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A public Road. | |
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Enter PETRUCHIO, KATHARINA, HORTENSIO, and Servants. | |
| Pet. Come on, i’ God’s name; once more toward our father’s. | |
| Good Lord, how bright and goodly shines the moon! | |
| Kath. The moon! the sun: it is not moonlight now. | 5 |
| Pet. I say it is the moon that shines so bright. | |
| Kath. I know it is the sun that shines so bright. | |
| Pet. Now, by my mother’s son, and that’s myself, | |
| It shall be moon, or star, or what I list, | |
| Or ere I journey to your father’s house. | 10 |
| Go one and fetch our horses back again. | |
| Evermore cross’d and cross’d; nothing but cross’d! | |
| Hor. Say as he says, or we shall never go. | |
| Kath. Forward, I pray, since we have come so far, | |
| And be it moon, or sun, or what you please. | 15 |
| An if you please to call it a rush-candle, | |
| Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me. | |
| Pet. I say it is the moon. | |
| Kath. I know it is the moon. | |
| Pet. Nay, then you lie; it is the blessed sun. | 20 |
| Kath. Then God be bless’d, it is the blessed sun: | |
| But sun it is not when you say it is not, | |
| And the moon changes even as your mind. | |
| What you will have it nam’d, even that it is; | |
| And so, it shall be so for Katharine. | 25 |
| Hor. Petruchio, go thy ways; the field is won. | |
| Pet. Well, forward, forward! thus the bowl should run, | |
| And not unluckily against the bias. | |
| But soft! what company is coming here? | |
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Enter VINCENTIO, in a travelling dress. | 30 |
| [To VINCENTIO.] Good morrow, gentle mistress: where away? | |
| Tell me, sweet Kate, and tell me truly too, | |
| Hast thou beheld a fresher gentlewoman? | |
| Such war of white and red within her cheeks! | |
| What stars do spangle heaven with such beauty, | 35 |
| As those two eyes become that heavenly face? | |
| Fair lovely maid, once more good day to thee. | |
| Sweet Kate, embrace her for her beauty’s sake. | |
| Hor. A’ will make the man mad, to make a woman of him. | |
| Kath. Young budding virgin, fair and fresh and sweet, | 40 |
| Whither away, or where is thy abode? | |
| Happy the parents of so fair a child; | |
| Happier the man, whom favourable stars | |
| Allot thee for his lovely bed-fellow! | |
| Pet. Why, how now, Kate! I hope thou art not mad: | 45 |
| This is a man, old, wrinkled, faded, wither’d, | |
| And not a maiden, as thou sayst he is. | |
| Kath. Pardon, old father, my mistaking eyes, | |
| That have been so bedazzled with the sun | |
| That everything I look on seemeth green: | 50 |
| Now I perceive thou art a reverend father; | |
| Pardon, I pray thee, for my mad mistaking. | |
| Pet. Do, good old grandsire; and withal make known | |
| Which way thou travellest: if along with us, | |
| We shall be joyful of thy company. | 55 |
| Vin. Fair sir, and you my merry mistress, | |
| That with your strange encounter much amaz’d me, | |
| My name is called Vincentio; my dwelling, Pisa; | |
| And bound I am to Padua, there to visit | |
| A son of mine, which long I have not seen. | 60 |
| Pet. What is his name? | |
| Vin. Lucentio, gentle sir. | |
| Pet. Happily met; the happier for thy son. | |
| And now by law, as well as reverend age, | |
| I may entitle thee my loving father: | 65 |
| The sister to my wife, this gentlewoman, | |
| Thy son by this hath married. Wonder not, | |
| Nor be not griev’d: she is of good esteem, | |
| Her dowry wealthy, and of worthy birth; | |
| Beside, so qualified as may beseem | 70 |
| The spouse of any noble gentleman. | |
| Let me embrace with old Vincentio; | |
| And wander we to see thy honest son, | |
| Who will of thy arrival be full joyous. | |
| Vin. But is this true? or is it else your pleasure, | 75 |
| Like pleasant travellers, to break a jest | |
| Upon the company you overtake? | |
| Hor. I do assure thee, father, so it is. | |
| Pet. Come, go along, and see the truth hereof; | |
| For our first merriment hath made thee jealous. [Exeunt all but HORTENSIO. | 80 |
| Hor. Well, Petruchio, this has put me in heart. | |
| Have to my widow! and if she be froward, | |
| Then hast thou taught Hortensio to be untoward. [Exit. | |
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