Rom. Your plaintain-leaf is excellent for that. Rom. For your broken shin. Ben. Why, Romeo, art thou mad? Rom. Not mad, but bound more than a madman is: Shut up in prison, kept without my food, Whipp'd, and tormented, and-Good-e'en, good fellow. [Reads. Signor Martino, and his wife and daughters; County Auselme, and his beauteous sisters; the lady widow of Vitruvio; Signor Placentio, and his lovely nieces; Mercutio, and his brother Valentine; Mine uncle Capulet, his wife, and daughters; My fair nicce Rosaline; Livia; Signor Valentio, and his cousin Tybalt; Lucio, and the lively Helena. A fair assembly; [gives back the note.] Whither should they come? Serv. Up. Rom. Whither to supper? Serv. To our house. Rom. Whose house? Serv. My master's. Rom. Indeed, I should have ask'd you that before. Serv. Now I'll tell you without asking: My master is the great rich Capulet; and if you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray, come and crush a cup of wine. Rest you merry. Ben. At this same ancient feast of Capulet's Sups the fair Rosaline, whom thou so lov'st; With all the admired beauties of Verona: Go thither: and, with unattainted eye, [Exit. Compare her face with some that I shall show, Rom. When the devout religion of mine eye Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fires! And these,-who, often drown'd, could never die,— Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars! One fairer than my love! the all-seeing sun SCENE III-A Room in Capulet's House. Enter LADY CAPULET and NURSE. La. Cap. Nurse, where 's my daughter? call her forth to me. Nurse. Now by my maiden-head,-at twelve year old, I bade her come.-What, lamb! what, lady-bird!— God forbid !--where 's this girl?-what, Juliet! awhile, What is your will? La. Cap. This is the matter:-Nurse, give leave We must talk in secret.-Nurse, come back again; a Scales-used as a singular noun. I have remember'd me, thou shalt hear our counsel. Nurse. 'Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour. Nurse. I'll lay fourteen of my teeth, And yet to my teen be it spoken, I have but four,She is not fourteen.-How long is it now To Lammas-tide? La. Cap. Shake, quoth the dove-house: 't was no need, I trow, And since that time it is eleven years: For then she could stand alone; nay, by the rood, a Teen-sorrow. b Bear a brain-have a memory-a common expression. Thou wilt fall backward, when thou hast more wit; I never should forget it; Wilt thou not, Jule? quoth he: La. Cap. Enough of this; I pray thee, hold thy peace. Nurse. Yes, madam; yet I cannot choose but laugh, To think it should leave crying, and say-Ay: And yet, I warrant, it had upon its brow A bump as big as a young cockrel's stone; b A parlous knock; and it cried bitterly. Yea, quoth my husband, fall'st upon thy face? Jul. And stint thou too, I pray thee, nurse, say I. Nurse. Peace, I have done. God mark thee to his grace! Thou wast the prettiest babe that e'er I nurs'd: La. Cap. Marry, that marry is the very theme Jul. It is an honour that I dream not of. Nurse. An honour! were not I thine only nurse, I'd say, thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat. La. Cap. Well, think of marriage now; younger than you, Here in Verona, ladies of esteem, Are made already mothers: by my count, I was a mother much upon these years That you are now a maid. Thus, then, in brief; The valiant Paris seeks you for his love. a It stinted-it stopped. b Parlous-a corruption of the word perilous. Nurse. A man, young lady! lady, such a man, As all the world-Why, he's a man of wax. La. Cap. Verona's summer hath not such a flower. This night you shall behold him at our feast: And see how one another lends content; The fish lives in the sea; and 't is much pride, Nurse. No less? nay, bigger; women grow by men. But no more deep will I endart mine eye, Enter a Servant. Serv. Madam, the guests are come, supper served up, you called, my young lady asked for, the nurse cursed in the pantry, and everything in extremity. I must hence to wait; I beseech you, follow straight. La. Cap. We follow thee.-Juliet, the county stays. Nurse. Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days. [Exeunt. |