She may more suitors have and me for one.
Fair Leda's daughter had a thousand wooers;
Then well one more may fair Bianca have :
And so she shall; Lucentio shall make one,
Though Paris came in hope to speed alone.

Gre. What! this gentleman will out-talk us all.
Luc. Sir, give him head: I know he'll prove a
jade.

Pet. Hortensio, to what end are all these words? 250
Hor. Sir, let me be so bold as ask you,

Did you yet ever see Baptista's daughter?
Tra. No, sir; but hear I do that he hath two,
The one as famous for a scolding tongue
As is the other for beauteous modesty.

Pet. Sir, sir, the first 's for me; let her go by.
Gre. Yea, leave that labour to great Hercules;
And let it be more than Alcides' twelve.

Pet. Sir, understand you this of me in sooth:
The youngest daughter whom you hearken for
Her father keeps from all access of suitors,
An will not promise her to any man
Until the elder sister first be wed:
The younger then is free and not before.

Tra. If it be so, sir, that you are the man
Must stead us all and me amongst the rest,
And if you break the ice and do this feat,
Achieve the elder, set the younger free
For our access, whose hap shall be to have her
Will not so graceless be to be ingrate.

Hor. Sir, you say well and well you do conceive;
And since you do profess to be a suitor,
You must, as we do, gratify this gentleman,
To whom we all rest generally beholding.

244. Leda's daughter, Helen. 266. stead us, avail us in this emergency.

273. gratify, reward.

274. beholding, obliged.

260

270

Tra. Sir, I shall not be slack in sign whereof,
Please ye we may contrive this afternoon,
And quaff carouses to our mistress' health,
And do as adversaries do in law,

Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
Gru. Bion. O excellent motion !

be gone.

Fellows, let's

Hor. The motion's good indeed and be it so, Petruchio, I shall be your ben venuto. [Exeunt.

280

ACT II.

SCENE I. Padua. A room in BAPTISTA'S
house.

Enter KATHARINA and BIANCA.

Bian. Good sister, wrong me not, nor wrong yourself,

To make a bondmaid and a slave of me;

That I disdain: but for these other gawds,
Unbind my hands, I'll pull them off myself,
Yea, all my raiment, to my petticoat;
Or what you will command me will I do,
So well I know my duty to my elders.

Kath. Of all thy suitors, here I charge thee,
tell

Whom thou lovest best: see thou dissemble not.
Bian. Believe me, sister, of all the men alive
I never yet beheld that special face

276. contrive, wear away, spend; a non- Shakespearean sense of the word.

278. adversaries, opposing counsel.

280. motion, proposal.

ΤΟ

282. I shall be your ben venuto, I will secure you a welcome.

3. gawas, fineries.

Which I could fancy more than any other.

Kath. Minion, thou liest. Is 't not Hortensio ?
Bian. If you affect him, sister, here I swear
I'll plead for you myself, but you shall have him.
Kath. O then, belike, you fancy riches more:
You will have Gremio to keep you fair.

Bian. Is it for him you do envý me so?
Nay then you jest, and now I well perceive
You have but jested with me all this while :
I prithee, sister Kate, untie my hands.
Kath. If that be jest, then all the rest was so.
[Strikes her.

20

Enter BAPTISTA.

Bap. Why, how now, dame! whence grows this
insolence?

Bianca, stand aside. Poor girl! she weeps.
Go ply thy needle; meddle not with her.
For shame, thou hilding of a devilish spirit,
Why dost thou wrong her that did ne'er wrong
thee?

When did she cross thee with a bitter word?

Kath. Her silence flouts me, and I'll be re

venged.

[Flies after Bianca.

Bap. What, in my sight? Bianca, get thee in.

[Exit Bianca. Kath. What, will you not suffer me? Nay, now

I see

She is your treasure, she must have a husband;
I must dance bare-foot on her wedding-day,

And for your love to her lead apes in hell.

26. hilding (term of abuse), low creature.

33. dance barefoot, i.e. without shoes, the custom of elder

30

unmarried sisters at the wedding of a younger.

34. lead apes in hell, the proverbial fate of old maids.

Talk not to me: I will go sit and weep

Till I can find occasion of revenge.

[Exit

Bap. Was ever gentleman thus grieved as I? But who comes here?

Enter GREMIO, LUCENTIO in the habit of a mean man; PETRUCHIO, with HORTENSIO as a musician; and TRANIO, with BIONDELLO bearing a lute and books.

Gre. Good morrow, neighbour Baptista.

Bap. Good morrow, neighbour Gremio. God save you, gentlemen!

Pet. And you, good sir! Pray, have you not a daughter

Call'd Katharina, fair and virtuous ?

Bap. I have a daughter, sir, called Katharina.
Gre. You are too blunt: go to it orderly.

Pet. You wrong me, Signior Gremio: give me
leave.

I am a gentleman of Verona, sir,

That, hearing of her beauty and her wit,
Her affability and bashful modesty,

Her wondrous qualities and mild behaviour,
Am bold to show myself a forward guest
Within your house, to make mine eye the witness
Of that report which I so oft have heard.
And, for an entrance to my entertainment,
I do present you with a man of mine,

[Presenting Hortensio,
Cunning in music and the mathematics,
To instruct her fully in those sciences,
Whereof I know she is not ignorant :
Accept of him, or else you do me wrong:

His name is Licio, born in Mantua.

40

50

бо

Bap. You're welcome, sir; and he, for your
good sake.

But for my daughter Katharine, this I know,
She is not for your turn, the more my grief.

Pet. I see you do not mean to part with her,
Or else you like not of my company.

Bap. Mistake me not; I speak but as I find. Whence are you, sir? what may I call your name? Pet. Petruchio is my name; Antonio's son,

A man well known throughout all Italy.

Bap. I know him well: you are welcome for his sake.

Gre. Saving your tale, Petruchio, I pray, Let us, that are poor petitioners, speak too: Baccare! you are marvellous forward.

Pet. O, pardon me, Signior Gremio; I would fain be doing.

Gre. I doubt it not, sir; but you will curse your wooing.

70

Neighbour, this is a gift very grateful, I am sure of it. To express the like kindness, myself, that have been more kindly beholding to you than any, freely give unto you this young scholar [presenting Lucentio], that hath been long studying 80 at Rheims; as cunning in Greek, Latin, and other languages, as the other in music and mathematics: his name is Cambio; pray, accept his service.

Bap. A thousand thanks, Signior Gremio. Welcome, good Cambio. [To Tranio] But, gentle sir, methinks you walk like a stranger: may I be so bold to know the cause of your coming? Tra. Pardon me, sir, the boldness is mine own,

69. a man, etc., i.e. Antonio. 73. Baccare, back! retire! a cant term, said to have been

coined in ridicule of some one who affected Latin without having it.