The fame. A Room in Baptifta's House.

Enter KATHARINA and BIANCA.

BIAN. Good fifter, wrong me not, nor wrong yourself,+

To make a bondmaid and a flave of me;
That I disdain: but for these other gawds,"
Unbind my hands, I'll pull them off myself,
Yea, all my raiment, to my petticoat;
Or, what you will command me, will I do,
So well I know my duty to my elders.

KATH. Of all thy fuitors, here I charge thee, tell
Whom thou lov'ft beft: fee thou diffemble not.
BIAN. Believe me, fifter, of all the men alive,
I never yet beheld that special face
Which I could fancy more than any other.

KATH. Minion, thou lieft; Is't not Hortenfio? BIAN. If you affect him, sister, here I swear, I'll plead for you myself, but you fhall have him. KATH. O then, belike, you fancy riches more; You will have Gremio to keep you fair."

nor wrong yourself,] Do not act in a manner unbecoming a woman and a fifter. So, in The Merry Wives of Windfor: "Master Ford, this wrongs you." MALONE.

5 but for thefe other gawds,] The old copy reads-these other goods. STEEVENS.

This is fo trifling and unexpreffive a word, that I am satisfied our author wrote gawds, (i. e. toys, trifling ornaments;) a term that he frequently uses and seems fond of. THEOBALD.

6 I charge thee,] Thee, which was accidentally omitted in the old copy, was fupplied by the editor of the fecond folio. MALONE. 7 —to keep you fair.] I wish to read—to keep you fine. But either word may ferve. JOHNSON.

BIAN. Is it for him you do envy me fo?
Nay, then you jeft; and now I well perceive,
You have but jefted with me all this while :
I pr'ythee, fifter Kate, untie my hands.

KATH. If that be jest, then all the rest was so.
[Strikes ber.

Enter BAPTISTA.

BAP. Why, how now, dame! whence grows this infolence?

Bianca, ftand afide;-poor girl! fhe weeps:-
Go ply thy needle; meddle not with her.-
For fhame, thou hilding of a devilish spirit,
Why dost thou wrong her that did ne'er wrong
thee?

When did the cross thee with a bitter word?

KATH. Her filence flouts me, and I'll be reveng'd.

Flies after BIANCA.

BAP. What, in my fight?-Bianca, get thee in. [Exit BIANCA.

KATH. Will you not fuffer me?" Nay, now I fee, She is your treasure, the muft have a husband; I must dance bare-foot on her wedding-day, And, for your love to her, lead apes in hell.'

8 bilding-] The word bilding or hinderling, is a low wretch; it is applied to Katharine for the coarfeness of her behaviour. JOHNSON.

9 Will you not fuffer me?] The old copy reads-What, will, &c. The compofitor probably caught the former word from the preceding line. Corrected by Mr. Pope. MALONE.

And, for your love to her, lead apes in hell.] "To lead apes" was in our author's time, as at prefent, one of the employments of a bear-herd, who often carries about one of those animals along with his bear: but I know not how this phrafe came to be applied

Talk not to me; I will go fit and weep,

Till I can find occafion of revenge.

[Exit KATHARINA, BAP. Was ever gentleman thus griev'd as I? But who comes here?

Enter GREMIO, with LUCENTIO in the babit of a mean man; PETRUCHIO, with HORTENSIO as a musician; and TRANIO, with BIONDELLO bearing a lute and books.

GRE. Good-morrow, neighbour Baptifta.

BAP. Good-morrow, neighbour Gremio: God fave you, gentlemen!

PET. And you, good fir! Pray, have you not a daughter

Call'd Katharina, fair, and virtuous?

BAP. I have a daughter, fir, call'd Katharina.
GRE. You are too blunt, go to it orderly.
PET. You wrong me, fignior Gremio; give me
leave.-

I am a gentleman of Verona, fir,
That,-hearing of her beauty, and her wit,
Her affability, and bafhful modefty,

Her wondrous qualities, and mild behaviour,-
Am bold to fhow myfelf a forward guest
Within your house, to make mine eye the witness
Of that report which I fo oft have heard.
And, for an entrance to my entertainment,

to old maids. We meet with it again in Much ado about Nothing: "Therefore (fays Beatrice,) I will even take fix-pence in earnest of the bear-herd, and lead his apes to hell." MALONE.

That women who refused to bear children, fhould, after death, be condemned to the care of apes in leading-ftrings, might have been confidered as an act of pofthumous retribution. STEEVENS.

I do prefent you with a man of mine,

[Prefenting HORTENSIO. Cunning in mufick, and the mathematicks, To inftruct her fully in thofe sciences, Whereof, I know, the is not ignorant : Accept of him, or else you do me wrong; His name is Licio, born in Mantua.

BAP. You're welcome, fir; and he, for your good fake:

But for my daughter Katharine, this I know,
She is not for your turn, the more my grief.

PET. I fee, you do not mean to part with her; Or else you like not of my company.

BAP. Mistake me not, I fpeak but as I find. Whence are you, fir? what may I call your name?

PET. Petruchio is my name; Antonio's fon, A man well known throughout all Italy.

BAP. I know him well: you are welcome for his fake.

GRE. Saving your tale, Petruchio, I pray, Let us, that are poor petitioners, fpeak too: Baccare! you are marvellous forward."

Baccare! you are marvellous forward.] We must read, Baccalare; by which the Italians mean, thou arrogant, prefumptuous man! the word is ufed fcornfully upon any one that would affume a port of grandeur. WARBURTON.

The word is neither wrong nor Italian: it was an old proverbial one, used by John Heywood; who hath made, what he pleases to call, Epigrams upon it. Take two of them, fuch as they are: "Backare, quoth Mortimer to his fow,

"Went that fow backe at that bidding, trow you?"

Backare, quoth Mortimer to his fow: fe,
"Mortimer's fow speaketh as good Latin as he."

Howel takes this from Heywood, in his Old Sarwes and Adages: and Philpot introduces it into the proverbs collected by Camden,

FARMER.

PET. O, pardon me, fignior Gremio; I would fain be doing.

GRE. I doubt it not, fir; but you will curfe your wooing.

Neighbour, this is a gift' very grateful, I am fure of it. To exprefs the like kindness myself, that have been more kindly beholden to you than any, I freely give unto you this young scholar," [Prefenting LUCENTIO,] that hath been long studying at Rheims; as cunning in Greek, Latin, and other languages, as the other in mufick and mathematicks: his name is Cambio; pray, accept his fervice.

Again, in the ancient Enterlude of The Repentance of Mary Magdalene, 1567:

Nay, hoa there, Backare, you must stand apart: "You love me beft, I trow, myftreffe Mary." Again, in John Lyly's Midas, 1592: "The mafculine gender is more worthy than the feminine, and therefore, Licio, Backare." Again, in John Grange's Golden Aphroditis, 1577: " - yet wrefted he fo his effeminate bande to the fiege of backwarde affection, that both trumpe and drumme founded nothing for their larum, but Baccare, Baccare." STEEVENS.

Neighbour,] The old copy has-neighbours. Corrected by Mr. Theobald. MALONE.

s I doubt it not, fir; but you will curfe your wooing.Neighbour, this is a gift-] The old copy gives the paffage as follows:

I doubt it not, fir. But you will curfe

Your wooing neighbors: this is a guift-. STEEVENS.

This nonfenfe may be rectified by only pointing it thus: I doubt it not, fir, but you will curfe your wooing. Neighbour, this is a gift, &c. addreffing himself to Baptifta. WARBURTON.

6 I freely give unto you this young scholar,] Our modern editors had been long content with the following fophifticated reading: free leave give to this young Scholar,. STEEVENS.

This is an injudicious correction of the firft folio, which readsfreely give unto this young fcholar. We fhould read, I believeI freely give unto you this young Scholar,

That hath been long ftudying at Rheims; as cunning

In Greek, &c. TYRWHITT.

If this emendation wanted any support, it might be had in the