Gre. No, say'st me so, friend? What countryman? Pet. Born in Verona, old Antonio's son;3 My father dead, my fortune lives for me; And I do hope good days, and long, to see. Gre. O, sir, such a life, with such a wife, were strange: But, if you have a stomach, to 't o' God's name; You shall have me assisting 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. [Aside. Pet. Why came I hither, but to that intent? Think you, a little din can daunt mine ears? Have I not in my time heard lions roar? Have I not heard the sea, puff'd up with winds, Rage like an angry boar, chafed with sweat? Have I not heard great ordnance in the field, And heaven's artillery thunder in the skies? Have I not in a pitched battle heard Loud 'larums, neighing steeds, and trumpets' clang?' 8 old Antonio's son:] The old copy reads―Butonio's son. Steevens. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. Malone. 9 - and trumpet's clang?] Probably the word clang is here used adjectively, as in the Paradise Lost, B. XI, v. 834, and not as a verb. "The haunt of seals, and orcs, and sea-mews clang." T. Warton. I believe Mr. Warton is mistaken. Clang, as a substantive, is used in The Noble Gentleman of Beaumont and Fletcher: "I hear the clang of trumpets in this house." Again, in Tamburlaine, &c. 1590: hear you the clang "Of Scythian trumpets?" Again, in The Cobler's Prophecy, 1594: "The trumpets clang, and roaring noise of drums." Again, in Claudius Tiberius Nero, 1607: "Hath not the clang of harsh Armenian troops," &c. Again, in Drant's translation of Horace's Art of Poetry, 1567: "Fit for a chorus, and as yet the boystus sounde and shryll "Of trumpetes clang the stalles was not accustomed to fill.” Lastly, in Turberville's translation of Ovid's epistle from Medea to Jason: "Doleful to me than is the trumpet's clang." The Trumpets' clang is certainly the clang of trumpets, and not an epithet bestowed on those instruments. Steevens. And do you tell me of a woman's tongue; That gives not half so great a blow to the ear,1 Tush! tush! fear boys with bugs.2 Gru. Gre. Hortensio, hark! This gentleman is happily arriv'd, For he fears none. [Aside. My mind presumes, for his own good, and yours. [Aside. Gre. He that has the two fair daughters:-is 't [aside to TRA.] he you mean?3 1 ➖➖➖➖➖ so great a blow to the ear,] The old copy reads-to hear. Steevens. This aukward phrase could never come from Shakspeare. He wrote, without question: -so great a blow to th' ear. Warburton. The emendation is Sir T. Hanmer's. Malone. So, in King John: 2 "Our ears are cudgell'd; 'not a word of his "But buffets better than a fist of France." Steevens. So, in Cymbeline: "The mortal bugs o' the field." Steevens. 3 He that has the two fair daughters: &c.] In the old copy, this speech is given to Biondello. Steevens. It should rather be given to Gremio; to whom, with the others, Tranio has addressed himself. The following passages might be written thus: Gre. Hark you, sir; you mean not her too. Tyrwhitt. I think the old copy, both here and in the preceding speech is right. Biondello adds to what his master had said, the words"He that has the two fair daughters," to ascertain more precisely the person for whom he had inquired; and then addresses Tranio: "is 't he you mean?" Tra. Even he. Biondello! Gre. Hark you, sir; You mean not her to Tra. Perhaps, him and her, sir; What have you to do? Pet. Not her that chides, sir, at any hand, I pray. Tra. I love no chiders, sir:-Biondello, let 's away. Luc. Well begun, Tranio. Hor. Sir, a word ere you go; [Aside. Are you a suitor to the maid you talk of, yea, or no? Tra. An if I be, sir, is it any offence? Gre. No; if, without more words, you will get you hence. Tra. Why, sir, I pray, are not the streets as free For me, as for you? Gre. But so is not she. Tra. For what reason, I beseech you? That she's the choice love of signior Gremio. Hor. That she's the chosen of signior Hortensio. To whom my father is not all unknown; Gre. What! this gentleman will out-talk us all. Did you yet ever see Baptista's daughter? woo. You mean not her to —] I believe, an abrupt sentence was intended; or perhaps Shakspeare might have written-her to Tranio in his answer might mean, that he would woo the father, to obtain his consent, and the daughter for herself. This, however, will not complete the metre. I incline, therefore, to my first supposition. Malone. I have followed Mr. Tyrwhitt's regulation. Steevens. As is the other for beauteous modesty. Pet. Sir, sir, the first 's for me; let her go by. Pet. Sir, understand you this of me, insooth ;- Tra. If it be so, sir, that you are the man Hor. Sir, you say well, and well you do conceive; And since you do profess to be a suitor, You must, as we do, gratify this gentleman, To whom we all rest generally beholden. Tra. Sir, I shall not be slack; in sign whereof, Please ye we may contrive this afternoon," And quaff carouses to our mistress' health; And do as adversaries do in law,6 this feat,] The old copy reads-this scek. The emendation was made by Mr. Rowe. Steevens. 5 Please ye we may contrive this afternoon,] Mr. Theobald asks what they were to contrive? and then says, a foolish corruption possesses the place, and so alters it to convive; in which he is followed, as he pretty constantly is, when wrong, by the Oxford editor. But the common reading is right, and the critic was only igno rant of the meaning of it. Contrive does not signify here to project but to spend and wear out. As in this passage of Spenser: "Three ages such as mortal men contrive." Fairy Queen, B. XI, ch. ix. Warburton. The word is used in the same sense of spending or wearing out, in Painter's Palace of Pleasure. Johnson. So, in Damon and Pithias, 1571: "In travelling countries, we three have contrived Contrive, I suppose, is from contero. So, in the Hecyra of Te rence: "Totum hunc contrivi diem." Steevens. 6 — as adversaries do in law,] By adversaries in law, I believe, our author means not suitors, but barristers, who, however warm Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends. Gru. Bion. O excellent motion! Fellows, let's be gone." Hor. The motion 's good indeed, and be it so ;Petruchio, I shall be your ben venuto. [Exeunt. ACT II.....SCENE I. The same. A Room in Baptista's House. Enter KATHARINA and BIANCA. Bian. Good sister, wrong me not, nor wrong yourself, 8 To make a bondmaid and a slave of me: Kath. Of all thy suitors, here I charge thee,1 tell in their opposition to each other in the courts of law, live in greater harmony and friendship in private, than perhaps those of any other of the liberal professions. Their clients seldom "eat and drink with their adversaries as friends." Malone. 7- Fellows, let's begone.] Fellows means fellow-servants. Grumio and Biondello address each other, and also the disguised Lucentio. Malone. 8 — nor wrong yourself,] Do not act in a manner unbecoming a woman and a sister. So, in The Merry Wives of Windsor: "Master Ford, this wrongs you." Malone. 9— but for these other gawds,] The old copy reads-these other goods. Steevens. This is so trifling and unexpressive a word, that I am satisfied our author wrote gards, (i. e. toys, trifling ornaments;) a term that he frequently uses and seems fond of. Theobald. 11 I charge thee,] Thee, which was accidentally omitted in the old copy, was supplied by the editor of the second folio. Malone. |