Mer. 'T is 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 for1 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 invite him to some supper. Mer. A bawd, a bawd, a bawd! So ho! Rom. What hast thou found? Mer. No hare, sir; 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, [Singing.3 Is very good meat in lent : But a hare that is hoar, is too much for a score, Romeo, will you come to your father's? we'll to dinner thither, Rom. I will follow you. Mer. Farewell, ancient lady; Farewell, lady, lady, lady. [Singing. [Exeunt MERCUTIO and BENVOLIO. Nurse. Marry, farewell!-I pray you, sir, what saucy merchant was this, that was so full of his ropery?? 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; and if I cannot, I'll find those that shall. 1 Not in later quartos, and folio. 2 conference in quarto, 1597. 3 Not in f. e. 4 This was a favorite tune. 5 Not in f. e. 6 This word was often used as a contemptuous term, as distinguished from "gentleman." 7 roperipe: in quarto, 1597; both words mean, roguery. Scurvy knave! I am none of his flirt-gills; 1 am none of his skains-mates.—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 bid me say, I will keep to myself; but first let me tell ye, if ye should lead her in 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 wicked' dealing. Rom. Nurse, commend me to thy lady and mistress. I protest unto thee,2 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. 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 Lawrence' cell Be shriv'd, and married. Here is for thy pains.' Rom. Go to; I say, you shall. [Giving her money.* Nurse. This afternoon, sir? well, she shall be there. Rom. And stay, good nurse, behind the abbey-wall: Within this hour my man shall be with thee, And bring thee cords made like a tackled stair; Which to the high top-gallant of my joy Must be my convoy in the secret night. Farewell!-Be trusty, and I'll 'quite thy pains. Farewell!-Commend me to thy mistress. 1 weak in f. e. 2 Tell her, I protest: in quarto, 1597. quarto, 1597, has in place of this speech : Bid her get leave to-morrow morning To come to shrift at friar Lawrence's cell; and omits all to, "And stay." 4 Not in f. e. 3 The Nurse. Now, God in heaven bless thee !'—Hark you, sir. Rom. What say'st thou, my dear nurse? Nurse. Is your man secret? Did you ne'er hear say, Two may keep counsel, putting one away? Rom. I warrant thee; my man is true as steel. Nurse. Well, sir; my mistress is the sweetest lady— Lord, lord !—when 't was a little prating thing,—0 !— 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 thee? 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. Rom. Commend me to thy lady.' Nurse. Ay, a thousand times.-Peter ! Pet. Anon? [Exit. Nurse. Peter, take my fan, and go before. [Exeunt. SCENE V.-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 1 The quarto, 1597, omits all to, "Commend me," &c. "R, is the dog's letter and hirreth in the sound."-Ben Jonson's Eng. Grammar. Old copies read: "R is for the"; which Warburton changed to "thee." Some mod. eds. read, with Tyrwhitt: "R is for the dog." 3 lazy: in quarto, 1597. 4 The quarto, 1597, has in place of this and the next twelve lines: And run more swift, than hasty powder fir'd Had she affections, and warm youthful blood, Enter Nurse and PETER. O God! she comes.-O honey nurse! what news? [Exit PETER. Jul. Now, good sweet nurse,-O lord! why look'st thou sad? Though news be sad, yet tell them merrily; Nurse. I am aweary, give me leave awhile. Fie, how my bones ache! What a jaunt have I had! Jul. I would, thou hadst my bones, and I thy news: Nay, come, I pray thee, speak;-good, good nurse, speak. Nurse. Jesu, what haste! can you not stay awhile? Do you not see, that I am out of breath? Jul. How art thou out of breath, when thou hast breath To say to me that thou art out of breath? The excuse that thou dost make in this delay Is longer than the tale thou dost excuse. Is thy news good, or bad? answer to that; Say either, and I'll stay the circumstance. Let me be satisfied, is 't good or bad? Nurse. Well, you have made a simple choice; you know not how to choose a man: Romeo! no, not he; though his face be better than any man's, yet his leg excels all men's; and for a hand, and a foot, and a body, though they be not to be talked on, yet they are past compare. He is not the flower of courtesy,but, I'll warrant him, as gentle as a lamb.-Go thy ways, wench: serve God. What, have you dined at home? Jul. No, no: but all this did I know before. What says he of our marriage? what of that? Nurse. Lord, how my head aches! what a head have I: It beats as it would fall in twenty pieces. My back! o't' other side.-O, my back, my back!1 The quarto, 1597, omits all to, "I am aweary." Beshrew your heart for sending me about, To catch my death with jaunting up and down. Nurse. Jul. Here's such a coil-Come, what says Romeo ?1 Nurse. Then, hie you hence to friar Laurence' cell, There stays a husband to make you a wife; Now comes the wanton blood up in your cheeks; Jul. Hie to high fortune !-Honest nurse, farewell. [Exeunt. SCENE VI.-Friar LAURENCE'S Cell. Enter Friar LAURENCE and ROMEO. Fri. So smile the heavens upon this holy act, That after hours with sorrow chide us not! Rom. Amen, amen! but come what sorrow can, It cannot countervail the exchange of joy 1 In place of this question, the quarto, 1597, has: 3 2 straight in f. e. any in f. e. 4 This scene was entirely reformed in the quarto, 1599. It may be found as it appears in the quarto, 1597, in the notes to Verplanck's edition. |