THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

INDUCTION.

SCENE I. Before an alehouse on a heath.

Enter HOSTESS and SLY.

Sly. I'll pheeze you, in faith.

Host. A pair of stocks, you rogue!

Sly. Ye are a baggage: the Slys are no rogues; look in the chronicles; we came in with Richard Conqueror. Therefore paucas pallabris; let the

world slide: sessa!

Host. You will not pay for the glasses you have burst?

Sly. No, not a denier. to thy cold bed, and warm

1. pheeze, chastise, pay off (a low word, only used elsewhere in Shakespeare by Ajax in Tr. and Cr.).

5. paucas pallabris, Sly's corruption of Spanish pocas palabras, few words,' silence!' a learned tag much affected by the pretentious vulgar. 'Palabras' is Dogberry's reproof to Verges (Much Ado, iii. 5.).

6. sessa, probably a cry encouraging to swift running.

9. denier, a coin of very small

Go by, Jeronimy: go thee.

value.

10

9. Go by, Jeronimy, a hackneyed scrap from Kyd's Spanish Tragedy, where the hero, Jeronymo, finding himself in a perilous situation, addresses himself nearly in these words. F1 has S. Jeronymy, probably through a misprint of S. for? (i.e. !). Delius thought Sly was meant to confuse Jeronymo with Saint Jerome, but this is unlikely. Go to thy cold bed, and warm thee, was a similar scrap.

Host. I know my remedy; I must go fetch the third-borough.

[Exit. Sly. Third, or fourth, or fifth borough, I'll answer him by law: I'll not budge an inch, boy: let him come, and kindly. [Falls asleep.

Horns winded.

Enter a Lord from hunting, with his train.

Lord. Huntsman, I charge thee, tender well my hounds:

Brach Merriman, the poor cur is emboss'd;

And couple Clowder with the deep-mouth'd brach.
Saw'st thou not, boy, how Silver made it good
At the hedge-corner, in the coldest fault?
I would not lose the dog for twenty pound.
First Hun. Why, Belman is as good as he, my
lord;

He cried upon it at the merest loss

And twice to-day pick'd out the dullest scent:
Trust me, I take him for the better dog.

Lord. Thou art a fool: if Echo were as fleet,
I would esteem him worth a dozen such.
But sup them well and look unto them all:
To-morrow I intend to hunt again.

First Hun. I will, my lord.

Lord. What's here? one dead, or drunk? See, doth he breathe?

Sec. Hun. He breathes, my lord. Were he not warm'd with ale,

This were a bed but cold to sleep so soundly.

12. third-borough, constable. 16. tender, care for.

17. Brach is probably wrong; leech, breathe, trash (i.e. hold in) have been variously proposed.

20

30

17. emboss'd, worn out. 18. brach, female hound. 23. cried upon it at the merest loss, found the scent when it seemed totally lost.

And that his lady mourns at his disease:
Persuade him that he hath been lunatic;
And when he says he is, say that he dreams,
For he is nothing but a mighty lord.
This do and do it kindly, gentle sirs:

It will be pastime passing excellent,
If it be husbanded with modesty.

First Hun. My lord, I warrant you we will play
our part,

As he shall think by our true diligence
He is no less than what we say he is.

Lord. Take him up gently and to bed with him ;
And each one to his office when he wakes.

[Some bear out Sly. A trumpet sounds. Sirrah, go see what trumpet 'tis that sounds:

[Exit Servingman.

Belike, some noble gentleman that means,
Travelling some journey, to repose him here.

Now, fellows, you are welcome.

Players. We thank your honour.

64. when he says he is, i.e. lunatic. This (Mr. Grant White's) interpretation is more satisfactory than to suppose a hiatus after is, or the loss of a line. Sly is to be persuaded that he has been lunatic, in order to explain how he had come to fancy himself a tinker; and

70

80

when he declares that he must still be one, to have his present hallucinations of lordship,' tell him this fear is baseless, for he is a lord in fact.

66. kindly, with truth to nature, vraisemblance.

68. husbanded with modesty, not overdone.

Lord. Do you intend to stay with me to-night?
A Player. So please your lordship to accept our
duty.

Lord. With all my heart. This fellow I remember,
Since once he play'd a farmer's eldest son :
'Twas where you woo'd the gentlewoman so well:
I have forgot your name; but, sure, that part
Was aptly fitted and naturally perform'd.

A Player. I think 'twas Soto that your honour

means.

Lord. 'Tis very true: thou didst it excellent.
Well, you are come to me in happy time;
The rather for I have some sport in hand
Wherein your cunning can assist me much.
There is a lord will hear you play to-night :
But I am doubtful of your modesties;
Lest over-eyeing of his odd behaviour,-
For yet his honour never heard a play—
You break into some merry passion
And so offend him; for I tell you, sirs,
If you should smile he grows impatient.

A Player. Fear not, my lord: we can contain
ourselves,

Were he the veriest antic in the world.

Lord. Go, sirrah, take them to the buttery, And give them friendly welcome every one: Let them want nothing that my house affords.

[Exit one with the Players. Sirrah, go you to Barthol'mew my page, And see him dress'd in all suits like a lady:

85. gentlewoman; trisyllabic (géntlooman).

88. For A Player, the F and Q here substitute Sincklo, the name of a player in Shakespeare's company.

90. happy, opportune.

92. cunning, skill.

90

100

95. over-eyeing, witnessing. 97. merry passion, fit of merriment.

101. antic, buffoon, zany. 106. in all suits, in all points.

C