O mercy, heav'n, what mafking ftuff is here?
What? this a fleeve? 'tis like a demi-cannon;
What, up and down carv'd like an apple tart?
Here's fhip, and nip, and flish, and slash,
Like to a * cenfer in a barber's shop:

Why, what a devil's name, taylor, call'ft thou this? Hor. I fee, fhe's like to've neither cap nor gown.

Tay. You bid me make it orderly and well,

According to the fashion of the time,

[Afide

Pet. Marry, and did: but if you be remembred, I did not bid you mar it to the time,

Go, hop me over every kennel home,
For you fhall hop without my cuftom, Sir:
I'll none of it; hence, make you best of it.
Cath. I never faw a better-fafhion'd gown,
More quaint, more pleafing, nor more commendable.
Belike, you mean to make a puppet of me.

Pet. Why, true, he means to make a puppet of thee. Tay. She fays, your Worship means to make a puppet of her.

Pet. Oh most monstrous arrogance!

Thou lyeft, thou thread, thou thimble †,

Thou yard, three-quarters, half-yard, quarter, nail,
Thou flea, thou nit, thou winter cricket, thou!
Brav'd in mine own houfe with a fkein of thread;
Away, thou rag, thou quantity, thou remnant,
Or I hall fo be-mete thee with thy yard,

As thou fhalt think on prating whilft thou liv'ft:
I tell thee, I, that thou haft marr'd her gown,
Tay. Your Worship is deceiv'd, the gown is made
Just as my mafter had direction.

Grumio gave order how it should be done.

Cenfers, in barbers fhops, are now disused, but they may eafily be imagined to have been veffels which, for the emiffion of the fmoke, were cut with great number and varieties of

interftices.

The taylor's trade having an appearance of effeminacy, has always been, among the rugged English, liable to sarcasms and contempt.

Gru. I gave him no order, I gave him the ftuff.
Tay. But how did you defire it fhould be made?
Gru. Marry, Sir, with needle and thread.

Tray. But did you not request to have it cut?
Gru. Thou haft fac'd many things.

Tay. I have.

Gru. Face not me: thou haft brav'd many men, brave not me; I will neither be fac'd, nor brav❜d. I fay unto thee, I bid thy mafter cut out the gown, but I did not bid him cut it to pieces. Ergo, thou lieft.

1

Tay. Why, here is the note of the fashion to testify. Pet. Read it.

Gru. The note lies in his throat, if he fay I said fo. Tay. Imprimis, a loose-bodied gown.

Gru. Mafter, if ever I faid loofe-bodied gown, fow me up in the fkirts of it, and beat me to death with a bottom of brown thread: I faid a gown.

Pet. Proceed.

Tay. With a small compast cape.
Gru. I confefs the cape.

Tay. With a trunk-fleeve.
Gru. I confefs two fleeves.

Tay. The fleeves curiously cut.
Pet. Ay, there's the villany.

Gru. Error i' th' bill, Sir, error i' th' bill: I commanded, the fleeves fhould be cut out, and fow'd up again; and that I'll prove upon thee, tho' thy little finger be armed in a thimble.

Tay. This is true, that I fay; an I had thee in place where, thou fhou'dft know it.

Gru. I am for thee straight: take thou the bill, give me thy meet-yard, and fpare not me.

Hor. God-a-mercy, Grumio, then he fhall have no
odds.

Pet. Well, Sir, in brief the gown is not for me.
Gru. You are i' th' right, Sir, 'tis for my mistress.
Pet. Go take it up unto thy mafter's use.

Gru.

Gru. Villain, not for thy life: take up my mistress's gown for thy master's ufe!

Pet. Why, Sir, what's your conceit in that?

Gru. Oh, Sir, the conceit is deeper than you think

for;

Take up my miftrefs's gown unto his master's ufe; Oh, fy, fy, fy!

Pet. Hortenfio, fay, thou wilt fee the taylor paid.

[Afide. Go take it hence, be gone, and fay no more. Hor. Taylor, I'll pay thee for thy gown to-mor

row,

Take no unkindness of his hafty words:

Away, I fay; commend me to thy mafter. [Exit Tay. Pet. Well, come, my Kate, we will unto your father's,

Even in these honeft mean habiliments:

Our purfes fhall be proud, our garments poor;
For 'tis the mind, that makes the body rich :
And as the fun breaks through the darkeft clouds,
So honour peereth in the meanest habit.
What, is the jay more precious than the lark,
Because his feathers are more beautiful?
Or is the adder better than the eel,
Because his painted skin contents the eye?
Oh, no, good Kate; neither art thou the worfe
For this poor furniture, and mean array.
If thou account'ft it fhame, lay it on me;
And therefore frolick; we will hence forthwith,
To feast and sport us at thy father's house.
Go call my men, and let us ftraight to him,
And bring our horfes unto Long-lane end,
There will we mount, and thither walk on foot.
Let's fee, I think, 'tis now fome feven o'clock,
And well we may come there by dinner time.
Cath. I dare affure yoù, Sir, 'tis almost two;
And 'twill be fupper-time ere you come there.
Pet. It fhall be feven, ere I go to horfe.

Look,

Look, what I fpeak, or do, or think to do,
You are ftill croffing it; Sirs, let's alone,
I will not go to day, and ere I do,

It shall be what o'clock I fay it is.

Hor. Why, fo; this Gallant will command the

Sun.

[Exeunt Pet. Cath. and Hor.

[The Prefenters above, fpeak here.1.

Lord. Who's within there?

Enter Servants.

[Sly Дeeps.

Afleep again! go take him eafily up, and put him in his own apparel again. But fee, you wake him not in any cafe.

Serv. It shall be done, my Lord; come help to bear bim hence. [They bear off Sly.

Enter Tranio, and the Pedant dreft like Vincentio.

Tra.

IR, this is the house, please it you, that I call?

SIR,

Ped. Ay, what elfe! and (but I be deceived)
Signior Baptifta may remember me
Near twenty years ago in Genoa,
Where we were lodgers, at the Pegafus".

• I cannot but think, that the direction about the tinker, who is always introduced at the end of the acts, together with the change of the fcene, and the proportion of each act to the reft, make it probable that the fifth act begins here.

Tra. Where we were Lodgers at the Pegafus.] This Line has in all the Editions hitherto been given to Tranio. But Tranio could with no Propriety speak

this, either in his affum'd or real Character. Lucentio was too young to know any thing of lodging with his Father, twenty years before at Genoa: and Tranio must be as much too young, or very unfit to represent and perfonate Lucentio. I have ventured to place the Line to the Pedant, to whom it muft certainly belong, and is a Sequel of what he was before faying.

THEOBALD.

Tra.

Tra. 'Tis well, and hold your own in any cafe With fuch aufterity as longeth to a father.

Enter Biondello.

Ped. I warrant you: but, Sir, here comes your

boy;

'Twere good, he were fchool'd.

Tra. Fear you not him; firrah, Biondello, Now do your duty thoroughly, I advise Imagine, 'twere the right Vincentio.

Bion. Tut, fear not me.

you:

Tra. But haft thou done thy errand to Baptifta? Bion. Bion. I told him, that your father was in Venice; And that you look'd for him this day in Padua. Tra. Th'art a tall fellow, hold thee that to drink; Here comes Baptifta; fet your countenance, Sir.

SCENE X.

Enter Baptifta and Lucentio.

Tra. Signior Baptifta, you are happily met: Sir, this is the gentleman I told

you of

I pray you stand, good Father, to me now,
Give me Bianca for my patrimony.

Ped. Soft, fon. Sir, by your leave, having come to Padua,

To gather in fome debts, my fon Lucentio
Made me acquainted with a weighty cause
Of love between your daughter and himself:
And for the good report I hear of you,
And for the love he beareth to your daughter,
And she to him; to stay him not too long,
I am content in a good father's care

To have him match'd; and if you please to like
No worse than I, Sir, upon fome agreement,
Me fhall you find most ready and moft willing
With one confent to have her fo bestow'd:

For