Puslapio vaizdai
PDF
„ePub“

Lady. Thrice-noble Lord, let me entreat of you,
To pardon me yet for a night or two:
Or, if not so, until the fun be set :
For your physicians have exprefly charg'd,
In peril to incur your former malady,
That I should yet absent me from your bed;
I hope, this reason stands for my excuse.

Sly. Ay, it ftands so, that I may hardly tarry so long, but I would be loath to fall into my dream again: I will therefore tarry in despight of the flesh and the blood.

Enter a Messenger.

Meff. Your Honour's players, hearing your amendment, Are come to play a pleasant comedy; For so your doctors hold it very meet, Seeing too much fadness hath congeal'd your blood; And melancholy is the nurse of frenzy. Therefore, they thought it good you hear a play, And frame your mind to mirth and merriment; Which bars a thousand harms, and lengthens life.

Sly. Marry, I will; let them play; is it not a com modity? a Christmas gambol, or a tumbling trick? Lady. No, my good Lord, it is more pleasing stuff. Sly. What, houshold stuff? Lady. It is a kind of history.

Sly. Well, we'll fee't: Come Madam wife, fit by my fide, and let the world flip, we shall ne'er be younger.

The

The TAMING of the SHREW.

ACTI.

SCENE, a Street in Padua.

Flourish. Enter Lucentio and Tranio.

LUCENTΙΟ.

I had

To fee fair Padua, nursery of arts,
I am arriv'd from fruitful Lombardy, (7)
The pleasant garden of great Italy;
And, by my father's love and leave, am arm'd
With his good will, and thy good company:
Most trusty servant, well approv'd in all,
Here let us breathe, and haply institute
A course of learning, and ingenious studies.
Pisa, renowned for grave citizens,
Gave me my being; and my father first,
A merchant of great traffick through the world:
Vincentio's come of the Bentivolii,
Vincentio his fon, brought up in Florence,
It shall become to serve all hopes conceiv'd,
To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds:

(7) I am arriv'd for fruitful Lombardy,] Though all the impref. fions concur in this, I take it to be a blunder of the editors, and not of the author. Padua is not in Lombardy; but Pifa, from which Lucentio comes, is really in those territories,

And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study,
Virtue and that part of philosophy
Will I apply, that treats of happiness,
By virtue specially to be atchiev'd.
Tell me thy mind, for I have Pisa left,
And am to Padua come, as he that leavės
A shallow plash to plunge him in the deep,
And with fatiety seeks to quench to his thirst.

Tra. Me pardonato, gentle master mine,
I am in all affected as yourself:
Glad, that you thus continue your resolve,
To fuck the sweets of sweet philosophy :
Only, good master, while we do admire
This virtue, and this moral discipline,
Let's be no stoicks, nor no stocks, I pray;
Or, so devote to Aristotle's checks,
As Ovid be an outcast quite abjur'd.
Talk logick with acquaintance that you have,
And practise rhetorick in your common talk;
Musick and poefy use to quicken you;
The mathematicks, and the metaphyficks,
Fall to them, as you find your stomach serves you:
No profit grows, where is no pleasure ta'en :
In brief, Sir, study what you most affect.

Luc. Gramercies, Tranio, well dost thou advifes
If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore,
We could at once put us in readiness ;
And take a lodging fit to entertain
Such friends, as time in Padua shall beget.
But stay a while, what company is this?

Tra. Master, some show to welcome as to town.
Enter Baptifta with Catharina and Bianca, Gremio and
Hortenfio. Lucentio and Tranio stand by.

Bap. Gentlemen both, importune me no farther,
For how I firmly am resolv'd, you know;
That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter,
Before I have a husband for the elder:

If either of you both love Catharina,
VOL. II.

Beçaufe

:

Because I know you well, and love you well,
Leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure.
Gre. To cart her rather.- She's too rough for me:
There, there, Hortenfio, will you any wife?
Cath. I pray you, Sir, is it your will
To make a stale of me amongst these mates?
Hor. Mates, maid, how mean you that no mates for you;
Unless you were of gentler milder mould.

Cath. I'faith, Sir, you shall never need to fear,
I wis, it is not half way to her heart:
But if it were, doubt not, her care shall be
To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd stool,
And paint your face, and use you like a fool.
Hor. From all such devils, good Lord, deliver us.
Gre. And me too, good Lord.

Tra. Hush, master, here's some good pastime

toward;

That wench is stark mad, or wonderful froward.
Luc. But in the other's filence I do fee

afide.

[blocks in formation]

Tra. Well said, master; mum! and gaze your fili. J
Bap. Gentlemen, that I may foon make good

What I have faid, Bianca, get you in;
And let it not displease thee, good Bianca;
For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl.

Cath. A pretty peat! it is best put finger in the eye, an

the knew why.

Bian. Sifter, content you in my discontent.

Sir, to your pleasure humbly I subscribe:

My books and instruments shall be my company,

On them to look, and practise by myself.

Luc. Hark, Tranio, thou may'st hear Minerva speak.

Hor. Signior Baptista, will you be so strange?

Sorry am I, that our good will effects
Bianca's grief.

Gre. Why will you mew her up,
Signior Baptista, for this fiead of hell,

[afide.

1

And

[ocr errors]

7

[Exit Bianca.

And make her bear the penance of her tongue ?
Bap. Gentlemen, content ye; I am refolv'd:
Go in, Bianca
And for I know, the taketh most delight
In musick, instruments, and poetry;
School-masters will keep within my house,
Fit to instruct her youth. If you, Hortenfio,
Or fignior Gremio, you, know any fuch,
Prefer them hither: For to cunning men
I will be very kind; and liberal
To mine own children, in good bringing up;
And fo farewel. Catharina, you may stay,
For I have more to commune with Bianca.

[Exit.

Cath. Why, and, I trust, I may go too, may I not P what, shall I be appointed hours, as though, belike, I knew not what to take, and what to leave? ha! [Exit.

Gre. You may go to the devil's dam: Your gifts are so good, here is none will hold you. Our love is not fo great, Hortenfio, but we may blow our nails together, and fast it fairly out. Our cake's dow on both fides. Farewel; yet for the love I bear my sweet Bianca, if L can by any means light on a fit man to teach her that wherein the delights, I will with him to her father.

Hor. So will I, Signior Gremio: But a word, I pray; though the nature of our quarrel never yet brook'd parle, know now, upon advice, it toucheth us both, that we may yet again have access to our fair mistress, and be. happy rivals in Bianca's love, to labour and effect one thing 'specially..

Gre. What's that, I pray?

Hor. Marry, Sir, to get a husband for her fifter.
Gre. A husband! a devil.

Hor. I say, a husband.

Gre. I fay, a devil. Think'st thou, Hortenfio, though her father be very rich, any man is fo very a fool to be

married to hell?

[ocr errors][merged small]

Hor. Tush, Gremio; though it pass your patience and

mine to endure her loud alarms, why, man, there be

« AnkstesnisTęsti »