If either of you both love Katherina,

Because I know you well, and love you well,
Leave fhall you have to court her at your Pleasure.
Gre. To cart her rather. She's too rough for me,
There, there, Hortenfio, will you any Wife?
Kath. I pray you, Sir, is it your Will
To make a Stale of me amongst thofe Mates?
Hor. Mates Maid, how mean you that?
No Mates, for you;

Unless you were of gentler milder Mould.

Kath. I'faith, Sir, you fhall never need to fear,
I wis it is not half way to her Heart:

But if it were, doubt not, her Care fhall be,
To comb your Noddle with a three-legg❜d Stool,
And paint your Face, and ufe you like a Fool.

Hor. From all fuch Devils, good Lord, deliver us,
Gre. And me too, good Lord.

Tra. Hufh'd, Mafter, here's fome good Paftime toward, That Wench is ftark mad, or wonderful froward.

Luc. But in the other's Silence I do fee, Maid's mild Behaviour and Sobriety.

Peace, Tranio.

Tra. Well faid, Mafter, mum, and gaze your fill.
Bap. Gentlemen, that I may foon make good

What I have faid, Bianca get you in,

And let it not difpleafe thee, good Bianca,

For I will love thee ne'er the lefs, my Girl.

Kath. A pretty Peat, it is beft put Finger in the Eye,

And the knew why.

Bian. Sifter, content you in my Difcontent.

Sir, to your Pleafure humbly I fubfcribe:

My Books and Inftruments fhall be my Company,

On them to look, and practife by my felf.

Luc. Heark, Traniò, thou maist hear Minerva fpeak.
Hor. Signior Baptifta, will you be so strange;

Sorry am I that our good Will effects

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.

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

And for I know she taketh most delight
In Mufick, Inftruments, and Poetry,
School-masters will I keep within my House,
Fit to inftru& her Youth. If you, Hortenfio,
Or Signior Gremio, you know any fuch,
Prefer them hither, for to cunning Men
I will be very kind and liberal,

To mine own Children, in good bringing up,
And fo farewel. Katherina, you may stay,
For I have more to commune with Bianca.
Kath. Why, I truft I may go too, may I not?
What shall I be appointed Hours, as tho',
Belike, I knew not what to take,

And what to leave? Ha!

[Exit.

[Exit.

Gre. You may go to the Devil's Dam: Your Gifts are fo good, here is none will hold you. Our Love is not fo great,: Hortenfio, but we may blow our Nails together, and fast it fairly out. Our Cake's Dow on both fides. Farewel; yet for the Love I bear my fweet Bianca, if I can by any means light on a fit Man to teach her that wherein the delights, I

will with him to her Father.

Hor. So will I, Signior Gremio: But a word, I pray; tho' the nature of our Quarrel yet never brook'd Parlee, know now upon advice, it toucheth us both, that we may yet again have access to our fair Mirefs, and be happy Rivals in Bianca's Love, to labour and effect one thing 'Ipecially.

Gre. What's that, I pray?

Hor. Marry Sir, to get a Husband for her Sifter.
Gre. A Husband! a Devil.

Hor. I fay a Husband.

Gre. I fay a Devil. Think'ft thou, Hortenfio, tho' her Father be very rich, any Man is so very a Fool to be married to Hell?

Hor. Tuh, Gremio; tho' it pafs your Patience and mine to endure her lewd Alarms, why, Man, there be good Fellows in the World, and a Man could light on them, would take her with all her Faults, and Mony enough.

Gre

Gre. I cannot tell; but I had as lief take her Dowry with this Condition, to be whip'd at the High-cross every Morning.

Hor. 'Faith, as you fay, there's fmall choice in rotten Apples: Come, fince this bar in Law makes us Friends, it fhall be fo forth friendly maintain'd, 'till by helping Baptifta's eldeft Daughter to a Husband, we fet his youngest free for a Husband, and then have to't afresh. Sweet Bianca! happy Man be his dole; he that runs fastest gets the Ring; how fay you, Signior Gremio.

Gre. I am agreed, and would I had given him the best Horfe in Padua to begin the wooing that would throughly woo her, wed her, and bed her, and rid the Houfe of her. Come on. [Exeunt Gre. and Hor. Manet Tra. and Lucen. Tra. I pray, Sir, tell me, is it poffible

That Love fhould on a fudden take fuch hold?
Luc. Oh Tranio, 'till I found it to be true,
I never thought it poffible or likely.
But fee, while idly I ftood looking on,
I found the effect of Love in Idleness.
And now in plainnefs to confefs to thee,
That art to me as fecret and as dear
As Anna to the Queen of Carthage was,
Tranio, I burn, I pine, I perish, Tranio,
If I atchieve not this young modeft Girl:
Coufel me, Tranio, for I know thou canst;
Affift me, Tranio, for I know thou wilt.

you now.

Tra. Mafter, it is no time to chide
Affection is not rated from the Heart;
If Love hath touch'd you, nought remains but so,
Redime te captum quam queas minimo.

Luc. Gramercy, Lad; go forward, this contents,
The reft will comfort, for thy Counsel's found.
Tra. Master, you look'd fo longly on the Maid,
Perhaps you mark'd not what's the pith of all.

Luc. O yes, I faw fweet Beauty in her Face,
Such as the Daughter of Agenor had,

That made great Jove to humble him to her Hand,
When with his Knees he kiss'd the Cretan Strand.

Tra. Saw you no more? Mark'd you not how her Sifter

Began to Scold, and raise up fuch a Storm,

That

That mortal Ears might hardly endure the Din.
Luc. Tranio, I faw her Coral Lips to move;
And with her Breath fhe did perfume the Air,
Sacred and fweet was all I faw in her.

Tra. Nay, then 'tis time to ftir him from his Trance: I pray awake, Sir; if you love the Maid,

Bend Thoughts and Wits to atchieve her. Thus it ftands:
Her eldeft Sifter is fo curft and fhrew'd,
That 'till the Father rids his Hands of her,
Mafter, your Love must live a Maid at home,
And therefore has he clofely mew'd her up,
Because the fhall not be annoy'd with Suitors.

Luc. Ah, Tranio, what a cruel Father's he!
But art thou not advis'd, he took fome care
To get her cunning School-mafters to inftru&t her?
Tra. Ay marry am I, Sir, and now 'tis plotted.
Luc. I have it, Tranio.

Tra. Mafter, for my Hand,

Both our Inventions meet and jump in one.
Luc. Tell me thine firft.

Tra. You will be School-mafter,

And undertake the teaching of the Maid:

That's your Device.

Luc. It is May it be done?

Tra. Not poffible: For who fhall bear your part,
And be in Pads here Vincentio's Son,

Keep House, and ply his Book, welcome his Friends,
Vifit his his Countrymen, and banquet them?
Luc. Bafta, content thee, for I have it full.
We have not yet been feen in any Houfe,
Nor can we be diftinguish'd by our Faces,
For Man or Mafter: Then it follows thus.
Thou shalt be Mafter, Trauio, in my ftead;
Keep Houfe, and Port, and Servants, as I fh
I should,
I will fome other be, fome Florentine,
Some Neapolitan, or meaner Man of Pifa.
'Tis hatch'd, and fhall 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 firft to keep his Tongue.
Tra. So had you need.

In brief, 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 fenfe,
I am content to be Lucentio,

Becaufe fo well I love Lucentio.

Luc. Tranio, be fo, because Lucentio loves;
And let me be a Slave t'atchieve that Maid,
Whole fudden fight hath thral'd my wounded Eye.
Enter Biondello,

Here comes the Rogue. Sirra, 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. Sirra, come hither, 'tis no time to jeft,
And therefore frame your Manners to the time.
Your Fellow Tranio here, to fave my Life,
Puts my Apparel and my Count'nance on,
And I for my escape have put on his:
For in a Quarrel, fince I came afhore,
I kill'd a Man, and fear I am defcry'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 Wish after, that Lucentio indeed had Baptifta's youngest Daughter. But, Sirra, not for my fake, but your Mafter'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 else, your Master Lucentio

Luc. Tranio, let's go:

One thing more refts, that thy felf execute,

To make one 'mong thefe Wooers; if thou ask me why, Sufficeth my Reafons are both good and weighty. [Exeunt.

The