Brought up, as best becomes a gentlewoman:
Her only fault (and that is faults enough,)'
Is, that she is intolerably curst,
And shrewd,2 and froward; so beyond all measure,
That, were my state far worser than it is,
I would not wed her for a mine of gold.

PET. Hortensio, peace; thou know'st not gold's effect:

Tell me her father's name, and 'tis enough;
For I will board her, though she chide as loud
As thunder, when the clouds in autumn crack.
HOR. Her father is Baptista Minola,
An affable and courteous gentleman:
Her name is Katharina Minola,
Renown'd in Padua for her scolding tongue.

PET. I know her father, though I know not her; And he knew my deceased father well:I will not sleep, Hortensio, till I see her; And therefore let me be thus bold with you, To give you over at this first encounter, Unless you will accompany me thither.

GRU. I pray you, sir, let him go while the humour lasts. O' my word, an she knew him as well as I do, she would think scolding would do little good upon him: She may, perhaps, call him half a score

1

(and that is faults enough,)] And that one is itself a host of faults. The editor of the second folio, who has been copied by all the subsequent editors, unnecessarily reads-and that is fault enough. MALONE.

2

shrewd,] Here means, having the qualities of a shrew. The adjective is now used only in the sense of acute, intelligent.

MALONE.

I believe shrewd only signifies bitter, severe. So, in As you like it, sc. ult:

"That have endur'd shrewd days and nights with us."

STEEVENS.

knaves, or so why, that's nothing; an he begin once, he'll rail in his rope-tricks.3 I'll tell you what, sir,-an she stand him but a little, he will throw a figure in her face, and so disfigure her with it, that she shall have no more eyes to see withal than a cat: You know him not, sir.

5

-an he begin once, he'll rail in his rope-tricks.] This is obscure. Sir Thomas Hanmer reads-he'll rail in his rhetorick; I'll tell you, &c. Rhetorick agrees very well with figure in the succeeding part of the speech, yet I am inclined to believe that rope-tricks is the true word. JOHNSON.

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakspeare uses ropery for roguery, and therefore certainly wrote rope-tricks.

Rope-tricks we may suppose to mean tricks of which the contriver would deserve the rope. STEEVENS.

Rope-tricks is certainly right.-Ropery or rope-tricks originally signified abusive language, without any determinate idea; such language as parrots are taught to speak. So, in Hudibras: "Could tell what subt'lest parrots mean, "That speak, and think contrary clean; "What member 'tis of whom they talk, "When they cry rope, and walk, knave walk."

The following passage in Wilson's Arte of Rhetorique, 1553, shews that this was the meaning of the term: "Another good fellow in the countrey, being an officer and maiour of a toune, and desirous to speak like a fine learned man, having just occasion to rebuke a runnegate fellow, said after this wise in great heate: Thou yngram and vacation knave, if I take thee any more within the circumcision of my damnacion, I will so corrupte thee that all vacation knaves shall take ill sample by thee." So, in May-day, a comedy, by Chapman, 1611: "Lord! how you roll in your rope-ripe terms." MALONE.

stand him-] i. e. withstand, resist him. STEEVENS.

1

5

that she shall have no more eyes to see withal than a cat:] The humour of this passage I do not understand. This animal is remarkable for the keenness of its sight. In The Castell of Laboure, however, printed by Wynkyn de Worde, 1506, is the following line: "That was as blereyed as a cat."

1

There are two proverbs which any reader who can may apply to this allusion of Grumio:

HOR. Tarry, Petruchio, I must go with thee; For in Baptista's keep my treasure is: He hath the jewel of my life in hold, His youngest daughter, beautiful Bianca; And her withholds from me, and other more Suitors to her, and rivals in my love:7 Supposing it a thing impossible,

8

(For those defects I have before rehears❜d,)
That ever Katharina will be woo'd,
Therefore this order hath Baptista ta'en; -
That none shall have access unto Bianca,
Till Katharine the curst have got a husband.

GRU. Katharine the curst!

A title for a maid, of all titles the worst.

HOR. Now shall my friend Petruchio do me grace; And offer me, disguis'd in sober robes, To old Baptista as a schoolmaster Well seen in musick, to instruct Bianca:

"Well might the cat wink when both her eyes were out." "A muffled cat was never a good hunter." The first is in Ray's Collection, the second in Kelly's.

STEEVENS.

It may mean, that he shall swell up her eyes with blows, till she shall seem to peep with a contracted pupil, like a cat in the light. JOHNSON.

6

• —in Baptista's keep-] Keep is custody. The strongest part of an ancient castle was called the keep. STEEVENS.

7 And her withholds &c.] It stood thus:

And her withholds from me,

Other more suitors to her, and rivals in my love, &c. The regulation which I have given to the text, was dictated to me by the ingenious Dr. Thirlby. THEOBALD.

8

Therefore this order hath Baptista ta'en ;] To take order is to take measures. So, in Othello:

"Honest Iago hath ta'en order for it."

STEEVENS.

? Well seen in musick,] Seen is versed, practised. So, in a

That so I may by this device, at least,
Have leave and leisure to make love to her,
And, unsuspected, court her by herself.

Enter GREMIO; with him LUCENTIO disguised, with books under his arm.

GRU. Here's no knavery! See; to beguile the old folks, how the young folks lay their heads together! Master, master, look about you: Who goes there? ha!

HOR. Peace, Grumio; 'tis the rival of my love :Petruchio, stand by a while.

GRU. A proper stripling, and an amorous! [They retire. GRE. O, very well; I have perus'd the note. Hark you, sir; I'll have them very fairly bound: All books of love, see that at any hand;

1

And see you read no other lectures to her:
You understand me:-Over and beside
Signior Baptista's liberality,

very ancient comedy called The longer thou livest the more Fool thou art:

"Sum would have you seen in stories,

"Sum to feates of arms will you allure, &c,

"Sum will move you to reade Scripture.

66

Marry, I would have you seene in cardes and dise." Again, in Spenser's Fairy Queen, B. IV. c. ii:

"Well seene in every science that mote bee." Again, in Chapman's version of the 19th Iliad:

1

ends well:

"Seven ladies excellently seen in all Minerva's skill.”

STEEVENS.

at any hand;] i. e. at all events. So, in All's well that

66 let him fetch off his drum, in

any hand."

STEEVENS.

I'll mend it with a largess:-Take your papers too,
And let me have them very well perfum'd;
For she is sweeter than perfume itself,
To whom they go. What will you read to her?

Luc. Whate'er I read to her, I'll plead for you, As for my patron, (stand you so assur'd,) As firmly as yourself were still in place: Yea, and (perhaps) with more successful words Than you, unless you were a scholar, sir. GRE. O this learning! what a thing it is! GRU. O this woodcock! what an ass it is!

PET. Peace, sirrah.

HOR. Grumio, mum!-God save you, signior Gremio!

GRE. And you're well met, signior Hortensio.
Trow you,

Whither I am going?-To Baptista Minola.
I promis❜d to enquire carefully

About a schoolmaster for fair Bianca:3
And, by good fortune, I have lighted well
On this young man; for learning, and behaviour,
Fit for her turn; well read in poetry,
And other books,-good ones, I warrant you.

HOR. 'Tis well: and I have met a gentleman, Hath promis'd me to help me to another, A fine musician to instruct our mistress;

• To whom they go.] The old copy reads-To whom they go to. STEEVENS.

for fair Bianca:] The old copy redundantly reads"for the fair Bianca." STEEVENS.

3

4.- help me-] The old copy reads-help one.

Corrected by Mr. Rowe. MALOne.

STEEVENS.