D folre, one cliff, but two notes have I. Call you this Gamut? tut, I like it not ; Enter a Servant. Serv. Mistress, your father prays you leave your books, And help to drefs your fifter's chamber up; [Exit. Luc. Faith, mistress, then I have no cause to stay.` [Exit. Hor. But I have caufe to pry into this pedant, SCENE II. [Exit. Enter Baptifta, Gremio, Tranio, Catharina, Lucentio, Bianca, and attendants. Bap. Signior Lucentio, this is the 'pointed day Old fashions pleafe me beft To change true Rules for new Inventions. This is Senfe and the Meaning of the Paffage ; but the Reading of the Second Verfe, for all that, is fophifti- To change true Rules for old THEOBALD. To To want the Bridegroom, when the Priest attends To speak the ceremonial rites of marriage? What fays Lucentio to this fhame of ours? Cath. No fhame, but mine; I muft, forfooth, be forc'd To give my hand oppos'd against my heart, He'll woo a thoufand, 'point the day of marriage, Cath. Would Catharine had never feen him tho'! [Exit. weeping. Bap. Go, girl; I cannot blame thee now to weep; For fuch an injury would vex a Saint, Much more a Shrew of thy impatient humour. Bion. Mafter, Mafter; old news, and fuch news as you never heard of. Bap. Is it new and old too? how may that be? 8 Full of Spleen.] That is, full of humour, caprice, and inconftancy. Bion. Why, is it not news to hear of Petruchio's coming? Bap. Is he come? Bion. Why, no, Sir. Bap. What then? Bion. He is coming. Bap. When will he be here? Bion. When he ftands where I am, and fees you there. Tra. But, fay, what to thine old news? Bion. Why, Petruchio is coming in a new hat and an old jerkin, a pair of old breeches thrice turn'd; ' a pair of boots that have been candle-cafes, one buckled, another lac'd: an old rufty fword ta'en out of the town-armory, with a broken hilt, and chapelefs, with two broken points; his horfe hipp'd with an old mothy faddle, the stirrups of no kindred; befides, poffeft with the glanders, and like to mofe in the chine, troubled with the lampaffe, if ected with the fashions, full of windgalls, fped with fpavins, raied with the yellows, paft cure of the fives, ftark spoiled with the ftaggers, begnawn with the bots, waid in the back and fhoulder-fhotten, near-legg'd before, and with a halfcheck't bit, and a headftall of fheep's leather, which being reftrain'd, to keep him from ftumbling, hath been often burft, and now repair'd with knots; one girt fix times piec'd, and a woman's crupper of velure, which hath two letters for her name, fairly fet down in ftuds, and here and there piec'd with packthread. Bap. Who comes with him? Bion. Oh, Sir, his lackey, for all the world capari 9 A pair of boots one buckled, another laced; an old rusty fword ta'en out of the town-ar mory, with a broken hilt, and chapeless, with two broken points.] How a fword fhould have two broken points I cannot tell. There is, I think, a tranfpofition caused by the feeming relation of point to fword. I read, a pair of boots, one buckled, another laced with two broken points; an old rusty Sword—with a broken bilt, and chapeless. fon'd fon'd like the horse, with a linnen stock on one leg, and a kersey boot-hofe on the other, garter'd with a red and blue lift, 'an old hat, and the humour of forty fancies prickt up in't for a feather: a monfter, a very monster in apparel, and not like a christian footboy, or a gentleman's lackey. Tra. 'Tis fome odd humour pricks him to this fashion; Yet fometimes he goes but mean apparell'd. Bap. Didit thou not fay, he comes? Bion. Who? that Petruchio came not. -Bap. Ay, that Petruchio came. Bion. No, Sir; I fay, his horfe comes with him on his back. Bap. Why, that's all one. Bion. Nay, by St. Jamy, I hold you a penny, A horfe and a man is more than one, and yet not many. 1 An old hat, and the humour of forty fancies prickt up in't for a feather:] This was fome ballad or drollery of that time, which the Poet here ridicules, by making Petruchio prick it up in his foot-boy's old hat for a feather. His fpeakers are perpetually quoting fcraps and ftanzas of old Ballads, and often very obfcurely; for, fo well are they adapted to the occafion, that they seem of a piece with the reft. In Shakespear's time, the kingdom was over-run with thefe doggrel compofitions. And he feems to have born them a very particular grudge. He frequently ridicules both them and their makers with exquifite humour. In Much ado about nothing, he makes Benedict fay, Prove that ever I lofe more blood with love than I get again with drinking, prick out my eyes with a ballad maker's pen. As the bluntnefs of it would make the execution of it extremely painful. And again in Troilus and Creffida, Pandarus in his diftrefs, having repeated a very stupid ftanza from an old ballad, fays, with the higheft humour, There never was a truer rhyme; let us caft away nothing, for we may live to have need of fuch a verfe. We Jee it, we fee it. E 3 WARBURTON. SCENE SCENE IV. Enter Petruchio and Grumio fantastically habited. Pet Come, where be these gallants? who is at home? Bap. You're welcome, Sir. Pet. And yet I come not well. Bap. And yet you halt not. Tra. Not fo well 'parell'd, as I wish you wère. And wherefore gaze this goodly company, Bap. Why, Sir, you know this is your weddingday: Firft, were we fad, fearing you would not come; Tra. And tell us what occafion of import Pet, Tedious it were to tell, and harsh to hear; Sufficeth, I am come to keep my word, Tho' in fome part enforced to digrefs", Which at more leifure I will fo excufe, As you fhall well be fatisfied withal. But, where is Kate? I ftay too long from her; The morning wears; 'tis time, we were at church. Tra. See not your bride in these unreverent robes; Go to my chamber, put on cloaths of mine. 2 To digrefs] To deviate from any promise. |