Bap. Talk not, signior Gremio; I say, he shall ¦ SCENE II.-A Room in LUCENTIO'S House. go to prison. Gre. Take heed, signior Baptista, lest you be coney-catched in this business; I dare swear, this is the right Vincentio. Ped. Swear, if thou darest. Tra. Then thou wert best say, that I am not Lucentio. Gre. Yes, I know thee to be signior Lucen tio. Vin. Where is that damned villain, Tranio, That fac'd and brav'd me in this matter so? Bap. Why, tell me, is not this my Cambio? Bian. Cambio is chang'd into Lucentio. Luc. Love wrought these miracles. Bianca's love Made me exchange my state with Tranio, And happily I have arriv'd at last Bap. But do you hear, Sir? [To LUCENTIO.] Have you married my daughter without asking my good will? Vin. Fear not, Baptista; we will content you, go to: But I will in, to be revenged for this villany. [Exit. Bup. And I, to sound the depth of this knavery. (Exit. Luc. Look not pale, Bianca; thy father will not Gre. My cake is dough: But I'll in among the rest; Out of hope of all,-but my share of the feast. [Exit. PETRUCHIO and KATHARINA advance. Kath. Husband, let's follow, to see the end of this ado. Pet. First kiss me, Kate, and we will. Kath. No, Sir; God forbid :-but ashamed to kiss. Pet. Why, then let's home again :-Come, sirrah, let's away. Kath. Nay, I will give thee a kiss; now pray thee, love, stay. Pet. Is not this well ?-Come, my sweet Kate; Better once than never, for never too late. A Banquet set out. Enter BAPTISTA, VINCENTIO, GREMIO, the PEDANT, LUCENTIO, BIANCA, PETRUCHIO, KATHARINA, HORTEN$10, and WIDOW. TRANIO, BIONDELLO, GRUMIO, and others, attending. Luc. At last, though long, our jarring notes agree: And time it is, when raging war is done, Brother Petruchio,-sister Katharina,-- I [They sit at table. Pet. Nothing but sit and sit, and eat and eat! Bap. Padua affords this kindness, son Petruchio. Pet. Padua affords nothing but what is kiud. Hor For both our sakes, I would that word were true. And then pursue me as you draw your bow :You are welcome all. [Exeunt BIANCA, KATHARINA, and WIDOW. Pet. She hath prevented me.-Here, siguior Tianio, • A banquet was a refection consisting of fruit, cakca, ↑ Dreads. &c. This bird you aim'd at, though you hit her not; Swinge me them soundly forth unto their hus- Which runs himself, and catches for his master. currish. Tra. 'Tis well, Sir, that you hunted for yourself; 'Tis thought, your deer does hold you at a bay. Pet. 'A has a little gall'd me, I confess; Pet. Twenty crowns! [auce, Pet. O ho! entreat her ! Do what you can, your's will not be entreated. Re-enter BIONDELLO. Now where's my wife? Bion. She says, you have some goodly jest in band; [vile She will not come; she bids you come to her. Hor. I know her answer. Pet. What? Hor. She will not come. [Exit KATHARINA. Luc. Here is a wonder, if you talk of a won der. Hor. And so it is; I wonder what it bodes. Pet. Marry, peace it bodes, and love, and quiet life, An awful rule, and right supremacy; And, to be short, what not, that's sweet and Bap. Now fair befall thee, good Petruchio ! Re-enter KATHARINA, with BIANCA, and WIDOW. See, where she comes; and brings your froward As prisoners to her womanly persuasion.- Wid. Lord, let me never have a cause to sigb, Bian. Fie! what a foolish duty call you this? Bian. The more fool you, for laying on my duty. Pet. Katharine, I charge thee, tell these headstrong women What duty they do owe their lords and husbands. Wid. Come, come, you're mocking; we will And dart not scornful glances from those eyes, And in no sense is meet, or amiable. A woman mov'd, is like a fountain troubled, And for thy maintenance: commits his body Pet. The fouler fortune mine, and there an But love, fair looks, and true obedience ;- Too little payment for so great a debt. Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway, But that our soft conditions and our hearts, That seeming to be most, which we least are. In token of which duty, if he please, Pet. Why, there's a wench !-Come on, and kiss me, Kate. Luc. Well, go thy ways, old lad; for thou shalt ba't. Vin. 'Tis a good hearing, when children are toward. Luc. But a harsh hearing, when women are froward. Pet. Come, Kate, we'll to bed :-We three are married, but we two are sped 'Twas I won the wager, though you hit the white; [To LUCENTIO. And, being a winner, God give you good night! [Exeunt PETRUCHIO and KATH. Hor. Now go thy ways, thou hast tam'd a curst shrew. Luc. 'Tis a wonder, by your leave, she will be tam'd so. [Exeunt. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. LITERARY AND HISTORICAL NOTICE. THIS play was produced under two disadvantages: first, it was not the suggestion of Shakspeare's own genius, he having exhibited the character of Falstaff in three inimitable plays, and finished the portrait to his own taste; and secondly, it was written with unusual expedition, in the short period of fourteen days. Queen Elizabet b is said to have been so delighted with the Knight, that she commanded our poet to show him in love; and, upon this regal signification, Dr. Johnson remarks, that "no task is harder than that of writing to the ideas of another. Shakspeare knew what the Queen, if the story be true, seems not to have known---that by any real passion of tenderness, the selfish craft, the careless jollity, and the lazy luxury of Falstaff must have suffered so much abatement, that little of his former craft would have remained. Falstaff could not love, but by ceasing to be Falstaff." The most noted propensities of "the fat old man," are however, skilfully engrafted on the design of the piece; so that wit, covetousness, mendacity, and concupiscence, are as much as possible combined and developed in his conduct. The other characters, also, are well contrasted; and many of the scenes are pregnant with amusing incident. The circumstances of the plot are variously derived: some of them, probably, from an old translation of Il Pecorone by Giovanni Fiorentino; and the particular adventures of Falstaff, from The Lovers of Pisa, a story in an ancient piece called Tarleton's News out of Purgatorie. Malone supposes that Shakspeare chose Windsor for the scene of Falstaff's love-frolics, upon reading the subjoined passage in "Westward for Smelts:” “In Windsor not long agoe, dwelt a sumpterman, who had to wife a very faire but wanton creature, over whom, not without cause, he was something jealous ; yet had he never any proof of her inconstancy." SCENE 1.-Windsor. Before PAGE's House. Shal. Sir Hugh, persuade me not: I will make a star chamber matter of it: if he were twenty Sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire. Sten. In the county of Gloster, justice of peace, and coram. old coat well; it agrees well, passant: it is a familiar beast to man, and signifies-love. Shal. The luce is the fresh fish; the salt fish is an old coat. Slen. I may quarter, coz? Shal. You may, by marrying. Eva. It is marring indeed, if he quarter it. Eva. Yes, py'r lady if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures: but that is all one: If Sir John Falstaff have committed disparShal. Ay, cousin Slender, and Cust-alorum. ↑ Sien. Ay, and ratolorum too; and a gentle-agements unto you, I am of the church, and man born, master parson; who writes himself will be glad to do my benevolence, to make armigero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or atonements and compromises between you. obligation, armigero. Shal. Ay, that we do; and have done any time these three hundred years. Sten. All his successors, gone before him have done't; and all his ancestors, that come after him, may; they may give the dozen white luces in their coat. Shal. It is an old coat. to knights. 1 The luce is a pike: Shakspeare has here a throw at Sir Thomas Lucy, who compelled him to leave Stratferd. Shal. The council shall bear it; it is a riot. there is no fear of Got in a riot: the council Eva. It is not meet the council bear a riot; and not to hear a riot; take your vizaments look you, shall desire to hear the fear of Got, in that. Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it. and end it: and there is also another device Era. It is petter that friends is the sword, in my prain, which, peradventure, prings goot discretions with it: There is Anne Page |