You knew my father well; and in him, me,
Left solely heir to all his lands and goods,
Which I have better'd rather than decreas'd:
Then tell me, if I get your daughter's love,
What dowry shall I have with her to wife?

Bap. After my death, the one half of my lands:
And, in possession, twenty thousand crowns.
Pet. And, for that dowry, I'll assure her of
Her widowhood,5-be it that she survive me,-
In all my lands and leases whatsoever:
Let specialties be therefore drawn between us,
That covenants may be kept on either hand.

Bap. Ay, when the special thing is well obtain’d,
This is, her love; for that is all in all.

Pet. Why, that is nothing; for I tell you, father,
I am as peremptory as she proud-minded;
And where two raging fires meet together,
They do consume the thing that feeds their fury:
Though little fire grows great with little wind,
Yet extreme gusts will blow out fire and all:
So I to her, and so she yields to me;

For I am rough, and woo not like a babe.

Bap. Well may'st thou woo, and happy be thy speed! But be thou arm'd for some unhappy words.

Pet. Ay, to the proof; as mountains are for winds, That shake not, though they blow perpetually.

Re-enter HORTENSIO, with his head broken.

Bap. How now, my friend? why dost thou look so pale?

4 And every day I cannot come to woo.] This is the burthen of part of an old ballad, entitled The Ingenious Braggadocio:

"And I cannot come every day to wooe."

It appears also from a quotation in Puttenham's Arte of English Poesie, 1589, that it was a line in his Interlude, entitled The Woer: "Iche pray you good mother tell our young dame "Whence I am come, and what is my name;

5

"I cannot come a woing every day." Steevens.

I'll assure her of

Her widowhood,] Sir T. Hanmer reads for her widowhood. The reading of the old copy is harsh to our ears, but it might have been the phraseology of the time. Malone.

Perhaps we should read-on her widowhood. In the old copies on and of are not unfrequently confounded, through the printers' inattention. Steevens.

Hor. For fear, I promise you, if I look pale.
Bap. What, will my daughter prove a good musician?
Hor. I think, she 'll sooner prove a soldier;

Iron may hold with her, but never lutes.

Bap. Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute? Hor. Why, no; for she hath broke the lute to me. I did but tell her, she mistook her frets,"

And bow'd her hand to teach her fingering;

When, with a most impatient devilish spirit,
Frets, call you these? quoth she: I'll fume with them:
And, with that word, she struck me on the head,
And through the instrument my pate made way;
And there I stood amazed for a while,
As on a pillory, looking through the lute:
While she did call me,-rascal fiddler,
And-twangling Jack; with twenty such vile terms,
As she had studied to misuse me so.

Pet. Now, by the world, it is a lusty wench;
I love her ten times more than e'er I did:

O, how I long to have some chat with her!

Bap. Well, go with me, and be not so discomfited:
Proceed in practice with my younger daughter;
She's apt to learn, and thankful for good turns.—
Signior Petruchio, will you go
with us;

Or shall I send my daughter Kate to you?
Pet. I pray you do; I will attend her here,-

[Exeunt BAP. GRE. TRA. and HOR.

her frets,] A fret is that stop of a musical instrument which causes or regulates the vibration of the string. Johnson. 7 And-twangling Jack;] Of this contemptuous appellation I know not the precise meaning. Something like it, however, occurs in Magnificence, an ancient folio interlude by Skelton, printed by Rastell:

66 ye wene I were some hafter,

"Or ellys some jangelynge jacke of the vale." Steevens. To twangle is a provincial expression, and signifies to flourish capriciously on an instrument, as performers often do after having tuned it, previous to their beginning a regular composition. Henley.

Twangling Fack is, mean, paltry lutanist. Malone.

I do not see with Mr. Malone, that twangling Jack means "paltry lutanist," though it may "paltry musician." Douce. she had-] In the old copy these words are accidentally transposed. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. Malone.

8

And woo her with some spirit when she comes.
Say, that she rail; Why, then I'll tell her plain,
She sings as sweetly as a nightingale:

Say, that she frown; I'll say, she looks as clear
As morning roses newly wash'd with dew:9
Say, she be mute, and will not speak a word;
Then I'll commend her volubility,

And say-she uttereth piercing eloquence:
If she do bid me pack, I'll give her thanks,
As though she bid me stay by her a week;
If she deny to wed, I'll crave the day

When I shall ask the banns, and when be married :—
But here she comes; and now, Petruchio, speak.

Enter KATHARINA.

Good morrow, Kate;1 for that 's your name, I hear.

9 As morning roses newly wash'd with dew:] Milton has honoured this image by adopting it in his Allegro:

Steevens.

"And fresh-blown roses wash'd in dew." 1 Good-morrow, Kate; &c.] Thus, in the original play: "Feran. Twenty good-morrows to my lovely Kate. "Kate. You jeast I am sure; is she yours already? "Feran. I tel thee Kate, I know thou lov'st me wel. "Kate. The divel you do; who told you so?

"Feran. My mind, sweet Kate, doth say I am the man, "Must wed, and bed, and marrie bonnie Kate.

"Kate. Was ever seene so grosse an asse as this? "Feran. I, to stand so long and never get a kisse. "Kate. Hands off, I say, and get you from this place; "Or I will set my ten commandments in your face.

"Feran. I prithy do, Kate; they say thou art a shrew, "And I like thee better, for I would have thee so.

"Kate. Let go my hand, for feare it reach your eare. "Feran. No, Kate, this hand is mine, and I thy love. "Kate. Yfaith, sir, no; the woodcoke wants his taile. "Feran. But yet his bil will serve, if the other faile.

66

Alfon. How now, Ferando? what [says] my daughter? "Feran. Shee's willing, sir, and loves me as her life. "Kate. "Tis for your skin then, but not to be your wife. Alfon. Come hither, Kate, and let me give thy hand, "To him that I have chosen for thy love;

"And thou to-morrow shalt be wed to him.

"Kate. Why, father, what do you mean to do with me, "To give me thus unto this brainsicke man, "That in his mood cares not to murder me?

[She turnes aside and speaks. "But yet I will consent and marry him,

Kath. Well have you heard, but something hard of

hearing;2

They call me-Katharine, that do talk of me.

Pet. You lie, in faith; for you are call'd plain Kate, And bonny Kate, and sometimes Kate the curst; But Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom, Kate of Kate-Hall, my super-dainty Kate, For dainties are all cates: and therefore, Kate, Take this of me, Kate of my consolation;— Hearing thy mildness prais'd in every town, Thy virtues spoke of, and thy beauty sounded, (Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs)

Myself am mov'd to woo thee for my wife.

Kath. Mov'd! in good time: let him that mov'd you

hither,

Remove you hence: I knew you at the first,

Kath. Asses are made to bear, and so are you.
Pet. Women are made to bear, and so are you.
Kath. No such jade, sir, as you, if me you mean.

4

"(For I methinkes have liv'd too long a maide)
"And match him too, or else his manhood's good.

66

Alfon. Give me thy hand: Ferando loves thee well, "And will with wealth and ease maintaine thy state.

"Here Ferando, take her for thy wife,

"And Sunday next shall be our wedding-day.

"Feran. Why so, did I not tel thee I should be the man? "Father, I leave my lovely Kate with you.

"Provide yourselves against our marriage day,

"For I must hie me to my country-house

"In haste, to see provision may be made

"To entertaine my Kate when she doth come," &c. Steevens.

2 Well have you heard, but something hard of hearing;] A poor quibble was here intended. It appears from many old English books that heard was pronounced in our author's time, as if it were written hard. Malone.

3 A joint-stool.] This is a proverbial expression:

"Cry you mercy, I took you for a join'd stool." See Ray's Collection. It is likewise repeated as a proverb in Mother Bombie, a comedy, by Lyly, 1594, and by the Fool in King Lear. Steevens.

Pet. Alas, good Kate! I will not burden thee:
For, knowing thee to be but young and light,—
Kath. Too light for such a swain as you to catch:
And yet as heavy as my weight should be.

Pet. Should be? should buz.

Kath.
Well ta'en, and like a buzzard.
Pet. O, slow-wing'd turtle! shall a buzzard take thee?
Kath. Ay, for a turtle; as he takes a buzzard.
Pet. Come, come, you wasp; i' faith, you are too

angry.

Kath. If I be waspish, best beware my sting.

Pet. My remedy is then, to pluck it out.

Kath. Ay, if the fool could find it where it lies. Pet. Who knows not where a wasp doth wear his sting?

In his tail.

Kath.

Pet.

In his tongue.

Whose tongue?

Kath. Yours, if you talk of tails; and so farewel. Pet. What, with my tongue in your tail? nay, come

again,

Good Kate; I am a gentleman.

Kath.

That I'll try. [Striking him.

4 No such jade, sir,] The latter word, which is not in the old copy, was supplied by the editor of the second folio. Malone. Perhaps we should read-no such jack. However, there is authority for jade in a male sense. So, in Soliman and Perseda, Piston says of Basilisco, "He just like a knight! He'll just like a jade." Farmer.

So, before, p. 55: "I know he'll prove a jade." Malone.

5 Ay, for a turtle; as he takes a buzzard.] Perhaps we may read better

Ay, for a turtle, and he takes a buzzard.

That is, he may take me for a turtle, and he shall find me a hawk. Johnson. This kind of expression likewise seems to have been proverbial. So, in The Three Lords of London, 1590:

it

66 hast no more skill,

"Than take a faulcon for a buzzard?" Steevens.

Yours, if you talk of tails;] The old copy reads-tales, and may perhaps be right." Yours, if your talk be no better than an idle tale." Our author is very fond of using words of similar sounds in different senses.-I have, however, followed the emendation made by Mr. Pope, which all the modern editors have adopted. Malone.