Betroth'd, and would have married her perforce,
To county Paris :-Then comes she to me;
And, with wild looks, bid me devise some means
To rid her from this second marriage,

Or, in my cell, there would she kill herself.
Then gave I her, so tutor❜d by my art,
A sleeping potion; which so took effect
As I intended, for it wrought on her

The form of death: mean time I writ to Romeo,
That he should hither come as this dire night,
To help to take her from her borrow'd grave,
Being the time the potion's force should cease.
But he which bore my letter, friar John,
Was staid by accident; and yesternight
Return'd my letter back: Then all alone,
At the prefixed hour of her waking,
Came I to take her from her kindred's vault;
Meaning to keep her closely at my cell,
'Till I conveniently could send to Romeo:
But, when I came (some minute ere the time
Of her awaking), here untimely lay
The noble Paris, and true Romeo, dead.
She wakes; and I entreated her come forth,
And bear this work of heaven with patience :

370

380

But then a noise did scare me from the tomb;
And she, too desperate, would not go with me, 390
But (as it seems) did violence on herself.
All this I know; and to the marriage
Her nurse is privy: And,, if aught in this
Miscarry'd by my fault, let my old life

Be

Be sacrific'd, some hour before his time,
Unto the rigour of severest law.

Prince. We still have known thee for a holy

man.

Where's Romeo's man? what can he say to this ?

400

Balth. I brought my master news of Juliet's death; And then in past he came from Mantua, To this same place, to this same monument. This letter he early bid me give his father;

And threaten'd me with death, going in the vault, If I departed not, and left him there.

Prince. Give me the letter, I will look on it. Where is the county's page that rais'd the watch?— Sirrah, what made your master in this place? Page. He came with flowers to strew his lady's

grave;

And bid me stand aloof, and so I did:

Anon, comes one with light to ope the tomb;

410

And, by and by, my master drew on him;

And then I ran away to call the watch.

Prince. This letter doth make good the friar's

words,

Their course of love, the tidings of her death :
And here he writes-that he did buy a poison
Of a poor 'pothecary, and therewithal

Came to this vault to die, and lie with Juliet.-
Where be these enemies? Capulet! Montague!-
See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with

love!

M

420

And

And I, for winking at your discords too,
Have lost a brace of kinsmen :-all are punish'd.

Cap. O brother Montague, give me thy hand
This is my daughter's jointure, for no more
Can I demand.

Mon. But I can give thee more:

For I will raise her statue in pure gold;
That, while Verona by that name is known;
There shall no figure at such rate be set,
As that of true and faithful Juliet.

Cap. As rich shall Romeo by his lady lię;
Poor sacrifices of our enmity!

430

Prince. A glooming peace this morning with it brings;

The sun, for sorrow, will not shew his head: Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;

Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:

For never was a story of more woe,

Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

[Exeunt omnes.

THE END.

BY

SAM. JOHNSON & GEO. STEEVENS,

AND

THE VARIOUS COMMENTATORS,

UPON

ROMEO and JULIET,

WRITTEN BY

WILL. SHAKSPERE.

SIC ITUR AD ASTRA.

VIRC.

LONDON:

Printed for, and under the Direction of,

JOHN BELL, British-Library, STRAND, Bookseller to His Royal Highness the PRINCE OF WALES. M DCC LXXXVII.