And do you tell me of a woman's tongue, That gives not half so great a blow to hear As will a chestnut in a farmer's fire?
Tush, tush! fear boys with bugs.GRUMIO For he fears none.GREMIO Hortensio, hark:
This gentleman is happily arrived, My mind presumes, for his own good and ours.HORTENSIO I promised we would be contributors And bear his charging of wooing, whatsoe'er.GREMIO And so we will, provided that he win her.GRUMIO I would I were as sure of a good dinner.
Enter TRANIO brave, and BIONDELLO TRANIO Gentlemen, God save you.If I may be bold, Tell me, I beseech you, which is the readiest way To the house of Signior Baptista Minola? BIONDELLO He that has the two fair daughters: is't he you mean? TRANIO Even he, Biondello.GREMIO Hark you, sir; you mean not her to-- TRANIO Perhaps, him and her, sir: what have you to do? PETRUCHIO Not her that chides, sir, at any hand, I pray.TRANIO I love no chiders, sir.Biondello, let's away.LUCENTIO Well begun, Tranio.HORTENSIO Sir, a word ere you go;Are you a suitor to the maid you talk of, yea or no? TRANIO And if I be, sir, is it any offence? GREMIO No; if without more words you will get you hence.TRANIO Why, sir, I pray, are not the streets as free For me as for you? GREMIO But so is not she.TRANIO For what reason, I beseech you? GREMIO For this reason, if you'll know, That she's the choice love of Signior Gremio.HORTENSIO That she's the chosen of Signior Hortensio.TRANIO Softly, my masters! if you be gentlemen, Do me this right; hear me with patience.
Baptista is a noble gentleman, To whom my father is not all unknown;And were his daughter fairer than she is, She may more suitors have and me for one.
Fair Leda's daughter had a thousand wooers;Then well one more may fair Bianca have:
And so she shall; Lucentio shall make one, Though Paris came in hope to speed alone.GREMIO What! this gentleman will out-talk us all.LUCENTIO Sir, give him head: I know he'll prove a jade.PETRUCHIO Hortensio, to what end are all these words? HORTENSIO Sir, let me be so bold as ask you, Did you yet ever see Baptista's daughter? TRANIO No, sir; but hear I do that he hath two, The one as famous for a scolding tongue As is the other for beauteous modesty.PETRUCHIO Sir, sir, the first's for me; let her go by.GREMIO Yea, leave that labour to great Hercules;And let it be more than Alcides' twelve.PETRUCHIO Sir, understand you this of me in sooth:
The younges t daughter whom you hearken for Her father keeps from all access of suitors, And will not promise her to any man Until the elder sister first be wed:
The younger then is free and not before.TRANIO If it be so, sir, that you are the man Must stead us all and me amongst the rest, And if you break the ice and do this feat, Achieve the elder, set the younger free For our access, whose hap shall be to have her Will not so graceless be to be ingrate.HORTENSIO Sir, you say well and well you do conceive;And since you do profess to be a suitor, You must, as we do, gratify this gentleman, To whom we all rest generally beholding.TRANIO Sir, I shall not be slack: in sign whereof, Please ye we may contrive this afternoon, And quaff carouses to our mistress' health, And do as adversaries do in law, Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.GRUMIO BIONDELLO O excellent motion! Fellows, let's be gone.HORTENSIO The motion's good indeed and be it so, Petruchio, I shall be your ben venuto.
