Maid's mild behaviour and sobriety.
Peace, Tranio.

Tra. Well said, master; mum! and gaze your fill.

Bap. Gentlemen, that I may soon make good
What I have said,- Bianca, get you in :
And let it not displease thee, good Bianca;
For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl.

Kath. A pretty peat 11! 'tis best
Put finger in the eye, -an she knew why.
Bian. Sister, 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 l thou may'st hear Minerva speak.

[Aside.
Hor. Signior Baptista, will you be so strange 12 ?
Sorry am I that our goodwill effects
Bianca's grief.
Gre.

Why, will you mew 13 her up,
Signior Baptista, for this fiend of hell,
And make her bear the penance

of her tongue? Bap. Gentlemen, content

ye;

I am resolv'd :Go in, Bianca.

[Exit BIANCA. And for I know, she taketh most delight In musick, instruments, and poetry, Schoolmasters will I keep within my house, Fit to instruct her youth.-If you, Hortensio, Or signior Gremio, you,-know any such, Prefer 14 them hither; for to cunning 15

men

11 Pet.

12 i. e. so odd, so different from others in your conduct.

18 To mew up, was to confine, or shut up close, as it was the custom to confine hawks while they mew'd or moulted. V. note on K. Richard III. Act i. Sc. 1.

14 Recommend.

15 Cunning has not yet lost its original signification of knowing, learned, as may be observed in the translation of the Bible.

I will be very kind, and liberal
To mine own children in good bringing up;
And so farewell. Katharina, you may stay:
For I have more to commune with Bianca. [Exit.

Kath. Why, and I trust, I may go too: May I not? What, shall I be appointed hours; as though, belike, I knew not what to take and what to leave? Ha!

[E.cit. Gre. You may go to the devil's dam: your gifts 16 are so good, here is none will hold you. Their 17 love is not so great, Hortensio, but we may blow our nails together, and fast it fairly out; our cake's dough on both sides. Farewell.--Yet, for the love I bear my sweet Bianca, if I can by any means light on a fit man to teach her that wherein she delights, I will wish 18 him to her father.

Hor. So will I, signior Gremio: but a word, I pray. Though the nature of our quarrel yet never brook'd parle, know now, upon advice 19, 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 sister.
Gre. A husband! a devil.
Hor. I say, a husband.

Gre. I say, a devil: Think'st thou, Hortensio, though her father be very rich, any man is so very a fool to be married to hell ?

Hor. Tush, Gremio, though it pass your patience, and mine, to endure her loud alarums, why, man,

16 Endowments.

17 . It seems that we should read-Your love. y? in old writing stood for either their or your. If their love be right, it must mean—the goodwill of Baptista and Bianca towards us.

18 i.e. I will recommend him. 19 Consideration, or reflection.

there be good fellows in the world, an a man could light on them, would take her with all faults, and money enough.

Gre. I cannot tell; but I had as lief take her dowry with this condition,—to be whipped at the high-cross every morning.

Hor. 'Faith, as you say, there's small choice in rotten apples. But, come; since this bar in law makes us friends, it shall be so far forth friendly maintained,- till by helping Baptista's eldest daughter to a husband, we set his youngest free for a husband, and then have to't afresh.—Sweet Bianca!--Happy man be his dole 20! He that runs fastest, gets the ring a1. How say you, signior Gremio ?

Gre. I am agreed: and 'would I had given him the best horse in Padua to begin his wooing, that would thoroughly woo her, wed her, and bed her, and rid the house of her. Come on.

[Exeunt GREMIO and HORTENSIO. Tra. (Advancing.) I pray, sir, tell me,- Is it

possible
That love should of a sudden take such hold ?

Luc. O Tranio, till I found it to be true,
I never thought it possible, or likely;
But see! while idly I stood looking on,
I found the effect of love in idleness :
And now in plainness do confess to thee,-
That art to me as secret, and as dear,
As Anna to the queen of Carthage was,-
Tranio, I burn, I pine, I perish, Tranio,
If I achieve not this young

modest girl:

20 A proverbial expression. Dole is lot, portion. The phrase is of very common occurrence. We have a similar expression in Beaumont and Fletcher's Cupid's Revenge :

* Then happy man be his fortune!' 2 The allusion is probably to the sport of running at the ring, or some similar game.

H

Counsel me, Tranio, for I know thou canst;
Assist me, Tranio, for I know thou wilt.

Tra. Master, it is no time to chide you now;
Affection is not rated 22 from the heart:
If love have touch'd you, nought remains but so,-
Redime te captum quam queas minimo 23.

Luc. Gramercies, lad; go forward : this contents ;
The rest will comfort, for thy counsel's sound.

Tra. Master, you look'd so longly 24 on the maid,
Perhaps you mark'd not what's the pith of all.

Luc. O yes, I saw sweet beauty in her face,
Such as the daughter 25 of Agenor had,
That made great Jove to humble him to her hand,
When with his knees he kiss'd the Cretan strand.
Tra. Saw you no more; mark'd you not, how

her sister
Began to scold; and raise up such a storm,
That mortal ears might hardly endure the din?

Luc. Tranio, I saw her coral lips to move,
And with her breath she did perfume the air ;
Sacred, and sweet, was all I saw in her.
Tra. Nay, then, 'tis time to stir him from his

trance,
I pray, awake, sir; If you love the maid,
Bend thoughts and wits to achieve her. Thus it

stands:
Her elder sister is so curst and shrewd,
That, till the father rid his hands of her,
Master, your love must live a maid at home:
And therefore has he closely mew'd her up,
Because she shall not be annoy'd with suitors.

Luc. Ah, Tranio, what a cruel father's he!

1

22 Is not driven out by chiding.

23 This line is quoted as it appears in Lilly's Grammar, and not as it is in Terence. See Farmer's Essay on the Learning of Shakspeare. 24 Longingly.

25 Europa.

your device.

But art thou not advis'd, he took some care
To get her cunning schoolmasters to instruct her?

Tra. Ay, marry, am I, sir; and now 'tis plotted.
Luc. I have it, Tranio.
Tra.

Master, for my hand, Both our inventions meet and jump in one.

Luc. Tell me thine first.
Tra.

You will be schoolmaster,
And undertake the teaching of the maid :
That's
Luc.

It is : May it be done? Tra. Not possible: For who shall bear your part, And be in Padua here Vincentio's son? Keep house, and ply his book; welcome his friends; Visit his countrymen, and banquet them?

Luc. Basta 26; content thee, for I have it full. We have not yet been seen in any

house; Nor can we be distinguish'd by our faces, For man, or master: then it follows thus:-Thou shalt be master, Tranio, in my stead, Keep house, and port 27, and servants, as I should: I will some other be; some Florentine, Some Neapolitan, or meaner man of Pisa. 'Tis hatch'd, and shall be so: Tranio, at once Uncase thee; take my colour'd hat and cloak: When Biondello comes, he waits on thee; But I will charm him first to keep his tongue.

Tra. So had you need. [They exchange habits.
In brief then, sir, sith o it your pleasure is,
And I am tied to be obedient;
(For so your father charg'd me at our parting ;
Be serviceable to my son, quoth he;
Although, I think, 'twas in another sense ;)
I am content to be Lucentio,
Because so well I love Lucentio.

26 It is enough, Ital.
27 Port is figure, show, appearance.

28 Since.