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much sadness hath congeal ' d your blood, And melancholy is the nurse of frenzy: Therefore they thought it good you hear a play, And frame your mind to mirth and merriment, Which bars a thousand harms and lengthens life.
SLY. Marry, I will; let them play it. Is not a commonty a Christmas gambold or a tumbling-trick?
PAGE. No, my good lord; it is more pleasing stuff. SLY. What! household stuff? PAGE. It is a kind of history.
SLY. Well, we ' ll see ' t. Come, madam wife, sit by my side and let the world slip: we shall ne ' er be younger.
[ Flourish.]
ACT I. SCENE I. Padua. A public place. [ Enter LUCENTIO and TRANIO.]
LUCENTIO. Tranio, since for the great desire I had To see fair Padua, nursery of arts, I am arriv ' d for fruitful Lombardy, The pleasant garden of great Italy, And by my father ' s love and leave am arm ' d With his good will and thy good company, My trusty servant well approv ' d in all, Here let us breathe, and haply institute A course of learning and ingenious studies. Pisa, renowned for grave citizens, Gave me my being and my father first, A merchant of great traffic through the world, Vincentio, come of the Bentivolii. Vincentio ' s son, brought up in Florence, It shall become to serve all hopes conceiv ' d, To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds: And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study, Virtue and that part of philosophy Will I apply that treats of happiness By virtue specially to be achiev ' d. Tell