Signior Hortenfio, thus it ftands with me.
Antonio, my father, is deceas'd;

And I have thruft myself into this maze,
Happly to wive, and thrive, as best I may:
Crowns in my purfe I have, and goods at home,
And fo am come abroad to fee the world.

Hor. Petruchio, fhall I then come roundly to thee, And wish thee to a fhrewd ill-favour'd wife? Thou'dft thank me but a little for my counfel: And yet, I'll promise thee, the fhall be rich, And very rich:-but thou'rt too much my friend, And I'll not with thee to her.

Pet. Signior Hortenfio, 'twixt fuch friends as us Few words fuffice: and, therefore if you know One rich enough to be Petruchio's wife, (As wealth is burthen of my wooing dance) Be fhe as foul as was Florentius' love," As old as Sibyl, and as curft and fhrewd As Socrates' Xantippe, or a worse, She moves me not, or not removes, at least, 'Affection's edge in me. Were the as rough

As

Why this fhould feem nonfenfe, I cannot perceive. In a few means the fame as in short, in few words. JOHNSON.

6

As wealth is burthen of my wosing dance.] The burthen of a dance is an expreffion which I have never heard; the burthen of his wooing fong had been more proper. JOHNSON.

7 Be the as foul as was Florentius' love] This I fuppofe relates to a circumstance in fome Italian novel, and fhould be read Florentio's. WARBURTON.

Affection's EDGE in ME.] This man is a ftrange talker. He tells you he wants money only. And, as to affection, he thinks fo little of the matter, that give him but a rich mistress, and he will take her though incrufted all over with the worst bad qualities of age, uglinefs, and ill-manners. Yet after this, he talks of affection's edge being fo ftrong in him that nothing can abate it. Some of the old copies indeed, inftead of me read me this will direct us to the true reading, which I am perfuaded is this,

Affection SIEG'D IN COIN,

i. c. placed, feated, fixed. This makes him fpeak to the purBb 3 pofe,

As are the fwelling Adriatick feas,
I come to wive it wealthily in Padua:
If wealthily, then happily, in Padua.

Gru. Nay, look you, fir, he tells you flatly what his mind is: Why, give him gold enough, and marry him to a puppet, or an aglet baby; or an old trot with ne'er a tooth in her head, though fhe have as many diseases as two and fifty horfes: why, nothing comes amifs, fo money comes withal.

Hor. Petruchio, fince we have ftept thus far in, I will continue that I broach'd in jeft.

I can, Petruchio, help thee to a wife

With wealth enough, and young, and beauteous;
Brought up, as beft becomes a gentlewoman.
Her only fault, (and that is fault enough)
Is, that he is intolerably curft:

And fhrewd, and froward; fo beyond all measure,
That, were my ftate far worfer than it is,

I would not wed her for a mine of gold.

Pet. Hortenfio, peace'; thou know'ft not gold's effect:

Tell me her father's name, and 'tis enough;
For I will board her, tho' fhe chide as loud
As thunder, when the clouds in autumn crack,
Hor. Her father is Baptifta Minola,

An affable and courteous gentleman:

pofe, that his affection is all love of money. The expreffion too is proper, as the metaphor is intire-to remove affection fug'd in coin. WARBURTON.

Surely the fenfe of the prefent reading is too obvious to be miffed or mistaken. Petruchio fays, that, if a girl has money enough, no bad qualities of mind or body will remove affection's edge; i. e. hinder him from liking her. JOHNSON.

Paglet,] the tag of a point.

So in the Spanish Tragedy, 1605:

POPE.

“And all those stars that gaze upon her face,
"Are aglers on her fleeve-pins and her train."

STEEVENS

Her

Her name is Catharina Minola,
Renown'd in Padua for her fcolding tongue.

Pet. I know her father, tho' I know not her;
And he knew my deceafed father well.

I will not fleep, Hortenfio, 'till I fee her;
And therefore let me be thus bold with you,
To give you over at this first encounter,'
Unless you will accompany me thither.

Gru. I pray you, fir, let him go while the humour lafts. O' my word, an' fhe knew him as well as I do, she would think fcolding would do little good upon him. She may, perhaps call him half a fcore knaves, or fo: why, that's nothing; an' he begin once, he'll rail-In his rope-tricks (I'll tell you what, fir) an' fhe ftand him but a little, he will throw a figure in her face, and fo disfigure her with it, that she shall have no more eyes to fee withal than a cat. You know him not, fir.

Hor. Tarry, Petruchio, I must go with thee; For in Baptifta's house my treasure is:

He hath the jewel of my life in hold,

His youngest daughter, beautiful Bianca;

2

an' be begin once, he'll rail-In his repe-tricks.] This is obfcure. Sir Thomas Hanmer reads, he'll: ait in his rhetorick; I'll tell you, &c. Rhetorick agrees very well with figure in the fucceeding part of the speech, yet I am inclined to believe that rope-tricks is the true word. JOHNSON.

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare ufes ropery for rogury, and therefore certainly wrote ripe tricks.

STEEVENS.

2 that she shall have no more eyes to fee withal than a cat.] The humour of this paffage I do not understand. This animal is remarkable for the keennefs of its fight. Probably the poet meant to have faid- —a cat in a bottle. Of this diverfion fee an account in Much Ado, &c. STEEVENS.

It may mean, that he fhall fwell up her eyes with blows, till fhe fhall feem to peep with a contracted pupil like a cat in the light. JOHNSON.

B b 4

And

And her with-holds he from me, and other more
Suitors to her, and rivals in my love:
Suppofing it a thing impoffible,

(For thofe defects I have before rehears'd)
That ever Catharina will be woo'd,
Therefore this order hath Baptifta ta'en ;-
That none fhall have accefs unto Bianca,
Till Catharine the curft have got a husband,
Gru. Catharine the curft!

A title for a maid, of all titles the worst!
Hor. Now fhall my friend Petruchio do me grace;
And offer me, difguis'd in fober robes,

To old Baptifta as a school-mafter,

Well seen in musick, to instruct Bianca :

That fo I may by this device, at least,

Have leave and leifure to make love to her;
And, unfufpected, court her by herself.

Enter Gremio and Lucentio difguis'd.

Gru. Here's no knavery! See; to beguile the old folks, how the young folks lay their heads together! Master, look about you: who goes there? ha!

Hor. Peace, Grumio; 'tis the rival of my love. Petruchio, ftand by a while.

Gru. A proper ftripling, and an amorous! Gre. O, very well; I have perus'd the note. Hark you, fir, I'll have them very fairly bound: All books of love; fee that, at any hand; And fee, you read no other lectures to her; You understand me:-Over and befide

Signior Baptifta's liberality,

And her with-holds, &c.] It stood thus:

And her with-holds be from me.

Other more fuitors to her, and rivals in my love, &c.

The regulation which I have given to the text, was dictated to

e by the ingenious Dr. Thirlby.

THEOBALD.

I'll mend it with a largefs. Take your papers too,
And let me have them very well perfum'd:
For she is sweeter than perfume itself,

To whom they go. What will you read to her?
Luc. Whate'er I read to her, I'll plead for you,
As for my patron, (stand you so affur'd)
As firmly as yourself were still in place:
Yea, and, perhaps, with more fuccessful words
Than you, unless you were a fcholar, fir.

Gre. Oh this learning! what a thing it is!
Gru. O this woodcock! what an afs it is!
Pet. Peace, firrah.

Hor. Grumio, mum! God fave you, fignior Gre
mio!

Gre. And you are well met, fignior Hortenfio.
Trow you

Whither I am going?-To Baptifta Minola.
I promis'd to enquire carefully

About a school-mafter for the fair Bianca :
And, by good fortune, I have lighted well
On this young man; for learning and behaviour
Fit for her turn; well read in poetry,

And other books,-good ones, I warrant you.
Hor. 'Tis well and I have met a gentleman,
Hath promis'd me to help me to another, -
A fine mufician to inftruct our mistress;
So fhall I no whit be behind in duty

To fair Bianca, so belov'd of me.

Gre. Belov'd of me,--and that my deeds fhall prove.

Gru. And that his bags fhall prove.

Hor. Gremio, 'tis now no time to vent our love: Listen to me; and, if you fpeak me fair, I'll tell you news indifferent good for either. Here is a gentleman, whom by chance I met, Upon agreement from us to his liking, Will undertake to woo curft Catharine;

Yea,