Duke fen. O my dear niece, welcome thou art to

me;

Ev'n daughter-welcome, in no lefs degree.

Phe. I will not eat my word, now thou art mine; Thy faith my fancy to thee doth combine.

SCENE VIII. Enter Jaques de Boyes.

Faq. de B. Let me have audience for a word or two. I am the fecond fon of old Sir Rowland, That bring these tidings to this fair affembly. Duke Frederick hearing, how that every day Men of great worth reforted to this forest, Addrefs'd a mighty power, which were on foot In his own conduct purposely to take His brother here, and put him to the fword: And to the fkirts of this wild wood he came, Where meeting with an old religious man, After fome queftion with him, was converted Both from his enterprise, and from the world; His crown bequeathing to his banish'd brother, And all their lands reftor'd to them again, That were with him exil'd. This to be true, I do engage my life.

Duke fen. Welcome, young man : Thou offer'ft fairly to thy brother's wedding; To one, his lands with-held; and to the other, A land itself at large, a potent dukedom. First, in this foreft, let us do those ends That here were well begun, and well begot: And after, every of this happy number, That have endur'd fhrewd days and nights with us, Shall share the good of our returned fortune, According to the measure of their states. Mean time, forget this new-fall'n dignity, And fall into our ruftic revelry:

Play, mufic; and you brides and bridegrooms all, With measure heap'd in joy, to the measures fall.

Jaq. Sir, by your patience: if I heard you rightly, The Duke hath put on a religious life,

And thrown into neglect the pompous court.
Jaq. de B. He hath.

Jaq. To him will I: out of these convertites

There

There is much matter to be heard and learn'd.
You to your former honour I bequeath, To the Duke.
Your patience and your virtue well deferve it:
You to a love, that your true faith doth merit;

[To Orla.' You to your land, and love, and great allies; [7% Oli. You to a long and well deferved bed; [To Syl. And you to wrangling; for thy loving voyage

[To the Clown. Is but for two months victual'd: fo to your pleasures: I am for other than for dancing measures. Duke fen. Stay, Jaques, ftay.

Jaq. To fee no paftime, I: what you would have, I'll stay to know at your abandon'd cave. [Exit. Duke fen. Proceed, proceed; we will begin these rites, As we do truft they'll end, in true delights.

E PIL OG U E.

Rof. It is not the fafhion to fee the lady the epilogue; but it is no more unhandfome, than to fee the lord the prologue. If it be true, that good wine needs no bush, 'tis true, that a good play needs no epilogue. Yet to good wine they do ufe good bufhes; and good plays prove the better by the help of good epilogues. What a cafe am I in then, that am neither a good epilogue, nor can infinuate with you in the behalf of a good play? I am not furnish'd like a beggar; therefore to beg will not become me. My way is to conjure you, and I'll begin with the women. I charge you, women, for the love you bear to men," to like as much of this play as pleafes them: and I charge you, O men, for the love you bear to women, (as I perceive by your simpering, none of you hate them), to like as much as plea fes them that between you and the women, the play may pleafe. If I were a woman*, I would kifs as many of you as had beards that pleas'd me, complexions that lik'd me, and breaths that I defy'd not: and, I am fure, as many as have good beards, or good faces, or fweet breaths, will, for my kind offer, when I make my curt'fie, bid me farewel. [Exeunt omnes.

:

*Note, that in this author's time the parts of women were always performed by men or boys.

1

The

The TAMING of the SHREW.

CHARACTERS in the INDUCTION.

ALord, before whom the play || Hoftefs,
is fuppos'd to be play'd.
Chriftopher Sly, a drunken
Tinker.

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

BAPTISTA, father to Ca-Tranio,

tharina and Bianca; very Biondello, Servants to Lu

centio.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

Vincentio, an old gentleman
of Pifa.

Lucentio, fon to Vincentio, in
love with Bianca.
Petruchio, a gentleman of
Verona, a fuitor to Catha-Widow.

rina.

Sly.

Grumio, fervant to Petru

chio.

I'

Pedant, an old fellow set up
to perfonate Vincentio.
Catharina, the fhrew.
Bianca, her fifler.

Gremio, } pretenders to

Hortenfio, Bianca. SCENE, fometimes in Padua, chio's houfe in the country.

Taylor, Haberdashers; with
Jervants attending on Bap-
tifta and Petruchio.
and fometimes in Petru-

INDUCTION.

SCENE

I.

Before an alchoufe on a beath.

Enter Hoftefs and Sly.

'LL pheeze you, in faith.

Hoft. A pair of stocks, you rogue! Sly. Y'are a baggage; the Slies are no rogues. Look in the chronicles, we came in with Richard Conqueror; therefore paucus pallabris; let the world fide: Seffa.

*Meaning pocus palabras. Spanish, few words. Mr. The bald.
VOL. II.
Bb

Hoft.

Hoff. You will not pay for the glaffes you have burft? Sl. No, not a deniere: go by, Jeronimo * to thy cold bed, and warm thee.

go

Hoft. I know my remedy; I must go fetch the third borough.

Sly. Third, or fourth, or fifth borough, I'll anfwer him by law; I'll not budge an inch, boy; let him come, and kindly. [Falls afleep.

SCENE

II.

Wind horns. Enter a Lord from hunting, with a train. Lord. Huntfman, I charge thee, tender well my hounds:

Leech Merriman, the poor cur is imboft;

And couple Clowder with the deep-mouth'd Brach.
Saw't thou not, boy, how Silver made it good
At the hedge-corner in the coldest fault?
I would not lose the dog for twenty pound.

Hun. 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 Echo 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 monstrous beast! how like a fwine he lies! Grim death, how foul and lothfome is thy image! Sirs, I will practise on this drunken man. What think you, if he were convey'd to bed,"

Go by, Fercrimo, was a kind of by-word in the author's days, as appears by its being used in the fame manner by Ben Johnfon, Beaumont, and Fletcher, and other writers near that time. It arofe first from a paffage in an old play called Heironymo, or, The Spanish tragedy.

Wrapp'd

Wrapp'd in fweet 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 Hun. Believe me, Lord, I think he cannot chufe. 2 Hun. It would feem ftrange unto him when he wak'd..

Lord. Even as a flatt'ring dream, or worthlefs fancy. Then take him up, and manage well the jeft: Carry him gently to my faireft chamber, And hang it round with all my wanton pictures; Balm his foul head with warm diftilled waters, And burn fweet wood to make the lodging fweet. Procure me mufic ready when he wakes, To make a dulcet and a heav'nly found; And if he chance to fpeak, be ready ftraight, And with a low fubmiffive reverence Say, what is it your Honour will command ? Let one attend him with a filver bafon

Full of rose-water, and beftrew'd with flowers;
Another bear the ewer; a third a diaper;
And fay, Wilt pleafe your Lordship cool your hands
Some one be ready with a coftly fuit,
And ask him what apparel he will wear;
Another tell him of his hounds and horfe,
And that his lady mourns at his difcate;
Perfuade him that he hath been lunatic.
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 Sirs:
It will be paftime paffing excellent,
If it be husbanded with modefty.

1 Hun. My Lord, I warrant you, we'll play our part, -As he fhall think, by our true diligence, He is no less than what we fay 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. Sound trumpets. Sirrah, go fee what trumpet is that founds. Belike, fome noble gentleman that means, [Ex. fervant. Travelling fome journey, to repofe him here.

Bb 2

SCENE