3 Man. Or Daphne roaming through a thorny wood,
Scratching her legs, that one shall swear she bleeds;
And at the fight fhall fad Apollo weep:

So workmanly the blood and tears are drawn.
Lord. Thou art a lord, and nothing but a lord:
Thou haft a lady far more beautiful

Than any woman in this waining age.

I Man. And 'till the tears that she hath fhed for thee, Like envious floods, o'er-run her lovely face,

She was the fairest creature in the world,

And yet she is inferior to none.

Sly. Am I a lord, and have I such a lady?
Or do I dream? or have I dream'd 'till now?
I do not sleep; I see, I hear, I speak ;
I fmell fweet favours, and I feel soft things:
Upon my life I am a lord indeed,

And not a tinker, nor Chriftophero Sly.
Well, bring our lady hither to our fight,

And once again a pot o'th' smallest ale.

2 Man. Will't please your mightiness to wash your hands? Oh how we joy to see your wits restor❜d,

Oh that once more you knew but what you are!
These fifteen years you have been in a dream,
Or when you wak'd, you wak'd as if you flept.

Sly. These fifteen years! by my fay, a goodly nap:
But did I never speak of all that time?

1 Man. Oh yes, my lord, but very idle words.
For tho' you lay here in this goodly chamber,
Yet would you fay, ye were beaten out of door,
And rail'd upon the hostess of the house,
And fay you would prefent her at the Leet,
Because the bought stone jugs, and no feal'd quarts:
Sometimes you would call out for Cicely Hacket.

Sly.

Sly. Ay, the woman's maid of the house.i

3 Man. Why Sir, you know no house, nor no fuch maid, Nor no fuch men as you have reckon❜d up,

As Stephen Sly, and old John Naps of Greece,
And Peter Turf, and Henry Pimpernell,

And twenty more fuch names and men as these,
Which never were, nor no man ever saw.

Sly. Now lord be thanked for my good amends.
All. Amen.

Sly. By th' mafs I think I am a lord indeed.
What is thy name?

Man. Simon, an't please your honour.

Sly. Sim? that's as much as to say Simeon or Simon; put forth thy hand and fill the pot.

SCENE V.

Enter Lady with attenaants.

Sly. I thank thee, thou shalt not lose by it.

Lady. How fares my noble lord?

Sly. Marry I fare well, for here is cheer enough. Where is my wife?

Lady. Here noble lord, what is thy will with her?

Sly. Are you my wife, and will not call me husband? My men should call me lord, I am your good man.

Lady. My husband and my lord, my lord and husband,

I am your wife in all obedience.

Sly. I know it well: what muft I call her?

Lord. Madam.

Sly. Alce madam, or Joan madam ?

Lord. Madam, and nothing else, so lords call ladies.

Sly. Come fit down on my knee. Sim, drink to her. Ma

Nn 2

This and the two following Speeches added from the old edition.

dam

dam wife, they say that I have dream'd, and slept above fome fifteen years and more.

Lady. Ay, and the time seems thirty unto me,

Being all this time abandon'd from your bed.

Sly. 'Tis much. Servants leave me and her alone: madam, undress you, and come now to bed. Sim, drink to her.

Lady. Thrice noble lord, let me entreat of you,

To pardon me yet for a night or two:

Or if not fo, until the fun be fet;

For your physicians have exprefly charg'd,

In peril to incur your former malady,

That I fhould yet absent me from your bed;

I hope this reafon ftands for my excufe.

Sly. Ay, it ftands fo, that I may hardly tarry fo long; but I would be loath to fall into my dream again: I will therefore tarry in despight of the flesh and the blood.

SCENE VI.

Enter a Messenger.

Meff. Your honour's players, hearing your amendment,

Are come to play a pleasant comedy;

For fo your doctors hold it very meet,

Seeing so much sadness hath congeal'd your blood,
And melancholy is the nurse of frenzy,

Therefore they thought it good you hear a play,
And frame your mind to mirth and merriment,
Which bars a thousand harms, and lengthens life.

Sly. Marry I will, let them play, is it not a commodity? a Christmas gambol, or a tumbling trick?

Lady. No, my good lord, it is more pleasing stuff.

Sly. What, houshold stuff?

Lady.

Lady. It is a kind of history.

Sly. Well, we'll fee't: come, Madam wife, fit by my fide, and let the world flip, we shall ne'er be younger.

The TAMING of the SHREW.

T

ACTI. SCENE I.

PADU A.

Flourish. Enter Lucentio and Tranio.

LUCENTIO.

Ranio, fince for the great defire I had
To fee fair Padua, nursery of arts,
I am arriv'd 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..

Most trusty servant, well approv'd in all,
Here let us breathe, and happily institute
A course of learning, and ingenious studies.
Pifa, renowned for grave citizens,

Gave me my being, and my father first

A merchant of great traffick through the world:
Vincentio's come of the Bentivolii,

Vincentio his fon, brought up in Florence,
It shall become to ferve all hopes conceiv'd
To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds:

4

And

And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study,
Virtue and that part of philofophy
Will I apply, that treats of happiness,
By virtue fpecially to be atchiev'd.
Tell me thy mind, for I have Pisa left,
And am to Padua come, as he that leaves
A fhallow plash to plunge him in the deep,
And with fatiety seeks to quench his thirst.

Tra. Me pardonato, gentle mafter mine,
I am in all affected as your felf;

Glad that you thus continue your refolve,
To fuck the sweets of sweet philofophy:
Only, good master, while we do admire
This virtue, and this moral discipline,
Let's be no ftoicks, nor no stocks, I pray;
Or, fo devote to Ariftotle's checks
As Ovid, be an outcast quite abjur'd.
Talk logick with acquaintance that you have,
And practise rhetorick in your common talk;
Mufick and poefie use to quicken you,
The mathematicks, and the metaphyficks,
Fall to them as you find your stomach serves you:
No profit grows, where is no pleasure ta’en :

In brief, Sir, ftudy what you most affect.

Luc. Gramercies, Tranio, well doft thou advise; If, Biondello, thou wert come afhore,

We could at once put us in readiness,

And take a lodging fit to entertain

Such friends, as time in Padua fhall beget.
But stay a while, what company is this?

Tra. Master, fome fhow to welcome us to town.

SCENE