Page 3177 - Shakespeare - Vol. 1

he fights as you sing [20] prick-song, keeps time, distance and proportion.
He rests his minim rests, one, two, and the third in your bosom: the very
butcher of a silk button - a duellist, a duellist, a gentleman of the very first
house, of the first and second cause. Ah, the immortal passado, the punto
[25] reverso, the hay!

BENVOLIO

The what?

MERCUT IO

The pox of such antic lisping affecting phantasimes, these new tuners of
accent. By Jesu, a very good blade, a very tall man, a very good whore!
Why, is not [30] this a lamentable thing, grandsire, that we should be thus
afflicted with these strange flies, these fashion-mongers, these ‘pardon-
me’s’, who stand so much on the new form that they cannot sit at ease on
the old bench? O their bones, their bones! [35]

Enter Romeo.

BENVOLIO

Here comes Romeo, here comes Romeo!

MERCUT IO

Without his roe, like a dried berring. O flesh, flesh, how art thou fishified.
Now is he for the numbers that Petrarch flowed in. Laura, to his lady, was a
kitchen wench - marry, she had a better love to berhyme her - Dido [40]
a dowdy, Cleopatra a gypsy, Helen and Hero hildings and harlots, Thisbe a
grey eye or so, but not to the purpose. Signor Romeo, bonjour. There’s a
French salutation to your French slop. You gave us the counterfeit fairly
last night. [45]

ROMEO

Good morrow to you both. What counterfeit did I give you?

MERCUT IO

The slip sir, the slip. Can you not conceive?

ROMEO

Pardon, good Mercutio, my business was great, and in such a case as mine
a man may strain courtesy. [50]