Sly. These fifteen years! by my fay, a goodly nap.
But did I never speak of all that time?

i Serv. O, yes, my lord; but very idle words :-
For though you lay here in this goodly chamber,
Yet would you say, ye were beaten out of door;
And rail upon the hostess of the house ;
And say, you would present her at the leet,
Because she brought stone jugs and no seald quarts :
Sometimes you would call out for Cicely Hacket.

Sly. Ay, the woman's maid of the house.

3 Serv. Why, sir, you know no house, nor no such maid;
Nor no such men as you have reckon'd up,-
As Stephen Sly, and old John Naps of Greece,
And Peter Turf, and Henry Pimpernell;
And twenty more such names and men as these,
Which never were, nor no man ever saw.

Sly. Now, Lord be thanked for my good amends!
All. Amen.
Sly. I thank thee; thou shalt not lose by it.

Enter the Page, as a lady, with Attendants. Page. How fares my noble lord ?

Sly. Marry, I fare well; for here is cheer enough. Where is my wife?

Page. Here, noble lord: what is thy will with her?

Sly. Are you my wife, and will not call me-husband; My men should call me-lord; I am your goodman.

Page. My husband and my lord, my lord and husband; I am your wife in all obedience.

Sly. I know it well :—What must I call her ?
Lord. Madam.
Sly. Al'ce madam, or Joan madam ?
Lord. Madam, and nothing else; so lords call ladies.

Sly. Madam, wife, they say that I have dream'd, and Above some fifteen

year
and more.

[slept Page. Ay, and the time seems thirty unto me; Being all this time abandon’d from your bed.

leet,] At the court-leet, or courts of the manor.

John Nups of Greece]—read old. John Naps o'the Green. BLACKSTONE.

p

Sly. 'Tis much;--Servants, leave me and her alone. Madam, undress you, and come now to bed.

Page. Thrice noble lord, let me entreat of you,
To pardon me yet for a night or two;
Or, if not so, until the sun be set:
For your physicians have expressly charg'd,
In peril to incur your former malady, s
That I should yet absent me from your bed :
I hope, this reason stands for my excuse.

Sly. Ay, it stands so, that I may hardly tarry so long. But I would be loath to fall into my dreams again; I will therefore tarry, in despite of the flesh and the blood.

Enter a Servant. Serv. Your honour's players, hearing your amendment, Are come to play a pleasant comedy, For so your doctors hold it very meet; Seeing too much sadness hath congeald your blood, And melancholy is the nurse of frenzy, Therefore, they thought it good you hear a play, And frame your mind to mirth and merriment, Which bars a thousand harms, and lengthens life.

Sly. Marry, I will ; let them play it : Is not a commonty a Christmas gambol, or a tumbling-trick ?a

Page. No, my good lord; it is more pleasing stuff.
Sly. What, household stuff?
Page. It is a kind of history.

Sly. Well, we'll see't: Come, madam wife, sit by my side, and let the world slip; we shall ne’er be younger.

[They sit down.

ACT I.,

SCENE 1.-Padua. A Public Place.

Enter LUCENTIO and TRANIO.

Luc. Tranio, since~for the great desire I had To see fair Padua, nursery of arts,

Is not a commonty-] Thus the old copies; the modern ones read -It is not a commodity, &c. Commonty for comedy.—STEEVENS.

In the old play the players themselves use the word commodity corruptly for a comedy.-BLACKSTONE.

P

I am arriv'd for fruitful Lombardy,
The pleasant garden of great Italy;
And by my father's love and leave, am arm’d
With his good will, and thy good company,
Most trusty servant, well approv'd in all;
Here let us breathe, and happily institute
A course of learning, and ingenious' studies.“
Pisa, renowned for grave citizens,
Gave me my being, and my father first,
A merchant of great traffick through the world,
Vincentio, come of the Bentivolii.
Vincentio his son, brought up in Florence,
It shall become, to serve all hopes conceiv'd,
To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds :
And therefore, Tranio, for the time I'study,
Virtue, and that part of philosophy
Will I apply, that treats of happiness
By virtue 'specially to be achiev'd.
Tell me thy mind : for I have Pisa left,
And am to Padua come; as he that leaves
A shallow plash, to plunge him in the deep,
And with satiety seeks to quench his thirst.

Tra. Mi perdonale, gentle master mine,
I am in all affected as yourself;
Glad that you thus continue your resolve,
To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy.
Only, good master, while we do admire
This virtue, and this moral discipline,
Let's be no stoicks, nor no stocks, I pray ;
Or so devote to Aristotle's checks,
As Ovid be an outcast quite abjur'd:
Talk logick with acquaintance that you have,
And practise rhetorick in your common talk:

ingenious—] It was probably written—ingenuous studies, but of this and a thousand such observations there is little certainty. In Cole's Dictionary, 1677, it is remarked—“ingenuous and ingenious are too often confounded.” so late as the time of the Spectator, we read, No. 437, 1st. edition, “ A parent who forces a child of a liberal and ingenious spirit.”—Johnson and ReED.

to serve all hopes conceiv'd,] To fulfil the expectations of his friends.

Aristotle's checks,] Tranio is here descanting on academical learning, and mentions by name six of the seven liberal sciences. I suspect this to be a misprint, made by some copyist or compositor, for ethicks. The sense confirms it. -- BLACKSTONE.

t

Musick and poesy use to quicken" you ;
The mathematicks, and the metaphysicks,
Fall to them, as you

find
your

stomach serves you:
No profit grows, where is no pleasure ta’en ;-
In brief, sir, study what you most affect.

Luc. Gramercies, Tranio, well dost thou advise.
If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore,
We could at once put us in readiness;
And take a lodging, fit to entertain
Such friends, as time in Padua shall beget.
But stay awhile : What company is this;

Tra. Master, some show, to welcome us to town.

Enter BAPTISTA, KATHARINA, BIANCA, GREMIO, and

HORTENSIO. Lucentio and TRÁNIO stand aside.

Bap. Gentlemen, importune me no further,
For how I firmly am resolv'd you know;
That is,—not to bestow my youngest daughter,
Before I have a husband for the elder:
If either of you both love Katharina,
Because I know you well, and love you well,
Leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure.

Gre. To cart her rather : She's too rough for me :
There, there Hortensio, will you any wife?

Kath. I pray you, sir, [to BAP.] is it your will To make a stale* of me amongst these mates? Hor. Mates, maid! how mean you that? no mates for

you,
Unless you were of gentler, milder mould.

Kath. I'faith, sir, you shall never need to fear;
I wis, it is not half way to her heart :
But, if it were, doubt not her care should be
To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd stool, “
And paint your face, and use you like a fool.

Hor. From all such devils, good Lord, deliver us!
Gre. And me too, good Lord !

u

quicken ;] i. e. Animate. Xustule) i.e. A decoy, anything used to entice or draw on a person. In this passage, it has been observed by Mr. Douce that there is a quibbling allusion intended to the stule mute at chess.--Nares's Glossary.

Tra. Hush, master ! here is some good pastime toward; That wench is stark mad, or wonderful forward.

Luc. But in the other's silence I do see Maid's mild behaviour and sobriety. Peace, Tranio.

Tra. Well said, master; mum! and gaze your fill.

Bap. Gentlemen, that I may soon make good
What I have said,-Bianca, get you in:
And let it not displease thee, good Bianca;
For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl.

Kath. A pretty peat ! 'tis best
Put finger in the eye,—and she knew why.

Bian. Sister, content you in my discontent.
Sir, to your pleasure humbly I subscribe :
My books and instruments, shall be my company;
On them to look, and practise by myself.
Luc. Hark, Tranio! thou may'st hear Minerva speak.

[Aside.
Hor. Signior Baptista, will you be so strange ?z
Sorry am I, that our good will effects
Bianca’s grief.
Gre.

Why, will you mew her up,
Signior Baptista, for this fiend of hell,
And make her bear the penance of her tongue ?

Bap. Gentlemen, content ye; I am resolv'd :-
Go in, Bianca.

[Exit BIANCA. And for I know, she taketh most delight In musick, instruments, and poetry, Schoolmasters will I keep within my house, Fit to instruct her youth.-If you, Hortensio, Or signior Gremio, you,-know any such, Prefer them hither; for to cunning meno I will be very kind, and liberal To mine own children in good bringing-up; And so farewell. Katharina you may stay;

9 A pretty peat!] Peat or pet is a word of endearment from petit, little, as if it meant pretty little thing.–Johnson.

- so strange?] i. e. So different from others in your conduct.-Johnson.

- cunning men--] Cunning had not yet lost its original signification of knowing, learned, as may be observed in the translation of the Bible.JOHNSON.

a