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A Lord.

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

Christopher Sly, a drunken Tinker.

Hostess, Page, Players, Huntsmen, (Persons in the and other Servants attending on the Lord.

Baptista, a rich Gentleman of Padua.

Vincentio, an old Gentleman of Pisa.

Induction.

Lucentio, Son to Vincentio, in love with Bianca. Petruchio, a Gentleman of Verona, a Suitor to Katharina.

Gremio, ·Suitors to Bianca.

Hortensio,

Tranio, Servants to Lucentio

Biondello,

Grumio,

Curtis,

Servants to Petruchio.

Pedant, an old Fellow set up to personate Vincentio.

Katharina, the Shrew;

Bianca, her Sister,

Widow.

} Daughters to Baptista.

Tailor, Haberdasher, and Servants attending on Baptista and Petruchio.

SCENE, sometimes in Padua; and sometimes in Petruchio's House in the Country.

CHARACTERS IN THE INDUCTION

To the Original Play of The Taming of a Shrew, entered on the Stationers' books in 1594, and printed in quarto in 1607.

A Lord, &c.

Sly.

A Tapsler.

Page, Players, Huntsmen, &c.

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

Alphonsus, a Merchant of Athens.

Jerobel, Duke of Cestus.

Aurelius, his Son,

Ferando,

Polidor,

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Valeria, Servant to Aurelius.

Sander, Servant to Ferando.

Phylotus, a Merchant who personates the Duke.

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TAMING

OF

THE SHREW.

INDUCTION.

SCENE I.

Before an Alehouse on a Heath.

Enter Hostess and SLY.

SLY. I'll pheese you,' in faith.
HOST. A pair of stocks, you rogue!

I'll pheese you,] To pheese or fease, is to separate a twist into single threads. In the figurative sense it may well enough be taken, like teaze or toze, for to harrass, to plague. Perhaps I'll pheeze you, may be equivalent to I'll comb your head, a phrase vulgarly used by persons of Sly's character on like occasions. The following explanation of the word is given by Sir Thomas Smith, in his book de Sermone Anglico, printed by Robert Stephens, 4to: "To feize, means in fila diducere."

JOHNSON.

Shakspeare repeats his use of the word in Troilus and Cressida, where Ajax says he will pheese the pride of Achilles: and Lovewit in The Alchemist employs it in the same sense. Again, in Puttenham's Arte of English Poesie, 1589:

"Your pride serves you to feaze them all alone." Again, in Stanyhurst's version of the first Book of Virgil's Eneid:

SLY. Y'are a baggage; the Slies are no rogues:2 Look in the chronicles, we came in with Richard Conqueror. Therefore, paucas pallabris;3 let the world slide: 4 Sessa!

“We are touz'd, and from Italye feaz'd.”
Italis longe disjungimur oris.

Again, ibid:

"Feaze away the droane bees," &c.

STEEVENS.

To pheeze a man, is to beat him; to give him a pheeze, is, to give him a knock. In The Chances, Antonio says of Don John, "I felt him in my small guts; I am sure he has fear'd me."

M. MASON.

To touze or toase had the same signification. See Florio's Italian Dictionary, 1598: " Arruffare. To touze, to tug, to bang, or rib-baste one." MALONE.

2

-no rogues:] That is, vagrants, no mean fellows, but gentlemen. JOHNSON.

One William Sly was a performer in the plays of Shakspeare, as appears from the list of comedians prefixed to the folio, 1623. This Sly is likewise mentioned in Heywood's Actor's Vindication, and the Induction to Marston's Malcontent. He was also among those to whom James L. granted a licence to act at the Globe theatre in 1603. STEEVENS.

3 paucas pallabris ;] Sly, as an ignorant fellow, is purposely made to aim at languages out of his knowledge, and knock the words out of joint. The Spaniards say, pocas palabras, i. e. few words: as they do likewise, Cessa, i. e. be quiet.

THEOBALD.

This is a burlesque on Hieronymo, which Theobald speaks of in a following note: "What new device have they devised now? Pocas pallabras." In the comedy of The Roaring Girl, 1611, a cut-purse makes use of the same words. Again, they appear in The Wise Woman of Hogsden, 1638, and in some others, but are always appropriated to the lowest characters. STEEVENS.

let the world slide:] This expression is proverbial. It is used in Beaumont and Fletcher's Wit without Money: will you go drink

66

"And let the world shide, unele ?"

It occurs, however, or somewhat very much resembling it, in the ancient Morality entitled The iiii Elements:

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