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  • Title: Romeo and Juliet (Folio 1, 1623)
  • Editor: Roger Apfelbaum

    • ISBN: 1-55058-299-2

    Copyright Internet Shakespeare Editions. This text may be freely used for educational, non-proift purposes; for all other uses contact the Coordinating Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Roger Apfelbaum
    Not Peer Reviewed

    Romeo and Juliet (Folio 1, 1623)

    The Tragedie of Romeo and Iuliet.63
    1280Nur. This afternoone sir? well she shall be there.
    Ro. And stay thou good Nurse behind the Abbey wall,
    Within this houre my man shall be with thee,
    And bring thee Cords made like a tackled staire,
    Which to the high top gallant of my ioy,
    1285Must be my conuoy in the secret night.
    Farewell, be trustie and Ile quite thy paines:
    Farewell, commend me to thy Mistresse.
    Nur. Now God in heauen blesse thee: harke you sir,
    Rom. What saist thou my deare Nurse?
    1290Nurse. Is your man secret, did you nere heare say two
    may keepe counsell putting one away.
    Ro. Warrant thee my man as true as steele.
    Nur. Well sir, my Mistresse is the sweetest Lady, Lord,
    Lord, when 'twas a little prating thing. O there is a No-
    1295ble man in Towne one Paris, that would faine lay knife a-
    board: but she good soule had as leeue a see Toade, a very
    Toade as see him: I anger her sometimes, and tell her that
    Paris is the properer man, but Ile warrant you, when I say
    so, shee lookes as pale as any clout in the versall world.
    1300Doth not Rosemarie and Romeo begin both with a letter?
    Rom. I Nurse, what of that? Both with an R
    Nur. A mocker that's the dogs name. R. is for the no,
    I know it begins with some other letter, and she hath the
    prettiest sententious of it, of you and Rosemary, that it
    1305would do you good to heare it.
    Rom. Commend me to thy Lady.
    Nur. I a thousand times. Peter?
    Pet. Anon.
    Nur. Before and apace. Exit Nurse and Peter.
    1310Enter Iuliet.
    Iul. The clocke strook nine, when I did send the Nurse,
    In halfe an houre she promised to returne,
    Perchance she cannot meete him: that's not so:
    Oh she is lame, Loues Herauld should be thoughts,
    1315Which ten times faster glides then the Sunnes beames,
    Driuing backe shadowes ouer lowring hils.
    Therefore do nimble Pinion'd Doues draw Loue,
    And therefore hath the wind-swift Cupid wings:
    Now is the Sun vpon the highmost hill
    1320Of this daies iourney, and from nine till twelue,
    I three long houres, yet she is not come.
    Had she affections and warme youthfull blood,
    She would be as swift in motion as a ball,
    My words would bandy her to my sweete Loue,
    1325And his to me, but old folkes,
    Many faine as they were dead,
    Vnwieldie, slow, heauy, and pale as lead.
    Enter Nurse.
    O God she comes, O hony Nurse what newes?
    1330Hast thou met with him? send thy man away.
    Nur. Peter stay at the gate.
    Iul. Now good sweet Nurse:
    O Lord, why lookest thou sad?
    Though newes, be sad, yet tell them merrily.
    1335If good thou sham'st the musicke of sweet newes,
    By playing it to me, with so sower a face.
    Nur. I am a weary, giue me leaue awhile,
    Fie how my bones ake, what a iaunt haue I had?
    Iul. I would thou had'st my bones, and I thy newes:
    1340Nay come I pray thee speake, good good Nurse speake.
    Nur. Iesu what hast? can you not stay a while?
    Do you not see that I am out of breath?
    Iul How art thou out of breath, when thou hast breth
    To say to me, that thou art out of breath?
    1345The excuse that thou dost make in this delay,
    Is longer then the tale thou dost excuse.
    Is thy newes good or bad? answere to that,
    Say either, and Ile stay the circustance:
    Let me be satisfied, ist good or bad?
    1350Nur. Well, you haue made a simple choice, you know
    not how to chuse a man: Romeo, no not he though his face
    be better then any mans, yet his legs excels all mens, and
    for a hand, and a foote, and a body, though they be not to
    be talkt on, yet they are past compare: he is not the flower
    1355of curtesie, but Ile warrant him as gentle a Lambe: go thy
    waies wench, serue God. What haue you din'd at home?
    Iul. No no: but all this this did I know before
    What saies he of our marriage? what of that?
    Nur. Lord how my head akes, what a head haue I?
    1360It beates as it would fall in twenty peeces.
    My backe a tother side: o my backe, my backe:
    Beshrew your heart for sending me about
    To catch my death with iaunting vp and downe.
    Iul. Ifaith: I am sorrie that thou art so well.
    1365Sweet sweet, sweet Nurse, tell me what saies my Loue?
    Nur. Your Loue saies like an honest Gentleman,
    And a courteous, and a kind, and a handsome,
    And I warrant a vertuous: where is your Mother?
    Iul. Where is my Mother?
    1370Why she is within, where should she be?
    How odly thou repli'st:
    Your Loue saies like an honest Gentleman:
    Where is your Mother?
    Nur. O Gods Lady deare,
    1375Are you so hot? marrie come vp I trow,
    Is this the Poultis for my aking bones?
    Henceforward do your messages your selfe.
    Iul. Heere's such a coile, come what saies Romeo?
    Nur. Haue you got leaue to go to shrift to day?
    1380Iul. I haue.
    Nur. Then high you hence to Frier Lawrence Cell,
    There staies a Husband to make you a wife:
    Now comes the wanton bloud vp in your cheekes,
    Thei'le be in Scarlet straight at any newes:
    1385Hie you to Church, I must an other way,
    To fetch a Ladder by the which your Loue
    Must climde a birds nest Soone when it is darke:
    I am the drudge, and toile in your delight:
    But you shall beare the burthen soone at night.
    1390Go Ile to dinner, hie you to the Cell.
    Iui. Hie to high Fortune, honest Nurse, farewell. Exeunt.

    Enter Frier and Romeo.
    Fri. So smile the heauens vpon this holy act,
    That after houres, with sorrow chide vs not.
    1395Rom. Amen, amen, but come what sorrow can,
    It cannot counteruaile the exchange of ioy
    That one short minute giues me in her sight:
    Do thou but close our hands with holy words.
    Then Loue-deuouring death do what he dare,
    1400It is inough. I may but call her mine.
    Fri. These violent delights haue violent endes,
    And in their triumph: die like fire and powder;
    Which as they kisse consume. The sweetest honey
    Is loathsome in his owne deliciousnesse,
    1405And in the taste confoundes the appetite.
    Therefore Loue moderately, long Loue doth so,
    Too swift arriues as tardie as too slow.
    Enter Iuliet.
    Here comes the Lady. Oh so light a foot
    1410Will nere weare out the euerlasting flint,
    ff2 A
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