1

13416.5

1861, Spel8 Shapleigh Rund,

Characters in the Induction.

Lord, before whom the Play is fuppos'd to be play'd.
Christopher Sly, a drunken Tinker.

A

Hoftefs.

Page, Players, Huntfmen, and other Servants attending on the Lord.

Dramatis Perfonæ.

Baptifta, Father to Catharina and Bianca; very rich. Vincentio, an old Gentleman of Pifa.

Lucentio, Son to Vincentio, in love with Bianca.

Petruchio, a Gentleman of Verona, a Suitor to Catharina.

Gremio, } Pretenders to Bianca.

Hortenfio,

Tranio, } Servants to Lucentio.

Biondello,

Grumio, Servant to Petruchio.

Pedant, an old fellow fet up to perfonate Vincentio.

Catharina, the Shrew.
Bianca, her Sifter.
Widow.

Taylor, Haberdashers; with Servants attending on
Baptifta and Petruchio.

SCENE, fometimes in Padua; and fometimes in Petruchio's House in the Country.

THE

THE

TAMING of the SHREW.

INDUCTION

I'

SCENE I.

Before an Alehoufe on a Heath.

Enter Hoftefs and Sly.

SLY.

"'LL pheese you*, in faith.

rogues.

Hoft. A pair of stocks, you rogue! Sly. Y'are a baggage; the Slies are no * Look in the Chronicles, we came in with Richard Conqueror; therefore, paucus pallabris 2; let the world nide: Sella.

'I'll pheefe you,-] To pheeze or feafe, is to feparate a twift into fingle threads. In the figurative fenfe it may well enough be taken, like teaze or toze, for to barrass, to plague. Perhaps I'll pheeze you, may be equivalent to I'll comb your head, a phrafe vulgarly used by perfons of Sly's character on like occafions.

no rogues.] That is, no vagrants, no mean fellows, but Gentlemen.

-paucus pallabris; ] Sly, as an ignorant Fellow, is purpofely made to aim at Languages out of his knowledge, and knock the Words out of Joint. The Spaniards say, pocas palabras, i. e. few words as they do likewise, Cefa, i. e. be quiet. B 2

:

THEOB.

Hofl.

2

1

Hoft. You will not pay for the glaffes you have burst? Sly. No, not a denier: go by, Jeronimo. thy cold bed, and warm thee 3.

go to

Hoft. I know my remedy; I must go fetch the Thirdborough+.

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 afleep.

But

3 Go by S. Jeronimy, go to thy" fom, don't interrupt me, go,
cold Bed, and warm thee.] All "by;" and, to fix the Satire in
the Editions have coined a Saint his Allufion, pleasantly calls her
here, for Sly to fwear by. Feronymo.
THEOBALD.
the Poet had no fuch Intentions.
The Paffage has particular Hu-
mour in it, and must have been
very pleafing at that time of day.
But I must clear up a Piece of
Stage history, to make it under-
ftood. There is a fuftian old
Play, call'd, Hieronymo; Or,
The Spanish Tragedy: which, I
find, was the common Butt of
Rallery to all the Poets of Shake
Speare's Time and a Paffage,
that fappear'd very ridiculous in
that Play, is here humorously al-
luded to. Hieronymo, thinking
himself injur'd, applies to the
King for Juftice; but the Cour-
tiers, who did not defire his
Wrongs fhould be fet in a true
Light, attempt to hinder him
from an Audience.

Hiero. Juftice, ob! justice to
Hieronymo.
Lor. Back;

-fee'st thou not,
the King is bufy?
Hiero. Oh, is be fo?
King. Who is He, that inter-
rupts our Bufiness?
Hiero. Not I:- Hierony-
mo, beware; go by, go by.
So Sly here, not caring to be
dun'd by the Hoftefs, cries to her
in Effect. "Don't be trouble-

+ — I must go fetch the Headborough.

Sly. Third, or fourth, or fifth Borough, &c.] This corropt reading had pafs'd down through all the Copies, and none of the Editors pretended to guess at the Poet's Conceit. What an infipid, unmeaning Reply does Sly make to his Hoftefs? How do third, or fourth, or fifth Borough relate to Headborough? The Author intended but a poor Witticism, and even That is loft. The Hoftefs would fay, that she'll fetch a Conftable! and this Officer fhe calls by his other Name, a Thirdborough and upon this Term Sly founds the Conundrum in his Anfwer to her. Who does not perceive, at a fingle glance, fome Conceit ftarted by this certain Correction? There is an Attempt at Wit, tolerable enough for a Tinker, and one drunk too. Third-borough is a Saxon-Term fufficiently explain'd by the Gloffaries: and in our Statute books, no farther back' than the 28th Year of Henry VIIIth, we find it used to fignify a Conftable. THEOBALD.

SCENE