Imatges de pàgina
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Enter a Messenger.

Meff. Your Honour's players, hearing your amendment,
Are come to play a pleasant comedy;
For fo your doctors hold it very meet,

Seeing too much fadness hath congeal'd your blood;
And melancholy is the nurfe of frenzy.

Therefore they thought it good you hear a play,
And frame your mind to mirth and merriment;
Which bars a thoufand harms, and lengthens life.

Sly. Marry, I will; let them play; is it not a Com modity a Christmas gambol, or a tumbling trick? Lady. No, my good Lord, it is more pleafing ftuff. Sly. What, houshold stuff?

Lady. It is a kind of history.

Sly. Well, we'll fee't: come, Madam wife, fit by my fide, and let the world flip, we fhall ne'er be younger.

The

The TAMING of the SHREW.

A C T I.

SCENE, a Street in PADU A.

T

Flourish. Enter Lucentio and Tranio.

*XX*

LUCENTI 0.

Ranio, fince for the great defire I had To fee fair Padua, nursery of arts, I am arriv'd from fruitful Lombardy, (6) 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: Moft trufty fervant, well approv'd in all, Here let us breathe, and haply inftitute A course of learning, and ingenious ftudies. Pifa, renowned for grave citizens,

Gave me my being; and my father first,

A merchant of great traffick through the world;
Vincentio's come of the Bentivoli,

(6) I am arriv'd for fruitful Lombardy,] Though all the Impreffions concur in this, I take it to be a Blunder of the Editors, and not of the Author. Padua is not in Lombardy; but Pifa, from Which Lucentio comes, is really in those Territories.

Vincentia

Vincentio his fon, brought up in Florence,'
It fhall become to ferve 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 philofophy
Will I apply, that treats of happiness
By virtue fpecially to be atchiev'd.
Tell me thy mind, for I have Pifa left,
And am to Padua come, as he that leaves
A fhallow plafh to plunge him in the deep,
And with fatiety feeks to quench his thirst.
Tra. Me pardonato, gentle mafter mine,
I am in all affected as yourself:

Glad, that you thus continue your refolve,
To fuck the fweets of sweet philosophy :
Only, good mafter, while we do admire
This virtue, and this moral difcipline,
Let's be no Stoicks, nor no ftocks, I pray ;
Or, fo devote to Ariftotle's checks,
As Ovid be an outcast quite abjur'd.
Talk logick with acquaintance that you have,
And practise rhetorick in your common talk;
Mufick and Poefy ufe to quicken you;
The Mathematicks, and the Metaphyficks,
Fall to them, as you find your ftomach ferves you:
No profit grows, where is no pleasure ta'en :

In brief, Sir, study what you most affect.

Luc. Gramercies, Tranio, well doft thou advise;

If, Biondello, thou wert come afhore,

We could at once put us in readiness ;
And take a lodging fit to entertain
Such friends, as time in Padua shall beget.

But flay a while, what company is this?

Tra. Mafter, fome fhow to welcome us to town.

Enter Baptifta with Catharina and Bianca, Gremio and Hortenfio. Lucentio and Tranio ftand by.

Bap. Gentlemen both, importune me no farther,

For how I firmly am refolv'd, you know;

That

That is, not to beflow my youngest daughter,
Before I have a husband for the elder;

If either of you both love Catharina,
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?

Cath. I pray you, Sir, 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.

Cath. 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 shall be
To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd ftool,
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. Huh, mafter, here's fome good paftime
toward;

That wench is ftark mad, or wonderful froward.
Luc. But in the other's filence I do fee
Maid's mild behaviour and sobriety.

Peace, Tranio.

Tra. Well faid, master; 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.

afide.

Cath. A pretty Peat! it is best put finger in the eye,

an fhe knew why.

Bian. Sifter, content you in my discontent.

Sir, to your pleasure humbly I fubfcribe:

My books and inftruments fhall be my company,

On them to look, and practise by myself.

Luc. Hark, Tranio, thou may'ft hear Minerva fpeak.

Hor. Signior Baptifta, will you be so strange?
Sorry am I, that our good will effects
Bianca's grief.

[afide.

Gre.

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.

And for I know, fhe taketh most delight
In mufick, inftruments, and poetry;
School-mafters will I keep within my house,
Fit to inftruct 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

:

[Exit Bianca.

To mine own children, in good bringing up;
And fo farewel: Catharina, you may stay,
For I have more to commune with Bianca.

[Exit. Cath. Why, and, I truft, I may go too, may I not? what, fhall I be appointed hours, as tho', belike, I knew not what to take, and what to leave? ha! [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 faft it fairly out. Our cake's dough 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 wish him to her Father.

Hor. So will I, Signior Gremio: but a word, I pray; tho' the nature of our quarrel never yet brook'd Parle, know now, upon advice, it toucheth us both, that we may yet again have access to our fair Mistress, and be happy rivals in Bianca's love, to labour and effect one thing 'specially.

Gre. What's that, I pray ?

Hor. Marry, Sir, to get a husband for her fifter.
Gre. A hufband! 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?

VOL. II.

Hor.

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