Rom. Thou wast never with me for any thing, when thou wast not there for the goose. Mer. I will bite thee by the ear for that jest. Rom. Nay, good goose, bite not. Mer. Thy wit is a very bitter sweeting; it is a most sharp sauce. Rom. And is it not well served in to a sweet goose? Mer. O, here's a wit of cheverel, that stretches from an inch narrow to an ell broad! Rom. I stretch it out for that word-broad: which added to the goose, proves thee far and wide a broad goose. Mer. Why, is not this better now than groaning for love? now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo; now art thou what thou art, by art as well as by nature: for this drivelling love is like a great natural, that runs lolling up and down to hide his bauble in a hole. Ben. Stop there, stop there. Mer. Thou desirest me to stop in my tale against the hair. Ben. Thou would'st else have made thy tale large. Mer. O, thou art deceived, I would have made it short: for I was come to the whole depth of my tale: and meant, indeed, to occupy the argument no longer. Rom. Here's goodly geer! Enter Nurse and PETER. Mer. A sail, a sail, a sail! Ben. Two, two; a shirt, and a smock. Nurse. Peter! Peter. Anon? Nurse. My fan, Peter.s good goose, bite not.] This is a proverbial expression to be found in Ray's Collection.-STEEVENS. bitter sweeting;]-is an apple of that name. cheverel,] i. e. Soft leather for gloves. against the hair.] A contrepoil: Fr. An expression equivalent to one which we now use, "against the grain."-STEEVens. My fan, Peter.] The business of Peter carrying the nurse's fan, seems ridiculous according to modern manners; but I find such was formerly the practice.-FARMER. Mer. Pr'ythee, do, good Peter, to hide her face; for her fan's the fairer of the two. Nurse. God ye good morrow, gentlemen. Mer. God ye good den," fair gentlewoman. Mer. 'Tis no less, I tell you; for the bawdy hand of the dial is now upon the prick of noon. Nurse. Out upon you! what a man are you ? Rom. One, gentlewoman, that God hath made himself to mar. Nurse. By my troth, it is well said;-For himself to mar, quoth'a?—Gentlemen, can any of you tell me where I may find the young Romeo? Rom. I can tell you; but young Romeo will be older when you have found him, than he was when you sought him: I am the youngest of that name, for 'fault of a worse. Nurse. You say well. Mer. Yea, is the worst well? very well took, i'faith; wisely, wisely. Nurse. If you be he, sir, I desire some confidence with you. Ben. She will indite him to some supper. Mer. A bawd, a bawd, a bawd! So ho! Rom. What hast thou found? Mer. No hare, sir;i unless a hare, sir, in a lenten pie, that is something stale and hoar ere it be spent.< An old hare hoar, And an old hare hoar, When it hoars ere it be spent. Romeo, will you come to your father's? we'll to dinner thither. God ye good den,] i. e. God give you good even.-STEEVENS. No hare, sir;] Mercutio having roared out so ho! the cry of the sportsmen when they start a hare, Romeo asks what he has found? and Mercutio answers, No hare, &c. The rest is a series of quibbles unworthy of explanation, which he who does not understand, needs not lament his ignorance.-JOHNSON. *In the quarto, 1597, we have here this stage-direction: He walks between them (i. e. the Nurse and Peter) and sings.—MALONE. Rom. I will follow you. Mer. Farewell, ancient lady; farewell, lady, lady, lady.' [Exeunt MERCUTIO and BENVOLIO. Nurse. Marry, farewell!-I pray you, sir, what saucy merchant was this, that was so full of his ropery? ?0 Rom. A gentleman, nurse, that loves to hear himself talk; and will speak more in a minute, than he will stand to in a month. Nurse. An 'a speak any thing against me, I'll take him down an 'a were lustier than he is, and twenty such Jacks; an if I cannot, I'll find those that shall. Scurvy knave! I am none of his flirt-gills; I am none of his skainsmates: And thou must stand by too, and suffer every knave to use me at his pleasure? Pet. I saw no man use you at his pleasure if I had, my weapon should quickly have been out, I warrant you: I dare draw as soon as another man, if I see occasion in a good quarrel, and the law on my side. Nurse. Now, afore God, I am so vexed, that every part about me quivers. Scurvy knave!-Pray you, sir, a word: and as I told you, my young lady bade me inquire you out; what she bade me say, I will keep to myself: but first let me tell ye, if ye should lead her into a fool's paradise, as they say, it were a very gross kind of behaviour, as they say: for the gentlewoman is young; and, therefore, if you should deal double with her, truly, it were an ill thing to be offered to any gentlewoman, and very weak dealing. Rom. Nurse, commend me to thy lady and mistress. I protest unto thee, Nurse. Good heart! and, i'faith, I will tell her as much : Lord, lord, she will be a joyful woman. Rom. What wilt thou tell her, nurse? thou dost not mark me. merchant-] Used in contradistinction to gentleman; shewing that the person shewed by his behaviour he was a low fellow.-STEEVENS. D 0 ropery?] i.e. Roguery. skains-mates:] I am inclined to think that the old lady means, ing or swaggering companions."-NARES. "roar Nurse. I will tell her, sir,-that you do protest; which, as I take it, is a gentlemanlike offer. Rom. Bid her devise some means to come to shrift This afternoon; And there she shall at friar Laurence' cell Be shriv'd, and married. Here is for thy pains. Rom. Go to; I say, you shall. Nurse. This afternoon, sir? well, she shall be there. Nurse. Now God in heaven bless thee!-Hark you, sir. Nurse. Is your man secret? Did you ne'er hear say— Two may keep counsel, putting one away? Rom. I warrant thee; my man's as true as steel. Nurse. Well, sir; my mistress is the sweetest ladyLord, lord! when 'twas a little prating thing,—O, there's a nobleman in town, one Paris, that would fain lay knife aboard; but she, good soul, had as lieve see a toad, a very toad, as see him. I anger her sometimes, and tell her that Paris is the properer man; but, I'll warrant you, when I say so, she looks as pale as any clout in the varsal world. Doth not rosemary and Romeo begin both with a letter? Rom. Ay, nurse; What of that? both with an R. Nurse. Ah, mocker! that's the dog's name. R. is for the dog. No; I know it begins with some other letter: and she hath the prettiest sententious of it, of you and rosemary, that it would do you good to hear it. P like a tackled stair:] Like stairs of rope in the tackle of a ship.JOHNSON. top-gallant--] i. e. The highest extremity of the mast of a ship. STEEVENS. R. is for the dog.] "R. is the dog's letter. Irritata canis quod homo quam pleniu' dicit."--GIFFORD's Ben Jonson, vol. iv. 87. Rom. Commend me to thy lady. Nurse. Ay, a thousand times.-Peter! Pet. Anon? Nurse. Peter, Take my fan, and go before. SCENE V. [Exit. [Exeunt. Capulet's Garden. Enter JULIET. Jul. The clock struck nine, when I did send the nurse; In half an hour she promis'd to return. Perchance, she cannot meet him :-that's not so.- Of this day's journey; and from nine till twelve My words would bandy her to my sweet love, But old folks, many feign as they were dead; Enter Nurse and PETER. O God, she comes!-O honey nurse, what news? Nurse. Peter, stay at the gate. [Exit PETER. Jul. Now, good sweet nurse!-O lord! why look'st thou sad? Though news be sad, yet tell them merrily; If good, thou sham'st the musick of sweet news Nurse. I am aweary, give me leave a while ;— |