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All Site ContentTaming of the ShrewAct 4Scene 1
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“link to color Peter’s hat”
Cultural Context
Act 4,
Scene 1
Lines 111-117

An explanation of “link” in Act 4, Scene 1 of myShakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Grumio

Nathaniel's coat, sir, was not fully made,    
And Gabriel's pumps were all unpinked i’th’ heel;    
There was no link to color Peter's hat,    
And Walter's dagger was not come from sheathing    
There were none fine but Adam, Ralph, and Gregory;    
The rest were ragged, old, and beggarly.
Yet, as they are, here are they come to meet you.

A link was a torch consisting of a length of plant fiber dipped into black pitch made from tree resin. It was also used to blacken hats.