Re-enter Curtis.

Curt. In her chamber, making a fermon of continency to her,

And rails, and fwears, and rates; that the, poor foul,
Knows not which way to ftand, to look, to fpeak;
And fits as one new-rifen from a dream.
Away, away! for he is coming hither.

Re-enter Petruchio.

[Exeunt.

Pet. Thus have I politickly begun my reign,
And 'tis my hope to end fuccefsfully:
My faulcon now is fharp, and paffing empty;
And, till fhe ftoop, fhe must not be full-gorg'd,
For then the never looks upon her lure.

way

Another
3
I have to man my haggard, '
To make her come, and know her keeper's call
That is, to watch her, as we watch thefe kites,
That bait and beat, and will not be obedient.
She eat no meat to-day, nor none shall eat :
Laft night she slept not, nor to-night shall not:
As with the meat, fome undeserved fault
I'll find about the making of the bed;
And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster,
This way the coverlet, another way the sheets:
Ay, and amid this hurly, I intend,

That all is done in reverend care of her;
And, in conclufion, fhe fhall watch all night:
And, if the chance to nod, I'll rail, and brawl,
And with the clamour keep her ftill awake.

3

-to man my baggard,] A baggard is a wild bawk;

to man a hawk is to tame her. JOHNSON.

So in a comedy called The Ifle of Gulls, 1606.

Haggard, I'll make your proud heart ftoop to the lure of obe"dience."

STEEVENS.

This

This is a way to kill a wife with kindnefs ;-
And thus I'll curb her mad and head-ftrong humour.-
He that knows better how to tame a fhrew,
Now let him fpeak; 'tis charity, to fhew.

SCENE II.

Before Baptifta's house.

Enter Tranio and Hortenfio.

[Exit.

Tra. Is't poffible, friend Licio, that miftrefs Bianca+ Doth fancy any other but Lucentio ?

I tell you, fir, fhe bears me fair in hand.

Hor. Sir, to fatisfy you in what I have faid, Stand.by, and mark the manner of his teaching. [They ftand by.

4 Is't poffible, friend Licio, &c.] This fcene, Mr Pope, upon what authority I can't pretend to guefs, has in his editions made the first of the fifth act: in doing which, he has fhewn the very power and force of criticifm. The confequence of this judicious regulation is, that two unpardonable abfurdities are fixed upon the author, which he could not poffibly have committed. For, in the first place, by this fhuffling the fcenes out of their true pofition, we find Hortenfio, in the fourth act, already gone from Baptifla's to Petruchio's country-houfe; and afterwards in the beginning of the fifth act we find him first forming the refolution of quitting Bianca; and Tranio immediately informs us, he is gone to the Taming-fchool to Petruchio. There is a figure, indeed, in rhetorick, call'd, sagov góregov; but this is an abuse of it, which the rhetoricians will never adopt upon Pope's authority. Again, by this mifplacing, the Pedant makes his first entrance, and quits the ftage with Tranio in order to go and dress himself like Vincentio, whom he was to perfonate: but his fecond entrance is upon the very heels of his exit; and without any interval of an act, or one word intervening, he comes out again equipp'd like Vincentio. If fuch a critick be fit to publish a ftage-writer, I fhall not envy Mr. Pope's admirers, if they fhould think fit to applaud his fagacity. I have replaced the scenes in that order, in which I found them in the old books.

Enter Bianca and Lucentio.

Luc. Now, miftress profit you in what you read? Bian. What, mafter, read you? firft, refolve me that.

Luc. I read That I profess, the art to love.
Bian. And may you prove, fir, master of your art!
Luc. While you, fweet dear, prove mistress of my
[They retire backward,

heart,

Hor. Quick proceeders, marry! now, tell me, I

pray

You that durft fwear that your mistress Bianca
Lov'd none in the world fo well as Lucentio.
Tra. O defpightful love! unconftant womankind!
I tell thee, Licio, this is wonderful.

Hor. Miftake no more: I am no Licio,
Nor a musician, as I feem to be;
But one that fcorn to live in this difguife
For fuch a one as leaves a gentleman,
And makes a god of fuch a cullion:
Know, fir, that I am call'd Hortenfio.
Tra. Signior Hortenfio, I have often heard
your entire affection to Bianca;

Of

And fince mine eyes are witness of her lightness,
I will with you, if you be fo contented,
Forfwear Bianca and her love for ever.

Hor. See, how they kifs and court!--Signior
Lucentio,

Here is my hand, and here I firmly vow
Never to woo her more, but do forfwear her,
As one unworthy all the former favours,
That I have fondly flatter'd her withal.

Tra. And here I take the like unfeigned oath,
Never to marry her, though fhe would intreat.
Fy on her fee, how beaftly the doth court him.
Hor. Would all the world, but he, had quite for-

fworn!

For

For me, that I may furely keep mine oath,
I will be married to a wealthy widow,

Ere three days pafs; which has as long lov'd me,
As I have lov'd this proud difdainful baggard :
And fo farewel, fignior Lucentio.

Kindness in women, not their beauteous looks,
Shall win my love: and fo I take my leave,
In refolution as I fwore before.

[Exit Hor.

Tra. Miftrefs Bianca, bless you with fuch grace, As longeth to a lover's bleffed cafe!

Nay, I have ta'en you napping, gentle love,

And have forfworn you, with Hortenfio,

[Lucentio and Bianca come forward.

Bian. Tranio, you jeft: but have you both forfworn me?

Tra. Mistress, we have.

Luc. Then we are rid of Licio.

Tra. I'faith, he'll have a lufty widow now, That fhall be woo'd and wedded in a day.

Bian. God give him joy!

Tra. Ay, and he'll tame her.

Bian. He fays fo, Tranio.

Tra. 'Faith he is gone unto the taming school. Bian. The taming fchool! what, is there fuch a place?

Tra. Ay, mistress, and Petruchio is the master; That teacheth tricks eleven and twenty long, To tame a fhrew, and charm her chattering tongue.

Enter Biondello, running.

Bion. Oh master, mafter, I have watch'd fo long, That I'm dog-weary; but at laft I spied

* An ancient angel going down the hill,

Will

4 An ancient angel.] For angel Mr. Theobald, and after him Sir T. Hanmer and Dr. Warburton read engle. JOHNSON.

E e 4

It

Will ferve the turn.

Tra. What is he, Biondello?

5

Bion. Mafter, a mercatante, or a pedant,
I know not what; but formal in apparel,
In gait and countenance furely like a father."
Luc. And what of him, Tranio?

Tra. If he be credulous, and truft my tale,
I'll make him glad to feem Vincentio ;
And give him affurance to Baptifta Minola,
As if he were the right Vincentio.

Take in your love, and then let me alone.

[Exeunt Lucentio and Bianca,

Enter a Pedant.

Ped. God fave you, fir!

Tra. And you, fir! you are welcome.
Travel you far on, or are you at the fartheft?
Ped. Sir, at the fartheft for a week or two;
But then up farther, and as far as Rome;
And fo to Tripoly, if God lend me life.
Tra. What countryman, I pray?

Ped. Of Mantua.

It is true that the word engble, which Hanmer calls a gull, deriving it from engluer, Fr. to catch with bird-lime) is fometimes ufed by B. Jonfon. It cannot, however, bear that meaning at prefent, asBiondello confeffes his ignorance of the quality of the perfon who is afterwards perfuaded to reprefent the father of Lucentio. The precife meaning of it is not afcertained in Jonfon, neither is the word to be found in any of the original copies of Shakespeare.

STEEVENS.

5 Mafter, a mercatante, or a pedant.] The old editions read marcantant. The Italian word mercatante is frequently ufed in the old plays for a merchant, and therefore I have made no fcruple of placing it here. The modern editors, who printed the word as they found it fpelt in the folio and quarto, were obliged to fupply a fyllable to make out the verfe, which the Italian pronunciation renders unneceffary. STEEVENS.

Surely, like a father.] I know not what he is, fays the peaker, however this is certain, he has the gait and countenance of a fatherly man. WARBURTON.

Tra