You to your former honour I bequeath; [To the Duke. [To Orlando. You to your land, and love, and great allies: To Oliver. You to a long and well deserved bed ;- [To Silvius. And you to wrangling; for thy loving voyage [To the Clown. Is but for two months victual'd:-So to your pleasures; I am for other than for dancing measures. Duke Sen. Stay, Jaques, ftay. faq. To fee no paftime, I :-what you would have I'll stay to know at your abandon'd cave. [Exit. Duke Sen. Proceed, proceed: we will begin these rites, As we do trust they'll end, in true delights. Rof. It is not the fashion to fee the lady the epilogue: but it is no more unhandsome, than to see the lord the prologue. If it be true, that good wine needs no bush, 'tis true, that a good play needs no epilogue: Yet to good wine they do ufe good bufhes; and good plays prove the better by the help of good epilogues. What a cafe am I in then, that am neither a good epilogue, nor can infinuate with you in the behalf of a good play? I am not furnish'd like a beggar, therefore to beg will not become me my way is, to conjure you; and I'll begin with the women. I charge you, O women, for the love you bear that am neither a good epilogue, nor can infinuate with you in the be half of a good play that have neither prefented you with a good play, nor come prepared with a good epilogue to prejudice you favour of a bad one. in to to men, to like as much of this play as pleases them and I charge you, O men, for the love you bear to women, (as I perceive by your fimpering, none of you hate them) that between you and the women, the play may pleafe. If I were a woman, I would kifs as many of you as had beards that pleas'd me, complexions that lik’d me, and breaths that I defy'd not: and I am sure, as many as have good beards, or good faces, or sweet breaths, will, for my kind offer, when I make curt'fy, bid me farewell. [Exeunt omnes. •If I were a woman,]-indeed-the part being performed by a bey. defy'd not: :]-did not difapprove, difrelish. TAMING A Lord, before whom the Play is fuppofed to be play'd. Hoftefs Page, Players, Huntsmen, and other Servants attending on the Lord. PERSONS REPRESENTED. BAPTISTA, Father to KATHARINA and BIANCA; very rich. VINCENTIO, an old Gentleman of Pisa. LUCENTIO, Son to VINCENTIO, in love with BIANCA. PETRUCHIO, a Gentleman of Verona, a fuitor to KA GRUMIO, Servant to PETRUCHIO. PEDANT, an old Fellow fet up to perfonate VINCENTIO. KATHARINA, the Shrew. BIANCA, her Sifter. Widow. Taylor, Haberdasher; with Servants attending on BAPTISTA, and PETRUCHIO. SCENE-fometimes in Padua; and fometimes in Petruchio's Houfe in the Country. THIS PLAY was formed principally upon an old comedy, with the fame title, as appears from a variety of clofe imitations; fome of the incidents were taken from Gascoigne's comedy of the Suppofes: it was written about the year 1606. |