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 blefs thee! hark you,

Sir.

Rom. What fayeft thou, my dear nurfe?

Nurfe. Is your man fecret? did you ne'er hear fay, Two may keep counsel, putting one away?

Rom. I warrant thee, my man's as true as fteel. Nurfe. Well, Sir, my miftrefs is the sweetest lady; Lord, Lord! when 'twas a little prating thingO,—there is a noble man in town, one Paris, that would fain lay knife aboard; but fhe, good soul, had as lieve fee a 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 varfal World. Doth not Rosemary and Romeo begin both with a letter?

6 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;

5-like a tackled fair,] Like ftairs of rope in the tackle of a hip. 6 Rom. A, nurse, what of that? both with an R.

Nurfe. Ay, m cker, that's the dog's name. R is for the no, I know it begins with no other let ter;] I believe, I have rectified this odd ftuff; but it is a little mortifying, that the fenfe, when found fhould not be worth the 'pains of retrieving it.

fpfis indigna Theatris Ser pia pudet recitare, & nugis adder pondus. The Nurfe is reprefented as

a

E

4

and

prating filly creature; fhe fays, The will tell Ronco a good joke about his miftrefs, and afks him, whether Rafemary and Romeo do not begia both with a letter: He fays, yes, an R. She, who, we muit fappte, could not read, thought he had mock'd her, and fays, No, iure, I know better: cur dog's name is R. yours begins with another letter. This is natural enough, and in character. R put her in mind of that found which is made by dogs when they fnari: and therefore, I prefunie, the Lys, that is the dog's

name.

and the hath the prettieft fententious of it, of you and rosemary, that it would do you good to hear it. Rom. Commend me to thy lady [Exit Romea. Nurfe. Ay, a thoufand times. Peter,

Pet. Anon?

Nurfe. Take my fan, and go before.

Jul. TH

SCENE V.

Changes to Capulet's Houfe.

Enter Juliet.

[Exeunt.

HE 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, fhe 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 Sun 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 fhe affections and warm youthful blood,

name, R. in the fchools, being
called the Dog's letter. Ben
Jobnfon in his English grammar
fays. B, is the Log's letter, and
kirreth in the fund.

Irritata canis quod R. R. quam
plurima dicat. Lucil.
WARBURTON.
This paffage is thus in the old

folio. A mocker, that's the dog's name. R is for the no, I know it begins with fome other letter. In this copy the error is but fmall. I read, Ab, mocker, that's the dog's name. R is for the nonce, I know it begins with another letter. For the nonce, IS for some design, for a fly trick.

She'd

She'd be as fwift in motion as a ball;

My words would bandy her to my sweet love,
And his to me;

But old folks, marry, feign as they were dead,
Unwieldy, flow, heavy, and pale, as lead.

Enter Nurfe, with Peter.

[Exit Peter.

O good, fhe comes. O honey Nurfe, what news?
Haft thou met with him? fend thy man away.
Nurse. Peter, stay at the gate.
Jul. Now, good fweet Nurfe,
O Lord, why look'st thou fad?

Tho' news be fad, yet tell them merrily:

If good, thou fham'ft the mufick of sweet news,
By playing 't to me with fo four a face.

Nurfe. I am a weary, let me rest 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. What hafte? Can you not stay a while? Do you not fee, that I am out of breath?

Jul. How art thou out of breath, when thou hast breath

To fay to me, that thou art out of breath?
Th' Excufe, that thou doft make in this delay,
Is longer than the Tale thou dost excuse.
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; though his face be better than any man's, yet his legs excel all men's; and for a hand, and a foot, and a body, tho' they be not to be talk'd on, yet they are

past 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.
ful. I 'faith, I am forry that thou art fo ill.
Sweet, fweet, fweet nurse, tell me, what fays my love?
Nurse. Your love fays like an honeft gentleman,
And a courteous, and a kind, and a handsome,
And, I warrant, a virtuous-where is your mother?
ful. Where is my mother?-why, fhe is within;
Where should fhe be? how odly thou reply'ft!
Your love fays like an boneft gentleman :—
Where is your mother?

Nurfe. Are you fo hot? marry, come up, I trow,
Is this the poultice for my aking bones?
Hence-forward do your meffages yourself.

Jul. Here's fuch a coil. Come, what fays Ro

meo?

Nurfe. Have you got leave to go to shrift to-day? Jul. I have.

cheeks,

Nurfe. Then hie you hence to friar Laurence' cell, There ftays a husband to make you a wife. Now comes the wanton blood up in your They'll be in fcarlet ftraight at any news. Hie you to church, I muft another way, To fetch a ladder, by the which your love Muft climb a bird's-neft foon, when it is dark. I am the drudge and toil in your delight, But you fhall bear the burden foon at night.

Go,

Go, I'll to dinner, hie you to the cell.

Jul. Hie to high fortune ?-honest nurse, fare

wel.

[Exeunt.

Fri.

SCENE VI.

Changes to the Monaftery.

Enter Friar Lawrence, and Romeo.

O fmile the heavens upon this holy Act,

That after-hours with forrow chide us not! Rom. Amen, amen! but come what forrow can, It cannot countervail th' exchange of joy, That one fhort minute gives me in her fight: Do thou but clofe our hands with holy words, Then love-devouring death do what he dare, It is enough, I may but call her mine.

Fri. Thefe violent delights have violent ends, And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, Which, as they meet, confume. The fweeteft honey Is loathfome in its own deliciousness,

And in the taste confounds the appetite; Therefore love mod'rately, long love doth fo. ? Too fwift arrives as tardy as too flow.

Enter Juliet.

Here comes the lady. O, fo light a foot
Will ne'er wear out the everlafting flint;
A lover may bestride the goffamer
That idles in the wanton fummer air,
And yet not fall, fo light is vanity.
Jul. Good even to my ghoftly Confeffor.

7 Tor Swift arrives] He that travels too faft is as long before he comes to the end of his jour

ney, as he that travels flow. Precipitation produces mishap.

Fri.