A Lord, before whom the Play is fuppos'd to be play'd
Christopher Sly, a drunken Tinker.

Hoftefs.

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

Perfons Represented.

Baptifta, Father to Katharina and Biança; very
Vincentio, an old Gentleman of Pisa.

Lucentio, Son to Vincentio, in love with Bianca.

rich

Petruchio, a Gentleman of Verona, a fuitor to Katharina.
Gremio,

Hortenfio,

Tranio,

Biondello,

} Pretenders to Bianca.

Servants to Lucentio.

Grumio, Servant to Petruchio.

Pedant, an old Fellow fet up to perfonate Vincentio.
Katharina, the Shrew.

Bianca, ber Sifter.

Widow.

Taylor, Haberdasher; with Servants attending on Baptifta, and Petruchio.

SCENE, fometimes in Padua; and fometimes in Petruchio's House in the Country.

Charac

To the Original Play of The Taming of a Shrew, 4to. 1607.

}

Suitors to the Daughters of Al

phonfus.

Valeria, Servant to Aurelius.

Sander, Servant to Ferando.

Phylotus, a Merchant who perfonates the Duke.

Kate,

Emelia,

Phylema,

Daughters to Alphonfus.

Taylor, Haberdasher, and Servants to Ferando and Al

phonfus.

SCENE, Athens; and fometimes Ferando's Country Houfe

TAM

1

INDUCTION.

SCENE I.

Before an Alehoufe on a Heath.

Enter Hoftefs and Sly.

Sly. I'll pheefe you', in faith.
Hoft. A pair of ftocks, you rogue!

Sly.

We have hitherto fuppofed Shakspeare the author of the Taming of the Shrew, but his property in it is extremely difputable. I will give my opinion, and the reafons on which it is founded. I fuppofe then the prefent play not originally the work of Shakspeare, but reftored by him to the ftage, with the whole Induction of the Tinker; and fome other occafional improvements; efpecially in the character of Petruchio. It is very obvious that the Induction and the Play were either the works of different hands, or written at a great interval of time. The former is in our author's best manner, and a great part of the latter in his worst, or even below it. Dr. Warburton declares it to be certainly fpurious; and without doubt fuppofing it to have been written by Shakspeare, it must have been one of his earliest productions. Yet it is not mentioned in the lift of his works by Meres in 1598.

I have met with a facetious piece of fir John Harrington, printed in 1596, (and poffibly there may be an earlier edition) called The Metamorphofes of Ajax, where I fufpect an allufion to the old play; "Read the Booke of Taming a Shrew, which hath made a number of us fo perfect, that now every one can rule a fhrew in our countrey, fave he that hath hir.". I am aware a modern linguist may object that the word book does not at present feem dramatick, but it was once technically fo: Goffon, in his Schoole of Abufe, containing a pleafaunt Invective againft Poets, Pipers, Players, Jefters, and fuch like Caterpillars of a Commonwealth,

Sly. Y'are a baggage; the Slies are no 3 rogues Look in the chronicles, we came in with Richard Con

1579, mentions "twoo profe bookes played at the Bell-Sauage :" and Hearne tells us, in a note at the end of William of Worcefter, that he had feen a MS. in the nature of a Play or Interlude, intitled the Booke of Sir Thomas Moore."

And in fact there is fuch an old anonymous play in Mr. Pope's lift: "A pleasant conceited history, called, the Taming of a Shrew-fundry times acted by the earl of Pembroke his fervants." Which feems to have been republished by the remains of that company in 1607, when Shakspeare's copy appeared at the Black, Friars or the Globe.- Nor let this feem derogatory from the character of our poet. There is no reason to believe that he wanted to claim the play as his own; for it was not even printed till fome years after his death; but he merely revived it on his ftage as a manager.

In fupport of what I have faid relative to this play, let me only obferve further at prefent, that the author of Hamlet fpeaks of Gonzago, and his wife Baptifta; but the author of the Taming of the Shrew knew Baptifta to be the name of a man. Mr. Capell indeed made me doubt, by declaring the authenticity of it to be confirmed by the teftimony of fir Afton Cockayn. I knew fir Afton was much acquainted with the writers immediately fubfequent to Shakspeare; and I was not inclined to difpute his authority but how was I furprised, when I found that Cockayn afcribes nothing more to Shakspeare, than the Induction-Wincotale and the Beggar! I hope this was only a flip of Mr. Capell's memory.

FARMER.

The following is fir Afton's Epigram.

To Mr. Clement Fifher of Wincot.
Shakspeare your Wincot-ale hath much renown'd,
That fox'd a beggar fo (by chance was found
Sleeping) that there needed not many a word
To make him to believe he was a lord:
But you affirm (and in it seem most eager)
"Twill make a lord as drunk as any beggar.
Bid Norton brew fuch ale as Shakspeare fancies
Did put Kit Sly into fuch lordly trances :
And let us meet there (for a fit of gladness).
And drink ourselves merry in sober sadness.

Sir A. Cockayn's Poems, 1659, p. 124. In fpite of the great deference which is due from every commentator to Dr. Farmer's judgment, I own I cannot concur with him on the prefent occafion. I know not to whom I could impute this comedy, if Shakspeare was not its author.

I think

his