Padua. A Room in Baptista's House.
 Enter LUCENTIO as Cambio, HORTENSIO as Licio, and BIANCA.

Lucentio	Fiddler, forbear. You grow too forward, sir.
	Have you so soon forgot the entertainment
	Her sister Katherine welcomed you withal?

Hortensio	But, wrangling pedant, this is
	The patroness of heavenly harmony.
	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	Preposterous ass, that never read so far
	To know the cause why music was ordained!
	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	Sirrah, I will not bear these braves of thine.

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.
	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	You'll leave his lecture when I am in tune?

Lucentio	That will be never. Tune your instrument.

Bianca	Where left we last?

Lucentio	Here, madam:
	
	[Reads.]	Hic ibat Simois, hic est Sigeia tellus,
			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 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	Madam, my instrument's in tune.

Bianca	Let's hear.
														[HORTENSIO plays.
				O fie! The treble jars.

Lucentio	Spit in the hole, man, and tune again.

Bianca	Now let me see if I can conster it: 'Hic ibat Simois' I know 
	you not; 'hic est Sigeia tellus' I trust you not; 'Hic 
	steterat Priami' take heed he hear us not; 'regia' presume 
	not; 'celsa senis' despair not.

Hortensio	Madam, 'tis now in tune.

Lucentio								All but the bass.

Hortensio	The bass is right, 'tis the base knave that jars.
	[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
	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, Licio, to you.
	Good master, take it not unkindly, pray,
	That I have been thus pleasant with you both.

Hortensio	[To LUCENTIO.] You may go walk, and give me leave a while;
	My lessons make no music in three parts.

Lucentio	Are you so formal, sir? Well, I must wait.
	[Aside.] And watch, withal, for, but I be deceived,
	Our fine musician groweth amorous.

Hortensio	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,
	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.

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;
				'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,
	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.
											 [Exeunt BIANCA and SERVANT.

Lucentio	Faith, mistress, then I have no cause to stay.
														[Exit.
Hortensio	But I have cause to pry into this pedant.
	Methinks he looks as though he were in love.
	Yet if thy thoughts, Bianca, be so humble
	To cast thy wandering eyes on every stale,
	Seize thee that list. If once I find thee ranging,
	Hortensio will be quit with thee by changing.
														[Exit.
