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THE

TAMING

OF THE

SHRE W.

A Lord, before whom the Play is fuppos'd 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 Pisa.

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

rina.

Gremio,

Hortenfio,

Tranio,

Biondello,

Pretenders to Bianca.

Servants to Lucentio.

Grumio, Servant to Petruchio.

Pedant, an old fellow fet 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 Houfe in the Country.

THE

THE

TAMING of the SHREW.

INDUCTION.

SCENE, before an Ale-house, on a Heath.

Enter Hoftefs and Sly.

SLY.

'LL pheeze you, in faith.
Hoft. A pair of stocks, you rogue!

Sly. Y'are a baggage; the Slies are no rogues. Look in the Chronicles, we came in with Richard Conqueror; therefore, pau

cus pallabris; (1) let the world flide: Seffa.

Hoft. You will not pay for the glaffes you have burst? Sly. No, not a deniere: go by, Jeronimo

thy coldbed, and warm thee. (2)

go to

Hoft.

(1) paucus pallabris.] Sly, as an ignorant Fellow, is purposely made to aim at Languages out of his Knowledge, and knock the Words out of Joint. The Spaniards fay, pócas palabras, i. e. few Words: as they do likewise, 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. 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 fuftian 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

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

[Exit.

Sly.

King for Juftice; but the Courtiers, who did not defire his Wrongs should be fet in the true Light, attempt to hinder him from an Audience. Hiero. Juftice, ob! juftice to Hieronymo.

Lor. Back; feeft thou not, the King is bufie?
Hier. Oh, is he 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 Jeronymo. What he says farther to her, go to thy cold Bed and warm thee, I take likewise to be a Banter upon another Verfe in that Play.

Hier. What Outcry calls me from my naked Bed?

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But this particular Paffage of Go, by, Hieronymo; was fo ftrong à Ridicule, that most of the Poets of that Time have had a Fling at it.

For Inftance;

B. Fonfon, in his Every Man in his Humour ;
What new Book have you there? What!

Go by, Hieronymo!

And Beaumont and Fletcher, in their Captain :

and whoot at thee;

And call thee Bloody-bones, and Spade, and Spitfire;
And Gaffer Madman, and Go by, Feronymo.

So Marfion, in the Induction to his Antonio and Mellida;

Nay, if You cannot bear two fubtle Fronts under one Hood, Ideot; go by, go by, off this World's Stage.

For 'tis plain, tho' Feronymo is not mention'd, the Paffage is here alluded to. And Decker in his Weftward-hoe has rallied it very neatly by way of Simily.

A Woman, when there be Rofes in her Cheeks, Cherries on her Lips, Civet in her Breath, Ivory in her Teeth, Lilies in her hand, and Liquorifh in her Heart, why, he's like a Play: if new, very good Company, very good Company: but if ftale, like old Jeronymo,- go by, go by. (3) I must go fetch the Headborough. 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 guefs 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 Hoftefs 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 at Wit, tolerable enough for a Tinker, and one drunk too. Third Borough is a Saxon term fufficiently explain'd by the Gloffaries: and in our Statute-books, no farther back

than

Sly, Third, or fourth, or fifth borough, I'll answer him by law; I'll not budge an inch, boy; let him come,indly. [Falls afleep. Wind Burns Enter a Lord from hunting, with a Train. Lord. Entfman, I charge thee, tender well my hands;

(Brach, Mistman!- the poor cur is imboft;)
And coupe Clowder with the deep-mouth'd Brach.
Saw it thou not, boy, how Silver made it good
Ar the hedge-corner in the coldest fault?
I would not loie the dog for twenty pound.

Hun. Why, Belman is as good as he, my lord,
He cried upon it at the meereft lofs,

And twice to day pick'd out the dullest scent:
Trust me, I take him for the better dog.

Lord. Thou art a fool; if Eccho were as fleet,
I would esteem him worth a dozen fuch.

But fup them well, and look unto them all,
To morrow I intend to hunt again.

Hun. I will, my Lord.

br

Lord. What's here? one dead, or drunk? fee, doth he breathe?

2 Hun. He breathes, my Lord. Were he not warm'd with ale,

This were a bed but cold, to fleep fo foundly.

Lord. O monstrous beast! how like a swine he lies! :

Grim death, how foul and loathsome is thine image! Sirs, I will practise on this drunken man.

than the 28th Year of Henry VIIIth, we find it used, to fignify a Conftable. The Word continued current in People's Mouths to our Author's time; and he has again employ'd it in another of his Plays: vix. Love's Labour loft.

Dull. I my Jelf reprehend his own Perfon; for I am his Grace's Tharborough.

The Word, 'tis true, is corrupted here; but This is done on purpose. Dull reprefents the Character of an ignorant Conftable; and to make him appear more truly fuch, the Poet humouroufly makes him corrupt the very Name of his Office; and blunder Thirdborough into Tharborough, as he does reprefent into reprehend. — I made this Emendation, when I publish'd my SHAKESPEARE reftor'd; and Mr. Pope has vouchfaf'd to adopt it in his last Edition. VOL. II.

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