Par. Of honourable reckoning* are you both; Par. Younger than she are happy mothers made. Such as I love; and you, among the store, And like her most, whose merit most shall be: My house and welcome on their pleasures stay. [Exeunt Capulet and Paris. Serv. Find them out, whose names are written * Account, estimation. To inherit, in the language of Shakspeare, is to possess. here? It is written-that the shoemaker should meddle with his yard, and the tailor with his last, the fisher with his pencil, and the painter with his nets; but I am sent to find those persons, whose names are here writ, and can never find what names the writing person hath here writ. I must to the learned :-In good time. Enter Benvolio and Romeo. Ben. Tut, man! one fire burns out another's burning, One pain is lessen'd by another's anguish ; Take thou some new infection to thy eye, Rom. Your plantain 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. Serv. God gi' good e'en.-I pray, sir, can you read? Rom. Ay, mine own fortune in my misery. Serv. Perhaps you have learn'd it without book: But I pray, can you read any thing you see? Rom. Ay, if I know the letters, and the language. Serv. Ye say honestly; Rest you merry! Rom. Stay, fellow; I can read. [Reads. Signior Martino, and his wife, and daughters; County Anselme, and his beauteous sisters; The lady widow of Vitruvio; Signior Placentio, and his lovely nieces; Mercutio, and his brother Valentine: Mine uncle Capulet, his wife, and daughters; My fair niece Rosaline; Livia; Signior 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? Serv. To supper; to our house. Serv. My master's. Rom. Indeed, I should have asked 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. [Exit. Ben. At this same ancient feast of Capulet's One fairer than my love! the all-seeing sun And she shall scant show well, that now shows best. Rom. I'll go along, no such sight to be shown, But to rejoice in splendour of mine own. [Exeunt. * We still say in cant language-to crack a bottle. + Weighed. Scarce, hardly. 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! Jul. How now, who calls? Nurse. Jul. What is your will? Enter Juliet. Your mother. Madam, I am here. La. Cap. This is the matter:-Nurse, give leave awhile, We must talk in secret.-Nurse, come back again; I have remember'd me, thou shalt hear our counsel. Thou know'st, my daughter's of a pretty age. Nurse. 'Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour. La. Cap. She's not fourteen. 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. A fortnight, and odd days. Nurse. Even or odd, of all days in the year, Come Lammas-eve at night, shall she be fourteen. *To my sorrow. : And she was wean'd,-I never shall forget it,- Shake, quoth the dove-house: 'twas no need, I trow, To bid me trudge. And since that time it is eleven years: For then she could stand alone; nay, by the rood †, And, pretty fool, it stinted §, and said—Ay. 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: * i. e. I have a perfect remembrance or recollection. § It stopped crying. Holy dame, i. e. the blessed Virgin. |