PET. Pluck up thy fpirits, look cheerfully upon me. Here, love; thou fee'ft how diligent I am, [Sets the dish on a table. ΚΑΤΗ. 'Pray you, let it stand. PET. The pooreft fervice is repaid with thanks; And fo fhall mine, before you touch the meat. KATH. I thank you, fir. HOR. Signior Petruchio, fie! you are to blame: Come, mistress Kate, I'll bear you company. PET. Eat it up all, Hortenfio, if thou lov'st me.— [Afide. Much good do it unto thy gentle heart! With filken coats, and caps, and golden rings, And all my pains is forted to no proof:] And all my labour has ended in nothing, or proved nothing. "We tried an experiment, but it forted not." Bacon. JOHNSON. 7-farthingales, and things;] Though things is a poor word, yet I have no better, and perhaps the author had not another that would rhyme. I once thought to tranfpofe the words rings and things, but it would make little improvement. JOHNSON. However poor the word, the poet must be answerable for it, as he had ufed it before, A&t II. fc. v. when the rhyme did not force it upon him: We will have rings and things, and fine array. ""Tis true that I am poor, and yet have things, And fince mine eyes are witnefs of her lightness, I will with you,-if you be fo contented,Forfwear Bianca and her love for ever. HOR. See, how they kifs and court!-Signior Here is my hand, and here I firmly vow- TRA. And here I take the like unfeigned oath,Ne'er to marry with her though fhe would entreat: Fie on her! fee, how beastly she doth court him. HOR. 'Would, all the world, but he, had quite forfworn! For me, that I may surely keep mine oath, Ere three days pass; which hath as long lov'd me, Kindness in women, not their beauteous looks, [Exit HORTENSIO.-LUCENTIO and BIANCA advance. you with fuch grace TRA. Mistress Bianca, bless Nay, I have ta'en you napping, gentle love; And have forfworn you, with Hortenfio. BIAN. Tranio, you jest; But have you both forfworn me? TRA. Mistress, we have. Luc. Then we are rid of Licio. 9 That I have fondly flatter'd her withal.] The old copy reads— them withal. The emendation was made by the editor of the third folio. MALONE. TRA. I'faith, he'll have a lufty widow now, That shall be woo'd and wedded in a day. BIAN. God give him joy! TRA. Ay, and he'll tame her.'" BIAN. He fays fo, Tranio. TRA. 'Faith, he is gone unto the taming-school. BIAN. The taming-school! what, is there such a place? TRA. Ay, mistress, and Petruchio is the mafter; That teacheth tricks eleven and twenty long,To tame a fhrew, and charm her chattering tongue.* Enter BIONDELLO, running. BION. O mafter, master, I have watch'd fo long That I'm dog-weary; but at last I spied An ancient angel' coming down the hill, 66 Ay, and he'll tame her, &c.] Thus in the original play : "Val. Hee faies fo. "Aurel. Faith he's gon unto the taming-schoole. STEEVENS. charm her chattering tongue.] So, in King Henry VI. Peace, wilful boy, or I will charm your tongue." STEEVENS. 3 An ancient angel-] For angel Mr. Theobald, and after him Sir T. Hanmer and Dr. Warburton, read engle. JOHNSON. It is true that the word enghle, which Sir T. Hanmer calls a gull, (deriving it from engluer, Fr. to catch with bird-lime,) is fometimes ufed by Ben Jonfon. It cannot, however, bear that meaning at prefent, as Biondello confeffes his ignorance of the quality of the person who is afterwards perfuaded to represent the father of Lucentio. The precife meaning of it is not afcertained in Jonfon, neither is the word to be found in any of the original TRA. What is he, Biondello? BION. Mafter, a mercatantè, or a pedant,4 copies of Shakspeare. I have alfo reafon to fuppofe that the true import of the word enghle is fuch as can have no connection with this paffage, and will not bear explanation. Angel primitively fignifies a messenger, but perhaps this fenfe is inapplicable to the paffage before us. So, Ben Jonfon, in The Sad Shepherd: 66 -the dear good angel of the spring, "The nightingale And Chapman, in his tranflation of Homer, always calls a meffenger an angel. See particularly B. xxiv. In The Scornful Lady of Beaumont and Fletcher, an old ufurer is indeed called old angel of gold." It is poffible, however, that inftead of ancient angel, our author might have written-angel-merchant, one whose business it was to negociate money. He is afterwards called a mercatantè, and profeffes himself to be one who has bills of exchange about him. STEEVENS. 4 Mafter, a mercatantè, or a pedant,] The old editions read marcantant. The Italian word mercatantè is frequently used in the old plays for a merchant, and therefore I have made no scruple of placing it here. The modern editors, who printed the word as they found it fpelt in the folio, were obliged to fupply a syllable to make out the verse, which the Italian pronunciation renders unneceffary. A pedant was the common name for a teacher of languages. So, in Cynthia's Revels, by Ben Jonfon: "He loves to have a fencer, a pedant, and a musician, feen in his lodgings." STEEVENS. Mercatantè,] So, Spenfer, in the third Book of his Fairy Queen: "Sleeves dependant Albanesè wife.” And our author has Veronesè in his Othello. FARMER. -pedant,] Charon, the fage Charon, as Pope calls him, defcribes a pedant, as fynonymous to a household schoolmaster, and adds a general character of the fraternity by no means to their advantage. See Charon on Wisdom, 4to. 1640. Lennard's Translation, p. 158. REED. 5furely like a father.] I know not what he is, fays the fpeaker, however this is certain, he has the gait and countenance of a fatherly man. WARBURTON. Luc. And what of him, Tranio? TRA. If he be credulous, and truft my tale, Take in your love, and then let me alone." PED. God fave TRA. [Exeunt LUCENTIO and BIANCA. And you, fir! you are welcome. Travel you far on, or are you at the furtheft? PED. Sir, at the furtheft for a week or two: PED. Of Mantua. TRA. Of Mantua, fir?-marry, God forbid! And come to Padua, careless of your life? PED. My life, fir! how I pray? for that goes hard. TRA. 'Tis death for any one in Mantua To come to Padua; Know you not the cause? Your fhips are ftaid at Venice; and the duke The editor of the second folio reads-furly, which Mr. Theobald adopted, and has quoted the following lines, addreffed by Tranio to the pedant, in fupport of the emendation: " 'Tis well; and hold your own in any cafe, "With fuch aufterity as longeth to a father." MALONE. Take in your love, and then let me alone.] The old copies exhibit this line as follows, disjoining it from its predeceffors. Par. Take me your love, and then let me alone. STEEVENS. Corrected by Mr. Theobald. MALONE. 7 Tis death for any one in Mantua, &c.] So, in The Comedy of Errors: if any Syracufan born "Come to the bay of Ephefus, he dies." STEEVENS. |