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 mafter riding behind my miftrefs.

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 horfe fell, and the under her horfe: thou should't have heard in how miry a place, how she was bemoil'd, how he left her with the horse upon her, how he beat me because her horfe ftumbled, 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 fhrew than fhe.

Gru. Ay, and that thou and the proudeft of you all fhall find, when he comes home. But what talk I oft this call forth Nathaniel, Jofeph, Nicholas, Philip, Walter, Sugarfop, 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 mafter'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

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

Cart. Who knows not that?

Gru. Thou, it feems, that call'ft for company to Countenance her.

Curt. I call them forth to credit her.

Enter four or five ferving-men.

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

Phil. How now, Grumie?

Jof. What, Grumio !

Nich. Fellow Grumio!

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? Nath. All things are ready; how near is our master ? Gru. E'en at hand, alighted by this; and therefore cock's paffion, filence! I hear my

be not

mafter.

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?
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-horse drudge,

Did not 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,

And Walter's dagger was not come from sheathing:
There were none fine, but Adam, Ralph, and Gregory;

The

The rest 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 those

And welcome. Soud, foud, foud, foud!

Enter Servants with Supper.

Why, when, 1 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 his 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, sweet 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 serve it thus to me that love it not?
There, take it to you, trenchers, cups and all:

[Throwing 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 fast,
Since, of our felves, our felves are cholerick,
Than feed it with fuch over-roasted 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, didft ever fee the like?

Peter. He kills her in her own humour.
Gru. Where is he?

Enter Curtis, a Servant.

[Exe.

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

And rails and fwears, and rates; that she, poor foul,
Knows not which way to stand, to look, to speak,

And fits as one new-rifen from a dream.
Away, away, for he is coming hither.

Enter Petruchio.

Pet. Thus have I politickly begun my reign,
And 'tis my hope to end fuccefsfully :
My faulcon now is fharp, and pafling empty,
And till the ftoop, fhe muft not be full-gorg'd,.
For then she never looks upon her lure.
Another way I have to man my haggard,

[Exeunt

To make her come, and know her keeper's Calle
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 fhall eat.
Laft night the flept not, nor to night shall 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 sheets;
Ay; and, amid this hurly, I'll pretend,
That all is done in reverend care of her,
And, in conclufion, fhe fhall watch all night:
And, if she 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 fpeak, 'tis charity to shew.

SCENE, before Baptifta's House.

Enter Tranio and Hortenfio.

[Exit..

TRANF 0.

I

S't poffible, friend Eicio, that Bianca (16)
Doth fancy any other but Lucentie ?

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 Act: 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 A&t we find him first forming the Refolution of quitting Bianca; and Tranie. immediately informs Us, he is gone to the Taming-School to Petruchio. There is a Figure, indeed, in Rhetorick, call'd, üsser wegrepov: But this is an Abufe of it, which the Rhe-. toricians 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