Lady. 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 exprefly charg'd,
In peril to incur your former malady,
That I fhould yet abfent me from your bed;
I hope, this reafon ftands for my excuse.

Sly. Ay, it ftands fo, that I may hardly tarry fo longs but I would be loath to fall into my dream again: I will therefore tarry in defpight of the flesh and the blood. Enter a Melenger.

Me. Your Honour's players, hearing your amendment, Are come to play a pleafant comedy;

For fo your doctors hold it very meet,

Seeing too much fad nefs 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.

Sly. Marry, I will; let them play; is it not a com-
modity a Chriflmas gambol, or a tumbling trick?
Lady. No, my good Lord, it is more pleasing stuff.
Sly. What, houshold stuff?

Lady. It is a kind of history.

Sly. Well, we'll fee't: Come Madam wife, fit by my fide, and let the world flip, we shall ne'er be

younger.

5

F

The TAMING of the SHREW.

T

A C T I.

SCENE, a Street in Padua.

Flourish. Enter Lucentio and Tranio,

LUCENTI O.

Ranio, fince for the great defire I had
To fee fair Padua, nursery of arts,
I am arriv'd from fruitful Lombardy, (7)
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 fervant, well approv'd in all,
Here let us breathe, and haply inftitute
A course of learning, and ingenious studies.
Pifa, renowned for grave citizens,

Gave me my being; and my father first,

A merchant of great traffick through the world:
Vincentio's 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:

(7) I am arriv'd for fruitful Lombardy,] Though all the impref fions concur in this, I take it to be a blunder of the editors, and not of the author. Padua is not in Lombardy; but Pifa, from which Lucentio comes, is really in thofe territories,

And

And therefore, Tranio, for the time I ftudy,
Virtue and that part of philofophy
Will I apply, that treats of happiness,
By virtue fpecially to be atchiev'd.
Tell me thy mind, for I have Pisa left,
And am to Padua come, as he that leaves
A fhallow plah to plunge him in the deep,
And with fatiety feeks to quench to his thirst.
Fra. Me pardonato, gentle mafter mine,
I am in all affected as yourself:

Glad, that you thus continue your refolve,
To fuck the fweets of fweet philofophy :
Only, good mafter, while we do admire
This virtue, and this moral discipline,
Let's be no ftoicks, nor no stocks, I pray;
Or, fo devote to Ariftotle's checks,
As Ovid be an outcaft quite abjur'd.

Talk logick with acquaintance that you have,
And practise rhetorick in your common talk;
Mufick and poefy use 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, Sir, ftudy what you molt affect.

Luc. Gramercies, Tranio, well doft thou advifes
If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore,

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

Such friends, as time in Padua fhall beget.

But ftay a while, what company is this?

Tra. Master, fome fhow to welcome as to town,

Enter Baptifta with Catharina and Bianca, Gremio and
Hortenfio. Lucentio and Tranio ftand by.

Bap. Gentlemen both, importune me no farther,
For how I firmly am refolv'd, you know;
That is, not to beftow my youngest daughter,
Before I have a husband for the elder:

If either of you both love Catharina,

VOL. II.

Q

Because

Because I know you well, and love you well,
Leave hall 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?
Cath. I pray you, Sir, is it your will

To make a ftale of me amongst these mates?

Hor. Mates, maid, how mean you that à no mates for you; Unless you were of gentler milder mould.

Cath. I'faith, Sir, you fhall never need to fear,

I wis, it is not half way to her heart:
But if it were, doubt not, her care fhall be
To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd ftool,
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. Huh, mafter, here's fome good paftime]

toward;

That wench is ftark mad, or wonderful froward.
Luc. But in the other's filence I do fee

Maid's mild behaviour and fobriety.

Peace, Tranio.

Tra, Well said, master; mum! and

gaze your fili.

Bap. Gentlemen, that I may foon make good

What I have faid, Bianca, get you in;

And let it not difpleafe thee, good Bianca;
For I will love thee ne'er the lefs, my girl.

afide.

Cath. A pretty peat! it is beft put finger in the eye, an

the knew why.

Bian. Sifter, content you in my difcontent.

Sir, to your pleasure humbly I fubfcribe:

My books and inftruments fhall be my company,

On them to look, and practise by myself.

Luc. Hark, Tramio, thou may't hear Minerva speak.

Hor, Signior Baptifta, will you be so strange?

Sorry am I, that our good will effects

Bianca's grief.

Gre. Why will you mew her up, Signior Baptifta, for this fiend of hell,

[afide.

And

And make her bear the penance of her tongue ?.
Bap. Gentlemen, content ye; I am refolv'd:
Go in, Bianca,

my

And for I know, the taketh moft delight
In mufick, inftruments, and poetry;
School-masters will I keep within houfe,
Fit to instruct her youth. If you, Hortenfio,
Or fignior Gremio, you, know any fuch,
Prefer them hither: For to cunning men
I will be very kind; and liberal

[Exit Bianca

To mine own children, in good bringing up;
And fo farewel. Catharina, you may stay,
For I have more to commune with Bianca.

TExit.

Cath. Why, and, 1 truft, I may go too, may I not? what, fhall I be appointed hours, as though, belike, I knew not what to take, and what to leave? ha! [Exit.

Gre. You may go to the devil's dam: Your gifts are fo good, here is none will hold you. Our love is not fo great, Hortenfio, bat we may blow our nails together, and faft it fairly out. Our cake's dow on both fides. Farewel; yet for the love I bear my sweet Biança, if I can by any means light on a fit man to teach her that wherein the delights, I will with him to her father.

Hor. So will I, Signior Gremio: But a word, I pray; though the nature of our quarrel never yet brook'd parle, know now, upon advice, it toucheth us both, that we may yet again have access to our fair miftrefs, and be. happy rivals in Bianca's love, to labour and effect one thing 'fpecially..

Gre. What's that, I pray?

Hor. Marry, Sir, to get a husband for her fifter.
Gre. A hufband! a devil..

Hor. I fay, a husband.

Gre. I fay, a devil. Think'ft thou, Hortenfio, though her father be very rich, any man is fo very a fool to be married to hell?

Hor. Tufh, Gremio; though it pafs your patience and mine to endure her loud alarms, why, man, there be

good