fionally pointed out at the bottom of the page; but muft refer the reader, who is defirous to examine the whole structure of the piece, to Six old Plays on which Shakspeare founded, &c. published by S. Leacroft, at Charing-crofs, as a Supplement to our commentaries on Shakspeare. Beaumont and Fletcher wrote what may be called a fequel to this comedy, viz. The Woman's Prize, or the Tamer Tam'd; in which Petruchio is fubdued by a second wife. STEEVENS. Among the books of my friend the late Mr. William Collins of Chichester, now difperfed, was a collection of short comick stories in profe, printed in the black letter under the year 1570, "fett forth by maifter Richard Edwards, mayfter of her Majefties revels." Among thefe tales was that of the INDUCTION OF THE TINKER in Shakspeare's Taming of the Shrew; and perhaps Edwards's ftorybook was the immediate fource from which Shakspeare, or rather the author of the old Taming of a Shrew, drew that diverting apologue. If I recollect right, the circumstances almost tallied with an incident which Heuterus relates from an epiftle of Ludovicus Vives to have actually happened at the marriage of Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, about the year 1440. That perfpicuous annalift, who flourished about the year 1580, fays, this story was told to Vives by an old officer of the Duke's court. T. WARTON. See the earliest English original of this story, &c, at the conclu fion of the play. STEEVENS. Our author's Taming of the Shrew was written, I imagine, in 1594. See An Attempt to afcertain the Order of Shakspeare's Plays, Vol. I. MALONE. A Lord. PERSONS reprefented. Christopher Sly, a drunken tinker. Baptifta, a rich gentleman of Padua. Perfons in the Lucentio, fon to Vincentio, in love with Bianca. Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, a fuitor to Katha Biondello, Servants to Lucentio. Grumio, Curtis, }Servants to Petruchio. Pedant, an old fellow fet up to perfonate Vincentio, Katharina, the Shrew;\ Bianca, her fifter, 5}Daughters to Baptista. Tailor, Haberdasher, and Servants attending on Bap tista and Petruchio. SCENE, fometimes in Padua; and fometimes in Petruchio's Houfe in the Country. Characters in the Induction to the Original Play of The Taming of a Shrew, entered on the Stationers' books in 1594, and printed in quarto in 1607. A Lord, &c. Sly. A Tapfter. Page, Players, Huntfmen, &c. PERSONS represented. Alphonfus, a merchant of Athens. Jerobel, Duke of Ceftus. Aurelius, his fon, Suitors to the daughters of Al Ferando, Polidor, phonfus. Valeria, fervant to Aurelius. Sander, fervant to Ferando. Phylotus, a merchant who perfonates the Duke. OF THE SHRE W. INDUCTION. SCENE I. Before an Aleboufe on a Heath. Enter Hoftefs and SLY. Sur. I'll pheese you,' in faith. 2 I'll pheefe you,] To pheefe or fease, is to separate a twist into fingle threads. In the figurative fense it may well enough be taken, like teaze or toze, for to harrass, to plague. Perhaps I'll pheeze you, may be equivalent to I'll comb your head, a phrase vulgarly ufed by perfons of Sly's character on like occafions. The following explanation of the word is given by Sir Thomas Smith, in his book de Sermone Anglico, printed by Robert Stephens, 4to: "To feize, means in fila diducere." JOHNSON. Shakspeare repeats his ufe of the word in Troilus and Creffida, where Ajax fays he will pheefe the pride of Achilles: and Lovewit in The Alchemist employs it in the fame sense. Again, in Puttenham's Arte of English Poefie, 1589: "Your pride ferves you to feaze them all alone." Again, in Stanyhurft's verfion of the firft book of Virgil's Eneid: "We are touz'd, and from Italye feaz'd." Italis longe disjungimur oris. Again, ibid: "Feaze away the droane bees," &c. STEEVENS. |