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Enter Nurfe, and Peter her Man.

Rom. Here's goodly gear: a fail! a fail!
Mer. Two, two, a fhirt and a smock,

- Narfe. Peter,

Pet Anon.

Nurfe My fan, Peter.

Mer. Do, good Peter, to hide her face; for her fan's the fairer of the two.

Nurfe. God ye good morrow, gentlemen.
Mer. God ye good den, fair gentlewoman.
Nurfe. Is it good den?

Mer. 'Tis no lefs, I tell you; for the bawdy hand. of the dial is now upon the prick of noon.

Nurse. Out upon you! what a man are you?

Rom. O fingle fol'd jeft,

Solely fingle for the fingleness!

Mer. Come between us, good Benvolio, my wit faints.
Rm. Switch and spurs,

Switch and fpurs, or I'll cry a march.

Mer. Nay, if our wits run the wild goofe chace, I am done: for thou haft more of the wild-goofe in one of thy wits, than I am fure I have in my whole five. Was I with you there for the goofe?

Rom. Thou wat never with me for any thing, when thou wait not there for the goofe.

Mer. I will bite thee by the ear for that jeft.

Rom. Nay, good goof, bite not.

Mer. Thy wit is a very bitter fweeting,

It is a most sharp fauce.

Rom. And is it not well ferv'd in to a sweet goofe?

Mer. O, here's a wit of cheverel, that itreiches from an inch narrow to an ell broad.

Row. I Aretch it out for that word broad, which, added to the goose, proves thee far and wide a broad goofe.

Mer. Why, is not this better than groaning for love? Now thou art fociable; now art thou Romeo; now art thou what thou art, by art, as well as by nature; for this driving love is like a great natural, that runs lolling up and down to hide his bauble in a hole.

Ben. Stop there, stop there.

Mer. Thou defireft me to stop in my tale against the hair.
Ber. Thou wouldst elfe have made thy tale large.

Mer, O, thou art deceiv'd, I would have made it short; for I was come to the whole depth of my tale, and meant indeed to occupy the argument no longer.

Rom. Good morrow, &.

Re

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 of you tell me where may find the young Romeo.

I

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.

Ben. She will indite him to fome fupper.

Mer. A bawd, a bawd, a bawd.

So ho! +

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 gencleman, nurse, that loves to hear himself talk; and will speak more in a minute, than he will ftand to in a month.

Nurfe. An' a speak any thing against me, I'll take him down an' he were luftier than he is, and twenty such Jacks; and if I cannot, I'll find those that fhall. Scurvy knave, I am none of his flirt-gills; I am none of his fkains-mates. And thou must stand by too, and fuffer every knave to use me at his pleasure?

[To her man. Pet. I faw no man use you at his pleasure: if I had, my weapon fhould quickly have been out, I warrant

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Mer. No hare, Sir, unless a hare, Sir, in a lenten pye, that is fomething ftale and hear ere it be fpent.

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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, &c.

you.

you.. I dare draw as foon as another man, if I fee occafion in a good quarrel, and the law on my fide,

Nurfe. Now, afore God, I am fo vex'd, 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 fhe bid me fay, I will keep to myself: but firft let me tell ye, if ye fhould lead her into a fool's paradife, as they fay, it were a very grofs kind of behaviour, as they fay, for the gentlewoman is young; and therefore, if you fhould 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 miftrefs, I pro

teft unto thee

Nurfe. Good heart, and, ifaith, I will tell her as much: Lord, Lord, fhe will be a joyful woman.

Rom. What wilt thou tell her, nurfe? thou dost not mark me

Nurfe. I will tell her, Sir, that you do protest; which, as I take it, is a gentleman-like offer.

Rom. Bid her devife fome means to come to shrift this afternoon.

And there fhe fhall at Friar Lawrence' cell
Be fhriv'd and married: here is for thy pains.
Nurfe. No, truly, Sir, not a penny.
Rom. Go to, I say, you fball

Nurfe. This afternoon, Sir well, fhe fhall be there.
Rom. And ftay, good nurfe, behind the abbey-wall:
Within this hour my man fhall be with thee,,
And bring thee cords, made like a tackled stair,
Which to the high top gallant of my joy

Must 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 say, 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 fweeteft Lady; Lord, Lord! when 'twas a little pratting thing-0,there is a Nobleman in town, one Paris, that would fain lay knife aboard; but the, good foul, had as lieve fee a

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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, the looks as pale as any clout in the verfal world. Doth not Rosemary and Romeo begin both with a letter?

Rom. Ay, nurfe, what of that? both with an R. Nurfe Ah, mocker! that's the dog's name. R is for thee No: I know it begins with another letter ; and the hath the prettiest fententious of it, of you and rosemary, that it would do you good to hear it. Rom. Commend me to thy Lady -Nurfe. Ay, a thousand times. Peter. Pet. Anon?

[Exit Rom.

[Exeunt.

Changes to Capulet's houfe.

Nurfe. Take my fan, and go before.

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Enter Juliet.

Jul. The clock ftruck nine when I did fend the nurse: In half an hour the promis'd to return.

Perchance the cannot meet him-that's not fo-
Oh, she is lame: love's heralds fhould be thoughts.
Which ten times fafter glide than the fun-beams,
Driving back fhadows over lowring hills.
Therefore do nimble pinion'd doves draw love,
And therefore hath the wind-fwift Cupid wings.
Now is the fun upon the highmost hill

Of this day's journey; and from nine till twelve
Is three long hours--and yet fhe 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.

Enter Nurfe with Peter.

O God, fhe comes.

O honey nurse, what news?

[Exit Peter.

Halt thou met with him? fend thy man away.

Nurfe. Peter, ftay at the gate.

Jul. Now, good sweet Nurfe,

O Lord, why look'it thon fad?

Tho' news be fad, yet tell them merrily:
If good, thou fham'ft the music of sweet news,
VOL. VIII.

By

By playing 't to me with so four a face.

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

Fy, how my bones ake, what a jaunt have I had? Jul. I would thou hadft my bones, and i thy news! Nay, come, I pray thee, speak---Good, good nurse, fpeak.

Nurfe. Jefu! what hafte? Can you not ftay a while? Do you not fee, that I am out of breath ?

Jul. How art thou out of breath, when thou ha To fay to me, that thou art out of breath? [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?

Nurfe. Well, you have made a fimple choice; you know not how to chufe a man: Romeo, no, not he; tho' his face be no better than another man's, yet his legs excel all mens; and for a hand, and a foot, and a body, tho' they be not to be talk'd on, yet they are pat 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-O my back, my back :
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-Where is your mother?
Jul. Where is my mother?-why, the is within;
Where should fhe be? how oddly thou reply'it!
Your love fays like an honeft gentleman :

Where is your mother ?.

Nurfe. O, God's Lady dear,

Are you fo hot? marry, come up, I trow,

* i. c. no fop; this being one of their titles at that time.

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