SCENE changes to a Church-yard: In it, a: Enter Paris, and his Page, with a light. IVE me thy torch, boy; hence, and stand aloof. Par. G Yet put it out, for I would not be feen: Fair Juliet, that with angels doft remain, Accept this latest favour at my hand; That living honour'd thee, and, being dead, With fun'ral obfequies adorn thy tomb. [The boy whistles. Enter Romeo and Balthafar with a light. (29) Rom. Give me that mattock, and the wrenching iron. Hold, (29) Enter Romeo, and Peter with a light.] But Peter was a fervant of the Capulets: befides, he brings the mattock and crow to wrench open Juliet's grave, an office hardly to be intrufted with a fervant of that family. We find a little above, at the very beginning of this act, Balthafar is the perfon who brings Romes the news of his bride's death and yet, at the clofe of the play, Peter takes upon him to depofe that he brought thofe tidings. Utri creditis, quirites ?-In short, we hear Balbafar deliver the melage; and therefore Peter is a lying evidence, fuborn'd by the blundering editors. We must therefore Hold, take this letter, early in the morning But chiefly to take thence from her dead finger In dear employment; therefore, hence, be gone: By heaven, I will tear thee joint by joint, More fierce and more inexorable far Baith. I will be gone, Sir, and not trouble you. that; Live and be profp'rous, and farewel, good fellow. Thus I inforce thy rotten jaws to open, [Breaking open the Monument. And in defpight I'll cram thee with more food. Par. This is that banisht haughty Montague, That murder'd my love's coufin; (with which grief, It is fuppofed, the fair creature dy’d) And here is come to do fome villainous fhame Stop thy unhallow'd toil, vile Montague: therefore cafhier him, and put Balthafar on his proper duty. The fource of this error feems easy to be accounted for; Peter's character ending in the 4th act, 'tis very probable the fame perfon might play Balthafar, and so be quoted on in the prompter's book as Peter. Con Condemned villain, I do apprehend thee; Rom. I muft, indeed, and therefore came I hither.-- By urging me to fury. Oh be gone! And apprehend thee for a felon here. Rom. Wilt thou provoke me? then have at thee, boy. [They fight, Paris fals Rom. In faith, I will: let me perufe this face- A grave O, no; a lanthorn, flaughter'd youth; [Dies [Loying Paris in the Monument. How oft, when men are at the point of death, Have they been merry? which their keepers call A lightning before death.O, how may I Call this a lightning!-Oh my love, my wife! Death, that hath fuckt the honey of thy breath,. Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty: Thon Thou art not conquer'd; beauty's enfign yet Than with that hand, that cut thy youth in twain, And shake the yoke of inaufpicious ftars From this world-weary'd flesh. Eyes, look your laft! Drinks the poifon. Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kifs I die. (30) And never from this palace of dim Night Depart again. (Come, lie thou in my arms; Here's to thy health. O true apothecary! [Dies. Thy drugs are quick.)] Mr. Pope's, and fome other of the worfer, editions acknowledge abfurdly the lines which I have put into parenthefis here; and which I have expung'd from the text, for this reason: Romeo is made to confefs the effect of the poison, before ever he has tafted it. I fuppofe, it hardly was fo favoury that the patient should chufe to make two draughts of it. And, eight lines after thefe, we find him taking the poifon in his hand, and making an apostrophe to it; inviting it to perform its office at once; and then, and not till then, does he clap it to his lips, or can with any probability speak of its inftant force and effects. Befides, Shakespeare would hardly have made Romeo drink to the health of his dead miftrefs. Enter Enter Friar Lawrence with lanthorn, crow, and spade. Fri. St. Francis be my speed! how oft to-night Have my old feet ftumbled at graves? who's there? Enter Balthafar. Bal. Here's one, a friend, and one that knows you well. Fri. Blifs be upon you! Tell me, good my friend, What torch is yond, that vainly lends his light To grubs and eyelefs fculls? as I difcern, It burneth in the Capulets' monument. Balth. It doth fo, holy Sir, And there's my mafter, one you dearly love. Balth. Romeo. Fri. How long hath he been there? Balth. Full half an hour. Fri. Go with me to the vault. Balth. I dare not, Sir. My mafter knows not, but I am gone hence; If I did ftay to look on his intents. Fri. Stay then, I'll go alone; fear comes upon me; O, much fear fome ill unlucky thing. Balth. As I did fleep under this yew-tree here, I dreamt, my mafter and another fought, And that my mafter flew him. Fri. Romeo! Alack, alack, what blood is this, which ftains What means thefe mafterlefs and goary fwords, To lie difcolour'd by this place of peace ? Romeo! oh pale! who elfe? what Paris too? And fteep'd in blood? ah, what an unkind hour The lady ftirs. [lord ? Jul. [awaking.] Oh comfortable Friar, where is my I do remember well where I fhould be; And there I am; but where is Romeo? Fri. I hear fome noife! Lady, come from that neft Of |