Gru. E'en at hand, alighted by this; and therefore be not,- -Cock's passion, silence !-I hear my master. Enter PETRUCHIO and KATHARINA. Pet. Where be these knaves? What, no man at door, To hold my stirrup, nor to take my horse! Where is Nathaniel, Gregory, Philip ?————— All Serv. Here, here, sir; here, sir. Pet. Here, sir! here, sir! here, sir! here, sir!- Gru. Here, sir; as foolish as I was before. Pet. You peasant swain! you whoreson, malt-horse drudge ! Did not I bid thee meet me in the park, And bring along these rascal knaves with thee? Gru. Nathaniel's coat, sir, was not fully made, And Gabriel's pumps were all unpink'd i' the heel ; There was no link to colour Peter's hat, ' And Walter's dagger was not come from sheathing: Yet, as they are, here are they come to meet you. Re-enter Servants, with supper. [Sings. -Why, when, I say?-Nay, good sweet Kate, be merry. [Sings. Out, out, you rogue ! you pluck my foot awry: [Strikes him. [2] A scrap of some old ballad. Ancient Pistol elsewhere quotes the same line. In an old black letter book intituled, A gorgious Gallery of gallant Inventions, Lon. 4to, 1578, is a song to the tune of Where is the life that late I led. RITSON. [3] Dispersed through Shakspeare's plays are many little fragments of ancient ballads, the entire copies of which cannot now be recovered. Many of these being of the most beautiful and pathetic simplicity, Dr. Percy has selected some of them and connected them together with a few supplemental stanzas; a work, which at once shews his own poetical abilities, as well as his respect to the truly venerable remains of our most ancient bards. STEE Be merry, Kate :-Some water, here ;-what ho!Where's my spaniel Troilus?-Sirrah, get you hence, And bid my cousin Ferdinand come hither:-[Ex.Serv. One, Kate, that you must kiss, and be acquainted with. -Where are my slippers?-shall I have some water? [A bason is presented to him. Come, Kate, and wash, and welcome heartily: [Servant lets the ewer fall. You whoreson villain! will you let it fall? [Strikes him. Kath. Patience, I pray you; 'twas a fault unwilling. Pet. A whoreson, beetle-headed, flap-ear'd knave!Come, Kate, sit down; I know you have a stomach. Will you give thanks, sweet Kate; or else shall I?— What is this? mutton? 1 Serv. Ay. Pet. Who brought it? 1 Serv. I. Pet. 'Tis burnt; and so is all the meat: What dogs are these?-Where is the rascal cook? [Throws the meat, &c. about the stage. For it engenders choler, planteth anger; And better 'twere, that both of us did fast,- [Exe. PET. KATH. and CURTIS. Nath. [Advancing.] Peter, didst ever see the like? Peter. He kills her in her own humour. Re-enter CURTIS. Gru. Where is he? [4] It was the custom in our author's time, (and long before,) to wash the hands immediately before dinner and supper, as well as afterwards. MAL. As our ancestors eat with their fingers, which might not be over-clean be. fore meals, and after them must be greasy, we cannot wonder at such repeated ablutions. STEEV. Curt. In her chamber, Making a sermon of continency to her: And rails, and swears, and rates; that she, poor soul, Knows not which way to stand, to look, to speak ; And sits as one new-risen from a dream. Away, away! for he is coming hither. Re-enter PETRUCHIO. [Exeunt. Pet. Thus have I politicly begun my reign, And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster, And thus I'll curb her mad and head-strong humour:- SCENE II. Padua. Before BAPTISTA's House. TENSIO. [Exit. Enter TRANIO and HOR Tra. Is't possible, friend Licio, that Bianca Doth fancy any other but Lucentio ? I tell you, sir, she bears me fair in hand. Hor. Sir, to satisfy you in what I have said, [5] A haggard is a wild hawk; to man a hawk is to tame her. JOHNS. foj To bate is to flutter as a hawk does when it swoops upon its prey. Minsheu supposes it to be derived either from batre, Fr. to beat, or from s'abatre, to descend. MALONE. [7] Intend is sometimes used by our author for pretend, and is, I believe, 30 used here. MALONE. |