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 access; 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 profess to be a fuitor,

You must, as we do, gratify this Gentleman,
To whom we all reft generally beholden.

Tra. Sir, I fhall not be flack; in fign whereof,
Please ye, we may convive this afternoon, +
And quaff caroufes to our Mistress' 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 so, Petruchio, I fhall be your ben venuto.

[Exeunt. [The Prefenters, above, speak bere. 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 asks what they were to contrive? and then fays, a foolish corruption poffes 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 Spenser,

Three ages fuch as mortal men

CONTRIVE

Fairy Queen, B. xi. ch. 9. WARBURTON. The word is fed in the fame fense of spending or wearing out in the Palace of Pleasure.

ACT

ACT II. SCENE I.

Baptifta's Houfe in Padua.

Enter Catharina and Bianca.

BIANCA.

WOOD Sifter, wrong me not, nor wrong yourfelf,

To make a bond-maid and a flave of me;
That I difdain; but for thefe 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 fpecial 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 fhall 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;

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 fre

quently ufes and feems fond of.

6

THEOBALD. to keep you fair] [ fhould wish to read, To keep you fine. But either word may ferve.

I

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

Cath. If that be jeft, then all the reft was so.

Enter Baptifta.

[Strikes her.

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 dost thou wrong her, that did ne'er wrong thee?
When did the 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 must 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 habit 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.

7

bi'ding-] The word bilding & hinderling, is a low wretch; it is applied to Ca

tharine for the coarseness 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 bashful modefty,

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

[Prefenting Hortenfio.

I do present you with a man of mine,
Cunning in mufick, and the mathematicks,
To instruct her fully in those sciences,
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 elfe
you like not of my company.

Bap. Mistake me not, I fpeak 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. I know him well: you are welcome for his fake. Gre. Saving your tale, Petruchio, I pray, let us, that are poor petitioners, fpeak too. you are marvellous forward.

Baccare, you are mar vellous forward.] We must read, Baccalare; by which the Italians mean, thou arrogant, prefump

Baccalare!

Pet. Oh, pardon me, Signior Gremio, I would fair

be doing.

Gre. 9 I doubt it not, Sir, but you will curse 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 studying 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 stranger in this City here,

Do make myself a fuitor to your daughter,

Unto Bianca, fair and virtuous :

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

That, upon knowledge of my parentage,

I may have welcome 'mongst the reft that woo,
And free access and favour as the rest.

And, toward the education of your daughters,
I here beftow a fimple Inftrument,

And this fmall 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. addres-
fing himself to Baptifta.

WARBURTON.

Bap.

fread thefe gentlem Kaye daughters; and Te are their tutors, bid

[Exit Serv. wit Tew go walk a little in And he to dinner. You

Tou knew

And lay you all, to t
Pa. Stor Baptifta, my
And every day I cannot com
my father well, a
fel heir to all his land
have better'd, rather
tell me, if I get your da
at dowry fhall I have with
Bap. After my death, the on
Esp.
poffeffion, twenty thou
Pet. And, for that dowry, I'l
widowhood, be it that he fur

my lands and leafes whatsoev
pecialties be therefore drawn b
covenants may be kept on eith
B. Ay, when the fpecial thing
It is, her love; for that is all in
Pet. Why, that is nothing; for I
an as peremptory as the proud-mi

where two raging fires meet toge
do confume the thing that feeds
D 3