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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?

9

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, posfelt 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

one buck-
9 A pair of boots
led, 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

a transposition is, I think, caused by the feeming relation of point to fword. I read, a pair one buckled, another of boots, laced with two broken points; an old rusty fword — with a broken bilt, and chapeless. fon'd

fon'd like the horse, with a linnen ftock on one leg, and a kerfey boot-hofe on the other, garter'd with a red and blue list, 'an old hat, and the humour of forty fancies prickt up in't for a feather: a monster, a very monster in apparel, and not like a chriftian 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. I am glad he is come, howfoever he comes. Bion. Why, Sir, he comes not.

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.

'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 feem 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 ftupid 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 verse. We fee it, we jee it.

E 3

WARBURTON.

SCENE

*

SCENE IV.

Enter Petruchio and Grumio fantastically babited.

Pet. Come, where be thefe 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 were.

Pet. Were it better, I fhould rush in thus.

But where is Kate? where is my lovely bride?

How does my Father? Gentles, methinks, you frown:

And wherefore gaze this goodly company,
As if they faw fome wondrous monument,
Some comet, or unusual prodigy?

Bap. Why, Sir, you know this is your weddingday:

First, were we fad, fearing you would not come;
Now, fadder, that you come fo unprovided.
Fy, doff this habit, fhame to your estate,
An eye-fore to our folemn feftival.

Tra. And tell us what occafion of import
Hath all fo long detain'd you from your wife,
And fent you hither fo unlike yourself?

Pet. Tedious it were to tell, and harsh to hear:
Sufficeth, I am come to keep my word,
Tho' in fome part enforced to digress,
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.

To digress] To deviate from any promise.

Pet.

Pet. Not I; believe me, thus I'll visit her.

Bap. But thus, I truft, you will not marry her. Pet. Good footh, even thus; therefore ha' done with words;

To me she's married, not unto my cloaths:
Could I repair what she will wear in me,
As I could change these poor accoutrements,
'Twere well for Kate, and better for myself..
But what a fool am I to chat with you,
When I should bid good-morrow to my Bride,
And feal the title with a lovely kiss?

[Exit.
Tra. He hath fome meaning in his mad attire:
We will perfuade him, be it poffible,
To put on better ere he go to church.

Bap. I'll after him, and fee the event of this. [Exit.

SCENE V.

Tra. But, Sir, our love concerneth us to add
Her Father's liking; which to bring to pass,
As I before imparted to your Worship,

I am to get a man (whate'er he be,

It skills not much; we'll fit him to our turn);
And he fhall be Vincentio of Pifa,

And make affurance here in Padua
Of greater fums than I have promised:
So fhall you quietly enjoy your hope,
And marry fweet Bianca with confent.

Luc. Were it not, that my fellow school- mafter
Doth watch Bianca's fteps fo narrowly,

'Twere good, methinks, to fteal our marriage;
Which once perform'd, let all the world fay, no,
I'll keep my own, defpight of all the world.
Tra. That by degrees we mean to look into,
And watch our vantage in this bufinefs:
We'll over-reach the grey-beard Gremio,
The narrow-prying Father Minola,
E 4

The

The quaint musician amorous Licio;
All for ny mafter's fake, Lucentio.

SCENE VI.

Enter Gremio.

Now, Signior Gremio, came you from the church?
Gre. As willingly as e'er I came from fchool.
Tra. And is the Bride and Bridegroom coming
home?

Gre. A Bridegroom, fay you? 'tis a groom, indeed,
A grumbling groom, and that the girl fhall find.
Tra. Curler than fhe? why, 'tis impoffible.
Gre. Why, he's a devil, a devil, a very fiend,
Tra. Why, fhe's a devil, a devil, the devil's dam.
Gre. Tut, fhe's a lamb, a dove, a fool to him:
I'll tell you, Sir Lucentio; when the Priest
Did afk, if Catharine fhould be his wife?

Ay, by gogs-woons, quoth he and fwore fo loud,
That, all amaz'd, the Prieft let fall the book;
And as he ftoop'd again to take it up,

This mad-brain'd Bridegroom took him fuch a cuff,
That down fell pricft and book, and book and priest.
Now take them up, quoth he, if any litt.

Tra. What faid the wench, when he rofe up again? Gre. Trembled and fhook? for why, he ftamp'd and fwore,

As if the Vicar meant to cozen him.

But after many ceremonics done,

He calls for wine: a health, quoth he; as if
H'ad been aboard carowfing to his Mates
After a ftorm; quafft off the muscadel,
And threw the fops all in the fexton's face;
Havnig no other caufe, but that his beard
Grew thin and hungerly, and feem'd to ask
His fops as he was drinking. This done, he took
The Bride about the neck, and kist her lips

With

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