CHARACTERS IN THE INDUCTION,

A Lord, before whom the Play is fuppofed to be play'd.

CHRISTOPHER SLY, a drunken Tinker.

Hoftefs.

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

Taylor, Haberdafker; with Servants attending on Baptifla and Petruchio.
SCENE, fometimes in Padua; and fometimes in Petruchio's Houfe in the Country.

Sly.

'LL pheefe you, in faith.

A pair of stocks, you rogue!

Look in the chronicles, we came in with Richard Conqueror. Therefore, paucas pallabris 3: let the world fide 4: Seffa!

Hoft. You will not pay for the glaffes you have

burst 5?

Sly. No, not a denier: Go by, Jeronimy ;— Sty. Y'are a baggage; the Slies are no rogues: Go to thy cold bed, and warm thee 6.

Hoft.

1i. e. I'll harrafs or plague you; or perhaps I'll pheese you, may have a meaning fimilar to the vulgar phrafe of I'll comb your head. 2 Meaning, no vagrants, but gentlemen. 3 Sly, as an ignorant fellow, is purpofely made to aim at languages out of his knowledge, and knock the words out of joint. The Spaniards fay, pocas palabras, i. e. few words: as they do likewife, Ceffa, i. e. be quiet. Mr. Steevens fays, this is a burlefque on Hieronymo, which Theobald fpeaks of in a following note. 4 A proverbial expreffion, 5 i. c. broke. 6 Mr. Theobald's comment on this fpeech thus: "The paffage has particular humour in it, and muft have been very pleafing at that time of "day. But I must clear up a piece of itage hiftory, to make it understood. There is a fuftian old play, called Hieronymo; or, The Spanish Tragedy: which, I find, was the common butt of raillery to all the poets in Shakspeare's time: and a pailage, that appeared very ridiculous in that play, is here hu"mouroufly alluded to. Hieronymo, thinking himself injured, applies to the king for juftice; but "the courtiers, who did not defire his wrongs Thould be fet in a true light, attempt to hinder him " from an audience, Hiero. Justice, oh! juftice to Hieronimo. Lor. Back-fee'st thou not the

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4

Hoft. I know my remedy, I must go fetch the And, with a low fubmissive reverence, thirdborough '. [Exit. Say, What is it your honour will command? Sly. Third, fourth, or fifth borough, I'll answer Let one attend him with a filver baton, him by law: I'll not budge an inch, boy; let him Full of rofe-water, and beftrew'd with flowers; come, and kindly. [Falls afleep. Another bear the ewer, the third a diaper, Wind barns. Enter a Lord from bunting, with a train. And fay,Will't pleafe your lordflup coal Lord. Huntiman, I charge thee, tender well my your hands? hounds:

Brach Merriman,-the poor cur is imbost 3-
And couple Clowder with the deep-mouth'd brach.
Saw'ft thou not, boy, how Silver made it good
At the hedge-corner, in the coldest fault?
I would not lofe the dog for twenty pound.
Hur. 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 dulleft fcent:
Trust me,
I take him for the better dog.

Lord. Thou art a fool; if Eccho were as fleet,
I would efteem 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.

Lord. What's here? one dead, or drunk? See, 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 monftrous beaft! how like a fwine he lies!

Grim death, how foul and loathfome is thine
image!

Sirs, I will practife on this drunken man.-
What think you, if he were convey'd to bed,
Wrap'd in tweet cloaths, rings put upon his fingers,
A moft delicious banquet by his bed,
And brave attendants near him when he wakes,
Would not the beggar then forget himself?

1 H. Believe me, lord, I think he cannot chufe.
2 Hun. It would feem ftrange unto him when|
he wak'd.

Lord. Even as a flattering dream, or worthlefs
fancy.

Then take him up, and manage well the jet:---
Carry him gently to my fairett chamber,

And hang it round with all my wanton picures:
Balm his foul head with warm diftilled waters,
And burn fwect wood to make the lodging fwect:
Procrire me mufick ready when he wakes,
To make a dulcet and a heavenly found;
And if he chance to ípeak, be ready straight,

-

Some one be ready with a coftly fuit,
And afk him what apparel he will wear;
Another tell him of his hounds and horie,
And that his lady mourns at his disease:
Perfuade him that he hath been lunatick;
And, when he fays he is,-fay that he dreams,
For he is nothing but a mighty lord.
This do, and do it kindly, gentle firs;
It will be paftime paling excellent,
If it be hufbanded with modefty 4.

1 Hun. My lord, I warrant you, we'll play our part,
As he thall think, by our true diligence,
He is no lefs than what we say he is.

Lord. Take him up gently, and to bed with him; And each one to his office when he wakes.

[Some bear out Sly. Shurd trumpets, Sirrah, go fee what trumpet 'tis that founds:Belike, fome noble gentleman, that means,

[Exit Savant, Travelling fome journey, to repofe him here.Re-enter a Servant.

How now? who is it?

Ser. An't please your honour, players,
That offer fervice to your lordship.
Lord. Bid them come near :-
Enter Players.

Now, fellows, you are welcome,

Play. We thank your honour.

Lord. Do you intend to stay with me to-night?
2 Play. So pleafe your lordship to accept our
duty.

Lord. With all my heart. This fellow I re-
member,

Since once he play'd a farmer's eldest fon :--
'I was where you woo'd the gentlewoman fo well;
I have forgot your name; but, fure, that part
Was aptly fitted, and naturally perform❜d.

Sin. klo. I think, 'twas Soto that your honour

means.

I ord. 'Tis very true;—thou didst it excellent.—
Well, you are come to me in happy time;
The rather for I have fome fport in hand,
Wherein your cunning can affift me much.

king is buf? Hiero. Oh, is he fo? King. Who is he that interrupts our bufinefs? Hiero. Not Is - Hieronyme, beware; go by, go by." So Sly here, not caring to be dunn'd by the Hoftefs, cries to her in effect, "Don't be trouble fome, don't interrupt me, go by " I The thirdborough of ancient times was an officer fimilar to the prefent conftable. 2 Mi. Edwards explains Brach to fignify a hound in general; while Mr. Steevens thinks it to have been a particular fort of hound: and Mr. Toilet obferves, that brache originally meant a bitch; and adds, from Ulitius, that “"bitches having a fuperior fagacity of nofe; hence, perhaps, any hound withe minent quickness of fcent, whether dog or "bitch, was called brache, for the term brache is fometimes applied to males. Our ancestors hunted "auch with the large fouthern hounds, and had in every pack a couple of dogs peculiarly good and "cunning to find game, or recover the fcent. To this cuftom Shakspeare feems to allude, by "raming two brackes, which, in my opinion, are beagles; and this difcriminates brache from the # ¿ys, a bloed-hound mentioned together with it, in the tragedy of King Lear.” 3 Imb is a term in hunting. When a dog is ftrained with hard running (efpecially upon hard ground) he will have his knees fwelled, and then he is faid to be embofs'd; from the French word leffe, fignifying a 4 Meaning, with moderation.

tunour.

There

There is a lord will hear you play to-night:
But I am doubtful of your modefties;
Leit, over-eveing of his odd behaviour,
(For yet his honour never heard a play)
You break into fome merry paflion,
And to offend him: for I tell you, firs,
If you should file, he grows impatient.

Play. Fear not, my lord; we can contain ourselves,
Were he the verieft antick in the world.

Led. Go, firrah, take them to the buttery,
And give them friendly welcome every one;
Let them want nothing that my house affords.--
[Exit one with the Players.
Sirrah, go you to Bartholomew my page,
And fee him drefs'd in all fuits like a lady:
Tait done, conduct him to the drunkard's chamber,
And call him--madam, do him obeifance.
Tell him from me, (as he will win my love)
He bear himself with honourable action,
Such as he hath observ'd in noble ladies
Cato their lords, by them accomplished:
Such duty to the drunkard let him do,
With foft low tongue, and lowly courtefy;
And Lay-What is't your honour will command,
Wherein your lady, and your humble wife,

May Thew her duty, and make known her love?
And then-with kind embracements, tempting
And with declining head into his bofom,- [kiffes,
Bd him shed tears, as being over-joy'd
To fee her noble lord reftor❜d to health,
Who for twice feven years hath esteemed him
No better than a poor and loathfome beggar:
And if the boy have not a woman's gift,
To rain a fhower of commanded tears,
An onion will do well for fuch a shift;
We in a napkin being clofe convey'd,
$all in defpight enforce a watry eye.
Sue tiris diípatch'd with all the hafte thou canst;
Anon I'll give thee more instructions.- [Ex. Ser.
1 know, the boy will well ufurp the grace,
Voice, gait, and action of a gentlewoman:
I song to hear him call the drunkard, hufband; [ter,
And how my men will stay themselves from laugh-
When they do homage to this fimple peasant.
Til in to counsel them: haply, my presence
May well abate the over-merry fpleen,
Which otherwife would grow into extremes.
[Exit Lord.]

Sly. I am Chriftopher Sly ;-call not me-ho nour, nor lordship: I ne'er drank fack in my life; and if you give me any conferves, give me conferves of beef: Ne'er afk me what raiment I'll wear; for I have no more doublets than backs, ng more ftockings than legs, nor no more fhoes than feet; nay, fometimes, more feet than fhoes, or fuch fhoes as my toes look through the overleather.

Lord. Heaven ceafe this idle humour in your
honour!

Oh, that a mighty man, of fuch defcent,
Of fuch poffeffions, and fo high efteem,
Should be infufed with fo foul a fpirit!

Sly. What, would you make me mid? Am not I Chriftopher Sly, old Sly's fon of Burtonheath: by birth a pedlar, by education a cardmaker, by tranfmutation a bear-herd, and now by prefent profeffion a tinker? Afk Marian Hacket, the fat ale-wife of Wincot, if the know me not: if the fay I am not fourteen-pence on the fcore for theer ale, fcore me up for the lying'st knave in Christendom. What, I am not beraught: Here's

1 Man. Oh, this it is that makes your lady

mourn.

[droop. 2 Man. Oh, this it is that makes your fervants Lord. Hence comes it that your kindred fhun your hofe,

As beaten hence by your ftrange lunacy.
Oh, noble lord, bethink thee of thy birth;
Call home thy ancient thoughts from banifhment,
And banith hence thefe abject lowly dreams:
Look, how thy fervants do attend on thee,
Each in his office ready at thy beck.
Wilt thou have mufick? hark! Apollo plays,

[Mujick.

And twenty caged nightingales do fing:
Or wilt thou fleep? we'll have thee to a couch,
Softer and fweeter than the luftful bed
On purpofe trimm'd up for Semiramis.
Say, thou wilt walk; we will beftrow the ground:
Or wilt thou ride? thy hories fhall be trapp'd,
Their harnefs ftudded all with gold and pearl.
Doft thou love hawking? thou haft hawks will foar
Above the morning lark: Or wilt thou hunt?
Thy hounds fhall make the welkin anfwer them,
And fetch fhrill echoes from the hollow earth.
1 Man. Say, thou wilt courfe; thy greyhounds
are as fwift

As breathed ftags, ay, fleeter than the roe.

2 Man. Dolt thou love pictures? we will fetch
thee ftraight

Adonis, painted by a running brook;
And Cytherea all in fedges hid;
Which feem to move and wanton with her breath,
Even as the waving fedges play with wind.

Lord. We'll fhew thee lo, as he was a maid;
And how the was beguiled and furpris'd,
As lively painted as the deed was done.

[wood;

3 Man. Or Daphne, roaming through a thorny Scratching her legs, that one thall wear the bleeds:

I Perhaps we ought to read, difraught, i. c. dofraded.

And

1 Man. Oh, yes, my lord; but very idle words :--| For though you lay here in this goodly chamber,long. But I would be loth to fall into my dreams

Man. Why, fir, you know no houfe, nor no Seeing too much fadness hath congeal'd your blood,

Sly. Well, we'll fee it: Come, madam wife, Sly. Marry, I fare well; for here is cheer fit by my fide, and let the world flip; we shall Where is my wife? ne'er be younger.

Meaning, the Court leet, or courts of the manor. 2 Greece feems here to be no more than a quibble or pun (of which our author was remarkably fond) upon grease; when the expreffion will enly imply that John Naps was a fat man. 3 Commenty is here probably put for comedy.

A C T I.

Luc. Hark, Tranio! thou may'st hear Minerva
[Alide
Hor. Signior Baptifta, will you be so strange 7
Sorry am I that our good will affects
Bianca's grief.

Gre. Why, will you mew her up,
Signior Baptifta, for this fiend of hell,

And make her bear the penance of her tongue ?
Bap. Gentlemen, content ye; I am refolv'd:-
Go in, Bianca.
[Exit Bianca.
And, for I know the taketh most delight
In mufick, inftruments, and poetry,
Schoolmafters will I keep within my house,
Fit to inftruct her youth.-If you, Hortenfio,-
Or fignior Gremio, you,-know any such,
Gre-Prefer them hither; for to cunning men
I will be very kind, and liberal.

Perhaps we ought to read, ingenuous. 2 i. e. Vincentio's fon. 3 i. e. will I apply to. 4 The conect Italian words are, Mi perdonate." 5 Meaning his rules. 6 Peat, or pet, is a word of en

dearmen, from petit, little. 7 i. e. fo fingular. 8 Cunning here retains its original fignification of bowing, turned; in which fenfe it is ufed in the tranflation of the Bible.