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Kath. Why, then the beef, and let the mustard

rest.

Gru. Nay, then I will not; you shall have the mustard,

Or else you get no beef of Grumio.

Kath. Then both, or one, or any thing thou

wilt.

Gru. Why, then the mustard without the beef. Kath. Go, get thee gone, thou false deluding

slave,

[Beats him. That feed'st me with the very name of meat:

Sorrow on thee, and all the pack of you,
That triumph thus upon my misery!
Go, get thee gone, I say.

Enter PETRUCHIO with a dish of meat; and
HORTENSIO.

Pet. How fares my Kate? What, sweeting, all

amort ?8

Hor. Mistress, what cheer?

Kath.

'Faith, as cold as can be.

Pet. Pluck up thy spirits, look cheerfully upon

me.

Here, love; thou see'st how diligent I am,

To dress thy meat myself, and bring it thee:

[Sets the dish on a table. I am sure, sweet Kate, this kindness merits thanks. What, not a word? Nay then, thou lov'st it not; And all my pains is sorted to no proof:Here, take away this dish.

Kath.

'Pray you, let it stand.

Pet. The poorest service is repaid with thanks; And so shall mine, before you touch the meat.

What, sweeting, all amort?] This gallicism is common to many of the old plays. That is, all sunk and dispirited. 9 And all my pains is sorted to no proof:] And all my labour has ended in nothing, or proved nothing.

Kath. I thank you, sir.

Hor. Signior Petruchio, fye! you are to blame! Come, mistress Kate, I'll bear you company.

Pet. Eat it up all, Hortensio, if thou lov'st me.-
[Aside.

Much good do it unto thy gentle heart!
Kate, eat apace:-And now, my honey love,
Will we return unto thy father's house;
And revel it as bravely as the best,

With silken coats, and caps, and golden rings,
With ruffs, and cuffs, and farthingales, and things;
With scarfs, and fans, and double change of bravery,
With amber bracelets, beads, and all this knavery.
What, hast thou din'd? The tailor stays thy leisure,
To deck thy body with his ruffling treasure.1

Enter Tailor.

Come, tailor, let us see these ornaments;2

Enter Haberdasher.

Lay forth the gown.-What news with you, sir?
Hab. Here is the cap your worship did bespeak.
Pet. Why, this was moulded on a porringer;
A velvet dish;-fye, fye! 'tis lewd and filthy:
Why, 'tis a cockle, or a walnutshell,

A knack, a toy, a trick, a baby's cap;
Away with it, come, let me have a bigger.

Kath. I'll have no bigger; this doth fit the time, And gentlewomen wear such caps as these.

Pet. When you are gentle, you shall have one

too,

And not till then.

1

Hor.

That will not be in haste. [Aside.

with his ruffling treasure.] i. e. rustling.

* Come, tailor, let us see these ornaments;] In our poet's time, women's gowns were usually made by men.

Kath. Why, sir, I trust, I may have leave to
speak;

And speak I will; I am no child, no babe:
Your betters have endur'd me say my mind;
And, if you cannot, best you stop your ears.
My tongue will tell the anger of my heart;
Or else my heart, concealing it, will break:
And, rather than it shall, I will be free
Even to the uttermost, as I please, in words.
Pet. Why, thou say'st true; it is a paltry cap,
A custard-coffin,3 a bauble, a silken pie:
I love thee well, in that thou lik'st it not.

Kath. Love me, or love me not, I like the cap; And it I will have, or I will have none.

Pet. Thy gown? why, ay:-Come, tailor, let us

see't.

O mercy, God! what masking stuff is here?
What's this? a sleeve? 'tis like a demi-cannon:
What! up
and down, carv'd like an apple-tart?
Here's snip, and nip, and cut, and slish, and slash.
Like to a censer in a barber's shop:-

Why, what, o'devil's name, tailor, call'st thou this?
Hor. I see, she's like to have neither cap nor

gown.

[Aside. Tai. You bid me make it orderly and well, According to the fashion, and the time.

Pet. Marry, and did; but if you be remember'd, I did not bid you mar it to the time.

Go, hop me over every kennel home,

For you shall hop without my custom, sir:
I'll none of it; hence, make your best of it.

A custard-coffin,] A coffin was the ancient culinary term for the raised crust of a pie or custard.

censer] We learn from an ancient print, that these censers resembled in shape our modern brasieres. They had pierced convex covers, and stood on feet. They not only served to sweeten a barber's shop, but to keep his water warm, and dry his cloths on.

Kath. I never saw a better fashion'd gown, More quaint, more pleasing,, nor more commendable:

Belike, you mean to make a puppet of me.

Pet. Why, true; he means to make a puppet of thee.

Tai. She says, your worship means to make a puppet of her.

Pet. O monstrous arrogance! Thou liest, thou thread,

Thou thimble,5

Thou yard, three-quarters, half-yard, quarter, nail,
Thou flea, thou nit, thou winter cricket thou :—
Brav'd in mine own house with a skein of thread!
Away, thou rag, thou quantity, thou remnant;
Or I shall so be-mete thee with thy yard,

As thou shalt think on prating whilst thou liv'st!
I tell thee, I, that thou hast marr'd her gown.

Tai. Your worship is deceiv'd; the gown is made Just as my master had direction :

Grumio gave order how it should be done.

Gru. I gave him no order, I gave him the stuff.
Tai. But how did you desire it should be made?
Gru. Marry, sir, with needle and thread.
Tai. But did you not request to have it cut?
Gru. Thou hast faced many things.'

Tai. I have.

Gru. Face not me: thou hast braved many men ; brave not me; I will neither be faced nor braved.

3

thou thread,

Thou thimble,] The tailor's trade, having an appearance of effeminacy, has always been, among the rugged English, liable to sarcasms and contempt. JOHNSON.

6

7

be-mete i. e. be-measure thee.

faced many things.] i. e. turned up many gowns, &c. with facings, &c.

8 braved many men;] i. e. made many men fine. Bravery was the ancient term for elegance of dress.

[blocks in formation]

I say unto thee,-I bid thy master cut out the gown; but I did not bid him cut it to pieces: ergo, thou liest.

Tai. Why, here is the note of the fashion to testify.

Pet. Read it.

Gru. The note lies in his throat, if he say I said so.

Tai. Imprimis, a loose-bodied gown:

Gru. Master, if ever I said loose-bodied gown, sew me in the skirts of it, and beat me to death with a bottom of brown thread: I said, a gown.

Pet. Proceed.

Tai. With a small compassed cape;

Gru. I confess the cape.

Tai. With a trunk sleeve;

Gru. I confess two sleeves.
Tai. The sleeves curiously cut.
Pet. Ay, there's the villainy.

Gru. Error i'the bill, sir; error i'the bill. I commanded the sleeves should be cut out, and sewed up again; and that I'll prove upon thee, though thy little finger be armed in a thimble.

Tai. This is true, that I say; an I had thee in place where, thou shoud'st know it.

Gru. I am for thee straight: take thou the bill, give me thy mete-yard,' and spare not me.

Hor. God-a-mercy, Grumio! then he shall have no odds.

Pet. Well, sir, in brief, the gown is not for me. Gru. You are i'the right, sir; 'tis for my mis

tress.

9

Pet. Go, take it up unto thy master's use.

a small compassed cape;] A compassed cape is a round cape. To compass is to come round. JOHNSON.

1

thy mete-yard,] i. e. thy measuring yard.

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