Jul. If I do fo, it will be of more price Being spoke behind your back, than to your face. Par. Poor foul, thy face is much abus'd with tears. Jul. The tears have got small victory by that: For it was bad enough before their fpight. [port. Par. Thou wrong'ft it, more than tears, with that reJul. That is no flander, Sir, which is but truth, And what I speak, I fpeak it to my face.

Par. Thy face is mine, and thou haft flander'd it. Jul. It may be fo, for it is not mine own. Are you at leisure, holy father, now, Or fhall I come to you at evening mass?

Fri. My leifure ferves me, penfive daughter, now. My Lord, I muft intreat the time alone.

Par. God fhield, I should disturb devotion: Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouze you: Till then, adieu! and keep this holy kiss.

[Exit Paris.

ful. Go, fhut the door, and when thou hast done fo, Come weep with me, past hope, paft cure, paft help. Fri. Juliet, I already know thy grief,

It strains me past the compass of my wits.
I hear, you muft, and nothing may prorogue it,
On Thursday next be married to this Count.

Jul. Tell me not, Friar, that thou hear'ft of this, Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it.

If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help,
Do thou but call my refolution wise,
And with this knife I'll help it presently.

God join'd my heart and Romeo's; thou, our hands;
And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo feal'd,
Shall be the label to another deed,
Or my true heart with treacherous revolt
Turn to another, this fhall flay them both :
Therefore out of thy long-experienc'd time,
Give me fome prefent counfel; or, behold,
"Twixt my extreams and me this bloody knife
Shall play the umpire; arbitrating that,
Which the commiffion of thy years and art
Could to no issue of true honour bring :
D 2

Be

Be not fo long to fpeak; I long to die,
If what thou fpeak'it fpeak not of remedy.
Fri. Hold, daughter, I do 'fpy a kind of hope,
Which craves as defperate an execution,
As that is defp'rate which we would prevent.
If, rather than to marry County Paris,
Thou haft the strength of will to flay thyself,
Then it is likely, thou wilt undertake

A thing like death to chide away this shame,
That cop'ft with death himself, to 'fcape from it:
And if thou dar'ft, I'll give thee remedy.

Jul. O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,
From off the battlements of yonder tower:
Or chain me to fome fteepy mountain's top,
Where roaring bears and favage lions roam;
Or fhut me nightly in a charnel house,
O'er-cover'd quite with dead men's rattling bones,
With reeky thanks, and yellow chaplefs fkulls;
Or bid me go into a new-made grave,

And hide me with a dead man in his fhroud;

[ble ;)

(Things, that to hear them nam'd, have made me tremAnd I will do it without fear or doubt,

To live an unftain'd wife to my sweet love.

Fri. Hold, then, go home, be merry, give confent To marry Paris; Wednesday is to-morrow; To-morrow night, look, that thou lie alone. (Let not thy nurfe lie with thee in thy chamber :} Take thou this phial, being then in bed, And this diftilled liquor drink thou off; When prefently through all thy veins fhall run A cold and drowfy humour, which shall seize Each vital fpirit; for no pulfe fhall keep His nat'ral progrefs, but furceafe to beat. No warmth, no breath, fhall testify thou liv'ft; The rofes in thy lips and cheeks shall fade To paly afhes; thy eyes' windows fall, Like death, when he huts up the day of life; Each part, depriv'd of fupple government, Shall ftiff, and ftark, and cold appear like death: And in this borrowed likeness of shrunk death

Thou

Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,
And then awake, as from a pleafant fleep.
Now when the bridegroom in the morning comes
To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead :·
Then, as the manner of our country is,

In thy best robes uncover'd on the bier,
Be borne to burial in thy kindred's grave:
Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault,
Where all the kindred of the Capulers lie
In the mean time, against thou shalt awake,
Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift,
And hither fhall he come; and he and I
Will watch thy waking, and that very night
Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua;
And this fhall free thee from this present shame,
If no unconftant toy, nor womanish fear,
Abate thy valour in the acting it.

Jul. Give me, oh give me, tell me not of fear.

[Taking the phial. Fri. Hold, get you gone, be strong and profperous

In this refolve; I'll fend a Friar with speed

To Mantua, with my letters to thy lord.

[afford.

[Exeunt.

Jul. Love, give me ftrength, and ftrength fhall help Farewel, dear father!

SCENE changes to Capulet's Houfe.

Enter Capulet, Lady Capulet, Nurfe, and two or three

Servants.

Cap. So many guests invite, as here are writ;

Sirrah, go hire me twenty cunning cooks. Serv. You shall have none ill, Sir, for I'll try if they can lick their fingers.

Cap. How cant thou try them fo?

Serv. Marry, Sir, 'tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers therefore he, that cannot lick his fingers, goes not with me.

Cap. Go, be gone.

We fhall be much unfurnish'd for this time:

What, is my daughter gone to Friar Lawrence?
Nurfe. Ay, forfooth.

Cop. Well, he may chance to do fome good on her: A peevish felf-will'd harlotry it is.

Enter Juliet.

Nurfe. See, where fhe comes from fhrift with merry look. Cap. How now, my head-ftrong? where have you been gadding?

Jul. Where I have learnt me to repent the fin
Of difobedient oppofition

To you and your behefts; and am enjoin'd
By holy Lawrence to fall proftrate here,

And beg your pardon: Pardon, I beseech you!
Henceforward I am ever rul'd by you.

Cap. Send for the County, go, tell him of this,
I'll have this knot knit up to-morrow morning.
Jul. I met the youthful lord at Lawrence' cell,
And gave him what becoming love I might,
Not ftepping o'er the bounds of modesty.

Cop. Why, I am glad on't, this is well, ftand up;
This is as't fhould be; let me fee the County:
Ay, marry, go, I fay, and fetch him hither.
Now, afore God, this reverend holy friar-
All our whole city is much bound to him.
Jal Nurfe, will you go with me into my closet,
To help me fort fuch needful ornaments

As

you think fit to furnish me to-morrow?

La. Cap. No, not 'till Thulay, there is time enough. Cap. Go nurfe, go with her; we'll to church to[Exeunt Juliet and Nurfe. Le. Ca'. We shall be short in our provision;

morrow.

'Tis now near night.

Cap. Tufh, I will ftir about,

And all things fhall be well, I warrant thee, wife:
Go thou to Juliet, help to deck up her,

-What, ho!

I'll not to bed to-night, let me alone:
I'll play the housewife for this once.
They are all forth; well, I will walk myfelf
To County Paris, to prepare him up

Against

Against to-morrow. My heart's wondrous light,
Since this fame way-ward girl is fo reclaim'd.

Jul.

[Exeunt Capulet and lady Capulet.

SCENE changes to Juliet's Chamber.

Enter Juliet and Nurse.

Y, thofe attires are beft; but, gentle nurfe, I pray thee, leave me to myfelf to-night: For I have need of many orifons

To move the heav'ns to smile upon my state,
Which, well thou know'ft, is crofs, and full of fin.
Enter Lady Capulet. ·

La. Cap. What, are you bufy, do you need my help? Jul. No, Madam, we have cull'd fuch neceffaries As are behoveful for our state to-morrow:

So please you, let me now be left alone,

And let the nurfe this night fit up with you;

For, I am fure, you have your hands full all,
In this fo fudden bufinefs.

La. Cap. Good night,

Get thee to bed and reft, for thou haft need.

[Exeun'.

ful. Farewel-God knows, when we fhall meet again! I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins, That almost freezes up the heat of life.

I'll call them back again to comfort me.

Nurfe-what fhould the do here?

My difmal fcene I needs muft act alone:

Come, phial-What if this mixture do not work at all?
Shall I of force be marry'd to the Count?
No, no, this fhall forbid it; lie thou there-

[Pointing to a dagger.
What if it be a poison, which the friar
Subtly hath minift'red, to have me dead,
Left in this marriage he should be dishonour'd,
Because he married me before to Romeo?

I fear, it is; and yet, methinks, it should not,
For he hath ftill been tried a holy, man-
D. 4

Hows