Enter Nurfe, and Peter. Mer. A fail, a fail, a fail! Ben. Two, two; a fhirt, and a smock. Nurfe. Peter! Peter. Anon ? Nurfe. My fan, Peter '. Mer. Do, good Peter, to hide her face; for her fan's the fairer of the two. 2 Nurfe. God ye good morrow, gentlemen.. Mer. "Tis no lefs, I tell you; for the bawdy hand of the dial is now upon the prick of noon. Nurfe. Out upon you! what a man are you? Rom. One, gentlewoman, that God hath made himself to mar. Nurfe. By my troth, it is well faid;-For himfelf to mar, quoth'a ?-Gentlemen, can any of you tell me where I may find the young Romeo? Rom. I can tell you; but young Romeo will be My fan, Peter. The bufinefs of Peter carrying the Narfe's fan, feems ridiculous according to modern manners; but I find fuch was formerly the practice. In an old pamphlet called "be Serving-man's Comfort," 1598, we are informed, The miftrefs must have one to carry her cloake and hood, another her fanne." FARMER. Again, in Love's Labour's Loft: To fee him walk before a lady, and to bear her fan. Again, in Every Man out of his Humour: "If any lady, &c. wants an upright gentleman in the nature of a gentleman uflier, &c. who can hide his face with her fan, &c." STEEVENS. God ye good den,] i. e. God give you a good even. The first of thefe contractions is common among the ancient comic writers. So, in R. Brome's Northern Lafs, 1633: "God you good even, fir." STEEVENS. 3 the band of the dial-] In the Puritan Widow, 1609, which has been attributed to our author, is a fimilar expreffion the fefkewe of the diale is upon the chriffe-croffe of noon.' STEEVENS. older older when you have found him, than he was when you fought him: I am the youngest of that name, for fault of a worfe. Nurfe. You fay well. Mer. Yea, is the worst well? very well took, i'faith; wifely, wifely. Nurfe. If you be he, fir, I defire fome confidence with you. Ben. She will indite him to fome fupper. Mer. A bawd, a bawd, a bawd! So ho! Mer. No hare, fir; unless a hare, fir, in a lenten pye, that is something stale and hoar ere it be spent. An old hare boars, And an old bare boar, When it boars ere it be spent.— 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, and Benvolio. 4 No bare, fir;] Mercutio having roared out, So, bo! the cry of the sportsmen when they start a hare; Romeo afks what he has found. And Mercutio anfwers, No bare, &c. The rest is a series of quibbles unworthy of explanation, which he who does not underítand, needs not lament his ignorance. JOHNSON. 5 An old bare hoar,] Hoar or hoary, is often used for mouldy, as things grow white from moulding. So, in Pierce Pennylefs's Supplication to the Devil, 1595: "as boary as Dutch butter." Again, in F. Beaumont's letter to Speght on his edition of Chaucer, 1602: " Many of Chaucer's words are become as it were vinew'd and boarie with over long lying." Again, in Every Man out of his Humour : 66 mice and rats "Eat up his grain; or elfe that it might rot "Within the boary ricks e'en as it ftands." STEEVENS 6 —lady, lady, lady.] The burthen of an old fong. See Dr. Farmer's note on Twelfth Night, vol. iv. p. 202. STEEVENS. Nurfe. Nurfe. I pray you, fir, what faucy merchant was this, that was fo full of his ropery? Rom. A gentleman, nurfe, that loves to hear himfelf talk; and will speak more in a minute, than he will ftand to in a month. Nurfe. An 'a fpeak any thing against me, I'll take him down an 'a were luftier than he is, and twenty fuch Jacks; and if I cannot, I'll find thofe that fhall. Scurvy knave! I am none of his flirt-gills; I am 9 none of his fkains-mates :--And thou must ftand by too, and suffer every knave to use me at his pleasure? Pet. 7 what faucy merchant was this, &c.] The term merchant which was, and even now is, frequently applied to the lowest fort of dealers, feems anciently to have been ufed on thefe familiar occafions in contradiftinction to gentleman; fignifying that the perfon fhewed by his behavior he was a low fellow. The term chap, i. e. chapman, a word of the fame import with merchant in its lefs refpectable fenfe, is ftill in common ufe among the vulgar, as a general denomination for any perfon of whom they mean to speak with freedom or disrespect. STEEVENS. 8 of his ropery ?] Ropery was anciently ufed in the fame fense as roguery is now. So, in the Three Ladies of London, 1584: "Thou art very pleafant and full of thy roperye." Rope tricks are mentioned in another place. STEEVENS. 9 None of his fkains-mates.] Afkein or fkain was either a knife or a fhort dagger. By fkains-mates the nurfe means none of his loofe companions who frequent the fencing-fchool with him, where we may fuppofe the exercife of this weapon was taught. The word is ufed in the old tragedy of Soliman and Perfeda, 1599. "Against the light-foot Irish have I ferv'd, "And in my fkin bare tokens of their keins." Again, in the comedy called Lingua, &c. 1607. At the opening of the piece Lingua is reprefented as apparelled in a particular manner, and among other things having "a little fkene tied in a purple scarf." Green, in bis Quip for an uplart Courtier, defcribes an ill"favoured knave, who wore by his fide a fkeine like a brewer's "bung-knife." Skein is the Irish word for a knife. Again, in the Merry Devil of Edmonton, 1626: "with this frantic and untamed paffion, "To whet their keins." Again, Pet. I faw no man ufe you at his pleasure; if I had, my weapon fhould have quickly been out, I wars rant 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 vext, that every part about me quivers. Scurvy knave!-Pray you, fir, a word and as I told you, my young lady bade me enquire you out; what the bade me fay, I will keep to myself but first 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 should deal double with her, truly, it were an ill thing to be offered to any gentlewoman, and very weak dealing. Rom. Nurfe, commend me to thy lady and miftrefs. I proteft unto thee, Nurfe. Good heart! and i'faith, I will tell her as much: Lord, lord, fhe will be a joyful woman. Rom. What wilt thou tell her, nurfe? thou doft not mark me. Nurfe. I will tell her, fir,-that you do protest '; which, as I take it, is a gentleman-like offer. Rom. Bid her devife fome means to come to fhrift This afternoon; And there fhe fhall at friar Laurence' cell Nurfe. Again, in Warner's Albion's England, 1602, book v. chap. 26:" And hidden feines from underneath their forged garments drew." STEEVENS. Swift has the word in his defcription of an Irifh feaft: "A cubit at least the length of their ains." NICHOLS, proteft;] Whether the repetition of this word conveyed any idea peculiarly comic to Shakspeare's audience, is not at prefent to be determined. The ufe of it, however, is ridiculed in the old comedy of fir Giles Goofecap, 1606 : There is not the best duke's fon in France dares fay, I protests till he be one and thirty years old at least; for the inheritance of that word is not to be poffeffed before." STEEVENS. 2 Here is for thy pains.] So, in The Tragical Hyftory of Romeus and Juliet, 1562: 5 66 Then Nurfe. No, truly, fir; not a penny. 2 Nurfe. This afternoon, fir? well, fhe fhall be there. Rom. And stay, good nurfe, behind the abby-wall: Within this hour my man fhall be with thee; And bring thee cords made like a tackled ftair, 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. Farewel!-Commend me to thy mistress. Nurse. Now God in heaven blefs thee !-Hark you, fir. Rom. What fay'ft thou, my dear nurse? Nurfe. Is your man fecret? Did you ne'er hear fay Two may keep counfel, putting one away? Rom. I warrant thee; my man's as true as fteel. Nurfe. Well, fir; my miftrefs is the sweetest lady+-Lord, lord 1-when 'twas a little prating thing, 2 "Then he vi crowns of gold out of his pocket drew, like a tackled ftair,] Like stairs of rope in the tackle of a hip. JOHNSON. 3 top-gallant of my joy.] The top-gallant is the highest extremity of the maft of a ship. "beholding in the high top-gallant of his valour." Again, in Eliofto Libidinofo, 1606: that, vailing top-gallant, the returned, &c." Well, for my mistress is the feeteft lady : Lord, lord the poem : STEEVENS. when 'twas a little prating thing,-] So, in "And how he gave her fuck in youth, fhe leaveth not to tell. "A pretty babe, quoth fhe, it was, when it was young, "Lord, how it could full prettily have prated with its tongue, &c." This dialogue is not found in Painter's Romeo and Julietta, MALONE. |