1106Mer. Where the deule should this Romeo be? came he

1107not home to night?

1108Ben. Not to his Fathers, I spoke with his man.

1109Mer. Why that same pale hard-harted wench, that Ro-

1110saline torments him so, that he will sure run mad.

1111Ben. Tibalt, the kinsman to old Capulet, hath sent a Let-

1112ter to his Fathers house.

1113Mer. A challenge on my life.

1114Ben. Romeo will answere it.

1115Mer. Any man that can write, may answere a Letter.

1116Ben. Nay, he will answere the Letters Maister how he

1117dares, being dared.

1118Mer. Alas poore Romeo, he is already dead stab'd with

1119a white wenches blacke eye, runne through the eare with

1120a Loue song, the very pinne of his heart, cleft with the

1121blind Bowe-boyes but-shaft, and is he a man to encounter

1122Tybalt?

1123Ben. Why what is Tibalt?

1124Mer. More then Prince of Cats. Oh hee's the Couragi-

1125ous Captaine of Complements: he fights as you sing

1126pricksong, keeps time, distance, and proportion, he rests

1127his minum, one, two, and the third in your bosom: the ve-

1128ry butcher of a silk button, a Dualist, a Dualist: a Gentleman

1129of the very first house of the first and second cause: ah the

1130immortall Passado, the Punto reuerso, the Hay.

1131Ben. The what?

1132Mer. The Pox of such antique lisping affecting phan-

1133tacies, these new tuners of accent: Iesu a very good blade,

1134a very tall man, a very good whore. Why is not this a la-

1135mentable thing Grandsire, that we should be thus afflicted

1136with these strange flies: these fashion Mongers, these par-

1137don-mee's, who stand so much on the new form, that they

1138cannot sit at ease on the old bench. O their bones, their

1139bones.

1141Ben. Here comes Romeo, here comes Romeo.

1142Mer. Without his Roe, like a dryed Hering. O flesh,

1143flesh, how art thou fishified? Now is he for the numbers

1144that Petrarch flowed in: Laura to his Lady, was a kitchen

1145wench, marrie she had a better Loue to berime her: Dido

1146a dowdie, Cleopatra a Gipsie, Hellen and Hero, hildin(gs

1147and Harlots: Thisbie a gray eie or so, but not to the purpose.

1148Signior Romeo, Bon iour, there's a French salutation to your

ff French

62 The Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet.

1149French slop: you gaue vs the the counterfait fairely last

1150night.

1151Romeo. Good morrow to you both, what counterfeit

1152did I giue you?

1153Mer. The slip sir, the slip, can you not conceiue?

1154Rom. Pardon Mercutio, my businesse was great, and in

1155such a case as mine, a man may straine curtesie.

1156Mer. That's as much as to say, such a case as yours con-

1157strains a man to bow in the hams.

1158Rom. Meaning to cursie.

1159Mer. Thou hast most kindly hit it.

1160Rom. A most curteous exposition.

1161Mer. Nay, I am the very pinck of curtesie.

1162Rom. Pinke for flower.

1163Mer. Right.

1164Rom. Why then is my Pump well flowr'd.

1165Mer. Sure wit, follow me this ieast, now till thou hast

1166worne out thy Pump, that when the single sole of it is

1167worne, the ieast may remaine after the wearing, sole-

1168singular.

1169Rom. O single sol'd ieast,

1170Soly singular for the singlenesse.

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-Goose chase, I am

1175done: For thou hast more of the Wild-Goose in one of

1176thy wits, then I am sure I haue in my whole fiue. Was I

1177with you there for the Goose?

1178Rom. Thou wast neuer with mee for any thing, when

1179thou wast not there for the Goose.

1180Mer. I will bite thee by the eare for that iest.

1181Rom. Nay, good Goose bite not.

1182Mer. Thy wit is a very Bitter-sweeting,

1183It is a most sharpe sawce.

1184Rom. And is it not well seru'd into a Sweet-Goose?

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 Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose.

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 desir'st me to stop in my tale against the (haire.

1196Ben. Thou would'st else 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.

1201Rom. Here's goodly geare.

1202A sayle, a sayle.

1203Mer. Two, two: a Shirt and a Smocke.

1204Nur. Peter?

1205Peter. Anon.

1206Nur. My Fan Peter?

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.

1211Nur. Is it gooden?

1212Mer. 'Tis no lesse 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, himselfe to mar.

1217Nur. By my troth it is said, for himselfe to, mar qua-

1218tha: Gentlemen, can any of you tel me where I may find

1219the young Romeo?

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 youngest of that name, for fault of a worse.

1223Nur. You say well.

1224Mer. Yea is the worst well,

1225Very well tooke: Ifaith, wisely, wisely.

1226Nur. If you be he sir,

1227I desire some confidence with you?

1228Ben. She will endite him to some Supper.

1229Mer. A baud, a baud, a baud. So ho.

1230Rom. What hast thou found?

1231Mer. No Hare sir, vnlesse 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

1234meat in Lent.

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

1238thither.

1239Rom. I will follow you.

1240Mer. Farewell auncient Lady:

1241Farewell Lady, Lady, Lady.

1243Nur. I pray you sir, what sawcie Merchant was this

1244that was so full of his roperie?

1245Rom. A Gentleman Nurse, that loues to heare himselfe

1246talke, and will speake more in a minute, then he will stand

1247to in a Moneth.

1248Nur. And a speake any thing against me, Ile take him

1249downe, & a were lustier then he is, and twentie such Iacks:

1250and if I cannot, Ile finde those that shall: scuruie knaue, I

1251am none of his flurt-gils, I am none of his skaines mates,

1252and thou must stand by too and suffer euery knaue to vse

1253me at his pleasure.

1254Pet. I saw no man vse you at his pleasure: if I had, my

1255weapon should quickly haue beene out, I warrant you, I

1256dare draw assoone as another man, if I see occasion 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 first let me

1262tell ye, if ye should leade her in a fooles paradise, as they

1263say, it were a very grosse 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. Nurse commend me to thy Lady and Mistresse, I

1268protest vnto thee.

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 Nurse? thou doest not

1272marke me?

1273Nur. I will tell her sir, that you do protest, which as I

1274take it, is a Gentleman-like offer.

1275Rom. Bid her deuise 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.

The Tragedie of Romeo and Iuliet.63

1280Nur. This afternoone sir? well she shall be there.

1281Ro. And stay thou good Nurse behind the Abbey wall,

1282Within this houre my man shall be with thee,

1283And bring thee Cords made like a tackled staire,

1284Which to the high top gallant of my ioy,

1285Must be my conuoy in the secret night.

1286Farewell, be trustie and Ile quite thy paines:

1287Farewell, commend me to thy Mistresse.

1288Nur. Now God in heauen blesse thee: harke you sir,

1289Rom. What saist thou my deare Nurse?

1290Nurse. Is your man secret, did you nere heare say two

1291may keepe counsell putting one away.

1292Ro. Warrant thee my man as true as steele.

1293Nur. Well sir, my Mistresse is the sweetest Lady, Lord,

1294Lord, when 'twas a little prating thing. O there is a No-

1295ble man in Towne one Paris, that would faine lay knife a-

1296board: but she good soule had as leeue a see Toade, a very

1297Toade as see him: I anger her sometimes, and tell her that

1298Paris is the properer man, but Ile warrant you, when I say

1299so, shee lookes as pale as any clout in the versall world.

1300Doth not Rosemarie and Romeo begin both with a letter?

1301Rom. I Nurse, what of that? Both with an R

1302Nur. A mocker that's the dogs name. R. is for the no,

1303I know it begins with some other letter, and she hath the

1304prettiest sententious of it, of you and Rosemary, that it

1305would do you good to heare it.

1306Rom. Commend me to thy Lady.

1307Nur. I a thousand times. Peter?

1308Pet. Anon.

1309Nur. Before and apace. Exit Nurse and Peter.