Shakespeare's First Folio Part 189

Enter Lucentio, Hortentio, and Bianca.

Luc. Fidler forbeare, you grow too forward Sir, Haue you so soone forgot the entertainment Her sister Katherine welcom'd you withall

Hort. But wrangling pedant, this is The patronesse of heauenly harmony: Then giue me leaue to haue prerogatiue, And when in Musicke we haue spent an houre, Your Lecture shall haue leisure for as much

Luc. Preposterous a.s.se that neuer read so farre, To know the cause why musicke was ordain'd: Was it not to refresh the minde of man After his studies, or his vsuall paine?

Then giue me leaue to read Philosophy, And while I pause, serue in your harmony

Hort. Sirra, I will not beare these braues of thine

Bianc. Why gentlemen, you doe me double wrong, To striue for that which resteth in my choice: I am no breeching scholler in the schooles, Ile not be tied to howres, nor pointed times, But learne my Lessons as I please my selfe, And to cut off all strife: heere sit we downe, Take you your instrument, play you the whiles, His Lecture will be done ere you haue tun'd

Hort. You'll leaue his Lecture when I am in tune?

Luc. That will be neuer, tune your instrument

Bian. Where left we last?

Luc. Heere Madam: Hic Ibat Simois, hic est sigeria tellus, hic steterat Priami regia Celsa senis

Bian. Conster them

Luc. Hic Ibat, as I told you before, Simois, I am Lucentio, hic est, sonne vnto Vincentio of Pisa, Sigeria tellus, disguised thus to get your loue, hic steterat, and that Lucentio that comes a wooing, priami, is my man Tranio, regia, bearing my port, celsa senis that we might beguile the old Pantalowne

Hort. Madam, my Instrument's in tune

Bian. Let's heare, oh fie, the treble iarres

Luc. Spit in the hole man, and tune againe

Bian. Now let mee see if I can conster it. Hic ibat simois, I know you not, hic est sigeria tellus, I trust you not, hic staterat priami, take heede he heare vs not, regia presume not, Celsa senis, despaire not

Hort. Madam, tis now in tune

Luc. All but the base

Hort. The base is right, 'tis the base knaue that iars

Luc. How fiery and forward our Pedant is, Now for my life the knaue doth court my loue, Pedascule, Ile watch you better yet: In time I may beleeue, yet I mistrust

Bian. Mistrust it not, for sure Aeacides Was Aiax cald so from his grandfather

Hort. I must beleeue my master, else I promise you, I should be arguing still vpon that doubt, But let it rest, now Litio to you: Good master take it not vnkindly pray That I haue beene thus pleasant with you both

Hort. You may go walk, and giue me leaue a while, My Lessons make no musicke in three parts

Luc. Are you so formall sir, well I must waite And watch withall, for but I be deceiu'd, Our fine Musitian groweth amorous

Hor. Madam, before you touch the instrument, To learne the order of my fingering, I must begin with rudiments of Art, To teach you gamoth in a briefer sort, More pleasant, pithy, and effectuall, Then hath beene taught by any of my trade, And there it is in writing fairely drawne

Bian. Why, I am past my gamouth long agoe

Hor. Yet read the gamouth of Hortentio

Bian. Gamouth I am, the ground of all accord: Are, to plead Hortensio's pa.s.sion: Beeme, Bianca take him for thy Lord Cfavt, that loues with all affection: D sol re, one Cliffe, two notes haue I, Ela mi, show pitty or I die, Call you this gamouth? tut I like it not, Old fashions please me best, I am not so nice To charge true rules for old inuentions.

Enter a Messenger.

Nicke. Mistresse, your father prayes you leaue your books, And helpe to dresse your sisters chamber vp, You know to morrow is the wedding day

Bian. Farewell sweet masters both, I must be gone

Luc. Faith Mistresse then I haue no cause to stay

Hor. But I haue cause to pry into this pedant, Methinkes he lookes as though he were in loue: Yet if thy thoughts Bianca be so humble To cast thy wandring eyes on euery stale: Seize thee that List, if once I finde thee ranging, Hortensio will be quit with thee by changing.

Enter.

Enter Baptista, Gremio, Tranio, Katherine, Bianca, and others, attendants.

Bap. Signior Lucentio, this is the pointed day That Katherine and Petruchio should be married, And yet we heare not of our sonne in Law: What will be said, what mockery will it be?

To want the Bride-groome when the Priest attends To speake the ceremoniall rites of marriage?

What saies Lucentio to this shame of ours?

Kate. No shame but mine, I must forsooth be forst To giue my hand oppos'd against my heart Vnto a mad-braine rudesby, full of spleene, Who woo'd in haste, and meanes to wed at leysure: I told you I, he was a franticke foole, Hiding his bitter iests in blunt behauiour, And to be noted for a merry man; Hee'll wooe a thousand, point the day of marriage, Make friends, inuite, and proclaime the banes, Yet neuer meanes to wed where he hath woo'd: Now must the world point at poore Katherine, And say, loe, there is mad Petruchio's wife If it would please him come and marry her

Tra. Patience good Katherine and Baptista too, Vpon my life Petruchio meanes but well, What euer fortune stayes him from his word, Though he be blunt, I know him pa.s.sing wise, Though he be merry, yet withall he's honest

Kate. Would Katherine had neuer seen him though.

Exit weeping.

Bap. Goe girle, I cannot blame thee now to weepe, For such an iniurie would vexe a very saint, Much more a shrew of impatient humour.

Enter Biondello.

Bion. Master, master, newes, and such newes as you neuer heard of, Bap. Is it new and olde too? how may that be?

Bion. Why, is it not newes to heard of Petruchio's comming?

Bap. Is he come?

Bion. Why no sir

Bap. What then?

Bion. He is comming

Bap. When will he be heere?

Bion. When he stands where I am, and sees you there

Tra. But say, what to thine olde newes?

Bion. Why Petruchio is comming, in a new hat and an old ierkin, a paire of old breeches thrice turn'd; a paire of bootes that haue beene candle-cases, one buckled, another lac'd: an olde rusty sword tane out of the Towne Armory, with a broken hilt, and chapelesse: with two broken points: his horse hip'd with an olde mothy saddle, and stirrops of no kindred: besides possest with the glanders, and like to mose in the chine, troubled with the Lampa.s.se, infected with the fashions, full of Windegalls, sped with Spauins, raied with the Yellowes, past cure of the Fiues, starke spoyl'd with the Staggers, begnawne with the Bots, Waid in the backe, and shoulder-shotten, neere leg'd before, and with a halfe-chekt Bitte, & a headstall of sheepes leather, which being restrain'd to keepe him from stumbling, hath been often burst, and now repaired with knots: one girth sixe times peec'd, and a womans Crupper of velure, which hath two letters for her name, fairely set down in studs, and heere and there peec'd with packthred

Bap. Who comes with him?

Bion. Oh sir, his Lackey, for all the world Caparison'd like the horse: with a linnen stock on one leg, and a kersey boot-hose on the other, gartred with a red and blew list; an old hat, & the humor of forty fancies p.r.i.c.kt in't for a feather: a monster, a very monster in apparell, & not like a Christian foot-boy, or a gentlemans Lacky

Tra. 'Tis some od humor p.r.i.c.ks him to this fashion, Yet oftentimes he goes but meane apparel'd