SCENE III.

Enter Prince, Mountague, Capulet, Citizens, &c.

Prince. W
WH

7 Here are the vile beginners of this fray?
Ben. O noble prince, I can discover all
The unlucky manage of this fatal quarrel :
There lies the man flain by young Romeo,
That flew thy kinfman brave Mercutio.

Cap. Unhappy fight! alas, the blood is fpill'd
Of my dear kinfman -Now as thou art a Prince,
For blood of ours, fhed blood of Mountague.
Prin. Benvolio, who began this fray?

Ben. Tibalt here flain;

Romeo befpeak him fair, bid him bethink
How nice the quarrel was, and urg'd withal
Your high difpleafure: all this uttered

With gentle breath, calm looks, knees humbly bow'd,
Could not make truce with the unruly spleen
Of Tibalt, deaf to peace; but that he tilts
With piercing fteel at bold Mercutio's breast;
Who all as hot, turns deadly point to point,
And with a martial fcorn with one hand beats
Cold death afide, and with the other fends
It back to Tibalt, whofe dexterity

Retorts. it: Romeo, he cries aloud,

Hold friends, friends part! and swifter than his tongue, His agil arm beats down their fatal points,

And 'twixt them rufhes; underneath whofe arm

An envious thrust from Tibalt hit the life
Of tout Mercutio, and then Tibalt fled;
But by and by comes back to Romeo,

Who had but newly entertain'd

revenge,

And to't they go like lightning: for ere I

Could draw to part them, was ftout Tibalt flain;
And as he fell, did Romeo turn to fly:

This is the truth, or let Benvalio fuffer.

Cap. He is a kinfman to the Mountague, Affection makes him false; he speaks not true;

I beg for juftice; juftice, gracious Prince;
Romeo flew Tibalt, Romeo muft not live.

Prin. Romeo flew him, he flew Mercutio;
Who now the price of his dear blood doth owe?
Mount. Romeo but took the forfeit life of Tibalt.
Prin. And we for that offence do banish him.
I have an int'reft in your heady brawls,

My blood doth flow. from brave Mercutio's wounds.
But I'll amerce you with fo ftrong a fine,

That you shall all repent my loss in him.
I will be deaf to pleading and excufe,

Nor tears nor prayers fhall purchase our repeal:
Therefore ufe none, let Romeo be

gone,
Elfe when he is found, that hour is his laft.

Bear hence this body, and attend our will:
Mercy but murders, pardoning thofe that kill. [Exeunt.

An Apartment in Capulet's House.

Enter Juliet alone.

Jul. G To Phabus manfion; fuch a waggoner,

Allop apace you fiery footed steeds,

As Phaeton, would whip you to the weft,
And bring in cloudy night immediately.

Spread thy clofe curtain, loye-performing night,
That the run-away's eyes may wink; and Romeo
Leap to these arms, untalkt of and unfeen.

Come night, come Romeo! come thou day in night!
For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night,
Whiter than fnow upon the raven's back:
Give me my Romeo, Night, and when he dies
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heav'n so fine,
That all the world will be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish fan:

Oh,

Oh, I have bought the manfion of a love,
But not poffefs'd it; fo tedious is this day,
As is the night before fome feftival,

To an impatient child that hath new robes,

And may not wear them. Oh, here comes my nurfe!
Enter Nurse.

And he brings news, and every tongue that speaks
But Romeo's name, fpeaks heav'nly eloquence;
Now, nurse, what news?

Why doft thou wring thy hands?

Nurfe. Ah, welladay he's dead, he's dead, he's dead! We are undone, lady, we are undone

Jul. Can heav'n be so envious?

Nurfe. Romeo can.

Though heav'n cannot. Oh Romeo! Romeo!

Jul. What devil art thou, that does torment me thus This torture fhould be roar'd in difmal hell.

Hath Romeo flain himself? fay thou but ay,
And that bare little word fhall poifon more
Than the earth-darting eye of cockatrice.

Nurfe. I faw the wound, I faw it with mine eyes,
Here on his manly breaft.-A piteous coarse,
A bloody piteous coarfe, pale, pale as afhes,
I fwooned at the fight.

Jul. Oh break my heart!

at once!

poor bankrupt, break

To prifon, eyes! ne'er look on liberty;

Vile earth to earth refign, and motion here,
And thou and Romeo prefs one heavy bier!

Nurje. Oh Tibalt, Tibalt, the best friend I had;
That ever I fhould live to fee thee dead?

ful. What form is this that blows fo contrary?

Is Romeo flaughter'd? and is Tibalt dead?
Nurfe. Tibalt is dead, and Romea banished.
Romeo that kill'd him, he is banished.

Jul. Ch heaven! did Romeo's hand fhed Tibalt's blood?
Nufe. It did, it did, alas the day! it did.

Jul. Oh nature! What had thou to do in hell,

When thou didst bower the fpirit of a fiend

In mortal paradise of such sweet flesh? Oh that deceit fhould dwell

In fuch a gorgeous palace.

Nurfe. There is no truft,

No faith, no honeity in men; all perjur'd;
Shame come to Romeo!

Jul. Blifter'd be thy tongue,

For fuch a with; he was not born to fhame,
Upon his brow fhame is afham'd to fit:
For 'tis a throne where honour may be crown'd,
Sole monarch of the univerfal earth.

Oh what a wretch was I to chide him fo?

Nurfe. Will you speak well of him, that kill'd your coufin?

Jul. Shall I fpeak ill of him that is my husband?
Ah, poor my lord, what tongue fhall fmooth thy name,
When I thy three hours wife have mangled it?
Back foolish tears, back to your native fpring:
Your tributary drops belong to woe,
Which you, miftaking, offer up to joy.
My husband lives that Tibalt would have flain,
And Tibalt's dead that would have kill'd my
husband;
All this is comfort; wherefore weep I then?
Some word there was worfe than Tibalt's death
'That murder'd me; I would forget it fain,
But oh it preffes to my memory,

Like damned guilty deeds to finners' minds;
Tibalt is dead, and Romeo banished,
That banished, that one word banished,
Hath flain ten thousand Tibalts: In that word
Is father, mother, Tibalt, Romeo, Juliet,
All flain, all dead!--Romeo is banished!
Where is my father, and my mother, nurfe!
Nurje. Weeping and wailing over Tibalt's coarse:
Will you go to them? I will bring you thither.
Jul. Wash they his wounds with tears! my eyes fhall

flow

When theirs are dry, for Romeo's banishment.

Nurje. Hie to your chamber, I'll find Romeo To comfort you. I wot well where he is.

4..

Hark

Hark ye, your Romeo will be here at night;
I'll to him, he is hid at Lawrence' cell.

Ful Oh find him, give this ring to my true lord,
And bid him come to take his laft farewel.

SCENE V.

The MONASTERY.

Enter Friar Lawrence and Romeo.

[Exeunt.

Fri. ROMEO, come forth; come forth, thou fearful man, Affliction is enamour'd of thy parts;

And thou art wedded to calamity.

Rom. Father, what news? what is the prince's doom ? What forrow craves acquaintance at my hand,

That I yet know not?

Fri. Too familiar

Is dear fon with fuch four company,

my

I bring thee tidings of the prince's doom.

Rom. What lefs than death can be the prince's doom? Fri. A gentler judgment vanifh'd from his lips, Not body's death, but body's banishment.

Rom. Ha! banishment? be merciful, fay death;
For exile hath more terror in his look,

Much more than death: Do not fay banishment;
'Tis death mif-term'd calling death banishment;
Thou cut'ft my head off with a golden ax,'
And fmil'ft upon the ftroke that murders me.
Fri. O deadly fin! O rude unthankfulness!
Thy fault our law calls death; but the kind prince,
Taking thy part, hath pufh'd afide the law,

And turn'd that black word death to banishment,
This is dear mercy, and thou feest it not.
Rom. 'l'is torture, and not mercy: heav'n is here
Where Juliet lives. There's more felicity
Ju carrion-flies, than Romeo: they may feize
On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand,
And fteal immortal bleffings from her lips;

But