What, did he marry me to famish me? "Kate. Why man, thy mafter needs never know it. "San. You fay true, indeed. Why looke you, miftris; "What fay you to a pece of bieffe and muftard now? "Kate. Why, I fay, 'tis excellent meat; canft thou helpe me to fome? "San. I, I could helpe you to fome, but that I doubt "The muftard is too chollerick for you. "But what fay you to a fheepes head and garlicke? "Kate. Why any thing; I care not what it be. "San. I, but the garlicke I doubt will make your breath ftincke; and then my mafter will course me for letting you eate it. But what fay you to a fat capon? "Kate. That's meat for a king; fweete Sander help me to fome of it. "San. Nay, berlady, then 'tis too deere for us; we must not meddle with the king's meate. "Kate. Out villaine! doft thou mocke me? "Take that for thy fawfineffe. [She beates him, "San. Sounes are you fo light-fingred, with a murrin; Ile keepe you fafting for it these two daies. "Kate. I tell thee villaine, Ile tear the flesh off "Thy face and eate it, and thou prate to me thus. "San. Here comes my mafter now: heele courfe you. "Enter Ferando with a piece of meate upon his dagger point, and Polidor with him. "Feran. See here, Kate, I have provided meat for thee: "Here, take it: what, is't not worthy thanks? Go, firha, take it away againe, you shall be "Thankful for the next you have. "Kate. Why, I thanke you for it. "Feran. Nay, now 'tis not worth a pin: go, firha, and take it hence, I fav. "San. Yes, fir, Ile carrie it hence: Mafter, let hir "Have none; for fhe can fight, as hungry as the is. "Pol. I pray you, fir, let it stand; for ile eat "Some with her myfelfe. "Feran. Wel, firha, fet it downe againe. "Kate. Nay, nay, I pray you, let him take it hence, "And keepe it for your own diet, for ile none; "Ile nere be beholding to you for your meat: "I tel thee flatly here unto thy teeth, "Thou shalt not keepe me nor feed me as thou lift, "For I will home againe unto my father's houfe. "Feran. I, when y'are meeke and gentle, but not before: Upon entreaty, have a prefent alms; KATH. 'Tis paffing good; I pr'ythee let me have it. GRE. I fear, it is too cholerick a meat: 3How fay you to a fat tripe, finely broil'd? KATH. I like it well; good Grumio, fetch it me. GRU. I cannot tell; I fear, 'tis cholerick. What fay you to a piece of beef, and mustard? "I know your ftomacke is not yet come downe, "Therefore no marvel thou canst not eat: "And I will go unto your father's house. "Come Polidor, let us go in againe; "And Kate come in with us: I know, ere long, "That thou and I fhall lovingly agree." The circumftance of Ferando bringing meat to Katharine or the point of his dagger, is a ridicule on Marlowe's Tamburlaine, who treats Bajazet in the fame manner. STEEVENS. 3 I fear, it is too cholerick a meat:] So before: "And I exprefsly am forbid to touch it; The editor of the fecond folio arbitrarily reads-too phlegmatick a meat; which has been adopted by all the fubfequent editors. MALONE. Though I have not difplaced the oldeft reading, that of the fecond folio may be right. It prevents the repetition of cholerick, and preferves its meaning; for phlegmatick, irregularly derived from yon, might anciently have been a word in phyfical ufe, fignifying inflammatory, as phlegmonous is at prefent. STEEVENS, KATH. A dish that I do love to feed upon. Or else you get no beef of Grumio. KATH. Then both, or one, or any thing thou wilt. GRU. Why, then the mustard without the beef. KATH. Go, get thee gone, thou false deluding [Beats him. That feed'ft me with the very name of meat: flave, Sorrow on thee, and all the pack of you, Enter PETRUCHIO, with a dish of meat; and HORTENSIO. PET. How fares my Kate? What, fweeting, all amort? 5 HOR. Mistress, what cheer? ΚΑΤΗ. 'Faith, as cold as can be. 4 Ay, but the muftard is too hot a little.] This is agreeable to the doctrine of the times. In The Glass of Humors, no date, p. 60, it is faid," But note here, that the firft diet is not only in avoiding fuperfluity of meats, and furfeits of drinks, but alfo in efchewing fuch as are most obnoxious, and leaft agreeable with our happy temperate state; as for a cholerick man to abstain from all falt, fcorched, dry meats, from mustard, and fuch like things as will aggravate his malignant humours," &c. So Petruchio before objects to the over-roafted mutton. REED. What, fweeting, all amort?] This Gallicifm is common to many of the old plays. So, in Wily Beguiled: Why how now, Sophos, all amort ?" Again, in Ram Alley, or Merry Tricks, 1611: "What all amort! What's the matter?" STEEVENS. That is, all funk and difpirited. MALONE. PET. Pluck up thy fpirits, look cheerfully upon me. Here, love; thou fee'ft how diligent I am, [Sets the difh 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. ΚΑΤΗ. 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'ft 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 anfwerable for it, as he had ufed it before, Act 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, With scarfs, and fans, and double change of bravery, With amber bracelets, beads, and all this knavery. What, haft thou din'd? The tailor ftays thy lei fure, To deck thy body with his ruffling treasure.— A thing is a trifle too inconfiderable to deserve particular difcrimination. STEEVENS. 8 with his ruffling treasure.] This is the reading of the old copy, which Mr. Pope changed to rustling, I think, without neceffity. Our author has indeed in another play,-" Prouder than ruffling in unpaid for filk;" but ruffling is fometimes used in nearly the same sense. Thus, in K. Lear: "the high winds "Do forely ruffle." There clearly the idea of noife as well as turbulence is annexed to the word. A ruffler in our author's time fignified a noify and turbulent fwaggerer; and the word ruffling may here be applied in a kindred fenfe to drefs. So, in K. Henry VI. P. II : "And his proud wife, high-minded Eleanor, "That ruffles it with fuch a troop of ladies, "As ftrangers in the court take her for queen." Again, more appofitely, in Camden's Remaines, 1605: "There was a nobleman merry conceited and riotously given, that having lately fold a manor of a hundred tenements, came ruffling into the court in a new fute, faying, Am not I a mightie man that beare an hundred houses on my backe?" Boyle fpeaks of the ruffling of filk, and ruffled is used by fo late an author as Addifon in the fenfe of plaited; in which laft fignification perhaps the word ruffling fhould be understood here. Petruchio has juft before told Catharine that the "fhould revel it with ruffs and cuffs;" from the former of which words, ruffled, in the fenfe of plaited, feems to be derived. As ruffling therefore may be understood either in this fenfe, or that firft fuggefted, (which I incline to think the true one,) I have adhered to the reading of the old copy. To the examples already given in fupport of the reading of the old copy, may be added this very appofite one from Lyly's Euphues, and his England, 1580: "Shall I ruffle in new devices, with chains, with bracelets, with rings, with roabes?" Again, in Drayton's Battaile of Agincourt, 1627: With ruffling banners, that do brave the sky." MALONE. |