Padua.A public place.Enter LUCENTIO and his man TRANIO LUCENTIO Tranio, since for the great desire I had To see fair Padua, nursery of arts, I am arrived for fruitful Lombardy, The pleasant garden of great Italy;And by my father's love and leave am arm'd With his good will and thy good company, My trusty servant, well approved in all, Here let us breathe and haply institute A course of learning and ingenious studies.
Pisa renown'd for grave citizens Gave me my being and my father first, A merchant of great traffic through the world, Vincetino come of Bentivolii.
Vincetino's son brought up in Florence It shall become to serve all hopes conceived, To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds:
And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study, Virtue and that part of philosophy Will I apply that treats of happiness By virtue specially to be achieved.
Tell me thy mind; for I have Pisa left And am to Padua come, as he that leaves A shallow plash to plunge him in the deep And with satiety seeks to quench his thirst.TRANIO Mi perdonato, gentle master mine, I am in all affected as yourself;Glad that you thus continue your resolve To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy.
Only, good master, while we do admire This virtue and this moral discipline, Let's be no stoics nor no stocks, I pray;Or so devote to Aristotle's cheques As Ovid be an outcast quite abjured:
Balk logic with acquaintance that you have And practise rhetoric in your common talk;1
The mathematics and the metaphysics, Fall to them as you find your stomach serves you;No profit grows where is no pleasure ta'en:
In brief, sir, study what you most affect.LUCENTIO Gramercies, Tranio, well dost thou advise.
If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore, We could at once put us in readiness, And take a lodging fit to entertain Such friends as time in Padua shall beget.
But stay a while: what company is this? TRANIO Master, some show to welcome us to town.
Enter BAPTISTA, KATHARINA, BIANCA, GREMIO, and HORTENSIO.LUCENTIOand TRANIO stand by BAPTISTA Gentlemen, importune me no farther, For how I firmly am resolved you know;That is, not bestow my youngest daughter Before I have a husband for the elder:
If either of you both love Katharina, Because I know you well and love you well, Leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure.GREMIO [Aside] To cart her rather: she's too rough for me.
There, There, Hortensio, will you any wife? KATHARINA I pray you, sir, is it your will To make a stale of me amongst these mates? HORTENSIO Mates, maid! how mean you that? no mates for you, Unless you were of gentler, milder mould.KATHARINA I'faith, sir, you shall never need to fear:
I wis it is not half way to her heart;
But if it were, doubt not her care should be To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd stool And paint your face and use you like a fool.HORTENSIA From all such devils, good Lord deliver us! GREMIO And me too, good Lord! TRANIO Hush, master! here's some good pastime toward:
That wench is stark mad or wonderful froward.LUCENTIO But in the other's silence do I see Maid's mild behavior and sobriety.
Peace, Tranio! TRANIO Well said, master; mum! and gaze your fill.BAPTISTA Gentlemen, that I may soon make good What I have said, Bianca, get you in:
And let it not displease thee, good Bianca, For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl.KATHARINA A pretty peat! it is best Put finger in the eye, an she knew why.BIANCA Sister, content you in my discontent.
Sir, to your pleasure humbly I subscribe:
My books and instruments shall be my company, On them to took and practise by myself.LUCENTIO Hark, Tranio! thou may'st hear Minerva speak.HORTENSIO Signior Baptista, will you be so strange?
Sorry am I that our good will effects Bianca's grief.GREMIO Why will you mew her up, Signior Baptista, for this fiend of hell, And make her bear the penance of her tongue? BAPTISTA Gentlemen, content ye; I am resolved:
Go in, Bianca:
Exit BIANCA
And for I know she taketh most delight In music, instruments and poetry, Schoolmasters will I keep within my house, Fit to instruct her youth.If you, Hortensio, Or Signior Gremio, you, know any such, Prefer them hither; for to cunning men I will be very kind, and liberal To mine own children in good bringing up:
And so farewell.Katharina, you may stay;For I have more to commune with Bianca.
Exit KATHARINA Why, and I trust I may go too, may Inot? What, shall I be appointed hours; as though, belike, Iknew not what to take and what to leave, ha?
Exit GREMIO You may go to the devil's dam: your gifts are so good, here's none will hold you.Their love is not so great, Hortensio, but we may blow our nails together, and fast it fairly out: our cakes dough on both sides.Farewell: yet for the love I bear my sweet Bianca, if I can by any means light on a fit man to teach her that wherein she delights, Iwill wish him to her father.HORTENSIO So will I, Signior Gremio: but a word, I pray.
