Romeo And Juliet (Shakespeare Classics) by William Shakespeare

Act 1 • Scene 5
FIRST SERVANT: Take the stools away. Remove
the table, and look after the silver. Go
tell the porter to send in Susan
Grindstone and Nell.
(Second servant exits. Lord and Lady Capulet enter,
along with Juliet, Tybalt, Nurse, guests, and musicians.)
CAPULET: Welcome, gentlemen! The ladies
Whose toes are without corns
Will dance with you. Ah, ha, my ladies!
Which of you all will dance?
If you refuse, I’ll swear you have corns!
Welcome, gentlemen: I remember the days
I wore a mask to a dance and told
A whispering tale in a fair lady’s ear.
Those days are gone, are gone!
Come, musicians, play!
(Music plays, and they dance.)
More light! Move these tables!
And put out the fire—the room is too hot.
Ah, hello! Sit, good cousin Capulet,
For you and I are past our dancing days.
How long is it since we wore masks?
COUSIN CAPULET: Bless me—30 years!
CAPULET: What, man! It’s not that long.
It’s been 25 years since Lucentio’s wedding.
We wore masks then.
COUSIN CAPULET: It’s longer, it’s longer.
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