Call, good Mercutio. By her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh, Ben. An if he hear thee, thou wilt anger him. Mer. This cannot anger him: 'twould anger him To raise a spirit in his mistress' circle, Of some strange nature, letting it there stand Is fair and honest, and, in his mistress' name, Ben. Come, he hath hid himself among those To be consorted with the humorous3 night: Mer. If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-Capulet's garden. Enter Romeo. Rom. He jests at scars, that never felt a wound. [Juliet appears above, at a window. But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!- That thou her maid art far more fair than she: O, that she knew she were! She speaks, yet she says nothing; What of that? I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks: As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven (1) Alluding to the old ballad of the king and the beggar. (2) This phrase in Shakspeare's time was used as an expression of tenderness. She speaks: speak again, bright angel! for thou art glorious to this night, being o'er my head, is a winged messenger of heaven Unto the white up-turned wond'ring eyes Of mortals, that fall back to gaze on him, When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds, And sails upon the bosom of the air. Jul. O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name: Rom. Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this? [Aside. Jul. 'Tis but thy name, that is my enemy ;Thou art thyself though, not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? that which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, Retain that dear perfection which he owes, Without that title:-Romeo, doff thy name; And for that name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself. Rom. I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptiz'd; Henceforth I never will be Romeo. Jul. What man art thou, that, thus bescreen'd in night, So stumblest on my counsel ? Rom. By a name I know not how to tell thee who I am: Had I it written, I would tear the word. Rom. Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike. Jul. How cam'st thou hither, tell me? and wherefore? The orchard walls are high, and hard to climb; Rom. With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls; For stony limits cannot hold love out : Jul. If they do see thee, they will murder thee. Rom. Alack! there lies more peril in thine eye, Than twenty of their swords; look thou but sweet, And I am proof against their enmity. Jul. I would not for the world, they saw thee here Rom. I have night's cloak to hide me from their sight; And, but thou love me, let them find me here: Jul. By whose direction found'st thou out this place? Rom. By love, who first did prompt me to inquire; He lent me counsel, and I lent him eyes. I am no pilot; yet, wert thou as far As that vast shore wash'd with the furthest sea, (3) Humid, moist. (4) A votary to the moon, to Diana. (5) Owns, possesses. (6) Do off. (7) Hindrance. (8) Unless thou love me. 395 Thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow, Jul. I come, anon:-But if thou mean'st not Nurse. [Within.] Madam. So thrive my soul,Jul. A thousand times good night! Rom. A thousand times the worse, to want thy [Exit. light. Love goes toward love, as school-boys from their books; But love from love, toward school with heavy looks. [Retiring slowly. VOL. II. 3 R From forth day's path-way, made by Titan's' Now ere the sun advance his burning eye, With baleful weeds, and precious-juiced flowers. None but for some, and yet all different. In herbs, plants, stones, and their true qualities: Within the infant rind of this small flower So soon forsaken? young men's love then lies Hath washed thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline! Women may fall, when there's no strength in men. To lay one in, another out to have. For this, being smelt, with that part cheers each Doth grace for grace, and love for love allow; part; Being tasted, slays all senses with the heart. In man as well as herbs, grace, and rude will; Rom. Good morrow, father! Benedicite! Fri. Rom. That last is true, the sweeter rest was mine. Rom. I'll tell thee, ere thou ask it me again. set On the fair daughter of rich Capulet: The other did not so. O, she knew well, Fri. For this alliance may so happy prove, Mer. Where the devil should this Romeo be?— Ben. Not to his father's; I spoke with his man. Torments him so, that he will sure run mad. Ben. Romeo will answer it. Mer. Any man, that can write, may answer a letter. Ben. Nay, he will answer the letter's master, how The dares, being dared. Mer. Alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead; stabbed with a white wench's black eye; shot thorough the ear with a love-song; the very pin of his heart cleft with the blind bow-boy's butt-shaft;" And is he a man to encounter Tybalt? Ben. Why, what is Tybalt? Mer. More than prince of cats, I can tell you. O, he is the courageous captain of compliments. He fights as you sing prick-song, keeps time, distance, and proportion; rests me his minim rest, one, two, and the third in your bosom; the very butcher of a silk button, a duellist, a duellist; a gentleman of the very first house,-of the first and second cause: Ah, the immortal passado! the punto reverso! the hay !" Ben. The what? Mer. The pox of such antic, lisping, affecting fantasticoes; these new tuners of accents!-By Fri. Holy Saint Francis! what a change is here! Jesu, a very good blade!-a very tall man!—a Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear, (1) The sun. (2) Virtue. (3) i. e. It is of the utmost consequence for me to be hasty. very good whore !-Why, is not this a lamentable (4) Arrow. (5) See the story of Reynard the fox. (6) By notes pricked down. (7) Terms of the fencing-school. thing, grandsire, that we should be thus afflicted with these strange flies, these fashion-mongers, these pardonnez-moys, who stand so much on the new form, that they cannot sit at ease on the old bench? O, their bons, their bons!' Enter Romeo. Ben. Here comes Romeo, here comes Romeo. Mer. Without his roe, like a dried herring:-0 flesh, flesh, how art thou fishified!-Now is he for the numbers that Petrarch flowed in: Laura, to his lady, was but a kitchen-wench;-Marry, she had a better love to be-rhyme her: Dido, a dowdy ¿ Cleopatra, a gipsy; Helen and Hero, hildings and harlots; Thisbe, a grey eye or so, but not to the purpose.-Signior Romeo, bon jour! there's a French salutation to your French slop. You gave us the counterfeit fairly last night. Rom. Good-morrow to you both. What counterfeit did I give you? Mer. The slip, sir, the slip; Can you not conceive. Rom. Pardon, good Mercutio, my business was great; and, in such a case as mine, a man may strain courtesy. Mer. That's as much as to say-such a case as yours constrains a man to bow in the hams. Rom. Meaning-to court'sy. Mer. Thou hast most kindly hit it. Rom. A most courteous exposition. Mer. Nay, I am the very pink of courtesy. Mer. Right. Rom. Why, then is my pump well flowered. Mer. Well said: Follow me this jest now, till thou hast worn out thy pump; that, when the single sole of it is worn, the jest may remain, after the wearing, solely singular. Rom. O single-soled' jest, solely singular for the singleness! Mer. Come between us, good Benvolio; my wits fail. Rom. Switch and spurs, switch and spurs; or I'll cry a match. Mer. Nay, if thy wits run the wild-goose chace, I have done; for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits, than, I am sure, I have in my whole five: Was I with you there for the goose? Rom. Thou wast never with me for any thing, when thou wast not there for the goose. Mer. I will bite thee by the ear for that jest. Mer. Thy wit is a very bitter sweeting; it is a most sharp sauce. Rom. And is it not well served in to a sweet goose? Mer. O, here's a wit of cheverel," that stretches from an inch narrow to an ell broad! Rom. I stretch it out for that word-broad: which added to the goose, proves thee far and wide a broad goose. Mer. Why, is not this better now than groaning for love? now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo; now art thou what thou art, by art as well as by nature for this drivelling love is like a great (1) In ridicule of Frenchified coxcombs. A pun on counterfeit money, called slips. (6) A horse-race in any direction the leader chooses to take. (7) An apple. (8) Soft stretching leather. natural, that runs lolling up and down, to hide his bauble in a hole. Ben. Stop there, stop there. Mer. Thou desirest me to stop in my tale against the hair. Ben. Thou would'st else have made thy tale large. Mer. O, thou art deceived, 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. Here's goodly geer! Enter Nurse and Peter. Mer. A sail, a sail, a sail! Peter. Anon? Nurse. My fan, Peter." Mer. Pr'ythee, do, good Peter, to hide her face; for her fan's the fairer of the two. Nurse. God ye good morrow, gentlemen. Mer. 'Tis no less, 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. One, gentlewoman, that God hath made himself to mar. Nurse. By my troth, it is well said ;-For himself to mar, quoth'a ?-Gentlemen, can any of you tell me where I can find the young Romeo? Rom. I can tell you; but young Romeo will be you sought him: I am the youngest of that name, older when you have found him, than he was when for 'fault of a worse. Nurse. You say well. i'faith; wisely, wisely. Nurse. If you be he, sir, I desire some confidence with you. Ben. She will indite him to some supper. Mer. No hare, sir; unless a hare, sir, in a lenten Romeo, will you come to your father's? we'll to Rom. I will follow you. Mer. Farewell, ancient lady; farewell, lady, lady, lady." [Exe. Mer. and Ben. Nurse. Marry, farewell!-I pray you, what saucy merchant' was this, that was so full of his ropery ?i Rom. A gentleman, nurse, that loves to hear himself talk; and will speak more in a minute, than he will stand to in a month. Nurse. An 'a speak any thing against me, I'll take him down an 'a were lustier than he is, and (9) It was the custom for servants to carry the lady's fan. (10) Good even. (12) Hoary, mouldy. (11) Point. (13) The burden of an old song. (14) A term of disrespect in contradistinction to gentlemen. (15) Roguery. twenty such Jacks; and if I cannot, I'll find those! that shall. Scurvy knave! I am none of his flirtgills; I am none of his skains-mates:-And thou must stand by too, and suffer every knave to use me at his pleasure? Pet. I saw no man use you at his pleasure; if I had, my weapon should quickly have been out, 1 warrant you: I dare draw as soon as another man, if I see occasion in a good quarrel, and the law on my side. Nurse. Now, afore God, I am so vexed, that every part about me quivers. Scurvy knave!-Pray you, sir, a word; and as I told you, my young lady bade me inquire you out; what she bade me say, I will keep to myself: but first let me tell ye, if ye should lead her into a fool's paradise, as they say, it were a very gross kind of behaviour, as they say: for the gentlewoman is young; and therefore, if you should deal double with her, truly, it were an ill thing to be offered to any gentlewoman, and very weak dealing. Rom. Nurse, commend me to thy lady and mistress. I protest unto thee, Nurse. Good heart! and, i'faith, I will tell her as much: Lord, lord, she will be a joyful woman. Rom. What wilt thou tell her, nurse? thou dost not mark me. Nurse. I will tell her, sir,-that you do protest; which, as I take it, is a gentlemanlike offer. Rom. Bid her devise some means to come to shrift Within this hour my man shall be with thee; Nurse. Now God in heaven bless thee!-Hark Rom. What say'st thou, my dear nurse? SCENE V.-Capulet's garden. Enter Juliet. In half an hour she promis'd to return. And his to me : But old folks, many feign as they were dead; O God, she comes!-O honey nurse, what news? look'st thou sad? To say to me that thou art out of breath? Nurse. Is your man secret? Did you ne'er hear Is thy news good, or bad? answer to that; say Say either, and I'll stay the circumstance: Two may keep counsel, putting one away? Rom. I warrant thee; my man's as true as steel. Nurse. Well, you have made a simple choice: Nurse. Well, sir; my mistress is the sweetest you know not how to choose a man: Romeo! no, lady-Lord, lord!-when 'twas a little prating not he; though his face be better than any man's, thing,-0,-there's a nobleman in town, one Paris, yet his leg excels all men's; and for a hand, and a that would fain lay knife aboard; but she, good foot, and a body,-though they be not to be talked soul, had as leave see a toad, a very toad, as see on, yet they are past compare: He is not the flower him. I anger her sometimes, and tell her that Paris is the properer man; but, I'll warrant you, when I say so, she looks as pale as any clout in the varsal world. Doth not rosemary and Romeo begin both with a letter? of courtesy,-but, I'll warrant him, as gentle as a lamb.-Go thy ways, wench; serve God.-What, have you dined at home? Jul. No, no: But all this did I know before; What says he of our marriage? what of that? Nurse. Lord, how my head aches! what a head have I! |