:

Have I not in my time heard lions roar?
Have I not heard the fea, puff'd up with winds,
Rage like an angry boar, chafed with fwear?
Have I not heard great Ordnance in the field?
And heav'n's artillery thunder in the skies?
Have I not in a pitched battel heard'
Loud larums, neighing fteeds, and trumpets clangue?
And do you tell me of a woman's tongue,
That gives not half fo great a blow to th' ear
As will a chefnut in a farmer's fire?

Tufh, tufh, fear boys with bugs,

Gru. For he fears none.
Gre. Hortenfio, hark:

This Gentleman is happily arriv'd,

My mind.prefumes, for his own good, and ours.
Hor. I promis'd, we would be contributors ;
And bear his charge of wooing whatsoe'er.
Gre. And fo we will, provided that he win her.
Gru. I would, I were as fure of a good dinner.

1

To them Tranio bravely apparell'd, and Biondello.

Tra. Gentlemen, God fave you. If I may be bold,

tell me, I beseech you, which is the readieft way to

the house of Signior Baptifta Minola ?

Bion. He, that has the two fair daughters? is't he you mean?

Tra. Even he, Biondello.

Gre. Hark you, Sir, you mean not her, to

Tra. Perhaps, him and her; what have you to do?
Pet. Not her that chides, Sir, at any hand, I pray.

3 That gives not half fo great

a blow to HEAR,] This aukward phrafe could never

come from Shakespeare. He wrote, without queftion,

-so great a blow to TH’EAR. WARBURTON.

Tra.

Tra. I love no chiders, Sir: Biondello, let's away. Luc. Well begun, Tranio.

Hor. Sir, a word, ere you go:

Are you a fuitor to the maid you talk of, yea or no? Tra. An if I be, Sir, is it any offence?

Gre. No; if without more words you will get you

hence.

Tra. Why, Sir, I pray, are not the streets as free For me, as for you?

Gre. But fo is not she.

Tra. For what reafon, I beseech you?
Gre. For this reason, if you'll know :
That's fhe's the choice love of Signior Gremio.
Hor. That fhe's the chofen of Signior Hortenfio.
Tra. Softly, my mafters; if you be gentlemen
Do me this right; hear me with patience.
Baptifta is a noble Gentleman,

To whom my Father is not all unknown;
And, were his Daughter fairer than fhe is,
She may more fuitors have, and me for one.
Fair Leda's daughter had a thousand wooers;
Then well One more may fair Bianca have,
And fo fhe fhall. Lucentio fhall make one,
Tho' Paris came, in hope to speed alone.

Gre. What, this Gentleman will out-talk us all!
Luc. Sir, give him head; I know, he'll prove a jade.
Pet. Hortenfio, to what end are all thefe words?
Hor. Sir, let me be fo bold as to ask you,
Did you yet ever see Baptifta's daughter?

Tra. No, Sir; but hear I do, that he hath two: The one as famous for a fcolding tongue, As the other is for beauteous modefty.

Pet. Sir, Sir, the firft's for me; let her go by. Gre. Yea, leave that labour to great Hercules; And let it be more than Alcids' twelve.

Pet. Sir, understand you this of me, infooth: The youngest Daughter, whom you hearken for,

Her father keeps from all accefs of fuitors,

And will not promise her to any man,
Until the eldest Sister first be wed;
The younger then is free, and not before.

Tra. If it be fo, Sir, that you are the man
Muft fteed us all, and me amongst the reft;
And if you break the ice, and do this feat,
Atchieve the elder, fet the younger free
For our accefs; whofe hap fhall be to have her,
Will not fo graceless be, to be ingrate.

Hor. Sir, you fay well, and well you do conceive;
And fince you do profefs to be a fuitor,
You muft, as we do, gratify this Gentleman,
To whom we all reft generally beholden.

Tra. Sir, I fhall not be flack; in fign whereof,
Please ye, we may conitrve this afternoon 4,
And quaff caroufes to our Miftrefs' health,
And do as adverfaries do in law,

Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
Gru. Bion. O excellent motion! fellows, let's be

gone.

Hor. The motion's good indeed, and be it fo, Petruchio, I fhall be your ben venuto.

[Exeunt. [The Prefenters, above, speak here. 1 Man. My Lord, you nod; you do not mind the Play. Sly. Yea, by St. Ann, do I. A good matter, furely ! comes there any more of it?

A

Lady. My Lord, 'tis but begun.

Sly. 'Tis a very excellent piece of work, Madam Lady. 'Would, 'twere done!

4 Pleafe ye, we may contrive this afternoon,] Mr. Theobald afks what they were to contrive? and then fays, a foolish corruption poffeffes the place, and fo alters it to convive; in which he is followed, as he pretty conftantly is, when wrong, by the Oxford Editor. But the common reading is right, and the Critic was only ignorant of the

meaning of it. Contrive does not fignify here to project, but to spend and wear out. As in this paffage of Spenfer,

Three ages fuch as mortal men

CONTRIVE.

?

Fairy Queen, B xi. ch. 9. WARBURTON. The word is ufed in the fame fenfe of Spending or wearing out, in the Palace of Pleafure,

ACT

ACT II. SCENE I.

Baptifta's Houfe in Padua.

Enter Catharina and Bianca.

BIANCA.

OOD Sifter, wrong me not, nor wrong your

G00 felf,

To make a bond maid and a flave of me ;
That I difdain; 5 but for these other Gawds,
Unbind my hands, I'll pull them off myself;
Yea, all my raiment, to my petticoat,
Or, what you will command me, will I do;
So well I know my duty to my elders.

Cath. Of all thy Suitors here, I charge thee, tell
Whom thou lov'st best: fee, thou diffemble not.
Bian. Believe me, Sifter, of all men alive
I never yet beheld that special face,
Which I could fancy more than any other.

Cath. Minion, thou lieft; is't not Hortenfio?
Bian. If you affect him, fifter, here I swear,
I'll plead for you myself, but you fhall have him.
Cath. Oh, then, belike, you fancy riches more;
You will have Gremio, to keep you fair.
Bian. Is it for him you do fo envy me?
Nay, then you jeft; and now, I well perceive,
You have but jested with me all this while;

but for thefe other Goods. This is fo trifling and unexpreffive a Word, that, I am satisfied our Author wrote, Gawds (i. e. Toys, trifling Or'naments); a Term that he fre. VOL. III.

quently ufes and feems fond of.
THEOBALD.

to keep you fair.] I
fhould wish to read, To keep you
fine. But either word may ferve.

LANS Di

Ꭰ .

I pr'ythee, fifter Kate, untie my hands,
Cath. If that be jeft, then all the reft was fo.

[Strikes ber.

Enter Baptifta.

Bap. Why, how now, dame, whence grows this
infolence?

Bianca, ftand afide; poor girl, fhe weeps;
Go ply thy needle, meddle not with her.
For fhame, thou hilding' of a devilish fpirit,
Why doft thou wrong her, that did ne'er wrong thee?
When did fhe crofs thee with a bitter word?

Cath. Her filence flouts me; and I'll be reveng'd. [Flies after Bianca. Bap. What, in my fight?-Bianca, get thee in. [Exit Bianca. Cath. Will you not fuffer me? nay, now I fee, She is your treasure; she must have a husband ; I muft dance bare-foot on her wedding-day, And, for your love to her, lead apes in hell: Talk not to me, I will go fit and weep, 'Till I can find occafion of revenge.

[Exit Cath. Bap. Was ever gentleman thus griev'd, as I?, But who comes here?

SCENE II.

Enter Gremio, Lucentio in the habit of a mean man; Petruchio with Hortenfio, like a musician; Tranio and Biondello bearing a lute and books.

Gre. Good morrow, neighbour Baptifta. Bap. Good morrow, neighbour Gremio: God fave you, Gentlemen.

bilding-The tharine for the coarfenefs of her word bilding, or hinderling, is a behaviour. *low wretch; it is applied to Ca