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Hortenfio; and, I trow, this is the house;
Here, firrah, Grumio, knock, I fay *.

Enter Hortenfio t.

Hor. Alla noftra cafa ben venuto, molto benoraio Signor mio Petruchio ‡.

-knock I fay.

Gru. Knock, Sir whom should I knock? is there any man has rebus'd your Worship?

Pet. Villain, I fay, knock me here foundly.

Gru. Knock you here, Sir! why, Sir, what am I, Sir,

That I fhould knock you here, Sir?

Pet. Villain, fay, knock me at this gate,

And rap me well; or I'll knock your knave's pate.

Gru. My mafter is grown quarrel fome: I fhould knock you firf, And then I know after who comes by the worst.

Pet. Will it not be?

Faith, Sirrah, and you'll not knock, I'll ring it.

I try how you can Sal, Fa, and fing it,

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[He rings him by the cars.

Gru. Help, Mafters, help; my Matter is mad.
Pet. Now knock, when I bid you; Sirrah! Villain!
Enter, &c.

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Her, How now, what's the matter? my old friend Grumio, and my good friend Petruchio! how dɔ you all at Verona ?

Pet. Signior Hortenfio, come you to part the fray

Con tutto il core ben trovato, may I say.

Her. Alla, &c.,

nio Petruchio.

If this be not a

Rife, Grumio, rife; we will compound this quarrel. Gru. Nay, 'tis no matter, what he leges in Latin. lawful caufe for me to leave his fervice, look you, Sir; he bid me knock him, and rap him foundly, Sir. Well, was it fit for a fervast to use his mafter fo, being, perhaps, for aught I fee, two and thirty, a pip out!

Whom, would to God, I had well knock`d at first, ́ ́

Then had not Gumio come by the woift,

Pet. A fenfelefs villain!

-Good Hortenso,

I bid the rafcal knock upon your gate,

And could not get him for my heart to do it.

Gru. Knock at the gate? O heav'ns! fpake you not these words

knock me well, and

plain!- Sirrah, knock me here, rap me with knocking at the gate

knock me foundly? and come you now

Pet. Sirrah, be gone, or talk not, I advise you.
Hor. Petruchio, Patience; I am Grumio's pledge:
Why, this is a heavy chance 'twixt him and you,
Your ancient, trufty, pleasant fervant Grumio;
And tell me now, &c.

Cc 3

And

And tell me now, fweet friend, what happy gale
Blows you to Padua here, from old Verona ?

Pet. Such wind as fcatters young men through the world,

To feek their fortunes farther than at home;
Where fmall experience grows but in a mew.
Signior Hortenfio, thus it ftands with me:
Antonio my father is deceas'd;

And I have thruit myfelf into this maze,
Haply to wive and thrive, as best I may :
Crowns in my purfe I have, and goods at home,
And fo am come abroad to fee the world.

Hor. Petruchio, fhall I then come roundly to thee,
And with thee to a fhrewd ill-favour'd wife?
Thoud'it thank ine but a little for my counfel;
And yet, I'll promife thee fhe shall be rich,

:

And very rich but thour't too much my friend,
And I'll not with thee to her.

Pet. Signior Hortenfio, 'twixt fuch friends as us
Few words fuffice; and therefore if you know
One rich enough to be Petruchio's wife;
(As wealth is burden of my wooing dance),
Be the as foul as was Florentius' * love,
As old as Sibyl, and as curs'd and fhrewd
As Socrates' Xantippe, or a worse,
She moves me not; or not removes, at least,
Affection fieg'd in coin. Were the as rough
As are the welling Adriatic feas,

I come to wive it wenthily in Padua:
If wealthily, then happily, in Padua.

Gru. Nay, look you, Sir, he tells you flatly what his mind is: why, give him gold enough, and marry him to a puppet, or an aglet-baby, or an old trot with ne'er a tooth in her head, tho' fle have as many difeafes as two and fifty horfes; why, nothing comes amifs, fo money comes withal.

Hor. Petruchio, fince we are ftept thus far in, I will continue that I broach'd in jeft.

I can, Petruchio, help thee to a wife

With wealth enough, and young and beauteous,

*This I fuppofe relates to a circumftance in fome Italian novel, and fhould be read, Floremtio's. Mr. Warburt.n

Brought

Brought up as best becomes a gentlewoman.
Her only fault, and that is fault enough,
Is, that the is intolerably curs'd;

And fhrewd, and froward, fo beyond all measure,
That, were my ftate far worfer than it is,

I would not wed her for a mine of gold.

Pet. Hortenfio, peace; thou know'ft not gold's effe&t;

Tell me her father's name; and 'tis enough:
For I will board her, tho' the chide as loud
As thunder when the clouds in autumn crack.
Hor. Her father is Baptifta Minola,
An affable and courteous gentleman;
Her name is Catharina Minola.

Renown'd in Padua for her fcolding tongue.
Pet. I know her father, tho' I know not her;
And he knew my deceafed father well.

I will not fleep, Hortenfio, till I fee her,
And therefore let me be thus bold with you,
To give you over at this first encounter,
Unless you will accompany me thither.

Gru. I pray you, Sir, let him go while the humour lafts. O' my word, an fhe knew him as well as I do, fhe would think fcolding would do little good upon him. She may, perhaps, call him half a fcore knaves, or fo: why, that's nothing; an' he begin once, he'll rail in his rope-tricks. I'll tell you what, Sir, an fhe stand him but a little, he will throw a figure in her face, and fo disfigure her with it, that the shall have no more eyes to fee withal than a cat: you know him not, Sir..

Hor. Tarry, Petruchio, I must go with thee, For in Baptifta's house my treafure is :

He hath the jewel of my life in hold,

His youngest daughter, beautiful Bianca;

And her withholds he from me, and others more
Suitors to her, and rivals in my love :
Suppofing it a thing impoffible,

(For those defects I have before rehears'd),
That ever Catharina will be woo'd;
Therefore this order hath Baptifta ta'en,
That none fhall have accefs unto Bianca,

Till

Till Catharine the curs'd have got a husband.

Gru. Catharine the curft?

A title for a maid of all titles the worst!

Hor. Now fhall my friend Petruchio do me grace, And offer me disguis'd in fober robes, To old Baptifta as a fchoolmafter, Well feen in mufic, to inftruct Bianca; That fo I may by this device, at least, Have leave and leisure to make love to her; And, unfufpected, court her by herself.

SCENE VI.

Enter Gremio, and Lucentio difguis'd.

Gru. Here's no knavery! fee, to beguile the old folks, how the young folks lay their heads together. Mafter, look about who you: goes there? ha. Hor. Peace, Grumio, 'tis the rival of my love. Petruchio, ftand by a while.

Gru. A proper ftripling, and an amorous..
Gre. O, very well; I have perus'd the note,
Hark you, Sir, I'll have them very fairly bound,
All books of love; fee that, at any hand;
And fee you read no other lectures to her :
You understand me. Over and befide

Signior Baptifta's liberality,

I'll mend it with a largefs. Take your papers too, And let me have them very well perfum'd;

For fhe is sweeter than perfume itself,

To whom they go. What will you read to her?
Luc. Whate'er I read to her, I'll plead for you,
As for my patron, ftand you fo affured,
As firmly, as yourself were still in place;
Yea, and perhaps with more fuccessful words
Than you, unlefs you were a fcholar, Sir.
Gre. Oh this learning, what a thing it is!
Gru. Oh this woodcock, what an afs it is!
Pet. Peace, firrah. 2,

Hor. Grumio, mum! God fave you, Signior Gremio. Gre. And you are well met, Signior Hortenfio. Trow you whether I am going? to Baptifta Minola; I promis'd to inquire carefully about a schoolmafter for the

fair Bianca, and by good fortune I have lighted well
on this
young man; for learning and behaviour fit for
her turn, well read in poety, and other books, good
ones, I warrant yet?!

Hor. 'Tis well; and I have met a gentleman
Hath promis'd me to help me to another,
A fine musician to inftruct our mistrefs;
So fhall I no whit be behind in duty
To fair Bianca, fo belov'd of me.
Gre. Belov'd of me,-

prove.

and that my deeds fhall

Gru. And that his bags fhall prove.

Hor. Gremio, 'tis now no time to vent our love.
Liften to me; and if you speak me fair,"

I'll tell you news indifferent good for either.
Here is a gentleman whom by chance I met,
Upon agreement from us to his liking,
Will undertake to woo curs'd Catharine;
Yea, and to marry her, if her dowry please.
Gre. So faid, fo done, is well;

Hortenfio, have you told him all her faults!
Pet. I know the is an irksome brawling fcold;
If that be all, Mafters, I hear no harm.

Gre. No, fayeft me fo, friend? What countryman ?
Pet. Born in Verona, old Antonio's fon;

My father's dead, my fortune lives for me,
And I do hope good days and long to fee.

Gre. Oh, Sir, fuch a life with fuch a wife were ftrange;

But if you have a ftomach, to't o' God's name;
You fhall have me affifting you in all.

But will you woo this wild cat?

Pet. Will I live?

Gru. Will he woo her? ay, or I'll hang her.
Pet. Why came I hither but to that intent ?
Think you a little din can daunt my ears?
Have I not in my time heard lions roar?

• Have I not heard the fea, puff'd up with winds,
Rage like an angry boar, chafed with fweat t
"Have I not heard great ordnance in the field ?)
''And heav'n's artillery thunder in the skies?
• Have I not in a pitched battle heard

• Loud

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