Enter Prince, with Attendants. Prin. Rebellious fubjects, enemies to peace, Caft by their grave, befeeming, ornaments;, Your lives fhall pay the forfeit of the peace. [Exeunt Prince and Capulet, &c. La. La. Mon. O where is Romeo! Saw you him to-day? Right glad am I, he was not at this fray. Ben. Madam, an hour before the worshipp'd Sun (2) Peer'd through the golden window of the Eaft, A troubled mind drew me to walk abroad: Where underneath the grove of fycamour, That weftward rooteth from the city side, So early walking did I see your fon. Tow'rds him I made; but he was 'ware of me, And stole into the covert of the wood. I, measuring his affections by my own, (That most are bufied when they're most alone) Pursued my humour, not purfuing him; (3) And gladly fhunn'd, who gladly fled from me. Mon. Many a morning hath he there been feen With tears augmenting the fresh morning-dew; Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep fighs: But all fo foon as the all-cheering fun Should, in the fartheft eaft, begin to draw The fhady curtains from Aurora's bed; Away from light fteals home my heavy fon, And private in his chamber pens himself; Shuts up his windows, locks fair day-light out, And makes himself an artificial night. (2)- an bour before the worshipp'd Sun A troubled mind drew me from company: This is a reading only of Mr. Pope's, as far as I can trace, who had a mind to make Benvolio a greater rake than we have reafon to think him from any fubfequent inftance. What, in company an hour before day-light? What odd kind of companions must this Benvolio have conforted. with? This reading very reasonably feduced Mr. Warburton into an ingenious conjecture: A troubled mind drew me from canopy: i. e. from bed. But I have reftor'd the text of all the old copies. Benvolio, being troubled and not able to fleep, rofe an hour before day, and went into the open air to amuse himself. (3) Pursued my bumour, not pursuing his.] But Benvolio did purfue. bis; for Romeo had a mind to be alone, so had Benvolio: and therefore as Dr. Thirlby accurately obferves, we ought to correct, He did not purfue Romeo. Black and portentous mut this humour prove, Ben. My noble uncle, do you know the caufe? Mon. I neither know it, nor can learn it of him. Ben. Have you importun'd him by any means? Mon. Both by myself and many other friends; But he, his own affections' counsellor, Is to himself, I will not fay, how true; As is the bud bit with an envious worm, (4) Could we but learn from whence his forrows grow, Enter Romeo. Ten. See, where he comes: fo please you, step afide, I'll know his grievance, or be much deny d. Mon. I would, thou wert fo happy by thy ftay To hear true fhrift. Come. Madam, let's away. [Exeunt. Ben. Good-morrow, coufin. ` Rom. Is the day fo young? Ben. But new ftruck nine. Rom. Ah me, fad hours feem long! (4) As is the bud, bit with an envious worm, Ere be can spread his freet leaves to the air, Sure all the Or dedicate ki beauty to the fame.] To the fame?lovers of Shakespeare and poetry will agree, that this is a very idle, dragging paraplerematic, as the grammarians ftyle it. But our Author generally in his fimilies is accurate in the cloathing of them, and there. fore, I believe, would not have overcharg'd this fo infipidly. When we come to cerfider, that there is fome power elfe befides balmy air, that brings forth, and makes the tender buds fpread themselves, I do not think it improbable that the Poet wrote; Or dedicate bis beauty to the for. Or, according to the more obfolete fpelling, funne; which brings it nearer to the traces of the corrupted text. I propos'd this conjectural emendation in the Appendix to my SHAKESPEARE Reflor'd, and Mr. Pope has embrac'd it in his last edition. Ben. Ben. It was: what fadness lengthens Romeo's hours? Rom. Not having that, which, having, makes them Ben. In love? Rom. Out Ben. Of love? Rom. Out of her favour, where I am in love. Ben. Alas, that love fo gentle in his view, Should be fo tyrannous and rough in proof! [fhort. Rom. Alas, that love, whofe view is muffled ftill, Here's much to do with hate, but more with love: O heavy lightnefs! ferious vanity! Mif-shapen chaos of well-feeming forms! Feather of lead, bright fmoke, cold fire, fick health! Still-waking fleep, that is not what it is! This love feel, that feel no love in this. Doft thou not laugh? Ben. No, coz, I rather weep. Rom. Good heart, at what? Ben. At thy good heart's oppreffion. Rom, Why, fuch is love's tranfgrefion. Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast; Ben Soft, I'll go along. [Going. And if you leave me fo, you do me wrong. Rom, Rom. What, fhall I groan and tell thee? Ben. Groan? why, no; but fadly tell me, who. Rom. Bid a fick man in fadness make his will?O word, ill-urg'd to one that is so ill! In sadness, coufin, I do love a woman. Ben. I aim'd so near, when I fuppos'd you lov'd. From love's weak childish bow, the lives unharm'd. That when the dies, with her dies Beauty's ftore. (5) Cuts beauty off from all pofterity. Ben. Be rul'd by me, forget to think of her. Rom. 'Tis the way To call hers (exquifite) in queftion more: (5) That, when he dies, with beauty dies her ftore.] This conveys no fatisfactory idea to me. I have ventur'd at a flight tranfpofition, which gives a meaning, warranted, I think, by what Romeo fays in his very next speech. She is rich in beauty, and if the dies a maid, the cuts off that beauty from its fucceffion. For beauty, farv'd with her feverity, He |