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Characters in the Induction.

Lord, before whom the Play is fupposed to be play'd.
Christopher Sly, a drunken Tinker.

Hoftefs.

Page, Players, Huntsmen, and other Servants attending on the Lord.

Dramatis Perfonæ,

Baptifta, Father to Catharina and Bianca; very rich.
Vincentio, an old gentleman of Pifa.

Lucentio, Son to Vincentio, in love with Bianca.
Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, a fuitor to Catha-

rina.

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Biondello,

Grumio, Servant to Petruchio.

Pedant, an old fellow set up to perfonate Vincentio.

Catharina, the Shrew.

Bianca, her Sifter.

Widow.

Taylor, Haberdashers; with Servants attending on
Baptifta, and Petruchio.

SCENE, fometimes in Padua; and fometimes in
Petruchio's House in the Country.

THE

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TAMING of the SHREW.

INDUCTION: SCENE, before an Aleboufe on a Heath.

I

Enter Hoftefs and Sly.

SLY.

LL pheeze you, in faith..

Hoft. A pair of ftocks, you rogue! Sly. Y'are a baggage; the Slies are no rogues. Look in the Chronicles, we came in with Richard Conqueror; therefore, paucus pallabris; (1) let the world flide :: Seffa.

Hoft. You will not pay for the glaffes you have burst? Sly. No, not a denière: go by, Jeronimo to thy cold bed, and warm thee. (2)

go

Hoft..

(1) paucus pallabris.] Sly, as an ignorant Fellow, is pur pofely made to aim at Languages out of his Knowledge, and knock the words out of Joint. The Spaniards fay, pócas pala bras, i. e. few words: as they do likewife, Ceffa, i. e. be quiet,. (2) Go by S. Jeronimy, go to thy cold Bed, and warm thee.]: All the Editions have coin'd a Saint here, for Sly to fwear by..

Butt

Hoft. I know my remedy: I must go fetch the Third-borough. (3)

Sly. Third, or fourth, or fifth borough, I'll answer him by law; I'll not budge an inch, boy; let him come, and kindly. [Falls afleep.

But the Poet had no fuch Intentions. The Paffage has particular Humour in it, and must have been very pleafing at that time of day. But I must clear up a piece of Stage-history, to make it understood. There is a fustian old Play, call'd Hieronymo; Or, The Spanish Tragedy: which, I find, was the common But of Rallery to all the Poets of Shakespeare's Time : and a Paffage, that appear'd very ridiculous in that Play, is here humourously alluded to. Hieronymo, thinking himself injur'd, applies to the King for Juftice; but the Courtiers, who did not defire his Wrongs fhould be fet in a true Light, attempt to hinder him from an Audience,

Hiero. Juftice, ob! juftice to Hieronymo.

Lor. Back ;- -fee'ft thou not, the King is bufie?
Hiero. Ob, is be fo?

King. Who is He, that interrupts our Business ?

Hier. Not I: Hieronymo, beware; go by, go by. So Sly here, not caring to be dun'd by the Hoftefs, cries to her in Effect, "Don't be troublesom, don't interrupt me, go by"; and, to fix the Satire in his Allufion, pleasantly calls her Fere

nymo.

I must go fetch the Headborough.

(3) Sly. Third, or fourth, or fifth Borough, &c.] This corrupt Reading had pafs'd down through all the Copies, and none of the Editors pretended to guess at the Poet's Conceit. What an infipid, unmeaning Reply does Sly make to his Hoftefs? How do third, or fourth, or fifth Borough relate to Headborough: The Author intended but a poor Witticism, and even That is loft. The Hoflefs would fay, that she'll fetch a Conftable: and this Officer fhe calls by his other Name, a Third-borough: and upon this Term Sly founds the Conundrum in his Answer to her. Who does not perceive, at a fingle glance, fome Conceit ftarted by this certain Correction? There is an Attempt to Wit, tolerable enough for a Tinker, and one drunk too. ThirdBorough is a Saxon-term fufficiently explain'd by the Glossaries: and in our Statute books, no farther back than the 28th Year of Henry VIIIth. we find it used to fignify a Conftable,

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