Yet if thy thoughts, Bianca, be so humble,
To cast thy wand'ring eyes on every stale,
Seize thee, that list: If once I find thee ranging,
Hortensio will be quit with thee by changing.

SCENE II.

The same. Before Baptista's House.

[Exit.

Enter BAPTISTA, GREMIO, TRANio, Katharine,
BIANCA, LUCENTIO, and Attendants.

Bap. Signior Lucentio, [to TRANIO,] this is the 'pointed day

That Katharine and Petruchio should be married,
And yet we hear not of our son-in-law :

What will be said? what mockery will it be,

To want the bridegroom, when the priest attends

To speak the ceremonial rites of marriage?

What says Lucentio to this shame of ours?

Kath. No shame but mine: I must, forsooth, be forc'd

To give my hand, oppos'd against my heart,

Unto a mad-brain rudesby, full of spleen ;2

Who woo'd in haste, and means to wed at leisure.
I told you, I, he was a frantick fool,

Hiding his bitter jests in blunt behaviour:
And, to be noted for a merry man,

He'll woo a thousand, 'point the day of marriage,
Make friends, invite, yest, and proclaim the banns;
Yet never means to wed where he hath woo'd.
Now must the world point at poor Katharine,
And say, Lo, there is mad Petruchio's wife,
If it would please him come and marry her.

2

constancy.

-full of spleen;] that is, full of humour, caprice, and inJOHNSON.

+ Mr. Malone reads, "invite them, and," &c.

Tra. Patience, good Katharine, and Baptista too;
Upon my life, Petruchio means but well,
Whatever fortune stays him from his word:
Though he be blunt, I know him passing wise;
Though he be merry, yet withal he's honest.

Kath. 'Would Katharine had never seen him though! [Exit, weeping, followed by BIANCA, and others. Bap. Go, girl; I cannot blame thee now to weep; For such an injury would vex a saint,†

Much more a shrew of thy impatient humour.

Enter BIONDELLO.

Bion, Master, master! news, old news, and such news as you never heard of!

Bap. Is it new and old too? how may that be?

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 stands where I am, and sees you there.

Tra. But, say, what:-To thine old news.

Bion. Why, Petruchio is coming, in a new hat, and an old jerkin; a pair of old breeches, thrice turned; a pair of boots that have been candle-cases, one buckled, another laced; an old rusty sword ta'en out of the town armory, with a broken hilt, and chapeless; with two broken points3: His horse hipped with an old mothy saddle, the stirrups of no kindred: besides, possessed with the glanders, and like to mose in the chine; troubled with the lampass, infected with the

vex a very saint,"- MALONE.

two broken points:] i. e. two broken tags to the laces.

fashions, full of wind-galls, sped with spavins, raied with the yellows, past cure of the fives, stark spoiled with the staggers, begnawn with the bots; swayed in the back, and shoulder-shotten; ne'er legged before", and with a half-checked bit, and a head-stall of sheep's leather; which, being restrained to keep him from stumbling, hath been often burst, and now repaired with knots: one girt six times pieced, and a woman's crupper of velure, which hath two letters for her name, fairly set down in studs, and here and there pieced with packthread.

Bap. Who comes with him?

Bion. O, sir, his lackey, for all the world caparisoned like the horse; with a linen stock on one leg, and a kersey boot-hose on the other, gartered with a red and blue list; an old hat, and The humour of forty fancies pricked in't for a feathers: a monster, a very monster in apparel; and not like a christian footboy, or a gentleman's lackey.

Tra. 'Tis some odd humour pricks him to this fashion

Yet oftentimes he goes but mean apparell'd.

Bap. I am glad he is come, howsoe'er he comes.
Bion. Why, sir, he comes not.

Bap. Didst thou not say, he comes?

4 -infected with the fashions, Fashions. So called in the West of

writers on farriery, farcens or farcy.

past cure of the fives,] England, but by the best Fives. So called in the

West: vives elsewhere, and avives by the French; a distemper in horses, little differing from the strangles. GREY.

5

6

7

8

ne'er legged before.] i. e. founder'd in his fore-feet.
crupper of velure,] Velure is velvet. Velours, Fr.
stock] i. e. stocking.

an old hat, and The humour of forty fancies pricked in't for a feather:] This was some ballad or drollery at that time, which the poet here ridicules, by making Petruchio prick it up in his foot-boy's hat for a feather. His speakers are perpetually quoting scraps and stanzas of old ballads, and often very obscurely; for, so well are they adapted to the occasion, that they seem of a piece with the rest. WARBURTON.

Bion. Who? that Petruchio came?

Bap. Ay, that Petruchio came.

Bion. No, sir; I say, his horse comes with him on his back.

Bap. Why, that's all one.

Bion. Nay, by saint Jamy, I hold you a penny, A horse and a man is more than one, and yet not many.

Enter PETRUCHIO and GRUMIO.

Pet. Come, where be these gallants? who is at home? Bap. You are welcome, sir.

Pet.

Bap. And yet you halt not.
Tra.

As I wish you were.

And yet I come not well.

Not so well apparell'd

Pet. Were it better I should 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 saw some wondrous monument,
Some comet, or unusual prodigy?

Bap. Why, sir, you know, this is your wedding-day:
First were we sad, fearing you would not come;
Now sadder, that you come so unprovided.
Fye! doff this habit, shame to your estate,
An eye-sore to our solemn festival.

Tra. And tell us, what occasion of import Hath all so long detain'd you from your wife, And sent you hither so unlike yourself?

Pet. Tedious it were to tell, and harsh to hear :

Sufficeth, I am come to keep my word,
Though in some part enforced to digress;
Which at more leisure, I will so excuse
As you shall well be satisfied withal.

9

But, where is Kate? I stay too long from her;
The morning wears, 'tis time we were at church.

9 to digress;] To deviate from my promise.

Tra. See not your bride in these unreverent robes; Go to my chamber, put on clothes of mine.

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

Bap. But thus, I trust, you will not marry her.
Pet. Good sooth, even thus: therefore have done
with words;

To me she's married, not unto my clothes:
Could I repair what she will wear in me,
As I can 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 seal the title with a lovely kiss?

[Exeunt PETRUCHIO, GRUMIO, and BIONDELLO. Tra. He hath some meaning in his mad attire: We will persuade him, be it possible,

To put on better ere he go to church.

Bap. I'll after him, and see the event of this. {Exit.

Tra. But, sir, to her 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 shall be Vincentio of Pisa;
And make assurance, here in Padua,
Of greater sums than I have promised.
So shall you quietly enjoy your hope,
And marry sweet Bianca with consent.

Luc. Were it not that my fellow schoolmaster
Doth watch Bianca's steps so narrowly,
"Twere good, methinks, to steal our marriage;
Which once perform'd, let all the world say-no,
I'll keep mine own despite of all the world.

Tra. That by degrees we mean to look into,
And watch our 'vantage in this business :
We'll over-reach the greybeard, Gremio,
The narrow-prying father, Minola :