Page images
PDF
EPUB

Hor. Confess, confess, hath he not hit you here?
Pet. 'A has a little gall'd me, I confess;
And, as the jest did glance away from me,
'Tis ten to one it maim'd you two outright.
Bap. Now, in good sadness, son Petruchio,
I think thou hast the veriest shrew of all.

Pet. Well, I say-no: and therefore, for assurance," Let's each one send unto his wife;1

8

-you two outright.] Old copy-you too.

Mr. Rowe.

Malone.

Corrected by

9 - for assurance,] Instead of for, the original copy has sir. Corrected by the editor of the second folio.

Malone.

1 Let's each one send unto his wife;] Thus in the original play : “Feran. Come, gentlemen; nowe that supper 's done, "How shall we spend the time til we go to bed? "Aurel. Faith, if you wil, in trial of our wives, "Who wil come soonest at their husbands cal.

"Pol. Nay, then, Ferando, he must needes sit out; "For he may cal, I thinke, til he be weary, "Before his wife wil come before she list.

Feran. 'Tis wel for you that have such gentle wives: "Yet in this trial wil I not sit out;

66 may be Kate wil come as soone as I do send.

"Aurel. My wife comes soonest, for a hundred pound. "Pol. I take it. Ile lay as much to yours,

"That my wife comes as soone as I do send.

"Aurel. How now, Ferando! you dare not lay, belike.
"Feran. Why true, I dare not lay indeed:
"But how? So little mony on so sure a thing.
"A hundred pound! Why I have laid as much
"Upon my dog in running at a deere.

"She shall not come so far for such a trifle:
"But wil you lay five hundred markes with me?
"And whose wife soonest comes, when he doth cal,
"And shewes herselfe most loving unto him,

"Let him injoy the wager I have laid:

"Now what say you? Dare you adventure thus ?

"Pol. I, were it a thousand pounds, I durst presume

"On my wife's love: and I wil lay with thee.

"Enter Alfonso.

Alfon. How now sons! What in conference so hard!

"May I, without offence, know where about?

"Aurel. Faith, father, a waighty cause, about our wives:

"Five hundred markes already we have laid;

"And he whose wife doth shew most love to him,

"He must injoy the wager to himselfe.

"Alfon. Why then. Ferando, he is sure to lose it:

And he, whose wife is most obedient

To come at first when he doth send for her,

"I promise thee son, thy wife wil hardly come;
"And therefore I would not wish thee lay so much.
"Feran. Tush, father; were it ten times more,
"I durst adventure on my lovely Kate:-
"But if I lose, Ile pay, and so shal you.

"Aurel. Upon mine honour, if I lose Ile pay.
"Pol. And so wil I upon my faith, I vow.

"Feran. Then sit we downe, and let us send for them.

66

Alfon. I promise thee Ferando, I am afraid thou wilt lose. "Aurel. Ile send for my wife first: Valeria,

"Go bid your mistris come to me.

"Val. I wil, my lord.

"Aurel. Now for my hundred pound:

"Would any lay ten hundred more with me,

"I know I should obtain it by her love.

[Exit Val.

"Feran. I pray God, you have laid too much already. "Aurel. Trust me, Ferando, I am sure you have;

"For you, I dare presume, have lost it al.

Enter Valeria againe.

"Now, sirha, what saies your mistris?

"Val. She is something busie, but sheele come anone. "Feran Why so: did I not tel you this before?

"She was busie, and cannot come.

"Aurel. I pray God, your wife send you so good an answere: "She may be busie, yet she says sheèle come.

"Feran. Wel, wel: Polidor, send you for your wife.

"Pol. Agreed. Boy, desire your mistris to come hither. "Boy. I wil, sir.

"Feran. I, so, so; he desires hir to come.

[ocr errors]

Alfon. Polidor, I dare presume for thee,

"I thinke thy wife wil not denie to come;

"And I do marvel much, Aurelius,

"That your wife came not when you sent for her.

"Enter the Boy againe.

"Pol. Now, wher's your mistris?

"Boy. She bade me tell you that she will not come: "And you have any businesse, you must come to her. "Feran. O monstrous intollerable presumption, "Worse than a blasing star, or snow at midsummer, "Earthquakes or any thing unseasonable! "She wil not come; but he must come to hir. "Pol. Wel, sir, I pray you, let 's heare what "Answere your wife wil make.

"Feran. Sirha, command your mistris to come "To me presently.

"Aurel. I thinke, my wife, for all she did not come, "Wil prove most kind; for now I have no feare, "For Iam sure Ferando's wife, she wil not come.

[Exit.

[Exit San.

Shall win the wager which we will propose.

"Feran. The more 's the pitty; then I must lose.
"Enter Kate and Sander.

"But I have won, for see where Kate doth come.
"Kate. Sweete husband, did you send for me?
"Feran. I did, my love, I sent for thee to come :
"Come hither, Kate: What's that upon thy head?
"Kate. Nothing, husband, but my cap, I thinke.
"Feran. Pul it off and tread it under thy feet;
""Tis foolish; I wil net have thee weare it.

[She takes off her cap, and treads on it.

"Pol. Oh wonderful metamorphosis!

"Aurel. This is a wonder, almost past beleefe. "Feran. This is a token of her true love to me; "And yet Ile try her further you shal see. "Come hither, Kate: Where are thy sisters? "Kate. They be sitting in the bridal chamber.

"Feran. Fetch them hither; and if they wil not come, "Bring them perforce, and make them come with thee. "Kate. I wil.

Alfon. I promise thee, Ferando, I would have sworne "Thy wife would ne'er have done so much for thee. "Feran. But you shal see she wil do more then this; "For see where she brings her sisters forth by force. “Enter Kate, thrusting Phylema and Emelia before her, and makes them come unto their husbands cal.

"Kate. See husband, I have brought them both.

"Feran. "Tis wel done, Kate.

"Emel. I sure; and like a loving peece, you 're worthy

"To have great praise for this attempt.

[ocr errors]

Phyle. I, for making a foole of herselfe and us.

"Aurel. Beshrew thee, Phylema, thou hast

"Lost me a hundred pound to night;

"For I did lay that thou wouldst first have come.

"Pol. But, thou, Emelia, hast lost me a great deal more. "Emel. You might have kept it better then:

"Who bade you lay?

"Feran. Now, lovely Kate, before their husbands here,

"I prethee tel unto these head-strong women

"What dewty wives do owe unto their husbands.

.

"Kate. Then, you that live thus by your pampered wils,
"Now list to me, and marke what I shall say.-
"Th' eternal power, that with his only breath,
"Shall cause this end, and this beginning frame,

"Not in time, nor before time, but with time confus'd,
"For all the course of yeares, of ages, months,
"Of seasons temperate, of dayes and houres,
"Are tun'd and stopt by measure of his hand.
"The first world was a forme without a forme,
VOL. VI.

N

Hor. Content:

What is the wager?

"A heape confus'd, a mixture al deform'd,
"A gulfe of gulfes, a body bodilesse,
"Where all the elements were orderlesse,
"Before the great commander of the world,
"The king of kings, the glorious God of heaven,
"Who in six daies did frame his heavenly worke,
"And made al things to stand in perfect course.
"Then to his image he did make a man,
"Old Adam, and from his side asleepe,

"A rib was taken; of which the Lord did make
"The woe of man, so term'd by Adam then,
"Woman, for that by her came sinne to us,
"And for her sinne was Adam doom'd to die.
"As Sara to her husband, so should we

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Obey them, love them, keepe and nourish them, "If they by any meanes do want our helpes: Laying our hands under their feet to tread, "If that by that we might procure their ease; "And, for a presedent, Ile first begin, "And lay my hand under my husband's feet.

[She laies her hand under her husband's feet. "Feran. Inough sweet; the wager thou hast won; "And they, I am sure, cannot deny the same.

66

Alfon. I, Ferando, the wager thou hast won; "And for to shew thee how I am pleas'd in this, "A hundred pounds I freely give thee more, "Another dowry for another daughter,

"For she is not the same she was before.

"Feran. Thanks, sweet father; gentlemen, good night; "For Kate and I will leave you for to-night: ""Tis Kate and I am wed, and you are sped:

"And so farewell, for we will to our bed.

[ocr errors]

[Exeunt Feran. Kate, and San.

Alfon. Now Aurelius, what say you to this? "Aurel. Beleeve me, father I rejoyce to see

"Ferando and his wife so lovingly agree.

[Exeunt Aurel. and Phyl. and Alfon. and Vale.

"Emel. How now, Polidor? in a dumpe? What saist thou,

man?

"Pol. I say, thou art a shrew.

"Emel. That 's better than a sheepe.

"Pol. Well, since 'tis done, come, let's goe.

[Exeunt Pol. and Emel.

"Then enter two, bearing of Slie in his own apparell againe, and leaves him where they found him, and then goes out: then enters the Tapster.

"Tapster. Now that the darkesome night is overpast,

"And dawning day appeares in christall skie,

"Now must I haste abroade: but soft! who's this?

Luc.

Pet. Twenty crowns!

Twenty crowns.

I'll venture so much on my hawk, or hound,
But twenty times so much upon my wife.

Luc. A hundred then.

[blocks in formation]

Bap. Son, I will be your half, Bianca comes.
Luc. I'll have no halves; I'll bear it all myself.
Re-enter BIONDELLO.

How now! what news?

Bion.

Sir, my mistress sends you word That she is busy, and she cannot come.

Pet. How! she is busy, and she cannot come !

Is that an answer?

Gre.

Ay, and a kind one too:

Pray God, sir, your wife send you not a worse.

Pet. I hope, better.

Hor. Sirrah, Biondello, go, and entreat my wife To come to me forthwith.

Pet.

[Exit BION.

O, ho! entreat her!

Nay, then she must needs come.

Hor.

I am afraid, sir,

Do what you can, yours will not be entreated.

Re-enter BIONDELLO.

Now where 's my wife?

Bion. She says, you have some goodly jest in hand; She will not come; she bids you come to her.

Pet. Worse and worse; she will not come! O vile,

Intolerable, not to be endur'd!

Sirrah, Grumio, go to your mistress;

Say, I command her come to me.

Hor. I know her answer.

[Exit GRU.

"What Slie? o wondrous! hath he laine heere all night? "Ile wake him; I thinke he 's starved by this,

"But that his belly was so stufft with ale:

"What now Slie! awake for shame."-&c. Steevens.

« PreviousContinue »