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

Nurfe. By my troth, it is well faid. For himself to mar, quotha? Gentlemen, can any one 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 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.
Nurfe. If you be he, Sir,

I defire fome confidence with you.

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

Rom. What haft thou found?

Mer. (3) No hare, Sir, unless a hare, Sir, in a lenten pye, that is fomething ftale 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 score, 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. Nurfe. I pray you, Sir, what faucy merchant was this, that was fo full of his ropery?

Rom. A gentleman, nurfe, that loves to hear himself talk, and will speak more in a minute, than he will ftand to in a month.

Nurfe. An' a fpeak any thing againft me, I'll take him down an' he were luftier than he is, and twenty fuch Jacks and if I cannot, I'll find thofe that fhall.

(3) No bare, Sir,] Mercutio having roared out, fo bo! the cry of the sportsmen when they start a hare; Romeo afks what he bas found? And Mercutio answers, No bare, &c. The reft is a feries of quibbles unworthy of explanation, which he who does not underftand, needs not lament his ignorance.

Scurvy knave, I am none of his firt-gills; I am none (4) of his fkains-mates. And thou must stand by too, and fuffer every knave to use me at his pleafute ?

[To her man. Pet. I faw no man ufe you at his pleasure: If I had, my weapon should 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.

Nurse. 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 the bid ine fay, I will keep to myfelf. But first let me tell ye, if ye fhould lead her into a fool's paradife, as they fay, it were a very gross kind of behaviour, as they fay, for the gentlewoman is young; and therefore, if you thould 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 miftréfs, I protést unto thee and are

Nurfe. Good heart, and, i'faith, I will tell her as much. Lord, Lord, she 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 fome means to come to thrift this afternoon :

And there the fhall at friar Laurence' Cell

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

Ram. Go to, I fay, you fhall.

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

And bring thee cords, made (5) like a tackled ftair,
Which to the high top-gallant of my joy

(5)

of a fhip.

like a tackled flair,] Like stairs of rope in the tackle

(4) None of his fkains-mates.] The word fkains mate, I do not understand, but fuppole that fkains was fome low play, and fkainsmare, a companion at fuch play.

Muft

Muft 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 fay, Two may keep counfel, putting one away?

Rom. I warrant thee, my man's as true as steel. Nurfe. Well, Sir, my miftrefs is the sweetest lady; Lord, Lord! when 'twas a little prating thing

O, there's a noble man in town, one Paris, that would fain lay knife aboard; but the, 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 fo, fhe looks as pale as any clout in the varfal world. Doth not Rosemary and Romeo begin both begin with a letter? (6) Rom. Ay, nurfe, what of that? both with an R. Nurfe. Ab, mocker! that's the dog's name. R is for thee? No; I know, it begins with another letter; and

(6) Rom. Ay, nurfe, what of that ? both with an R..

Nurfe. Ab, mocker, 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, fhould not be worth the pains of retrieving it.

Spiffis indigna Theatris

Scripta pudet recitare, & nugis addere pondus.

The Nurfe is reprefented as a prating filly creature; the fays, the will tell Romeo a good joke about his miftrefs, and asks him, whether Rosemary and Romeo do not begin both with a letter: He fays, yes, an R. She, who, we must 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 name. R in the schools, being called the Dog's Letter, Ben Jobnfon in his English Grammar fays, R is the Dog's letter, and burreth in the found.

Irritata canis quod R. R. quam plurima dicat.

Lucil WARBURTON.

This paffage is thus in the old folio. A micker, that's the dog's name. Ris for the no, I know it begins with fome other letter. In this copy the error is but fmall. I read, Ah, mocker, that's the dog's Ris for the nonce, I know it begins with another letter. For the nonce, is for fome defign, for a fly trick.

name.

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fhe

fhe hath the pretteft fententious of it, of you and rofemary, that it would do you good to hear it. Rom. Commend me to thy lady Nurse. Ay, a thousand times.

Pet. Anon?

Peter,

Nurfe. Take my fan, and go before.

SCENE

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Exit Romeo.

[Exeunt.

V.

Changes to Capulet's House.

Enter Juliet.

ful. The clock ftruck nine, when I did fend the nurfe:

In half an hour the promis'd to return.

G

Perchance, the cannot meet him That's not fo
Oh, he is lame: love's heralds fhould be thoughts,
Which ten times fafter glide than the fun-beams,
Driv'ng back shadows over low'ring hills.
Therefore do nimble-pinion'd doves draw love,
And therefore hath the wind-fwift Cupid wings.
Now is the Sun upon the highmost hill

Of this day's journey; and from nine 'till twelve
Is three long hours and yet the is not come.
Had the affections and warm youthful blood,
She'd be as fwift in motion as a ball;

My words would bandy her to my fweet love,
And his to me;

But old folks, marry, feign as they were dead,
Unwieldy, flow, heavy, and pale as lead.

Enter Nurfe, with Peter.

O good, fhe comes. O honey nurfe, what news?
Haft thou met with him? fend thy man away.
Nurie. Peter, ftay at the gate.

ful. Now, good fweet nurfe,

O Lord, why look'ft thou fad ?

Tho' news be fad, yet tell them merrily:

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[Exit Peter.

If good, thou fham'ft the mufick of fweet news,
By playing 't to me with fo four a face.

Nurfe. I am a weary, let me reft a while ;

Fy, how my bones ake, what a jaunt have I had ?

Ful.

ful. I would, thou hadft my bones, and I thy news! Nay, come, I pray thee, fpeak Good, good narfe,

fpeak.

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Nurfe. What hafte? Can you not stay a while? Do you not fee, that I am out of breath

Jul. How art thou out of breath, when thou haft
breath

To fay to me, that thou art out of breath}
Th' Excufe that thou doft make in this delay,
Is longer than the Tale thou doft excufe.
Is thy news good or bad? answer to that.
Say either, and I'll ftay the circumftance:
Let me be fatisfied. Is't good or bad?

Nurse. Well, you have made a fimple choice; you know not how to chufe a man: Romeo, no, not he, though his face be better than any man's, yet his legs excel all men's; and for a hand, and a foot, and a body, though they be not to be talk'd on, yet they are past compare. He is not the flower of courtesy, but I warrant him, as gentle as a lamb - Go thy ways, wench, ferve God What, have you dined at

home?

Jul. No, no. But all this did I know before: What fays he of our marriage? What of that?

Nurfe. Lord, how my head akes! what a head have I? It beats as it would fall in twenty pieces.

My back o' th' other fide

back:

O my back, my

Befhrew your heart, for fending me about

To catch my death with jaunting up and down.
Jul. I' faith, I am forry that thou art fo ill.

Sweet, fweet, fweet nurfe, tell me, what fays my love?

Nurfe. Your love fays like an honeft gentleman,

And a courteous, and a kind, and a handfome,

And, I warrant, a virtuous

mother?

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where is your

why, he is

Where should the be? how odly thou reply'ft!

Your love fays like an honeft gentleman :

Where is your mother?

C 2

Nurfe.

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