Gre. To move, is-to stir; and to be valiant, is -to stand to it: therefore, if thou art mov'd, thou run'st away. Sam. A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's. Gre. That shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes to the wall. Sam. True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall:-therefore I will push Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall. Gre. The quarrel is between our masters, and us their men. Sam. 'Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids; I will cut off their heads. Gre. The heads of the maids? Sam. Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt. Gre. They must take it in sense, that feel it. Sam. Me they shall feel, while I am able to stand: and, 'tis known, I am a pretty piece of flesh. Gre. 'Tis well, thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been poor John 2. Draw thy tool; here comes two of the house of the Montagues 3. 2 Poor John is hake, dried and salted. * The disregard of concord is in character. It should be observed that the partisans of the Montague family wore a token in their hats in order to distinguish them from their enemies the Capulets. Hence throughout this play they are known at a distance. Gascoigne adverts to this circumstance in a Masque written for Viscount Montacute, in 1575 : 'And for a further proofe, he shewed in hys hat Thys token, which the Montacutes did beare always, for that was. Enter ABRAM and BALTHASAR. Sam. My naked weapon is out; quarrel, I will back thee. Gre. How? turn thy back, Sam. Fear me not. and run ? Gre. No, marry: I fear thee! Sam. Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin. Gre. I will frown, as I pass by; and let them take it as they list. thumb+ Sam. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my at them; which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it. Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? Sam. I do bite my thumb, sir. Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? Gre. No. say-ay? Sam. No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I bite my thumb, sir. Gre. Do you quarrel, sir? 4 This mode of insult, in order to begin a quarrel, seems to have been common in Shakspeare's time. Decker, in his Dead Term, 1608, describing the various groups that daily frequented St. Paul's Church, says, 'What swearing is there, what shouldering, what justling, what jeering, what byting of thumbs, to beget quarrels !' And Lodge, in his Wits Miserie, 1596:'Behold, next I see Contempt marching forth, giving me the fico with his thumbe in his mouthe.' The mode in which this contemptuous action was performed is thus described by Cotgrave, in a passage which has escaped the industry of all the commentators :- Faire la nique: to mocke by nodding or lifting up of the chinne; or more properly, to threaten or defie, by putting the thumbe naile into the mouth, and with a jerke (from the upper teeth) make it to knacke.' So in Randolph's Muses' Looking Glass: Dogs and pistols! To bite his thumb at me! To see men bite their thumbs?' Wear I a sword Abr. Quarrel, sir? no, sir. Sam. If you do, sir, I am for you: I serve as good a man as you. Abr. No better. Sam. Well, sir. Enter BENVOLIO, at a distance. Gre. Say-better; here comes one of my master's kinsmen 5. Sam. Yes, better, sir. Abr. You lie Sam. Draw, if you be men.-Gregory, remember thy swashing blow. [They fight. Ben. Part, fools; put up your swords; you know not what you do. [Beats down their Swords. Enter TYBALT. Tyb. What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death. Ben. I do but keep the peace; put up thy sword, Or manage it to part these men with me. Tyb. What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: Have at thee, coward. [They fight. Enter several Partisans of both Houses, who join the Fray; then enter Citizens, with Clubs. 1 Cit. Clubs, bills, and partizans! strike! beat them down! Down with the Capulets! down with the Montagues! 5 Gregory is a servant of the Capulets: he must therefore mean Tybalt, who enters immediately after Benvolio. 6 i. e. swaggering or dashing. 7 See vol. iii. p. 201, note 4. Enter CAPULET, in his Gown; and LADY CAPULET. Cap. What noise is this?-Give me my long sword, ho! La. Cap. A crutch, a crutch!-Why call you for a sword? Cap. My sword, I say!-Old Montague is come, And flourishes his blade in spite of me. Enter MONTAGUE and LADY MONTAGUE. Mon. Thou villain Capulet,-Hold me not, let me go. La. Mon. Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe. Enter Prince, with Attendants. Prin. Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel, Will they not hear!-what ho! you men, you beasts, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage 8 See vol. i. p. 214, note 14. The long sword was the weapon used in active warfare; a lighter, shorter, and less desperate weapon was worn for ornament, to which we have other allusions. No sword worn, but one to dance with.' 9 i. e. angry weapons. So in King John:- If ever you disturb our streets again, [Exeunt Prince, and Attendants; CAPULET, La. Mon. O, where is Romeo!- -saw you him to-day? Right glad I am, he was not at this fray. Ben. Madam, an hour before the worshipp'd sun Peer'd forth the golden window of the east11, 10 The poet found the name of this place in Brooke's Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet, 1562. It is there said to be the castle of the Capulets. 11 The same thought occurs in Spenser's Faerie Queene, b. ii. c. 10: 'Early before the morn with cremosin ray The windows of bright heaven opened had, Again in Summa Totalis, or All in All, 4to. 1607 : 'Now heaven's bright eye (awake by Vesper's shrine) Peepes through the purple windowes of the East. |