Luc. Bafta;

;

content thee; for I have it full.
We have not yet been seen in any house,
Nor can we be diftinguish'd by our faces,
For man or master: then it follows thus.
Thou shalt be master, Tranio, in my stead
Keep house, and port, and fervants, as I should.
I will fome other be, fome Florentine,
Some Neapolitan, or meaner man of Pisa.
'Tis hatch'd, and shall be fo: Tranio, at once
Uncafe thee take my colour'd hat and cloak.
When Biondello comes, he waits on thee;
But I will charm him first to keep his tongue.
Tra. So had you need.

[They exchange habits. In brief, good Sir, fith it your pleasure is, And I am tied to be obedient,

(For fo your Father charg'd me at our parting; Be ferviceable to my Son, quoth he,)

Altho', I think, 'twas in another sense;

I am content to be Lucentio,

Because fo well I love Lucentio.

Luc. Tranio, be fo; becaufe Lucentio loves; And let me be a slave t' atchieve that Maid, Whofe fudden fight hath thrall'd my

Enter Biondello.

wounded eye.

Here comes the rogue. Sirrah, where have you been? Bion. Where have I been? nay, how now, where are you? mafter, has my fellow Tranio ftoll'n your cloaths, or you ftoll'n his, or both? pray, what's the news?

Luc. Sirrah, come hither: 'tis no time to jeft;
And therefore frame your manners to the time.
Your fellow Tranio here, to fave my life,
Futs my apparel and my count'nance on,
And I for my efcape have put on his :
For in a quarrel, fince I came afhore,
I kill'd a man, and, fear, I am descry'd :
Wait you on him, I charge you, as becomes;
While I make way from hence to fave my life.
You understand me?

Bion. Ay, Sir, ne'er a whit.

Luc. And not a jot of Tranio in your mouth; Tranio is chang'd into Lucentio.

Bion. The better for him: 'Would, I were fo too. Tra. So would I, 'faith, boy, to have the next willi after; that Lucentio, indeed, had Baptifta's youngest Daughter. But, firrah, not for my fake, but your ma fter's, I advise you, ufe your manners difcreetly in all kind of companies: when I am alone, why, then I am Tranio; but in all places elfe, your mafter Lucentio.

Luc. Tranio, let's go one thing more refts, that thy felf execute, to make one among these wooers; if thou ask me why, fufficeth, my reasons are both good and weighty. [Exeunt. SCENE, before Hortenfio's House, in Padua.

I

Enter Petruchio, and Grumio..

Erona, for a while I take my leave,

My best beloved and approved friend,
Hortenfio; and I trow, this is the house;
Here, firrah, Grumio, knock, I fay,

of all

Gru. Knock, Sir? whom fhould I knock is there any man has rebus'd your Worship?

Pet. Villain, I fay, knock me here foundly.

Gru. Knock you here, Sir? why, Sir, what am I, Sir,

That I fhould knock you here, Sir?

Pet. Villain, I fay, knock me at this gate,

And

rap me well; or I'll knock your knave's pate. Gru. My mafter is grown quarrelfome: I fhould knock you first,

And then I know after, who comes by the worst.

Pet. Will it not be?

Faith, firrah, an you'll not knock, I'll ring it,

I'll try how you can Sol, Fa, and fing it.

[He wrings him by the ears: Gru. Help, masters, help; my mafter is mad. Pet. Now knock, when 1 bid you: Sirrah! Villain!

Q3

Enter

Enter Hortenfio.

Hor. How now, what's the matter? my old friend Grumio, and my good friend Petruchio! how do you all at Verona?

Pet. Signior Hortenfio, come you to part the fray? Con tutto il Core ben trovato, may I fay.

Hor. Alla nofira Cafa ben venute, molto bonorato Sig nor mio Petruchio.

Rife, Gramio, rife; we will compound this quarrel.

Gru. Nay, 'tis no matter, what he leges in Latine. If this be not a lawful cause for me to leave his fervice, look you, Sir: he bid me knock him, and rap him foundly, Sir: Well, was it fit for a fervant to ufe his mafter fo, being, perhaps, for aught I fee, two and thirty, a pip out?

Whom, would to God, I had well knock'd at first,
Then had not Grumio come by the worst.

Pet. A fenfeless villain! Good Hortenfio,

I bid the rascal knock upon your gate,

And could not get him for my heart to do it.

Gru. Knock at the gate? O heav'ns! spake you not these words plain? firrah, knock me here, rap me here, knock me well, and knock me foundly: and come you now with knocking at the gate?

Pet. Sirrah, be gone, or talk not, I advise you.
Hor. Petruchio, patience; I am Grumio's pledge:
Why, this is a heavy chance 'twixt him and you,
Your ancient, trufty, pleasant fervant Grumio;
And tell me now, fweet Friend, what happy Gale
Blows you to Padua here, from old Verona ?

Pet. Such wind as fcatters young men through the world,

To feek their fortunes farther than at home;

Where fmall experience grows, but in a few.
Signior Hortenfio, thus it ftands with me,

Antonio my father is deceas'd;

And I have thruft myself into this maze,
Happly to wive and thriye, as best I may :
Crowns in my purfe I have, and goods at home,

And

And so am come abroad to see the world.

Hor. Petruchio, fhall I then come roundly to thee,
And wish thee to a shrewd ill-favour'd wife?
Thou'dft thank me but a little for my. counsel,
And yet, I'll promife thee, fhe fhall be rich,
And very rich: but thou'rt too much my friend,
And I'll not wish thee to her.

Pet. Signior Hortenfio, 'twixt fuch friends as us
Few words fuffice; and therefore if you know
One rich enough to be Petruchio's wife;
(As wealth is burden of my wooing dance)
Be the as foul as was Florentius' love,
As old as Sibyl, and as curft and fhrewd
As Socrates' Xantippe, or a worse,

She moves me not; or not removes, at least,
Affection's edge in me. Were the as rough
As are the swelling Adriatick Seas,

I come to wive it wealthily in Padua :
If wealthily, then happily, in Padua.

:

Gru. Nay, look you, Sir, he tells you flatly what his mind is why, give him gold enough, and marry him to a puppet, or an aglet-baby, or an old Trot with ne'er a tooth in her head, tho' fhe have as many diseases as two and fifty horfes; why, nothing comes amifs, fo mony comes withal..

Hor. Petruchio, fince we are ftept thus far in, I will continue That I broach'd in jest.

I can, Petruchio, help thee to a wife

With wealth enough, and young and beauteous;
Brought up, as beft becomes a gentlewoman.
Her only fault, and that is fault enough,

Is, that the is intolerably curst;

And fhrewd, and froward, fo beyond all measure,
That, were my ftate far worfer than it is,

I would not wed her for a Mine of gold.

Pet. Hortenfio, peace; thou know'ft not gold's ef

fect;

Tell me her Father's name, and 'tis enough:
For I will board her, tho' fhe chide as loud

As thunder, when the clouds in Autumn crack..

Hor. Her Father is Baptifta Minola,
An affable and courteous Gentleman ;
Her name is Catharina Minola,
Renown'd in Padua for her fcolding tongue.
Pet. I know her Father, tho' I know not her;
And he knew my deceased Father well.
I will not fleep, Hortenfio, 'till I fee her,
And therefore let me be thus bold with
you,
To give you over at this first encounter,
Unless you will accompany me thither.

Gra. I pray you, Sir, let him go while the humour lafts. O' my word, an fhe knew him as well as I do, fhe would think fcolding would do little good upon him. She may, perhaps, call him half a score knaves, or fo: why, that's nothing; an' he begin once, he'll rail in his rope-tricks. I'll tell you what, Sir, an' she ftand him but a little, he will throw a figure in her face, and fo disfigure her with it, that fhe fhall have no more eyes to fee withal than a cat: you know him not, Sir.

Hor. Tarry, Petruchio, I must go with thee, For in Baptifta's houfe my Treasure is:

He hath the jewel of my life in hold,

His youngest Daughter, beautiful Bianca;

(7) And her withholds he from me, and others more
Suitors to her, and Rivals in my love :
Suppofing it a thing impoffible,

(For those defects I have before rehears'd,)
That ever Catharina will be woo'd;
Therefore this order hath Baptifta ta'en,
That none fhall have access unto Bianca,
"Till Catharine the curft have got a husband.
Gru. Catharine the curft?

A title for a maid of all titles the worst!

(7) And her withholds be from me. Other more Suitors to ber, and Rivals in my Love: &c.] The Editors, in this Carelessnefs of their Pointing, have made stark Nonfenfe of this Paffage. The Regulation, which I have given to the Text, was dictated to me by the ingenious Dr. Thirlby.

Her.