Imatges de pàgina
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And when thou art alone, take thou this vial,
And this diftilled liquor drink thou off,
When presently through all thy veins shall run
A cold and drowsy 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'st;
The roses in thy lips and cheeks fhall fade
To paly afhes; thy eyes' windows fall,
Like death, when he shuts up the day of life
And in this borrow'd likeness of fhrunk death
Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,
And then awake, as from a pleasant 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,
Thou fhalt 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 present shame,
If no unconftant toy nor womanish fear
Abate thy valour in the acting it.

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

[Taking the vial. 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.

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

afford. Farewel, dear father

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SCENE II.

Capulet's House.

Enter Capulet, Lady Capulet, and Nurfe.

HAT, is my daughter gone to Friar Lawrence?

Cap. WHAT,

Nurfe. Ay forfooth.

Cap. 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 Shrift with merry look!

Cap. How now, my head-ftrong ? where have you been gadding?

ful. 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 stepping o'er the bounds of modefty.

Cap. Why I am glad on't, this is well; ftand up;
Now afore heav'n this reverend holy Friar,-
All our whole city is much bound to him.
Jul. 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.

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.

morrow.

La. Cap. We fhall be short in our provision;

Tis now near night.

Gap. Tuh, all things fhall be well,

Go thou to Juliet, help to deck up her:
I'll not to bed, but walk myself to Paris,

Tappoint him 'gainft to-morrow. My heart's light,

Since this fame wayward girl is fo reclaim'd.

[Exeunt Capulet and lady Capalet.

SCE NE III.

Juliet's Chamber.

Enter Juliet and Nurfe.

Y, thofe attires are beft; but, gentle Nurfe,
I pray thee leave me to myself to night:

Jul. A; me

For I have need of many orifons

To move the heav'ns to fmile upon my state,
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? ful 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 Nurse this night fit

up with you;

For I am fure you have your hands full all,

In this fo fudden business.

La. Cap. Then good night:

Get thee to bed and reft, for thou haft need. [Exeunt. Jul. Farewel

meet again!

-heav'n knows, when we fhall

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. yet what fhould they do here?

Nurfe

C 3

My

My difmal scene I needs must act alone:

[Takes out the phial. Come, vial- -What if this mixture do not work at all? Shall I of force be married to the Count ?

No, no, this fhall forbid it; lie thou there

[Pointing to a dagger.

What if it be a poifon, which the Friar
Subtly hath miniftred, 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
How, if when I am laid into the tomb,
I wake before the time that Romeo

Comes to redeem me ? there's a fearful point!
Shall I not then be ftifled in the vault,

To whofe foul mouth no healthfom air breathes in?
And there be ftrangled ere my Romeo comes ?
Or if I live, is it not very like

The horrible conceit of death and night,
Together with the terror of the place,
(As in a vault, an ancient receptacle,

Where for these many hundred years, the bones
Of all my buried ancestors are pack'd;
Where bloody Tibalt, yet but green in earth,
Lies feftring in his fhroud; where, as they fay,
At fome hours in the night fpirits refort--)
Alas, alas! is it not like, that I

So early waking, what with loathfome smells,
And fhrieks like Mandrakes torn out of the Earth,
That living mortals, hearing them, run mad.
Or if I wake, fhall I not be diftraught,
(Invironed with all these hideous fears,)
And madly play with my forefathers joints,
And pluck the mangled Tibalt from his fhroud?
And in this rage, with fome great kinfman's bone
As with a club, dafh out my defp'rate brains?
O look! methinks I fee my coufin's ghoft
Seeking out Romeo-Stay, Tibalt, stay!
Romeo, I come! this do I drink to thee.

[Drinks.

[She threws berfelf on the bed. SCENE

S CE NE

IV.

A HALL.

Enter Lady Capulet and Nurse.

La. Cap. H fpices, Nurfe.

OLD, take thefe keys and fetch more

Nurfe. They call for dates and quinces in the pastry.

Enter Capulet and Lady meeting.

Cap. Come, ftir, ftir, ftir, the fecond cock hath crow'd,

The curphew bell hath rung, 'tis three o'clock:
Look to the bak'd meats, good Angelica,
Spare not for coft.

Nurfe. Go, you cot-quean go;

Get you to bed; faith you'll be fick to morrow,
For this night's watching.

Cap. No not a whit; what, I have watch'd ere now All night for a less cause, and ne'er been fick.

[Play mufick. The County will be here with mufick straight, For fo he faid he would. I hear him near. Nurfe, wife, what ho? what nurse, I say?

Enter Nurfe.

Go waken Juliet, go and trim her up.

I'll go and chat with Paris: hie, make hafte;

[Exit Capulet.

Make hafte, I fay.

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