Luc. Preposterous ass! that never read so far Hor. Sirrah, I will not bear these braves of thine. Bian. Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong, [To BIANCA.-HORTENSIO retires, Luc. That will be never !--Tune your instrument. Bian. Where left we last ? Luc. Here, madam.- Bian. Construe them. Luc. Hac ibat, as I told you before,-Simois, I am Lucentio, - hic est, son unto Vincentio of Pisa,—Sigeia tellus, disguised thus to get your love; -Hic steterat, and that Lucentio that comes a wooing, Priami, is my man Tranio, – regia, bearing my port,-celsa senis, that we might beguile the old pantaloon. Hor. Madam, my instrument's in tune. [Returning. Bian. Let's hear. [HORTENSIO plays. O fie! The treble jars. Luc. Spit in the hole, man, and tune again. Bian. Now let me see if I can construe it. Hac ibat Simois, I know you not; - hic est Sigcia tellus, I trust you not;— Hic steterat Priami, take heed he hear us not; regia,presume not; - celsa senis, despair not. Hor. Madam, 'tis now in tune. All but the base. Bian. In time I may believe, yet I mistrust. Luc. Mistrust it not; for sure, Æacides Was Ajax,- called so from his grandfather. Bian. I must believe my master; else, I promise you, I should be arguing still upon that doubt. But let it rest.-Now, Licio, to you.Good masters, take it not unkindly, pray, That I have been thus pleasant with you both. Hor. You may go walk, [To LUCENTIO.] and give me leave awhile; Luc. Are you so formal, sir? Well, I must wait [Aside. Bian. Why, I am past my gamut long ago. A re, to plead Hortensio's passion ; C faut, that loves with all affection ; E la mi, show pity, or I die. Enter a Servant. [Exeunt BIANCA and Servant. Luc. 'Faith, mistress, then I have no cause to stay. - [Exit. Hor. But I have cause to pry into this pedant; Methinks he looks as though he were in love.Yet if thy thoughts, Bianca, be so humble, To cast thy wandering eyes on every stale, Seize thee that list. If once I find thee ranging, Hortensio will be quit with thee by changing. [Exit. SCENE II. The same. Before Baptista's House. Enter BAPTISTA, GREMIO, TRANIO, KATHARINA, BIANCA, LUCENTIO, and Attendants. day, Kath. No shame but mine. I must, forsooth, be forced 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 very saint, Much more a shrew of thy impatient humor. 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? with the yellows, pawn with the bed before ; Bap. When will he be here? 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 points. 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 fashions, full of windgalls, 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 halfchecked 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 å kersey boothose on the other, gartered with a red and blue list; an old hat, and The humor of forty fancies, pricked in't for a feather: a monster, a very monster in apparel; and not like a Christian footboy, or a gentleman's lackey. Tra. 'Tis some odd humor pricks him to this fashion ! Yet oftentimes he goes but mean apparelled. Bap. I am glad he is come, howsoever he comes. 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. And yet I come not well. Bap. And yet you halt not. Tra. Not so well apparelled As I wish you were. 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. Fie! doff this habit, shame to your estate, An eye-sore to our solemn festival. Tra. And tell us, what occasion of import Pet. Tedious it were to tell, and harsh to hear : 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. words; [Exeunt PET., GRU., and Bion. Bap. I'll after him, and see the event of this. [Exit. Tra. But, sir, to her love concerneth us to add |