If you should die before him, where's her
dower?

Tra. That's but a cavil: he is old, I young.
Gre. And may not young men die, as well as old?
Bap. Well, gentlemen,

400

I am thus resolved: on Sunday next you know
My daughter Katharine is to be married:
Now, on the Sunday following, shall Bianca
Be bride to you, if you make this assurance;
If not, to Signior Gremio:

And so, I take my leave, and thank you both.
Gre. Adieu, good neighbor. [Exit Baptista.
Now I fear thee not:

410

Sirrah young gamester, your father were a fool
To give thee all, and in his waning age
Set foot under thy table: tut, a toy!

An old Italian fox is not so kind, my boy.

[Exit.

Tra. A vengeance on your crafty wither'd hide!
Yet I have faced it with a card of ten.
'Tis in my head to do my master good:
I see no reason but supposed Lucentio
Must get a father, call'd-supposed Vincentio;
And that's a wonder: fathers commonly
Do get their children; but in this case of wooing,
A child shall get a sire, if I fail not of my cun-
[Exit. 420

ing.

ACT THIRD

SCENE I

Padua. Baptista's house.

Enter Lucentio, Hortensio, and Bianca.

Luc. Fiddler, forbear; you grow too forward, sir: Have you so soon forgot the entertainment Her sister Katharine welcomed you withal? Hor. But, wrangling pedant, this is

The patroness of heavenly harmony: Then give me leave to have prerogative; And when in music we have spent an hour, Your lecture shall have leisure for as much. Luc. Preposterous ass, that never read so far To know the cause why music was ordain'd! 10 Was it not to refresh the mind of man After his studies or his usual pain?

Then give me leave to read philosophy,

And while I pause, serve in your harmony. Hor. Sirrah, I will not bear these braves of thine. Bian. Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong,

4. Theobald proposed "she is a shrew, but, wrangling pedant, this is"; evidently some words are lost, but it is useless to attempt the restoration of the line, as there is no evidence.-I. G.

9. "Preposterous," here in its literal sense, of one who inverts the natural order of things.-C. H. H.

"so far to know," far enough to know.-C. H. H.

20

To strive for that which resteth in my choice: I am no breeching scholar in the schools; I'll not be tied to hours nor 'pointed times, But learn my lessons as I please myself. And, to cut off all strife, here sit we down: Take you your instrument, play you the whiles; His lecture will be done ere you have tuned. Hor. You'll leave his lecture when I am in tune? Luc. That will be never; tune your instrument. Bian. Where left we last?

Luc. Here, madam:

'Hic ibat Simois; hic est Sigeia tellus; Hic steterat Priami regia celsa senis.'

Bian. Construe them.
Luc. 'Hic 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 Lu-
centio 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.
Bian. Let's hear. O fie! the treble jars.
Luc. Spit in the hole, man, and tune again.
Bian. Now let me see if I can construe it:

'Hic ibat Simois,' I know you not,-'hic
est Sigeia 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.

30

40

Luc.

All but the base.

Hor. The base is right; 'tis the base knave that jars. [Aside] How fiery and forward our pedant is!

50

Now, for my life, the knave doth court my love:
Pedascule, I'll watch you better yet.

Bian. In time I may believe, yet I mistrust.
Luc. Mistrust it not; for, sure, Æacides

Was Ajax, call'd 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,

59

That I have been thus pleasant with you both. Hor. You may go walk, and give me leave a while: My lessons make no music in three parts. Luc. Are you so formal, sir? well, I must wait, [Aside] And watch withal; for, but I be deceived,

Our fine musician groweth amorous. Hor. Madam, before you touch the instrument, To learn the order of my fingering, I must begin with rudiments of art; To teach you gamut in a briefer sort, More pleasant, pithy, and effectual, Than hath been taught by any of my trade: And there it is in writing, fairly drawn.

70

52. "Eacides was Ajax"; this is only said to deceive Hortensio, who is supposed to be listening. The pedigree of Ajax, however, is properly made out.-H. N. H.

61. “formal,” precise.-C. H. H.

Bian. Why, I am past my gamut long ago.
Hor. Yet read the gamut of Hortensio.
Bian. [reads] "Gamut' I am, the ground of all
accord,

'A re,' to plead Hortensio's passion;
'B mi,' Bianca, take him for thy lord,
'C fa ut,' that loves with all affection:

'D sol re,' one clef, two notes have I:
'E la mi,' show pity, or I die."

80

Call you this gamut? tut, I like it not:

Old fashions please me best; I am not so nice,
To change true rules for old inventions.
Enter a Servant.

Serv. Mistress, your father prays you leave your books,

And help to dress your sister's chamber up: You know to-morrow is the wedding-day. Bian. Farewell, sweet masters both; I must be

gone.

[Exeunt Bianca and Servant.

73. "gamut," the scale.-C. H. H.

82. "I am not so nice"; one of the ancient meanings of nice was silly, foolish. Thus in Chaucer's Wif of Bathes Tale: "But say that we ben wise and nothing nice." Likewise in Gower:

"A tale of them that be so nice,

And feignen them selfe to be wise,

I shall the tell in such a wise."

And in Romeo and Juliet, Act v. sc. 2: "The letter was not nice, but full of charge, of dear import."-In the original the next line reads, "To charge true rules for old inventions." Charge was a frequent misprint for change, and was so corrected in the folio of 1632. Theobald changed old into odd; which is evidently right, as the speaker has just said, "Old fashions please me best." Besides, old and inventions will hardly go together.-H. N. H.