, sir, use the carp as you may; for he looks like a poor, decayed, ingenious, foolish, rascally knave. I do pity his distress in my smiles of comfort, and leave him to your lordship. Erit Clown. Par. My lord, I am a man whom fortune hath cruelly scratched. Laf. And what would you have me to do? 'tis too late to pare her nails now. Wherein bave you played the knave with fortune, that she should scratch you, who of herself is a good lady, and would not have knaves thrive long under her? There's a quart d'ecu for you: Let the justices make you and fortune friends; I am for other business. Par. I beseech your honour, to hear me one single word. Laf. You beg a single penny more: come, you shall ba't; save your word*. Par. My name, my good lord, is Parolles. Laf. You beg more than one word then. Cox' my passion! give me your hand:-How does your drum? Par. O my good lord, you were the first that found me. Laf. Was I, in sooth? and I was the first that lost thee. Par. It lies in you, my lord, to bring me in some grace, for you did bring me out. Laf. Out upon thee, knave! dost thou put upon me at once both the office of God and the devil? one brings thee in grace, and the other brings thee out. [Trumpets sound.] The king's coming, I know by his trumpets. Sirrah, inquire further after me; I had talk of you last night though you are a fool and a knave, you shall eat; go to, follow. Pur. I praise God for you. [Exeunt. SCENE III. The same. A Room in the Countess's Palace. Flourish. Enter King, Countess, LAFEU, esteem + Was made much poorer by it: but your son, As mad in folly, lack'd the sense to know Her estimation home. Count 'Tis past, my liege: And I beseech your majesty to make it Natural rebellion, done i'the blaze of youth; When oil and fire, too strong for reason's force, O'erbears it, and burns on. King. Though my revenges were high bent upon him, Laf. All that he is hath reference to your King. Then shall we have a match. I have letters sent me, That set him high in fame. My high-repented blames **, Dear sovereign, pardon to me. King. All is whole; Not one word more of the consumed time. Ber. Admiringly, my liege: at first Since I have lost, have loved, was in mine eye My honour'd lady, I have forgiven and forgotten all; You need not ask ;-here it is. + Reckoning or estimate. Completely, in its full So in As you Like it :-to have "seen much and to have nothing, is to have rich eyes and poor hands." i. e., The first interview shall put an end to all recollec tion of the past. i. e. Of ninterrupted rain. **Faults repented of to the utmost. extent. To the great sender turns a sour offence, Or, ere they meet, in me, O nature, cease! (Where you have never come,) or sent it us Upon her great disaster. Ber. She never saw it. King. Thou speak'st it falsely, as I love mine honour; And makest conjectural fears to come into me, Which I would fain shut out: If it should prove That thou art so inhuman,-'twill not prove [deadly, And yet I know not:-thou didst hate her " [Exit BERTRAM, guarded. Enter a Gentleman. [not'; [short King. I am wrapp'd in dismal thinkings. Gent. Gracious sovereign, Whether I have been to blame, or no, I know Here's a petition from a Florentine, Who hath, for four or five removes, come To tender it herself. I undertook it, Vanquish'd thereto by the fair grace and speech Of the poor suppliant, who by this, I know, Is here attending: her business looks in her With an importing visage; and she told me, In a sweet verbal brief, it did concern Your highness with herself. King. [Reads.] Upon his many protesta. tions to marry me, when his wife was dead, I blush to say it, he won me. Now is the count Rousillon a widower; his vows are forfeited to me, and my honour's paid to him. He stole from Florence, taking no leave, and I follow him to his country for justice: Grant it me, O king; in you it best lies; otherwise a seducer flourishes, and a poor maid is undone. DIANA CAPULET. Laf. I will buy me a son-in-law in a fair, and toll him : for this, I'll none of him. King. The heavens have thought well on thee, Lafen, [suitors:To bring forth this discovery.-Seek these Go, speedily, and bring again the count. [Exeunt Gentleman, and some Attendants. I am afeard, the life of Helen, lady, Was foully snatch'd.. Count. Now, justice on the doers! Enter BERTRAM, guarded. King. I wonder, sir, since wives are mon sters to you, Eship, And that you fly them as you swear them lord Yet you desire to marry.What woman's that? Re-enter Gentleman, with Widow, and DIANA. Dia, I am, my lord, a wretched Florentine, In the sense of unengaged. + The philosopher's stone. the proper consciousness of your own actions. Post-stages i.e., That you have Pay toll for him. You give away myself, which is known mine; For I by vow am so embodied yours, That she, which marries you, must marry mé, . Either both, or none. Laf. Your reputation [To BERTRAM.] comes too short for my daughter, you are no husband for her., kan ·Ber. My lord, this is a fond and desperate creature, [your highness Whom sometime I have laugh'd with: let Lay a more noble thought upon mine honour, Than for to think that I would sink it here. King. Sir, for my thoughts, you have them ill to friend, Till your deeds gain them: Fairer prove your Dia. He had not my virginity. King. What say'st thou to her? She's impudent, my lord; And was a common gamester to the camp t. Dia. He does me wrong, my lord; if I were so, He might have bought me at a common price: Count. He blushes, and 'tis it: • Decease, die. + Gamester when Value. Noted. || Debauched. ber appearance of being common. She hath that ring of yours. Ber. I think, she has certain it is, I liked her, And boarded her i'the wanton way of youth: Dia. Ber. I have it not. King. What ring was yours, I pray yon? Sir, much like Dia. The same upon your finger. his of late. [a-bed. Dia. And this was it I gave him, being King. The story then goes false, you threw Out of a casement. Dia. [it him I have spoke the truth. Enter PAROLLES. Ber. My lord,I do confess, the ring was bers. King. You boggle shrewdly, every feather Is this the man you speak of? [starts you.-Dia. Ay, my lord.. King. Tell me, sirrah, but teli me true, I charge you, Not fearing the displeasure of your master, (Which, on your just proceeding, I'll kee off,) you By him, and by this woman here, what know Par. So please your majesty, my master hath been an honourable gentleman; tricks he hath had in him, which gentlemen have. King, Come, come, to the purpose: Did he love this woman? Par. 'Faith, sir, he did love her: But how? King. How, I pray you? Par. He did love her, sir, as a gentleman loves a woman. applied to a female, then meant a common woman. Love * Her solicitation concurring with ++May justly make me fast. Fellow. [¥ that, he loved her,-for, indeed, he was mad | He knows himself, my bed he hath defiled; for her, and talked of Satan, and of limbo, And at that time he got his wife with child; and of furies, and I know not what yet I Dead, though she be, she feels her young one kick; was in that credit with them at that time, that I knew of their going to bed; and of other motions, as promising her marriage, and things that would derive me ill will to speak of, there fore I will not speak what I know. King. Thou hast spoken all already, unless thou canst say they are married: But thou art too fine in thy evidence: therefore stand aside. This ring, you say, was yours? Ay, my good lord. Dia. Dia. It was not given me, nor I did not King. Who lent it you? It was not lent me neither. Dia.. King. Take her away. comert. Dia. By Jove, if ever I knew man, 'twas you. King. Wherefore hast thou accused him all this while? Dia. Because he's guilty, and he is not guilty; He knows, I am no maid, and he'll swear to't: I'll swear, I am a maid, and he knows not. Great king, I am no strumpet, by my life; I am either maid, or else this old man's wife. [Pointing to LAFEU. C King. She does abuse our ears; to prison with her. {royal sir; Dia. Good mother, fetch my bail.-Stay, [Exit Widow. The jeweller, that owes the ring, is sent for, And he shall surety me. But for this lord, Who hath abused me, as he knows himself, Though yet he never harm'd me,here I quit him: • Too artful. ↑ Common woman. So there's my riddle, One, that's dead, is quick : Re-enter Widow, with HELENA. King. Ber. Both, both; O, pardon! Hel. 0, my good lord, when I was like this maid, I found you wondrous kind. There is your ring, I'll love her dearly, ever, ever dearly, Hel. If it appear not plain, and prove untrue, Deadly divorce step between me and you!O, my dear mother, do I see you living? Laf. Mine eyes smell onions, I shall weep anon:-Good Tom Drum, [To PAROLLES.] lend me a handkerchief: So, I thank thee; wait on me home, I'll make sport with thee: Let thy courtesies alone, they are scurvy ones. King. Let us from point to point this story know, To make the even truth in pleasure flow:- dower; For I can guess, that, by the honest aid, Advancing. The king's a beggar, now the play is done : Your gentle hands lend us, and take our 1 Owns. § Enchanter. [Exeun i. e., Hear us without interruption, and take our parts, support and defend us. This play has many delightful scenes, though not sufficiently probable, and some happ characters, though not new, nor produced by any deep knowledge of human nature. Paroli is a boaster and a coward, such as has always been the sport of the stage, but perhaps never raised more laughter or contempt than in the hands of Shakspeare. I cannot reconcile my heart to Bertram; a man noble without generosity, and young without truth; who marries Helen as a coward, and leaves her as a profligate when she is dead by his unkindness, sneaks home to a second marriage, is accused by a woman whom he has wronged, defends himself by falsehood, and is dismissed to happiness. The story of Bertram and Diana had been told before of Mariana and Angelo, and, to con fess the truth, scarcely merited to be heard a second time.-JOHNSÓN. A Lord. TAMING OF THE SHREW. Persons represented. CHRISTOPHER SLY, a drunken tinker. Persons in the Hostess, Page, Players, Huntsmen, and other Servants attending on the Lord. Induction Tailor, Haberdasher, and Servants attending on Baptista and Petruchio. Scene,-sometimes in Padua ; and sometimes in Petruchio's House in the Country. INDUCTION Enter Hostess and SLY. Sly. I'LL pheese you, in faith. Host. A pair of stocks, you rogue! Sly. Y'are a baggage; the Slies are no rogues: Look in the chronicles, we came in with Richard Conqueror. Therefore, paucas pallabris; let the world slide: Sessat! Host. You will not pay for the glasses you have bursts? Sly. No, not a denier: Go by, says Jeronimy-Go to thy cold bed, and warm thee. Host. I know my remedy, I must go fetch the thirdborough . [Exit. Sty. Third, or fourth, or fifth borough, I'll answer him by law: I'll not budge an inch, boy; let him come, and kindly. [Lies down on the ground, and falls asleep. Wind Horns. Enter a Lord from hunting, with Huntsmen and Servants. Lord. Huntsman, I charge thee, tender well my hounds: [boss'd tt. Brach Merriman,-the poor cur is emAnd couple Clowder with the deep-mouth'd (good brach. Saw'st thou not, boy, how Silver made it At the hedge corner, in the colde, fault? I would not lose the dog for twenty pound. 1 Hun. Why, Belman is as good as he, my lord; He cried upon it at the merest loss, Beat or knock. Few words. And twice to-day pick'd out the dullest scent: I would esteem him worth a dozen such. Lord. What's here? one dead, or drunk? 2 Hun. He breathes, my lord: Were be not warmed with ale, This were a bed but cold to sleep so sonadly. Lord. O monstrous beast! how like a swine he lies! [thine image! Grim death, how foul and loathsome is Sirs, I will practise on this drunken man.— What think you, if he were conveyed to bed, Wrapp'd in sweet clothes, rings put upon his fingers, A most delicious banquet by his bed, And brave attendants near him when he wakes, Would not the beggar then forget himself? 1 Hun. Believe me, lord, I think he cannot choose. (when he waked. 2 Hun. It would seem strange unto him Lord. Even as a flattering dream, or worth. Be quiet. § Broke. #This * Bitch, line and the scrap of Spanish is used in burlesque from an old play called Hieronymo, or the Spanish Tragedy. An officer whose authority equals a constable. it Strained. |