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 fhould disturb devotion : Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouze you: Till then, adieu! and keep this holy kifs.

[Exit Paris. Jul. Go, fhut the door, and when thou hast done fo, Come weep with me, paft hope, paft cure, paft help. Fri. O Juliet, I already know thy grief,

It strains me paft the compafs 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'st 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 wife,
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 shall 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 iffue of true honour bring:

Be not fo long to freak; I long to die,
If what thou fpeak ft fpeak not of remedy.

Fri. Hold, daughter, I do 'fpy a kind of hope, i
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 ftrength of will to flay thyself,
Then it is likely, thou wilt undertake
A thing like death to chide away this fhame,
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 chapless 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 distilled liquor drink thou off; When prefently through all thy veins fhall run A cold and drowfy humour, which fhall feize Each vital fpirit; for no pulfe fhall keep His nat'ral progrefs, but furceafe to beat. No warmth, no breath, fhall teflify thou liv'ft; The rofes in thy lips and cheeks fhall fade To paly afhes; thy eyes' windows fall, Like death, when he thuts up the day of life; Each part, depriv'd of fupple government, Shall ftiff, and stark, and cold appear like death: And in this borrowed likeness of fhrunk death

Thou

Thou fhalt continue two and forty hours,
And then awake, as from a pleasant sleep.
Now when the bridegroom in the morning comes
To roufe 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 fame ancient vault,'
Where all the kindred of the Capulets 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 prefent fhame,
If no unconftant toy, nor womanish fear,
Abate thy valour in the acting it.

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

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

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

To Mantua, with my letters to thy lord.

Farewel, dear father!

[afford.

[Exeunt.

Jul. Love, give me ftrength, and ftrength fhall help

SCENE changes to Capulet's House.

Enter Capulet, Lady Capulet, Nurfe, and two or three Servants. 1

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

Sirrah, go hire me twenty cunning cooks..

Serv. You fhall have none ill, Sir, for I'll try if they can lick their fingers.

Cap. How canft 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 shall be much unfurnish'd for this time:

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

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

Enter Jaliet.

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

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

Το

you and your behefts; and am enjoin'd By holy Laurence 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 flepping o'er the bounds of modesty.

Cap. Why, I'm glad on't, this is well, ftand up; This is as't should be; let me fee the County: Ay, marry, go, I fay, and fetch him hither. Now, afore God, this reverend holy friarAll our whole city is much bound to him.

ul. 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 Thursday, there is time enough. Cap. Go nurse, go with her; we'll to church to[Exeunt Juliet and Nurse. La. Cap. We fhall be fhort in our provision;

morrow.

'Tis now near night.

Cap. Tufh, 1 will stir about,

And all things fhall be well, I warrant thee, wife:
Go thou to Juliet, help to deck up her,
I'll not to bed to-night, let me alone:
I'll play the house-wife for this once.
They are all forth; well, I will walk myself
To County Paris, to prepare him up

What, ho!

Againft

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

[Exeunt Capulet and lady Capulet.

SCENE changes to Juliet's Chamber.

Jul. A

Enter Juliet and Nurse.

Y, those attires are beft; but, gentle nurse,
I pray thee, leave me to myself to-night :

For I have need of many orifons

To move the heav'ns to smile upon my ftate, Which, well thou know'ft, is cross, 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 ftate to-morrow:

So please you, let me now be left alone,

And let the nurse 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. [Exeunt.
Jul. 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 should the do here?

My difmal scene I needs must act alone :

Come, phial-What if this mixture do not work at all?
Shall of force be married to the Count?
No, no, this shall 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 fhould 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---