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Mer. Why, is not this better, than groaning for love? Now thou art fociable; 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 defireft me to stop in my tale, against the hair.

.Ben. Thou wouldst else have made thy tale large.

Mer. O, thou art deceiv'd, I would have made it fhort; for I was come to the whole depth of my tale, and meant, indeed, to occupy the argument no longer,

Enter Nurfe, and Peter her Man.

Rom. Here's goodly Geer; a Sail! a Sail!
Mer. Two, two, a Shirt and a Smock.
Nurfe. Peter,-

Peter. Anon?

Nurfe. My Fan, Peter.

Mer. Do, good Peter, to hide her face: for her fan's the fairer of the two.

Nurfe. God ye good-morrow, gentlemen.
Mer. God ye good den, fair gentlewoman.
Nurfe. Is it good den?

Mer. 'Tis no lefs, I tell you; for the bawdy hand

of the dial is now upon the prick of noon.

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Nurfe. Out upon you! what a man are you ?

Rom. One, gentlewoman, that God hath made himself to mar.

Nurfe. By my troth, it is well faid. For himself to mar, quotha? 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

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you fought him. I am the youngest of that name,

for fault of a worse.

Nurfe. You fay well.

Mer. Yea, is the worst well?

Very well took, i'faith, wifely, wifely. you be he, Sir,

Nurfe. If

I defire fome confidence with you.

Ben. She will indite him to fome fupper.
Mer. A bawd, a bawd, a bawd.

Rom. What haft thou found?

So ho!

Mer. 3 No hare, Sir, unless a hare, Sir, in a lenten pye, that is fomething stale and hoar ere it be spent. An old hare hoar, and an old hare hoar, is very good meat in Lent,

But a hare, that is hoar, is too much for a fcore, when it hoars ere it be spent.

Romeo, will you come to your father's? we'll to dinner thither.

Rom. I will follow you.

Mer. Farewel, ancient lady: Farewel, lady, lady. lady.

[Exeunt Mercutio, Benvolio. Nurse. I pray you, Sir, what faucy merchant was this, that was fo full of his ropery?

Rom. A gentleman, nurse, that loves to hear himfelf 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' he were luftier than he is, and twenty fuch Jacks and if I cannot, I'll find those that shall. Scurvy knave, I am none of his flirt-gills; I am

3 No bare, Sir,] Mercutio having roared out, fo bo! the cry of the fportfmen when they ftait a hare; Romeo asks what he has found. And Mercutio anfwers,

No bare, &c. The reft is a feries of quibbles unworthy of explanation, which he who does not understand, needs not lament his ignorance. E 3

none

* none of his skains-mates. And thou must stand by too, and fuffer every knave to use me at his pleasure ? [To ber man.

Pet. I faw no man ufe you at his pleafure: if I had, my weapon fhould quickly have been out, I warrant you I dare draw as foon as another man, if I fee occafion in a good quarrel, and the law on my fide.

Nurfe. Now, afore God, I am fo vext, that every part about me quivers. Scurvy knave! Pray you, Sir, a word: and as I told you, my young lady bid me enquire you out; what she bid me fay, I will keep to myself. But firft let me tell ye, if ye fhould lead her into a fool's paradife, as they fay, it were a very grofs kind of behaviour, as they fay, for the gentlewoman is young; and therefore, if you fhould deal double with her, truly, it were an ill thing to be offered to any gentlewoman, and very weak dealing.

Rom. Commend me to thy lady and mistress, I proteft unto thee

Nurse. Good heart, and, i'faith, I will tell her as much. Lord, Lord, fhe will be a joyful woman. Rom. What will thou tell her, nurfe? Thou dost not mark me.

Nurfe. I will tell her, Sir, that you do proteft; which, as I take it, is a gentleman-like offer.

Rom. Bid her devife fame means to come to fhrift this afternoon:

And there fhe fhall at friar Laurence' Cell

Be fhriev'd and married. Here is for thy pains.
Nurfe. No, truly, Sir, not a penny.

1. Rom. Go to, I fay, you fhall.

Nurfe. This afternoon, Sir? Well, she shall be there, Rom. And ftay, good nurfe, behind the abby-wall: Within this hour my man shall be with thee,

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And bring thee cords, made like a tackled ftair,
Which to the high top-gallant of my joy
Must be my convoy in the fecret night.
Farewel, be trufty, and I'll quit thy pains.

Nurfe. Now, God in heav'n bless thee! hark you,

Sir.

Rom. What fayeft thou, my dear nurse?

Nurfe. Is your man fecret? did you ne'er hear say, Two may keep counfel, putting one away?

Rom. I warrant thee, my man's as true as fteel. Nurfe. Well, Si my miftrefs is the sweetest lady; Lord, Lord! when 'twas a little prating thingO, -there is a noble man in town, one Paris, that would fain lay knife aboard; but fhe, good foul, had as lieve fee a toad, a very toad, as fee him. I anger her fometimes, and tell her, that Paris is the properer man; but I'll warrant you, when I fay so, The looks as pale as any clout in the varfal World. Doth not Rosemary and Romeo begin both with a letter?

6 Rom. Ay, nurfe, what of that? both with an R. Nurse. Ah, mocker! that's the dog's name. Ris for thee? No, I know, it begins with another letter; and

15like a tackled fair,] Like ftairs of rope in the tackle of a hip. 6 Rom. A, nurfe, what of that? both with an R.

Nurfe. Ay, m cker, that's` the dog's name. R is for the no, I know it begins with no other letter;] I believe, I have rectified this odd ftuff; but it is a little mortifying, that the fenfe, when found, should not be worth the pains of retrieving it.

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prating filly creature; the fays, The will tell Romeo a good joke about his mistress, and asks him, whether Rafemary and Romeo do not begin both with a letter: He fays, yes, an R. She, who, we mult fuppofe, could not read, thought he had mock'd her, and fays, No, fure, I know better: our dog's name is R. yours begins with another letter. This is natural enough, and in character. R put her in mind of that found which is made by dogs when they fnarl: and therefore, I prefume, the fays, that is the dog's E 4

fpfis indigna The tris Scripta pudet recitare, & nugis addere pondus. The Nurfe is reprefented as

a

name.

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and the hath the prettieft fententious of it, of you and rosemary, that it would do you good to hear it.

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Rom. Commend me to thy lady
Nurfe. Ay, a thousand times. Peter,-

Pet. Anon ?

Nurfe. Take my fan, and go

Jul. T

SCENE

[Exit Romeo.

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V.

Changes to Capulet's House.

Enter Juliet.

HE clock ftruck nine, when I did fend

the nurse :

In half an hour the promis'd to return.

Perchance, the cannot meet him-That's not fo-
Oh, fhe is lame: love's heralds fhould be thoughts,
Which ten times fafter glide than the fun-beams,
Driving back fhadows over lowring hills.
Therefore do nimble-pinion'd doves draw love,
And therefore hath the wind-swift Cupid wings.
Now is the Sun upon the highmoft hill
Of this day's journey; and from nine 'till twelve
Is three long hours-and yet she is not come.
Had fhe affections and warm youthful blood,

name, R. in the fchools, being
called the Dog's Letter, Ben
Johnson in his English grammar
fays, F, is the Log's letter, and
kirreth in the fund.

Irritata canis quod R. R. quam
plurima dicat.
Luci
WARBURTON.

folio A mocker, that's the dog's. name. R is for the no, I know. it begins with fome other letter à In this copy the error is but fmall. I read, Ah, mocker, that's the dog's name. R is for the nonce, I know it begins with another letter. For the nonce, us

This paffage is thus in the old for fome defign, for a fly trick.

She'd

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