Which I could fancy more than any other.
Cath. Minion, thou lieft; is't not Hortenfio?
Bian. If you affect him, fifter, here I fwear,
I'll plead for you my felf, but you shall have him.
Cath. Oh, then, belike, you fancy riches more;
You will have Gremio, to keep you fair.

Bian. Is it for him you do fo envy me?
Nay, then you jeft; and now, I well perceive,
You have but jefted with me all this while;
I pr'ythee, fifter Kate, untic my hands.

Cath. If That be jest, then all the reft was fo.

Enter Baptifta.

[Strikes ber.

Bap. Why, how now, dame, whence grows this infolence ?

Bianca, ftand afide; poor girl, fhe weeps;
Go ply thy needle, meddle not with her.
For fhame, thou hilding of a devilish spirit,

Why doft thou wrong her, that did ne'er wrong thee?
When did the crofs thee with a bitter word?

Cath. Her filence flouts me; and I'll be reveng'd.

[Flies after Bianca. Bap. What, in my fight? Bianca, get thee in.

[Ex. Bian. Cath. Will you not fuffer me? nay, now I fee, She is your treasure; fhe muft have a husband; I muft dance bare-foot on her wedding-day, And, for your love to her, lead apes in hell: Talk not to me, I will go fit and weep, "Till I can find occafion of revenge.

[Exit Cath.

Bap. Was ever gentleman thus griev'd, as I? But who comes here?

Enter Gremio, Lucentio in the habit of a mean man Petruchio with Hortenfio, like a musician; Tranio and Biondello bearing a lute and books.

Gre. Good morrow, neighbour Baptifta.

Bap. Good morrow, neighbour Gremio: God fave you, gentlemen.

Pet.

Pet. And you, good Sir; pray, have you not a daughter call'd Catharina, fair and virtuous? Bap. I have a daughter, Sir, call'd Catharina. Gre. You are too blunt; go to it orderly.

Pet. You wrong me, Signior Gremio, give me leave. I am a gentleman of Verona, Sir,

That, hearing of her beauty and her wit,
Her affability and bafhful modefty,

Her wondrous qualities, and mild behaviour,
Am bold to fhew my felf a forward guest

Within your house, to make mine eye the witness.
Of that Report, which I fo oft have heard.
And, for an entrance to my entertainment,

[Prefenting Hor.

I do prefent you with a man of mine,
Cunning in mufick, and the mathematicks,
To inftruct her fully in thofe sciences,
Whereof, I know, fhe is not ignorant:
Accept of him, or elfe you do me wrong,
His name is Licio, born in Mantua.

Bap. You'are welcome, Sir, and he for your good fake.

But for my daughter Catharine, this I know,
She is not for your turn, the more's my grief.
Pet. I fee, you do not mean to part with her;
Or else you like not of my company::

Bap. Miftake me not, I speak but what I find. Whence are you, Sir? what may I call your name? Pet. Petruchio is my name, Antonio's fon,

A man well known throughout all Italy.

Bap. I know him well: you are welcome for his fake.

Gre. Saving your tale, Petruchio, I pray, let us, that are poor petitioners, speak too. Baccalare! -you are marvellous forward. (12)

Pet.

(12) Baccare, you are marvellous forward.] But not fo forward, as our Editors are indolent and acquiefcing. This is a stupid Corruption of the Prefs, that None of them have div'd into. We must read, Baccalare, as Mr. Warburton acutely obferv'd to me; by which the Italians

mean,

Pet. Oh, pardon me, Signior Gremio, I would fain be doing. (13)

Gre. I doubt it not, Sir, but you will curfe your wooing. Neighbour, this is a gift very grateful, I am fure of it. To exprefs the like kindness my self, that have been more kindly beholden to you than any, free leave give to this young fcholar, that hath been long ftudying at Reims, [Prefenting Luc.] as cunning in Greek, Latin, and other languages, as the other in mufick and mathematicks; his name is Cambio; pray, accept his fervice.

Bap. A thoufand thanks, Signior Gremio: welcome, good Cambio. But, gentle Sir, methinks, you walk like a stranger; [To Tranio.] may I be fo bold to know the cause of your coming?

Tra. Pardon me, Sir, the boldness is mine own, That, being a ftranger in this City here,

Do make my felf a fuitor to your daughter,

Unto Bianca, fair and virtuous:

Nor is your firm refolve unknown to me,
In the preferment of the eldest fifter,

This liberty is all that I requeft,

That, upon knowledge of my parentage,
I may have welcome 'mongst the reft that woo,
And free accefs and favour as the reft.

mean, Thou arrogant, prefumptuous Man! The Word is ufed fcornfully, upon any One that would affume a Port of Grandeur and high Repute: Per derifione d'huomo che ftia in riputatione, e che grandeggi; fays La Crufca. The French call fuch a Character, un Bravache; and the Spaniards, el Fanfarron.

(13) Oh, pardon me, Signor Gremio, I would fain be doing.

Gre. I doubt it not, Sir, but you will curfe your wooing Neighbours. This is a Gift ;] It would be very unreasonable, after fuch a Number of Inftances, to fufpect the Editors ever dwelt on the meaning of any Paffage: But why fhould Petruchio curfe his wooing Neighbours? They were None of them his Rivals: Nor, tho' he should curfe his own Match afterwards, did he commence his Courtship on their Accounts. In fhort, Gremio is defign'd to answer to Petruchio in doggrel Rhyme, to this purpose, -"Yes; I know, You would fain be doing; but you'll coap with fuch a Devil, that You'll have Reason to curfe your Wooing."and then immediately turns his Difcourfe to Baptifta, whom he calls Neighbour, (as he had done before at the Beginning of this Scene,) and makes his Present to him.

And

And toward the education of your daughters,
I here beftow a fimple Inftrument,

And this fmall packet of Greek and Latin books.
If you accept them, then their worth is great.
[They greet privately.
Bap. Lucentio is your name? of whence I pray?
Tra. Of Pifa, Sir, fon to Vincentio.

Bap. A mighty man of Pifa; by Report
I know him well, you are very welcome, Sir.
Take You the lute, and You the Set of books,

[To Hortenfio and Lucentio,

You fhall go fee your pupils presently.

Holla, within!

Enter a fervant.

Sirrah, lead these gentlemen

To my two daughters; and then tell them Both,
These are their tutors, bid them ufe them well.

Exit Serv. with Hortenfio and Lucentio.

We will go walk a little in the orchard,
And then to dinner. You are paffing welcome,
And fo, I pray you all, to think your felves.
Pet. Signior Baptifta, my bufinefs asketh hafte,
And every day I cannot come to wooe.'
You knew my father well, and in him me,
Left folely heir to all his lands and goods,
Which I have better'd, rather than decreas'd
Then tell me, if I get your daughter's love,
What dowry fhall I have with her to wife?
Bap. After my death, the one half of my lands:
And, in poffeffion, twenty thousand crowns.
Pet. And for that dowry, I'll affure her of
Her widowhood, be it that the furvive me,
In all my lands and leafes whatfoever;

Let fpecialties be therefore drawn between us,
That covenants may be kept on either hand.

Bap. Ay, when the fpecial thing is well obtain'd,
That is, her love; for that is all in all.

Pet. Why, that is nothing: for I tell you, father,
I am as peremptory as the proud-minded.
And where two raging fires meet togethers

They

They do confume the thing that feeds their fury:
Tho' little fire grows great with little wind,
Yet extream gufts will blow out fire and all:
So I to her, and fo the yields to me,

For I am rough, and wooe not like a babe.

Bap. Well may't thou wooe, and happy be thy speed!

But be thou arm'd for fome unhappy words.

Pet. Ay, to the proof, as mountains are for winds That shake not, tho' they blow perpetually.

Enter Hortenfio with his head broke.

1

Bap. How now, my friend; why doft thou look fo pale?

Hor. For fear, I promise you, if I look pale.
Bap. What, will my daughter prove a good mu-

fician?

Hor. I think, fhe'll fooner prove a foldier; Iron may hold with her, but never lutes.

Bap. Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute ?

Hor. Why, no; for fhe hath broke the lute to me.
I did but tell her, fhe miftook her frets,
And bow'd her hand to teach her fingering,,
When, with a moft impatient devilifh fpirit,

Frets call you them? quoth fhe: I'll fume with them:
And with that word fhe ftruck me on the head,
And through the inftrument my pate made way,
And there I ftood amazed for a while,

As on a pillory, looking through the lute:
While fhe did call me rafcal, fidler,

And twangling Jack, with twenty fuch vile terms,
As fhe had ftudied to misuse me fo.

Pet. Now, by the world, it is a lufty wench;
I love her ten times more than e'er I did;
Oh, how I long to have fome chat with her!

Bap. Well, go with me, and be not so discomfited,
Proceed in practice with my younger daughter,
She's apt to learn, and thankful for good turns;
Signior Petruchio, will you go with us,

Or