Scene III

Capulet's House.

Enter Lady Capulet, and Nurse.

LADY CAP:

Nurse, where's my daughter? Call her forth to me.

LADY CAP:

Nurse, where's my daughter? call her to come to me.

NURSE:

Now, by my maidenhead at twelve year old, I bade
her come. What, lamb! what ladybird! God forbid!
Where's this girl? What, Juliet!

NURSE:

Now, by my virginity at twelve years old,
I told her to come. What, lamb! what ladybird!
God forbid! where's this girl? what, Juliet!

Enter Juliet.

JUL:

How now? Who calls?(5)

JUL:

What, who calls?

NURSE:

Your mother.

NURSE:

Your mother.

JUL:

Madam, I am here.
What is your will?

JUL:

Madam, I am here. What is do you need?

LADY CAP:

This is the matter—Nurse, give leave awhile,
We must talk in secret. Nurse, come back again;(10)
I have remember'd me, thou shalt hear our counsel.
Thou knowest my daughter's of a pretty age.

LADY CAP:

This is the matter, Nurse, leave us alone a while,
We must talk in secret. nurse, come back again;
I have remembered, you can hear our conversation.
You know my daughter's at a pretty age.

NURSE:

Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour.

NURSE:

Believe me, I can tell her age to the hour.

LADY CAP:

She's not fourteen.

LADY CAP:

She's not fourteen.

NURSE:

I'll lay fourteen of my teeth—(15)
And yet, to my teen be it spoken, I have but four—
She is not fourteen. How long is it now
To Lammastide?

NURSE:

I'll bet fourteen of my teeth,
And yet, to tell the truth, I’ve only got four,
She is not fourteen. How long is it now
To the middle of July?

LADY CAP:

A fortnight and odd days.

LADY CAP:

Two weeks and a couple of days.

NURSE:

Even or odd, of all days in the year,(20)
Come Lammas Eve at night shall she be fourteen.
Susan and she (God rest all Christian souls!)
Were of an age. Well, Susan is with God;
She was too good for me. But, as I said,
On Lammas Eve at night shall she be fourteen;(25)
That shall she, marry; I remember it well.
'Tis since the earthquake now eleven years;
And she was wean'd (I never shall forget it),
Of all the days of the year, upon that day;
For I had then laid wormwood to my dug,(30)
Sitting in the sun under the dovehouse wall.
My lord and you were then at Mantua.
Nay, I do bear a brain. But, as I said,
When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple
Of my dug and felt it bitter, pretty fool,(35)
To see it tetchy and fall out with the dug!
Shake, quoth the dovehouse! 'Twas no need, I trow,
To bid me trudge.
And since that time it is eleven years,
For then she could stand high-lone; nay, by th’ rood,(40)
She could have run and waddled all about;
For even the day before, she broke her brow;
And then my husband (God be with his soul!
A’ was a merry man) took up the child.
‘Yea,’ quoth he, ‘dost thou fall upon thy face?(45)
Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit;
Wilt thou not, Jule?’ and, by my holidame,
The pretty wretch left crying, and said ‘Ay.’
To see now how a jest shall come about!
I warrant, an I should live a thousand years,(50)
I never should forget it. ‘Wilt thou not, Jule?’ quoth he,
And, pretty fool, it stinted, and said ‘Ay.’

NURSE:

Couple of days or not, of all days in the year,
Come the middle of July, she’ll be fourteen.
My daughter, Susan, and she God rest all Christian souls!
Were the same age. well, Susan is with God;
She was too good for me. but, as I said,
In the middle of July, she’ll be fourteen;
That she will, by Mary; I remember it well.
It’s been eleven years since the earthquake;
And she was weaned, I never shall forget it ,
Of all the days of the year, upon that day.
Because I had put a bitter herb on my breast,
Sitting in the sun under the dove-house wall;
My lord and you were then at Mantua.
No, I do remember. but, as I said,
When she tasted the bitter herb on the nipple
Of my breast and it tasted bitter to her, pretty fool,
To see her have a tantrum, and scream at my breast!
”My goodness,” said the little one. “There was no need, I believe,
To send me away like that.”
And since that time, it is eleven years;
For then she could stand by herself; no, by the Cross,
She could have run and waddled all about;
For even the day before, she bumped her head.
And then my husband, God be with his soul!
He was a merry man, took up the child.
”Look here,“ he said, “did you fall on your face?
You will fall backwards when you are older;
Won’t you, Jule?' and, by my Church,
The pretty wretch left crying, and said “Yes.”
To see now how a jest shall come about!
I swear, if I should live a thousand yeas,
I never should forget it; 'Won’t you, Jule?' he said;
And, pretty fool, stopped, and said “Yes.”

LADY CAP:

Enough of this. I pray thee hold thy peace.

LADY CAP:

Enough of this; Please hold your peace.

NURSE:

Yes, madam. Yet I cannot choose but laugh
To think it should leave crying and say ‘Ay.’(55)
And yet, I warrant, it had upon it brow
A bump as big as a young cock'rel's stone;
A perilous knock; and it cried bitterly.
Yea,’ quoth my husband, ‘fall'st upon thy face?
Thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age;(60)
Wilt thou not, Jule?’ It stinted, and said ‘Ay.’

NURSE:

Yes, madam; yet I cannot choose but laugh,
To think she should leave crying, and saying, “Yes!”
And yet, I swear, she had upon her head
A bump as big as a young cockerel's testicle;
A very terrible knock; and she cried bitterly.
”Yes,” said my husband, ”you fell on your face?
You will fall backwards when you get to be marrying age;
Won’t you, Jule?' she stopped, and said “Yes.”

JUL:

And stint thou too, I pray thee, nurse, say I.

JUL:

And you stop too, please, nurse, I say.

NURSE:

Peace, I have done. God mark thee to his grace!
Thou wast the prettiest babe that e'er I nurs'd.
An I might live to see thee married once,(65)
I have my wish.

NURSE:

Peace, I have done. God mark you for his grace!
You were the prettiest baby that I ever nursed.
If I live to see you married, I have my wish.

LADY CAP:

Marry, that ‘marry’ is the very theme
I came to talk of. Tell me, daughter Juliet,
How stands your disposition to be married?

LADY CAP:

By Mary, that “marry” is what
I want to talk about. Tell me, daughter Juliet,
What do you think about getting married?

JUL:

It is an honour that I dream not of.(70)

JUL:

It is an honor that I never dreamed about.

NURSE:

An honour? Were not I thine only nurse,
I would say thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat.

NURSE:

An honor!—If I were the only nurse to feed you,
I would say you had sucked wisdom from my breast.

LADY CAP:

Well, think of marriage now. Younger than you,
Here in Verona, ladies of esteem,
Are made already mothers. By my count,(75)
I was your mother much upon these years
That you are now a maid. Thus then in brief:
The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.

LADY CAP:

Well, think of marriage now. younger than you,
Here in Verona, ladies of esteem,
Are made already mothers. by my count
I was your mother pretty close to the age
That you are now. Thus, then, here it is;
The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.

NURSE:

A man, young lady! lady, such a man
As all the world- why he's a man of wax.(80)

NURSE:

A man, young lady! lady, such a man
As all the world why he's the very image of a wax statue.

LADY CAP:

Verona's summer hath not such a flower.

LADY CAP:

Verona's summer does not have such a flower of a man.

NURSE:

Nay, he's a flower, in faith—a very flower.

NURSE:

No, he's a flower, I believe, a very flower.

LADY CAP:

What say you? Can you love the gentleman?
This night you shall behold him at our feast.
Read o'er the volume of young Paris’ face,(85)
And find delight writ there with beauty's pen;
Examine every married lineament,
And see how one another lends content;
And what obscur'd in this fair volume lies
Find written in the margent of his eyes,(90)
This precious book of love, this unbound lover,
To beautify him only lacks a cover.
The fish lives in the sea, and 'tis much pride
For fair without the fair within to hide.
That book in many's eyes doth share the glory,(95)
That in gold clasps locks in the golden story;
So shall you share all that he doth possess,
By having him making yourself no less.

LADY CAP:

What do you say? can you love the gentleman?
This night you’ll see him at our feast;
Read over the book of young Paris' face,
And find delight written there with beauty's pen;
Examine every detail of his distinctive features,
And see how one lends another strength;
And what is obscured in this fair book, you will
Find written in the pages of his eyes.
This precious book of love, this unbound lover,
To him perfect, he only needs a cover.
The fish lives in the sea; and it takes a lot of pride
For beauty outside to hide without beauty inside.
This book in many girls' eyes shares the glory,
That with gold clips locks in the golden story;
So you will share all that he possesses,
By having him, you are doing no less than making yourself.

NURSE:

No less? Nay, bigger! Women grow by men.

NURSE:

No less? no, bigger! Women grow by men.

LADY CAP:

Speak briefly, can you like of Paris’ love?(100)

LADY CAP:

Speak briefly, can you like Paris' love?

JUL:

I'll look to like, if looking liking move;
But no more deep will I endart mine eye
Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.

JUL:

I'll look at him to like him, if, just by looking, I can like him,
But I will not go any further
Than your consent gives my action strength to make it fly.

Enter Servingman.

SERV:

Madam, the guests are come, supper serv'd up, you
call'd, my young lady ask'd for, the nurse curs'd in the(105)
pantry, and everything in extremity. I must hence to
wait. I beseech you follow straight.

SERV:

Madam, the guests are come, supper served up, you are
called, my young lady asked for, the nurse cursed
in the pantry, and everything is in chaos. I must
go to wait on people; I beg you, please follow me right away.

LADY CAP:

We follow thee.

Exit Servingman.

Juliet, the County stays.

LADY CAP:

We will follow you.

Juliet, the count is waiting.

NURSE:

Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days.(110)

NURSE:

Go, girl, seek these happy nights to give you happy days.

Exeunt.