She eat no meat to-day, nor none shall eat; Last night she slept not, nor to-night she shall not; As with the meat, some undeserved fault I'll find about the making of the bed; And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster, That all is done in reverend care of her; [Exit. SCENE II. Padua. Before Baptista's House. Enter TRANIO and HORTENSIO. Tra. Is't possible, friend Licio, that Bianca Doth fancy any other but Lucentio ? I tell you, sir, she bears me fair in hand. Hor. Sir, to satisfy you in what I have said, Stand by, and mark the manner of his teaching. [They stand aside. Enter BIANCA and LUCENTIO. Luc. Now, mistress, profit you in what you read? Bian. What, master, read you? first resolve me that. Luc. I read that I profess the art to love. Bian. And may you prove, sir, master of your art! 24 Intend is used for pretend. As again in K. Richard III. 'Intending deep suspicion.' Hor. Quick proceeders, marry! Now, tell me, I pray, You that durst swear that your mistress Bianca Tra. O despiteful love! unconstant womankind!I tell thee, Licio, this is wonderful. Hor. Mistake no more: I am not Licio, But one that scorn to live in this disguise, Tra. Signior Hortensio, I have often heard Of your entire affection to Bianca ; And since mine eyes are witness of her lightness, you,-if you Hor. See, how they kiss and court! Lucentio, -- -Signior Here is my hand, and here I firmly vow— Tra. And here I take the like unfeigned oath,Ne'er to marry with her though she would entreat: Fye on her! see, how beastly she doth court him. Hor. 'Would, all the world, but he, had quite forsworn! For me, that I may surely keep mine oath, Ere three days pass; which hath as long loved me, Kindness in women, not their beauteous looks, 1 Coglione, a cuglion, a gull, a meacock,' says Florio. It is equivalent to a great booby. Shall win my love:—and so I take my leave, [Exit HORTENSIO.-LUCENTIO and BIANCA Tra. Mistress Bianca, bless you with such grace As 'longeth to a lover's blessed case! Nay, I have ta'en you napping, gentle love; Bian. Tranio, you jest; But have you both forsworn me? Tra. Mistress, we have. Luc. Then we are rid of Licio. Tra. I'faith, he'll have a lusty widow now, That shall be woo'd and wedded in a day. Bian. God give him joy! Tra. Ay, and he'll tame her. Bian. says so, Tranio. Tra. 'Faith, he is gone unto the taming-school. Bian. The taming-school! what, is there such a place? He Tra. Ay, mistress, and Petruchio is the master: That teacheth tricks eleven and twenty long,To tame a shrew, and charm2 her chattering tongue. Enter BIONDELLO, running. Bio. O master, master, I have watch'd so long That I'm dog-weary; but at last I spied An ancient angel3 coming down the hill, 2 So in King Henry VI. Part III. 'Peace, wilful boy, or I will charm your tongue.' In Psalm lviii. we read of the charmer who charms wisely, in order to quell the fury of the adder. 3 For angel, Theobald, and after him Hanmer and Warburton, read engle; which Hanmer calls a gull, deriving it from engluer, French, to catch with bird-lime; but without sufficient reason. Mr. Gifford, in a note on Jonson's Poetaster, is decidedly in favour of enghle with Hanmer's explanation, and supports it by referring to Gascoigne's Supposes, from which Shakspeare took Tra. What is he, Biondello? Bion. Master, a mercatantè, or a pedant, Tra. If he be credulous, and trust my tale, [Exeunt LUCENTIO and BIANCA. Enter a Pedant. Ped. God save you, sir! Tra. And you, sir! you are welcome. Travel you far on, or are you at the furthest? this part of his plot. 'There Erostrato, the Biondello of Shakspeare, looks out for a person to gull by an idle story, judges from appearances that he has found him, and is not deceived:At the foot of the hill I met a gentleman, and as methought by his habits and his looks he should be none of the wisest. Again, 'this gentleman being, as I guessed at the first, a man of small sapientia.' And Dulippo (the Lucentio of Shakspeare), as soon as he spies him coming, exclaims, 'Is this he? go meet him: by my troth, HE LOOKS LIKE A GOOD SOUL, he that fisheth for him might be sure to catch a codshead.' Act ii. Sc. 1. These are the passages (says Mr. Gifford) which our great poet had in view; and these, I trust, are more than sufficient to explain why Biondello concludes at first sight, that this "ancient piece of formality" will serve his turn.' This is very true, and yet it is not necessary to change the reading of the old copy, which is undoubtedly correct, though the commentators could not explain it. An ancient angel then was neither more nor less than the good soul of Gascoigne; or as Cotgrave (often the best commentator on Shakspeare) explains it, ' AN OLD ANGEL, by metaphor, a fellow of th' old sound honest and worthie stamp,' un angelot à gros escaille.' One who, being honest himself, suspects no guile in others, and is therefore easily duped. I am quite of Mr. Nares's opinion, that enghle is only a different spelling of ingle, which is often used for a favourite, and originally meant one of the most detestable kind; we have no example adduced of it ever having been used for a gull. 4 i, e. a merchant or a schoolmaster. Ped. Sir, at the furthest for a week or two: Ped. Of Mantua. Tra. Of Mantua, sir?-marry, God forbid! And come to Padua, careless of your life? Ped. My life, sir! how, I pray? for that goes hard. To come to Padua: Know you not the cause? Ped. Ay, sir, in Pisa have I often been; Tra. Among them, know you one Vincentio? Ped. I know him not, but I have heard of him; A merchant of incomparable wealth. Tra. He is my father, sir; and, sooth to say, In countenance somewhat doth resemble you. Bion. As much as an apple doth an oyster, and all one. Tra. To save your life in this extremity, This favour will I do you for his sake; [Aside. And think it not the worst of all your fortunes, His name and credit shall you undertake, And in my house you shall be friendly lodged ; |