Enter Lucentio as Cambio, Hortensio as Litio, and
Bianca. LUCENTIO, as Cambio
Fiddler, forbear. You grow too forward, sir.
Have you so soon forgot the entertainment
Her sister Katherine welcomed you withal? HORTENSIO, as Litio But, wrangling pedant, this is
The patroness of heavenly harmony. 5
Then give me leave to have prerogative,
And when in music we have spent an hour,
Your lecture shall have leisure for as much. LUCENTIO, as Cambio
Preposterous ass, that never read so far
To know the cause why music was ordained. 10
Was it not to refresh the mind of man
After his studies or his usual pain?
Then give me leave to read philosophy,
And, while I pause, serve in your harmony. HORTENSIO, as Litio
Sirrah, I will not bear these braves of thine. 15 BIANCA
Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong
To strive for that which resteth in my choice.
I am no breeching scholar in the schools.
I’ll not be tied to hours, nor ’pointed times,
But learn my lessons as I please myself. 20
And, to cut off all strife, here sit we down.
To Hortensio. Take you your instrument, play you
the whiles;
His lecture will be done ere you have tuned. HORTENSIO, as Litio
You’ll leave his lecture when I am in tune? 25 LUCENTIO, aside
That will be never. To Hortensio. Tune your
instrument. Hortensio steps aside to tune his lute. BIANCA Where left we last? LUCENTIO, as Cambio Here, madam:
Showing her a book.
Hic ibat Simois, hic est Sigeia tellus, 30
Hic steterat Priami regia celsa senis. BIANCA Conster them. LUCENTIO "Hic ibat," as I told you before, "Simois," I am
Lucentio, "hic est," son unto Vincentio of Pisa,
"Sigeia tellus," disguised thus to get your love, "Hic 35
steterat," and that “Lucentio” that comes a-wooing,
"Priami," is my man Tranio, "regia," bearing my port,
"celsa senis," that we might beguile the old pantaloon. HORTENSIO, as Litio Madam, my instrument’s in
tune. 40 BIANCA Let’s hear. He plays. Oh fie, the treble jars! LUCENTIO, as Cambio Spit in the hole, man, and tune
again. Hortensio tunes his lute again. BIANCA Now let me see if I can conster it. "Hic ibat
Simois," I know you not; "hic est Sigeia tellus," I trust 45
you not; "Hic steterat Priami," take heed he hear us
not; "regia," presume not; "celsa senis," despair not. HORTENSIO, as Litio
Madam, ’tis now in tune. He plays again. LUCENTIO, as Cambio All but the bass. HORTENSIO, as Litio
The bass is right. ’Tis the base knave that jars. 50
Aside. How fiery and forward our pedant is.
Now for my life the knave doth court my love!
Pedascule, I’ll watch you better yet. BIANCA, to Lucentio
In time I may believe, yet I mistrust. LUCENTIO
Mistrust it not, for sure Aeacides 55
Was Ajax, called so from his grandfather. BIANCA
I must believe my master; else, I promise you,
I should be arguing still upon that doubt.
But let it rest.—Now, Litio, to you.
Good master, take it not unkindly, pray, 60
That I have been thus pleasant with you both. | At Baptista's place, Hortensio (as Litio) and Lucentio (as Cambio) bicker over who gets to tutor Bianca first. Bianca interjects and tells the men that she, not them, decides when, what, and how she will learn. Litio will tune his instrument while Cambio finishes his Latin language lesson. During the Latin lesson, Lucentio (as Cambio) reads from a Latin text and pretends to translate the words into English. He reveals (apparently, not for the first time) his true identity and his plan to win Bianca. Instead of telling on Lucentio, Bianca plays coy and says she can't promise him anything because she doesn't yet trust him. |
HORTENSIO, as Litio, to Lucentio
You may go walk, and give me leave awhile.
My lessons make no music in three parts. LUCENTIO, as Cambio
Are you so formal, sir? Well, I must wait
Aside. And watch withal, for, but I be deceived, 65
Our fine musician groweth amorous. He steps aside. HORTENSIO, as Litio
Madam, before you touch the instrument,
To learn the order of my fingering
I must begin with rudiments of art,
To teach you gamut in a briefer sort, 70
More pleasant, pithy, and effectual
Than hath been taught by any of my trade.
And there it is in writing fairly drawn. BIANCA
Why, I am past my gamut long ago. HORTENSIO
Yet read the gamut of Hortensio. 75
Giving her a paper. BIANCA reads
“Gamut I am, the ground of all accord:
A re, to plead Hortensio’s passion;
B mi, Bianca, take him for thy lord,
C fa ut, that loves with all affection;
D sol re, one clef, two notes have I; 80
E la mi, show pity or I die.”
Call you this “gamut”? Tut, I like it not.
Old fashions please me best. I am not so nice
To change true rules for odd inventions. Enter a Servant. SERVANT
Mistress, your father prays you leave your books 85
And help to dress your sister’s chamber up.
You know tomorrow is the wedding day. BIANCA
Farewell, sweet masters both. I must be gone. LUCENTIO
Faith, mistress, then I have no cause to stay. Bianca, the Servant, and Lucentio exit. HORTENSIO
But I have cause to pry into this pedant. 90
Methinks he looks as though he were in love.
Yet if thy thoughts, Bianca, be so humble
To cast thy wand’ring eyes on every stale,
Seize thee that list! If once I find thee ranging,
Hortensio will be quit with thee by changing. 95 He exits. | Hortensio (as Litio) takes over and begins his fake music lesson. He gives Bianca a love letter (disguised as a set of music instructions) while Lucentio (as Cambio) watches and worries that Bianca will like the music tutor instead of him. Bianca, however, doesn't seem to play along with Hortensio quite as coquettishly as she did with Cambio/Lucentio. A messenger arrives with news that Bianca has to help Kate prepare for the wedding, so she leaves. |