Gru. Out of their faddles into the dirt; and thereby

hangs a tale.

Curt. Let's ha't, good Grumio.

Gru. Lend thine ear.

Curt. Here.

Gru. There.

[Strikes him.

Curt. This is to feel a tale, not to hear a tale.

Gru. And therefore 'tis call'd a fenfible tale: and this cuff was but to knock at your ear, and befeech liftning. Now I begin imprimis, we came down a foul hill, my master riding behind my mistress.

Curt. Both on one horse?
Gru. What's that to thee?
Curt. Why, a horse.
Gru. Tell thou the tale.

But hadft thou not

croft me, thou should'st have heard how her horse fell, and she under her horse: thou should'st have heard in how miry a place, how fhe was bemoil'd, how he left her with the horfe upon her, how he beat me because her horse stumbled, how the waded through the dirt to pluck him off me; how he fwore, how the pray'd that never pray'd before; how I cry'd; how the horses ran away; how her bridle was burft; how I loft my crupper; with many things of worthy memory, which now shall die in oblivion, and thou return unexperienc'd to thy grave.

Curt. By this reckoning he is more shrew than fhe.

Gru. Ay, and that thou and the proudest of you all fhall find, when he comes home. But what talk I of this? call forth Nathaniel, Jofeph, Nicholas, Philip, Walter, Sugar fop, and the reft: let their heads be fleekly comb'd, their blue coats brufh'd, and their garters of an indifferent knit; let them curt'fie with their left legs, and not prefume to touch a hair of my master's horfe-tail, 'till they kifs their hands. Are they all ready?

Curt. They are.

Gru. Call them forth.

Curt. Do you hear, ho? you must meet my master to countenance my mistress.

Gru.

The re

Curt. Who knows not that?

Gru. Why, the hath a face of her own.

Yet as

Pet.

Gra. Thou, it seems, that call'ft for company to

countenance her.

Curt. I call them forth to credit her.

Enter four or five Serving-men.

Gru. Why, fhe comes to borrow nothing of them.
Nat. Welcome home, Grumio.

Where

Where

And w

Why, Off w

Nath. How now, old lad.

Gru. Welcome, you; how now, you; what, you; fellow, you; and thus much for greeting. Now, my fpruce companions, is all ready, and all things neat? Nat. All things are ready; how near is our mafter? Gru. E'en at hand, alighted by this; and therefore -cock's paffion, filence!

be not

master.

Enter Petruchio and Kate.

Pet. Where be these knaves? what, no man at door to hold my ftirrup, nor to take my horfe? where is Nathaniel, Gregory, Philip?

All Serv. Here, here, Sir; here, Sir.
Pet. Here, Sir, here, Sir, here, Sir, here, Sir?

Out, Take

Be me

I hear my

You loggerheaded and unpolish'd grooms:

What? no attendance? no regard? no duty?

Where is the foolish knave I fent before?

Gru. Here, Sir, as foolish as I was before.

Pet. You peafant fwain, you whorefon, malt-horfe

drudge,

Did not I bid thee meet me in the park,

And bring along these rascal knaves with thee?
Gru. Nathaniel's coat, Sir, was not fully made:

And Gabriel's pumps were all unpink'd i' th' heel :

There was no link to colour Peter's hat,

The reft were ragged, old and beggarly,
Yet as they are, here are they come to meet you.
Pet. Go, rafcals, go, and fetch my fupper in.

[Exeunt Servants. [Singing.

Where is the life that late I led?
fit down, Kate,

Where are thofe

And welcome. Soud, foud, foud, foud!

Enter Servants with Supper.

Why, when, I fay? nay, good fweet Kate, be merry. Off with my boots, you rogue: you villains, when?

It was the Friar of Orders grey,

As he forth walked on

bis

way.

Out, out, you rogue! you pluck my foot awry.
Take that, and mind the plucking off the other.

[Sings.

[Strikes him. Be merry, Kate: fome water, here; what hoa!

Enter one with water.

Where's my spaniel Troilus? firrah, get you hence,
And bid my coufin Ferdinand come hither:

One, Kate, that you must kifs, and be acquainted with.
Where are my flippers? fhall I have fome water?
Come, Kate, and wash, and welcome heartily :
You, whorefon villain, will you let it fall?

Cath. Patience, I pray you, 'twas a fault unwilling. Pet. A whorefon, beatle-headed, flap-ear'd knave: Come, Kate, fit down; I know, you have a ftomach. Will you give thanks, fweet Kate, or else shall I? What's this, mutton?

I Ser. Yes.

Pet. Who brought it?

Ser. I.

Pet. 'Tis burnt, and fo is all the meat :
What dogs are these? where is the rascal cook?
How durft you, villains, bring it from the dreffer,
And ferve it thus to me that love it not?
There, take it to you, trenchers, cups and all:

[Throws the meat, &c. about the Stage.

You

You heedlefs jolt-heads, and unmanner'd flaves !
What, do you grumble? I'll be with you ftraight.
Cath. I pray you, husband, be not fo difquiet;
The meat was well, if you were fo contented.
Pet. I tell thee, Kate, 'twas burnt and dry'd away,
And I exprefly am forbid to touch it :

For it engenders choler, planteth anger;
And better 'twere, that Both of us did faft,
Since, of our felves, our felves are cholerick,
Than feed it with fuch over-roafted flesh :
Be patient, for to morrow't shall be mended,
And for this night we'll faft for company.
Come, I will bring thee to thy bridal chamber.

Enter Servants feverally.

Nath. Peter, didst ever see the like?
Peter. He kills her in her own humour.

Gru. Where is he?

Enter Curtis, a Servant.

[Ext

Curt. In her chamber, making a fermon of continency to her,

And rails and fwears, and rates; that fhe, poor foul,,
Knows not which way to ftand, to look, to speak,
And fits as one new-rifen from a dream.
Away, away, for he is coming hither.

Enter Petruchio.

[Exeunt

Pet. Thus have I politickly begun my reign,
And 'tis my hope to end fuccefsfully:
My faulcon now is fharp, and paffing empty,
And till fhe ftoop, fhe must not be full-gorg'd,
For then she never looks upon her lure.
Another way I have to man my haggard,
To make her come, and know her keeper's Call:
That is, to watch her, as we watch these kites,
That bait and beat, and will not be obedient.
She eat no meat to day, nor none shall eat.
Laft night fhe flept not, nor to night fhall not.
As with the meat, fome undeserved fault
I'll find about the making of the bed.

And

And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster,
This way the coverlet, that way the fheets ;
Ay; and, amid this hurly, I'll pretend,
That all is done in reverend care of her,
And, in conclufion, the fhall watch all night:
And, if the chance to nod, I'll rail and brawl,
And with the clamour keep her still awake.
This is a way to kill a wife with kindness;
And thus I'll curb her mad and headstrong humour.
He that knows better how to tame a Shrew,

Now let him speak, 'tis charity to fhew.

SCENE, before Baptifta's House.

Enter Tranio and Hortenfio.

[Exit.

TRANIO.

I

S't poffible, friend Licio, that Bianca (16).
Doth fancy any other but Lucentio ?

I tell

(16) Is't poffible, friend Licio, &c.] This Scene, Mr. Pope, upon what Authority I can't pretend to guess, has in his Editions made the First of the Fifth A&t: in doing which, he has fhewn the very Power and Force of Criticifm. The Confequence of this judicious Regulation is, that two unpardonable Abfurdities are fix'd upon the Author, which he could not poffibly have committed. For, in the first place, by this fhuffling the Scenes out of their true Pofition, we find Hortenfio, in the fourth Act, already gone from Baptifta's to Petruchio's Country-house; and afterwards in the Beginning of the Fifth Act we find him first forming the Refolution of quitting Bianca; and Tranio immediately informs Us, he is gone to the Taming-School to Petruchio. There is a Figure, indeed, in Rhetorick, call'd, Üstev @repov: But this is an Abuse of it, which the Rhetoricians will never adopt upon Mr. Pope's Authority. Again, by this Mifplacing, the Pedant makes his firft Entrance, and quits the Stage with Tranio in order to go and dress himself like Vincentio, whom he was to perfonate: but his Second Entrance is upon the very Heels of his Exit; and without any Interval

of