Vincentio, come of the Bentivolii.9
Vincentio his fon,' brought up in Florence,
It shall become, to ferve all hopes conceiv'd,2
To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds:
And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study,
Virtue, and that part of philofophy 3

9 Pifa, renowned for grave citizens, &c.] This paffage, I think, fhould be read and pointed thus:

Pifa, renowned for grave citizens,

Gave me my being, and my father first,

A merchant of great traffick through the world,
Vincentio, come of the Bentivolii.

In the next line, which should begin a new sentence, Vincentio his fon, is the fame as Vincentio's fon, which Mr. Heath not apprehending, has propofed to alter Vincentio into Lucentio. It may be added, that Shakspeare in other places expreffes the genitive cafe in the fame improper manner. See Troilus and Creffida, Act II. fc. i: "Mars his ideot." And Twelfth-Night, A& III. fc. iii: "The Count his gallies." TYRWHITT.

Vincentio, come of the Bentivolii.] The old copy reads-Vincentio's. The emendation was made by Sir T. Hanmer. I am not sure that it is right. Our author might have written : Vincentio's fon, come of the Bentivolii.

If that be the true reading, this line should be connected with the following, and a colon placed after world in the preceding line; as is the cafe in the original copy, which adds some support to the emendation now proposed:

I

Vincentio's fon, come of the Bentivolii,
Vincentio's fon brought up in Florence,

It shall become, &c. MALONE.

1 Vincentio his fon,] The old copy reads-Vincentio's.

STEEVENS.

Vincentio's is here used as a quadrifyllable. Mr. Pope, I fuppofe, not perceiving this, unneceffarily reads-Vincentio his fon, which has been too haftily adopted by the fubfequent editors. MALONE.

Could I have read the line, as a verfe, without Mr. Pope's emendation, I would not have admitted it. STEEVENS. 2-to ferve all hopes conceiv'd,] To fulfil the expectations of his friends. MALONE.

3 Virtue, and that part of philofophy-] Sir Thomas Han

Will I apply, that treats of happiness
By virtue 'fpecially to be achiev'd.

Tell me thy mind: for I have Pisa left,
And am to Padua come; as he that leaves
A fhallow plafh, to plunge him in the deep,
And with fatiety feeks to quench his thirst.

TRA. Mi perdonate,4 gentle mafter mine,
I am in all affected as yourself;

Glad that you thus continue your refolve,
To fuck the fweets of fweet philofophy.
Only, good mafter, while we do admire
This virtue, and this moral difcipline,
Let's be no ftoicks, nor no stocks, I pray;
Or fo devote to Ariftotle's checks,5

mer, and after him Dr. Warburton, read-to virtue; but formerly ply and apply were indifferently used, as to ply or apply his ftudies. JOHNSON.

The word ply is afterwards used in this scene, and in the fame manner, by Tranio :

"For who fhall bear your part, &c.

66

Keep house and ply his book?" M. MASON. So, in The Nice Wanton, an ancient interlude, 1560: "O ye children, let your time be well spent,

Applye your learning, and your elders obey." Again, in Gascoigne's Suppofes, 1566: "I feare he applyes his ftudy fo, that he will not leave the minute of an houre from his booke." MALONE.

4 Mi perdonate,] Old copy-Me pardonato. The emendation was fuggefted by Mr. Steevens. MALONE.

Ariftotle.

Ariftotle's checks,] Are, I fuppofe, the harsh rules of
STEEVENS.

Such as tend to check and reftrain the indulgence of the paffions.
MALONE.

Tranio is here defcanting on academical learning, and mentions by name fix of the feven liberal sciences. I fufpect this to be a mif-print, made by fome copyift or compofitor, for ethicks. The fenfe confirms it. BLACKSTONE.

So, in Ben Jonfon's Silent Woman, Act IV. fc. iv: I, in fome cafes but in these they are beft, and Ariftotle's ethicks." STEEVENS,

As Ovid be an outcaft quite abjur'd:

Talk logick with acquaintance that you have,
And practice rhetorick in your common talk:
Mufick and poefy use to quicken you ;7
The mathematicks, and the metaphyficks,
Fall to them, as you find your ftomach ferves you:
No profit grows, where is no pleasure ta'en ;-
In brief, fir, ftudy what you moft 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 shall beget.
But stay awhile: What company is this?

TRA. Mafter, fome show, to welcome us to town,

Enter BAPTISTA, KATHARINA, BIANCA, GREMIO, and HORTENSIO. LUCENTIO and TRANIO

ftand afde.

BAP. Gentlemen, impórtune me no further, For how I firmly am refolv'd you know; That is, not to beftow my youngest daughter, Before I have a hufband for the elder: If either of you both love Katharina, Because I know you well, and love you well, Leave fhall you have to court her at your pleasure. GRE. To cart her rather: She's too rough for

me:

There, there Hortenfio, will you any wife?

• Talk logick―] Old copy-Balk. Corrected by Mr. Rowe.

MALONE.

to quicken you ;] i. e. animate. So, in All's well that

7

ends well:

Quicken a rock, and make you

dance canary,"

STEEVENS.

KATH. I

pray you, fir, [To BAP.] is it your will To make a ftale of me amongst these mates? HOR. Mates, maid! how mean you that? no mates for you,

Unless you were of gentler, milder mould.

KATH. I'faith, fir, you shall never need to fear; I wis, it is not half way to her heart:

But, if it were, doubt not her care fhould be
To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd ftool,
And paint your face, and ufe you like a fool.

HOR. From all fuch devils, good Lord, deliver us!

GRE. And me too, good Lord!

TRA. Hush, mafter! here is fome good pastime toward;

That wench is stark mad, or wonderful froward.

Luc. But in the other's filence I do fee

Maids' mild behaviour and fobriety.

Peace, Tranio.

TRA. Well said, mafter; mum! and gaze your fill.

BAP. Gentlemen, that I may foon make good What I have faid,-Bianca, get you in: And let it not displease thee, good Bianca; For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl. KATH. A pretty peat ! 'tis best

Put finger in the eye,-an fhe knew why.

A pretty peat!] Peat or pet is a word of endearment from petit, little, as if it meant pretty little thing. JOHNSON.

This word is used in the old play of King Leir, (not Shakfpeare's :)

"Gon. I marvel, Ragan, how you can endure

"To fee that proud, pert peat, our youngest fifter," &c.

difcontent.

BIAN. Sifter, content you in my
Sir, to your pleasure humbly I fubfcribe:

My books, and inftruments, shall be my company;
On them to look, and practise by myself.

Luc. Hark, Tranio! thou may'st hear Minerva

fpeak.

[Afide. HOR. Signior Baptifta, will you be so strange?? Sorry am I, that our good will effects

Bianca's grief.

GRE.

Why, will you mew her up,

Signior Baptifta, for this fiend of hell,

And make her bear the penance of her tongue?

BAP. Gentlemen, content ye;, I am refolv'd:Go in, Bianca.

Exit BIANCA.

And for I know, fhe taketh most delight
In mufick, inftruments, and poetry,
Schoolmasters will I keep within my house,
Fit to inftruct her youth.-If you, Hortenfio,
Or fignior Gremio, you,-know any fuch,
Prefer them hither; for to cunning men 1
I will be very kind, and liberal

To mine own children in good bringing-up;

Again, in Coridon's Song, by Thomas Lodge; published in England's Helicon, 1600:

"And God fend every pretty peate,

Heigh hoe the pretty peate," &c.

and is, I believe, of Scotch extraction. I find it in one of the proverbs of that country, where it fignifies darling:

"He has fault of a wife, that marries mam's pet." i. e. He is in great want of a wife who marries one that is her mother's darling. STEEVENS.

9 -fo ftrange?] That is, fo odd, fo different from others in your conduct. JOHNSON.

I

cunning men,] Cunning had not yet loft its original fignification of knowing, learned, as may be observed in the tranflation of the Bible. JOHNSON.