ACT V. SCENE I.

Padua.

Before Lucentio's House.

Enter on one fide BIONDELLO, LUCENTIO, and BIANCA; GREMIO walking on the other fide.

BION. Softly and fwiftly, fir; for the priest is ready. Luc. I fly, Biondello: but they may chance to need thee at home, therefore leave us.

BION. Nay, faith, I'll fee the church o' your back; and then come back to my mafter as foon as I can.

[Exeunt LUCENTIO, BIANCA, and BIONDELLO. GRE. I marvel, Cambio comes not all this while.

Enter PETRUCHIO, KATHARINA, VINCENTIO, and Attendants.

PET. Sir, here's the door, this is Lucentio's house, My father's bears more toward the marketplace; Thither muft I, and here I leave you, fir.

VIN. You shall not choose but drink before you go; I think, I fhall command your welcome here, And, by all likelihood, fome cheer is toward. [Knocks.

8 - and then come back to my master as foon as I can.] The editions all agree in reading mistress; but what miftrefs was Biondello to come back to? he must certainly mean-" Nay, faith, fir, I muft fee you in the church; and then for fear I fhould be wanted, I'll run back to wait on Tranio, who at present perfonates you, and whom therefore I at prefent acknowledge for my mafter." THEOBALD.

Probably an M was only written in the MS. See p. 425. The fame mistake has happened again in this scene: "Didft thou never fee thy mistress' father, Vincentio?" The prefent emendation was made by Mr. Theobald, who obferves rightly, that by " mafter" Biondello means his pretended master, Tranio. MALONE.

GRE. They're bufy within, you were best knock louder.

Enter Pedant above, at a window.

PED. What's he, that knocks as he would beat down the gate?

VIN. Is fignior Lucentio within, fir?

PED. He's within, fir, but not to be spoken withal. VIN. What if a man bring him a hundred pound or two, to make merry withal.

PED. Keep your hundred pounds to yourself; he fhall need none, fo long as I live.

PET. Nay, I told you, your fon was belov'd in Padua.-Do you hear, fir?-to leave frivolous circumftances, I pray you, tell fignior Lucentio, that his father is come from Pifa, and is here at the door to speak with him.

PED. Thou lieft; his father is come from Pifa,' and here looking out at the window.

VIN. Art thou his father?

PED. Ay, fir; fo his mother fays, if I may believe

her.

PET. Why, how now, gentleman! [To VINCEN.] why, this is flat knavery, to take upon you another

man's name.

9-from Pifa,] The reading of the old copies is from Padua, which is certainly wrong. The editors have made it to Padua; but it fhould rather be from Pifa. Both parties agree that Lucentio's father is come from Pija, as indeed they neceffarily muft; the point in difpute is, whether he be at the door, or looking out of the window. TYRWHITT.

I fufpect we fhould read-from Mantua, from whence the Pedant himself came, and which he would naturally name, fuppofing he forgot, as might well happen, that the real Vincentio was of Pifa. In The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Padua and Verona occur in two different fcenes, inftead of Milan. MALONE.

PED. Lay hands on the villain; I believe, 'a means to cozen fomebody in this city under my

countenance.

Re-enter BIONDELLO.

BION. I have feen them in the church together; God fend 'em good shipping!-But who is here? mine old master, Vincentio? now we are undone and brought to nothing.

VIN. Come hither, crack-hemp.

[Seeing BIONDELLO. BION. I hope, I may choose, fir. VIN. Come hither, you rogue; What, have you forgot me?

BION. Forgot you? no, fir: I could not forget you, for I never faw you before in all my life.

VIN. What, you notorious villain, didst thou never fee thy master's father, Vincentio ? 2

BION. What, my old, worshipful old mafter? yes, marry, fir; fee where he looks out of the window. VIN. Is't fo, indeed? [Beats BIONDELLO. BION. Help, help, help! here's a madman will murder me.

[Exit.

PED. Help, fon! help, fignior Baptista! [Exit, from the window. PET. Pr'ythee, Kate, let's ftand afide, and fee the end of this controversy.

[They retire.

2thy mafter's father, Vincentio?] Old copy-thy miftrefs' father. Corrected by the editor of the second folio. MALONE.

Re-enter Pedant below; BAPTISTA, TRANIO, and Servants.

TRA. Sir, what are you, that offer to beat my fervant?

VIN. What am I, fir? nay, what are you, fir?-O immortal gods! O fine villain! A filken doublet! a velvet hofe! a fcarlet cloak! and a copatain hat! -O, I am undone! I am undone! while I play the good husband at home, my son and my fervant fpend all at the univerfity.

TRA. How now! what's the matter?

BAP. What, is the man lunatick?

TRA. Sir, you feem a fober ancient gentleman by your habit, but your words fhow you a madman: Why, fir, what concerns it you, if I wear pearl and gold? I thank my good father, I am able to maintain it.

VIN. Thy father? O, villain! he is a failmaker in Bergamo.*

3

a copatain-hat!] is, I believe, a hat with a conical crown, fuch as was anciently worn by well-dreffed men. JOHNSON. This kind of hat is twice mentioned by Gafcoigne. Hearbes, P. 154:

"A coptankt hat made on a Flemish block." And again, in his Epilogue, p. 216:

See

"With high copt hats, and feathers flaunt a flaunt." In Stubbs's Anatomie of Abufes, printed 1595, there is an entire chapter" on the hattes of England," beginning thus:

"Sometimes they use them fharpe on the crowne, pearking up like the fpeare or fhaft of a fteeple, ftanding a quarter of a yard above the crowne of their heads, c. STEEVENS.

4 — a failmaker in Bergamo.] Chapman has a parallel paffage in his Widow's Tears, a comedy, 1612:

66

- he draws the thread of his descent from Leda's distaff, when 'tis well known his grandfire cried coney-fkins in Sparta."

STEEVENS.

BAP. You, mistake, fir; you mistake, fir: Pray, what do you think is his name?

VIN. His name? as if I knew not his name: I have brought him up ever fince he was three years old, and his name is-Tranio.

PED. Away, away, mad afs! his name is Lucentio; and he is mine only fon, and heir to the lands of me fignior Vincentio.

VIN. Lucentio! O, he hath murdered his mafter!-Lay hold on him, I charge you, in the duke's name:-O, my fon, my fon!-tell me, thou villain, where is my fon Lucentio?

TRA. Call forth an officer: [Enter one with an Officer.] carry this mad knave to the gaol :-Father Baptifta, I charge you, fee, that he be forthcoming. VIN. Carry me to the gaol!

GRE. Stay, officer; he shall not go to prison.

BAP. Talk not, fignior Gremio; I fay, he fhall go to prison.

GRE. Take heed, fignior Baptifta, left you be coney-catch'd' in this business; I dare fwear, this is the right Vincentio.

PED. Swear, if thou dar'st.

5 Call forth an officer: &c.] Here, in the original play, the Tinker fpeaks again:

"Slie. I fay weele have no fending to prison.

"Lord. My lord, this is but the play; they're but in jest. "Slie. I tell thee Sim, weele have no fending

"To prifon, that's flat: why Sim, am not I don Chrifto Vari?

66

Therefore, I fay, they shall not goe to prifon.

"Lord. No more they fhall not, my lord:

They be runne away.

"Slie. Are they run away, Sim? that's well:

"Then gis fome more drinke, and let them play againe.

"Lord. Here, my lord." STEEVENS.

6

coney-catch'd-] i. e. deceived, cheated. STEEVENS.