Author: William ShakespeareEditor: Roger ApfelbaumNot Peer Reviewed
Romeo and Juliet (Folio 1, 1623)
62 The Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet.
1149French
slop: you gaue vs the the counterfait fairely la
st 1151Romeo. Good morrow to you both, what counterfeit
1153Mer. The
slip
sir, the
slip, can you not conceiue?
1154Rom. Pardon
Mercutio, my bu
sine
sse was great, and in
1155such a ca
se as mine, a man may
straine curte
sie.
1156Mer. That's as much as to
say,
such a ca
se as yours con
- 1157strains a man to bow in the hams.
1158Rom. Meaning to cur
sie.
1159Mer. Thou ha
st mo
st kindly hit it.
1160Rom. A mo
st curteous expo
sition.
1161Mer. Nay, I am the very pinck of curte
sie.
1162Rom. Pinke for
flower.
1164Rom. Why then is my Pump well
flowr'd.
1165Mer. Sure wit, follow me this iea
st, now till thou ha
st 1166worne out thy Pump, that when the
single
sole of it is
1167worne, the iea
st may remaine after the wearing,
sole
- 1169Rom. O
single
sol'd iea
st,
1170Soly
singular for the
singlene
sse.
1171Mer. Come betweene vs good
Benuolio, my wits faints.
1172Rom. Swits and
spurs,
1173Swits and
spurs, or Ile crie a match.
1174Mer. Nay, if our wits run the Wild-Goo
se cha
se, I am
1175done: For thou ha
st more of the Wild-Goo
se in one of
1176thy wits, then I am
sure I haue in my whole
fiue. Was I
1177with you there for the Goo
se?
1178Rom. Thou wa
st neuer with mee for any thing, when
1179thou wa
st not there for the Goo
se.
1180Mer. I will bite thee by the eare for that ie
st.
1181Rom. Nay, good Goo
se bite not.
1182Mer. Thy wit is a very Bitter-
sweeting,
1183It is a mo
st sharpe
sawce.
1184Rom. And is it not well
seru'd into a Sweet-Goo
se?
1185Mer. Oh here's a wit of Cheuerell, that
stretches from
1186an ynch narrow, to an ell broad.
1187Rom. I
stretch it out for that word, broad, which added
1188to the Goo
se, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goo
se.
1189Mer. Why is not this better now, then groning for
1190Loue, now art thou
sociable, now art thou
Romeo: now art
1191thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this
1192driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling
1193vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole.
1194Ben. Stop there,
stop there.
1195Mer. Thou de
sir'
st me to
stop in my tale again
st the
(haire. 1196Ben. Thou would'
st el
se haue made thy tale large.
1197Mer. O thou art deceiu'd, I would haue made it
short,
1198or I was come to the whole depth of my tale, and meant
1199indeed to occupie the argument no longer.
1200Enter Nurse and her man. 1201Rom. Here's goodly geare.
1203Mer. Two, two: a Shirt and a Smocke.
1207Mer. Good
Peter to hide her face?
1208For her Fans the fairer face?
1209Nur. God ye good morrow Gentlemen.
1210Mer. God ye gooden faire Gentlewoman.
1212Mer. 'Tis no le
sse I tell you: for the bawdy hand of the
1213Dyall is now vpon the pricke of Noone.
1214Nur. Out vpon you: what a man are you?
1215Rom. One Gentlewoman,
1216That God hath made, him
selfe to mar.
1217Nur. By my troth it is
said, for him
selfe to, mar qua
- 1218tha: Gentlemen, can any of you tel me where I may
find
1220Romeo. I can tell you: but young
Romeo will be older
1221when you haue found him, then he was when you
sought
1222him: I am the younge
st of that name, for fault of a wor
se.
1224Mer. Yea is the wor
st well,
1225Very well tooke: Ifaith, wi
sely, wi
sely.
1226Nur. If you be he
sir,
1227I de
sire
some con
fidence with you?
1228Ben. She will endite him to
some Supper.
1229Mer. A baud, a baud, a baud. So ho.
1230Rom. What ha
st thou found?
1231Mer. No Hare
sir, vnle
sse a Hare
sir in a Lenten pie,
1232that is
something
stale and hoare ere it be
spent.
1233An old Hare hoare, and an old Hare hoare is very good
1235But a Hare that is hoare is too much for a
score, when it
1236hoares ere it be
spent,
1237 Romeo will you come to your Fathers? Weele to dinner
1239Rom. I will follow you.
1240Mer. Farewell auncient Lady:
1241Farewell Lady, Lady, Lady.
1242 Exit. Mercutio, Benuolio. 1243Nur. I pray you
sir, what
sawcie Merchant was this
1244that was
so full of his roperie?
1245Rom. A Gentleman Nur
se, that loues to heare him
selfe
1246talke, and will
speake more in a minute, then he will
stand
1248Nur. And a
speake any thing again
st me, Ile take him
1249downe, & a were lu
stier then he is, and twentie
such Iacks:
1250and if I cannot, Ile
finde tho
se that
shall:
scuruie knaue, I
1251am none of his
flurt-gils, I am none of his
skaines mates,
1252and thou mu
st stand by too and
su
ffer euery knaue to v
se
1254Pet. I
saw no man v
se you at his plea
sure: if I had, my
1255weapon
should quickly haue beene out, I warrant you, I
1256dare draw a
ssoone as another man, if I
see occa
sion in a
1257good quarrell, and the law on my
side.
1258Nur. Now afore God, I am
so vext, that euery part about
1259me quiuers,
skuruy knaue: pray you
sir a word: and as I
1260told you, my young Lady bid me enquire you out, what
1261she bid me
say, I will keepe to my
selfe: but
fir
st let me
1262tell ye, if ye
should leade her in a fooles paradi
se, as they
1263say, it were a very gro
sse kind of behauiour, as they
say:
1264for the Gentlewoman is yong: & therefore, if you
should
1265deale double with her, truely it were an ill thing to be of
- 1266fered to any Gentlewoman, and very weake dealing.
1267Nur. Nur
se commend me to thy Lady and Mi
stre
sse, I
1269Nur. Good heart, and yfaith I will tell her as much:
1270Lord, Lord
she will be a ioyfull woman.
1271Rom. What wilt thou tell her Nur
se? thou doe
st not
1273Nur. I will tell her
sir, that you do prote
st, which as I
1274take it, is a Gentleman-like o
ffer.
1275Rom. Bid her deui
se
some meanes to come to
shrift this
(afternoone, 1276And there
she
shall at Frier
Lawrence Cell
1277Be
shriu'd and married: here is for thy paines.
1278Nur. No truly
sir not a penny.
1279Rom. Go too, I
say you
shall.
Nurse