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.

Kath. Of all thy fuitors, here I charge thee, tell.
Whom thou lov'ft beft: fee thou diffemble not.
Bian. Believe me, fifter, of all the men alive,
I never yet beheld that special face

Which I could fancy more than any other.

Kath. Minion, thou ly'ft; Is't not Hortenfio?
Bian. If you affect him, fifter, here I fwear,
I'll plead for you myself but you fhall have him.
Kath. Oh then, belike, you fancy riches more;
You will have Gremio to keep you fair.

Bian. Is it for him you do envy me fo?
Nay, then you jeft; and now I well perceive,
You have but jefted with me all this while :
I pr'ythee, fifter Kate, untie my hands.

Kath. If that be jeft, then all the reft was fo.
[Strikes her:

Enter Baptifta.

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

Bianca, ftand afide;-poor girl! fhe weeps:
Go ply the 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 cross thee with a bitter word?

Kath. Her filence flouts me, and I'll be reveng'd.

[Flies after Bianta.

Bap. What, in my fight?-Bianca, get thee in.

[Exit Bianca.

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

7 bilding] The word bilding or hinderling, is a lot wretch; it is applied to Katharine for the coarfenefs of her behaviour. JOHNSON.

Kath.

Kath. Will you not fuffer me? Nay, now I fee, She is your treasure, she must have a husband; I must 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 Kath. Bap. Was ever gentleman thus griev'd as I? But who comes here?

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!

Pet. And you, good fir! Pray, have you not a daughter

Call'd Katharina, fair, and virtuous?

Bap. I have a daughter, fir, call'd Katharina.
Gre. You are too blunt; go to it orderly.

Pet. You wrong me, fignior Gremio; give me leave.

I am a gentleman of Verona, fir,

That, hearing of her beauty, and her wit,

Her affability, and bafhful modefty,

Her wondrous qualities, and mild behaviour,-
Am bold to fhew myself a forward guest

Within your houfe, to make mine eye the witnefs
Of that report which I fo oft have heard.
And, for an entrance to my entertainment,

[Prefenting Hortenfio

I do prefent you with a man of mine,
Cunning in mufick, and the mathematicks,
To inftruct her fully in thofe fciences,
Whereof, I know, the is not ignorant :
Accept of him, or elfe you do me wrong;
His name is Licio, born in Mantua.

Bap.

Bap. You're welcome, fir; and he, for your good fake:

But for my daughter Katharine,-this I know,
She is not for your turn, the more my grief.
Pet. I fee, you do not mean to part with her;
Or else you like not of my company.

Bap. Mistake me not, I fpeak but as I find.
Whence are you, fir? what may I call your name?
Pet. Petruchio is my name; Antonio's fon,
A man well known throughout all Italy.

Bap. I know him well: you are welcome for his fake.

Gre. Saving your tale, Petruchio, I pray, Let us, that are poor petitioners, fpeak too: Baccare! you are marvellous forward.

Pet. Oh, pardon me, fignior Gremio; I would fain be doing.

8 Baccare, you are marvellous forward.] We must read, Baccalare; by which the Italians mean, thou arrogant, prefumptuous man! the word is used scornfully upon any one that would affume a port of grandeur. WARBURTON.

The word is neither wrong nor Italian: it was an old proverbial one, ufed by John Heywood; who hath made, what he pleafes to call, Epigrams upon it. Take two of them, fuch as they are:

"Backare, quoth Mortimer to his fow,

"Went that fow backe at that bidding, trow you?"

"Backare, quoth Mortimer to his fow: fe
"Mortimer's fow speaketh as good Latin as he."

Howel takes this from Heywood, in his Old Saves and Adages:
and Philpot introduces it into the proverbs collected by Camden.
FARMER.
Again, in the ancient Enterlude of the Repentance of Mary
Magdalene, 1567:

"Nay, hoa there, Backare, you must ftand apart: "You love me beft, I trow, myftreffe Mary," Again, in John Lylly's Midas-1592: "The mafculine gender is more worthy than the feminine, and therefore Licio Backare.” Again, in John Grange's Golden Aphroditis, 1577: wrefted he fo his effeminate bande to the fiege of backwarde affection, that both trumpe and drumme founded nothing for their larum, but Baccare, Baccare," STEEVENS.

--

yet

Gre.

Gre. I doubt it not, fir; but you will curfe your

wooing Neighbour, this is a gift very grateful, I am fure-of it. To exprefs the like kindnefs myfelf, that have been more kindly beholding to you than any, free leave give to this young fcholar', that hath been long ftudying at Rheims; [Prefenting Lucentio,] as cunning in Greek, Latin, and other languages, as the other in mufick and mathematicks: his name is Cambio; pray, accept his fervice.

Bap. A thousand thanks, fignior Gremio: welcome, good Cambio.-But, gentle fir, methinks, you walk like a stranger; [To Tranio.] May I be fo bold to know the caufe of your coming?

Tra. Pardon me, fir, the boldness is mine own;
That, being a ftranger in this city here,
Do make myself a fuitor to your daughter,
Unto Bianca, fair, and virtuous.

Nor is your firm refolve unknown to me,
In the preferment of the eldest fifter:
This liberty is all that I requeft,—
That, upon knowledge of my parentage,

I may have welcome 'mongft the reft that woo,
And free accefs and favour as the rest.
And, toward the education of your daughters,
I here beftow a fimple inftrument,

And this fmail packet of Greek and Latin books 2:

If

9 I doubt it not, fir, but you will curfe your wooing neighbours. This is a gift] This nonfenfe may be rectified by only pointing it thus, I doubt it not, fir, but you will curfe your wooing. Neigh bour, this is a gift, &c. addreffiug himfelf to Baptifta, WARBURTON.

-free leave give to this young scholar,] This is an injudicious correction of the firft folio, which reads-freely give unto this young scholar. We fhould read, I believe

I freely give unto you this young fcholar,

That hath been long ftudying at Rheims, as cunning
In Greek, &c. TYRWHITT.

• —this Small packet of Greek and Latin books.] In queen Eli

VOL. III.

Hh

zabeth's

If

you accept them, then their worth is great. Bap. Lucentio is your name? of whence, I pray? Tra. Of Pifa, fir; fon to Vincentio.

Bap. A mighty man of Pifa; by report

I know him well: you are very welcome, fir.-
Take you the lute, and you the fet of books,

You fhall
go fee
Holla, within!

Sirrah, lead

[To Hortenfio and Lucentio

your pupils presently.

Enter a Servant.

Thefe gentlemen to my daughters; and tell them both,

Thefe are their tutors; bid them use them well. [Exit Servant with Hortenfio and Lucentio

We will go walk a little in the orchard,

And then to dinner: You are paffing welcome,
And fo I pray you all to think yourselves.

Pet. Signior Baptifta, my bufinefs afketh hafte,
And every day I cannot come to woo3.
You knew my father well; and in him, me,
Left folely heir to all his lands and goods,
Which I have better'd rather than decreas'd:
Then tell me,-if I get your daughter's love,
What dowry fhall I have with her to wife?
Bap. After my death, the one half of my lands
And, in poffeffion, twenty thousand crowns.

Pet.. And, for that dow'ry I'll affure her of Her widowhood,-be it that fhe furvive me,

zabeth's time the young ladies of quality were ufually inftructed in the learned languages, it any pains were bestowed on their minds at all. Lady Jane Gray and her fifters, queen Elizabeth, &c. are trite inftances. PERCY.

3 And every day I cannot come to woo.] This is the burthen of part of an old ballad entitled the Ingenious Braggadocia : "And I cannot come every day to wooe.

STEEVENS.