THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

Act 3 Scene 1

(Enter Lucentio with books, as Cambio, Hortensio with a lute, as Licio, and Bianca)
l1l	Lucentio	 Fiddler, forbear. You grow too forward, sir.
l2l		Have you so soon forgot the entertainment
l3l		Her sister Katherine welcomed you withal?
l4l	Hortensio	But, wrangling pedant, this Bianca is,
l5l		The patroness of heavenly harmony.
l6l		Then give me leave to have prerogative,
l7l		And when in music we have spent an hour
l8l		Your lecture shall have leisure for as much.
l9l	Lucentio	Preposterous ass, that never read so far
l10l		To know the cause why music was ordained!
l11l		Was it not to refresh the mind of man
l12l		After his studies or his usual pain?
l13l		Then give me leave to read philosophy,
l14l		And while I pause, serve in your harmony.
l15l	Hortensio	Sirrah, I will not bear these braves of thine.
l16l	Bianca	Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong
l17l		To strive for that which resteth in my choice.
l18l		I am no breeching scholar in the schools.
l19l		I’ll not be tied to hours nor ’pointed times,
l20l		But learn my lessons as I please myself#
l21l		And to cut off all strife, here sit we down.
l22l		(To Hortensio)
		 Take you your instrument, play you the whiles.
l23l		His lecture will be done ere you have tuned.
l24l	Hortensio	You’ll leave his lecture when I am in tune?
l25l	Lucentio	That will be never. Tune your instrument.
		( 25 Hortensio tunes his lute. Lucentio opens a book)
l26l	Bianca	 Where left we last?
l27l	Lucentio	Here, madam.
l28l		(Reads)
		> “Hic ibat Simois, hic est Sigeia tellus,
l29l		Hic steterat Priami regia celsa senis.”
l30l	Bianca	 Construe them.
l31l	Lucentio	“Hic ibat”, as I told you before—“Simois”, I am
l32l		Lucentio—“hic est”, son unto Vincentio of Pisa—“Sigeia
l33l		tellus”, disguised thus to get your love—“hic steterat”,
l34l		and that Lucentio that comes a-wooing—“Priami”, is
l35l		my man Tranio—“regia”, bearing my port—“celsa senis”,
l36l		that we might beguile the old pantaloon.
l37l	Hortensio	Madam, my instrument’s in tune.
l38l	Bianca	Let’s hear.
		(Hortensio plays)
		 O fie, the treble jars.
l39l	Lucentio	Spit in the hole, man, and tune again.
		(Hortensio tunes his lute again)
l40l	Bianca	 Now let me see if I can construe it. “Hic ibat
l41l		Simois”, I know you not—“hic est Sigeia tellus”, I trust
l42l		you not—“hic steterat Priami”, take heed he hear us
l43l		not—“regia”, presume not—“celsa senis”, despair not.
l44l	Hortensio	 Madam, ’tis now in tune.
	Lucentio	All but the bass.
l45l	Hortensio	The bass is right, ’tis the base knave that jars.
l46l		(Aside)
		 How fiery and forward our pedant is!
l47l		Now, for my life, the knave doth court my love.
l48l		Pedascule, I’ll watch you better yet.
l49l	Bianca	(to Lucentio)
		 In time I may believe# yet, I mistrust.
l50l	Lucentio	Mistrust it not, for sure Aeacides
l51l		Was Ajax, called so from his grandfather.
l52l	Bianca	I must believe my master, else, I promise you,
l53l		I should be arguing still upon that doubt.
l54l		But let it rest. Now Licio, to you.
l55l		Good master, take it not unkindly, pray,
l56l		That I have been thus pleasant with you both.
l57l	Hortensio	(to Lucentio)
		 You may go walk and give me leave awhile.
l58l		My lessons make no music in three parts.
l59l	Lucentio	Are you so formal, sir? Well, I must wait.
l60l		(Aside)
		 And watch withal, for but I be deceived
l61l		Our fine musician groweth amorous.
l62l	Hortensio	Madam, before you touch the instrument
l63l		To learn the order of my fingering,
l64l		I must begin with rudiments of art,
l65l		To teach you gamut in a briefer sort,
l66l		More pleasant, pithy, and effectual
l67l		Than hath been taught by any of my trade#
l68l		And there it is in writing, fairly drawn.
		(He gives a paper)
l69l	Bianca	 Why, I am past my gamut long ago.
l70l	Hortensio	Yet read the gamut of Hortensio.
l71l	Bianca	(reads)
		 “Gam-ut I am, the ground of all accord,
l72l		A—re—to plead Hortensio’s passion.
l73l		B—mi—Bianca, take him for thy lord,
l74l		C—fa, ut—that loves with all affection.
l75l		D—sol, re—one clef, two notes have I,
l76l		E—la, mi—show pity, or I die.”
l77l		Call you this gamut? Tut, I like it not.
l78l		Old fashions please me best. I am not so nice
l79l		To change true rules for odd inventions.
		(Enter a Messenger)
l80l	Messenger	 Mistress, your father prays you leave your books
l81l		And help to dress your sister’s chamber up.
l82l		You know tomorrow is the wedding day.
l83l	Bianca	Farewell, sweet masters both. I must be gone.
l84l	Lucentio	Faith, mistress, then I have no cause to stay.
		( 84 Exeunt Bianca, Messenger, and Lucentio)
l85l	Hortensio	 But I have cause to pry into this pedant.
l86l		Methinks he looks as though he were in love.
l87l		Yet if thy thoughts, Bianca, be so humble
l88l		To cast thy wand’ring eyes on every stale,
l89l		Seize thee that list. If once I find thee ranging,
l90l		Hortensio will be quit with thee by changing.
		(Exit)