Romeo and Juliet (Quarto 2, 1599) :: Internet Shakespeare Editions

¶Wife. Nurse wher's my daughter? call her forth to me.

¶ Nurse. Now by my maidenhead, at twelue yeare old I bad her

¶come, what Lamb, what Ladie-bird, God forbid,

355Wheres this Girle? what Iuliet.

Enter Iuliet.

¶Iuliet. How now who calls?

¶Nur. Your mother.

¶Iuli. Madam I am here, what is your will?

360 Wife. This is the matter. Nurse giue leaue a while, we must talk

¶in secret. Nurse come backe againe, I haue remembred mee.

¶thou'se heare our counsel. Thou knowest my daughters of a pre-

¶tie age.

¶Nurse. Faith I can tell her age vnto an houre.

365Wife. Shee's not fourteene.

¶ Nurse. Ile lay fourteene of my teeth, and yet to my teene be it

¶spoken, I haue but foure, shees not fourteene.

¶How long is it now to Lammas tide?

370Wife. A fortnight and odde dayes.

¶ Nurse. Euen or odde, of all daies in the yeare come Lammas Eue at

¶night stal she be fourteen. Susan and she, God rest all Christian soules,

¶were of an age. Well Susan is with God, she was too good for me: But

¶as I said, on Lammas Eue at night shall she be fourteene, that shall

375shee marrie, I remember it well. Tis since the Earth-quake now

¶eleuen yeares, and she was weand I neuer shall forget it, of all the daies

¶of the yeare vpon that day: for I had then laide worme-wood to my

¶dug, sitting in the sun vnder the Doue-house wall. My Lord and

380you were then at Mantua, nay I doo beare a braine. But as I said,

¶when it did taste the worme-wood on the nipple of my dug, and

¶felt it bitter, pretie foole, to see it teachie and fall out with the Dugge.

¶Shake quoth the Doue-house, twas no need I trow to bid me trudge:

385and since that time it is a leuen yeares, for then she could stand hylone,

¶nay byth roode she could haue run and wadled all about: for euen

¶the day before she broke her brow, and then my husband, God be with

his

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