SCENE II.

Rom. This Gentleman, the Prince's near allie,
My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt
In my behalf; my reputation ftain'd
With Tybalt's flander; Tybait, that an hour
Hath been my coufin. O fweet Juliet,
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate,
And in my temper foftned valour's steel,

Enter Benvolio.

Ben. O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio's dead:
That gallant spirit hath afpir'd the clouds,
Which too untimely here did fcorn the earth.

Rom. (1) This day's black fate on more days does.
depend;
This but begins the woe, others must end.

Enter Tybalt.

Ben. Here comes the furious Tybalt back again.
Rom. Alive in Triumph? and Mercutio flain?
Away to heav'n, refpective lenity,
And fire-ey'd fury be my conduct now !
Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again,
That late thou gav'ft me; for Mercutio's foul
Is but a little way above our heads,
Staying for thine to keep him company;
Or thou or I, or both, muft go with him.

Tyb. Thou wretched boy, that didft confort him
here,
Shalt with him hence.

Rom. This fhall determine that.

Ben. Romeo, away. Begone:
The citizens are up, and Tybalt flain-

[They fight, Tybalt falls

(1) This day's black fate on more days does depend :]. unhappy destiny bangs over the days yet to come. yet be more mischief,

.C.5

This day's There will

Stand

Stand not amaz'd. The Prince will doom thee death,
If thou art taken. Hence. Begone. Away.
Rom. (2) Oh! I am fortune's fool.
Ren. Why doft thou stay?.

[Exit Romeo.

SCENE III.

Enter Citizens.

Cit. Which way ran he that kill'd Mercutio? Tybalt, that murderer, which way ran he ? Ben. There lies that Tybalt.

Cit. Up, Sir. Go with me.

I charge thee in the Prince's name, obey.

Enter Prince, Montague, Capulet, their Wives, &c.

Prin. Where are the vile beginners of this fray?
Ben. O noble Prince, I can discover all
Th' unlucky manage of this fatal brawl.
There lies the man, flain by young Romeo,
That flew thy kinfman, brave Mercutio.

La Cap. Tybalt, my coufin ! O my brother's child !-Prince, O-coufin. hufband- ·O. the blood is

fpill'd

Of my dear kinfman. Prince, (3) as thou art true,
For blood of ours, fhed blood of Montague.

O coufin, coufin.

Prin, Benvolia, who began this fray?

Ben. Tybalt, here flain, whom Romeo's hand did Day; Romeo, that fpoke him fair, bid him bethink (4) How nice the quarrel was, and urg'd withal Your high difpleafure; all this uttered With gentle breath, calm look, knees humbly bow'd,

(2) Ob! I am fortune's fool I am always running in the way of evil fortune, like the fool in a play. Thou art death's fool: in Measure for Meafure. See Dr. Warburton's Note

(3) As thou art true,] As thou art just and upright.

(4) How nice the quarrel-] How flight, how unimportant, how petty. So in the last A&t.

The letter was not nice, but full of charge
Of dear import.

Could

Could not take truce with the unruly fpleen
Of Tybalt, deaf to peace; but that he tilts
With piercing steel 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 Tybalt, whofe dexterity
Retorts it. Romeo he cries aloud,

Hold, friends! friends, part! and, fwifter than his tongue,

His agile arm beats down their fatal points,
And 'twixt them rufhes; underneath whofe arm
An envious thruft from Tybalt hit the life
Of ftout Mercutio, and then Tybalt fled;
But by and by comes back to Romeo,
Who had but newly entertain'd revenge,
And to't they go like lightning; for ete I
Could draw to part them, was ftout Tybalt flain
And as he fell, did Romeo turn to fly.
This is the truth, or let Benvolio die.

L. Cap. He is a kinfman to the Montagues,
(5) Affection makes him falfe, he speaks not true.
Some twenty of them fought in this black ftrife,
And all those twenty could but kill one life.
I beg for juftice, which thou, Prince, muft give;
Romeo flew Tybalt, Romeo muft not live.

Prin. Romeo flew him, he flew Mercutio zara
Who now the price of his dear blood doth owe?

La Mont. Not Romeo, Prince, he was Mercutio's wall duinw friend;b

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His fault concludes but what the law fhould end,
The life of Tybalt.

Prin. And for that offence,
Immediately we do exile him hence:

(5) Affection makes bim falfe,] The charge of falfhood on Bentivalio, though produced at hazard, is very juft. The authour, who feems to intend the character of Bentivolio as good, meant perhaps to thew, how the best minds, in a state of faction and difcord, are deforted to criminal partiality.

(6) I

(6) I have an intereft in your heart's proceeding,
My blood for your rude brawls doth lie a bleeding;
But I'll amerce you with fo ftrong a fine,
That you fhall all repent the lofs of mine.
I will be deaf to pleading and excufes,.
Nor tears nor prayers fhall purchase out abuses
Therefore ufe none; let Romeo hence in hafte,
Elfe, when he's found, that hour is his laft.
Bear hence his body, and attend our will:
Mercy but murders, pardoning thofe that kill.

;

SCENE IV.

Changes to an Apartment in Capulet's Houfe.
Enter Juliet alone..

Jul. Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,
Tow'rds Phabus manfion; fuch a waggoner,
As Phaeton, would whip you to the west,
And bring in cloudy night immediately.
(7) Spread thy clofe curtain, love-performing night,
That Runaways eyes may wink, and Romeo

Leap

(6) I bave an intereft in your beart's proceeding,] Sir Thomas Hanmer faw that this line gave no fenfe, and therefore put, by ar very eafy change,

Ibave an intereft in your heat's proceeding,

Which is undoubtedly better than the old reading which Dr. Warburton has followed; but the fenfe yet feems to be weak,{ and perhaps a more licentious correction is neceffary. Fread therefore,

I had no intereft in your heat's proceeding.

This, fays the Prince, is no quarrel of mine, I had no interest in your former difcord; I fuffer merely by your private animofity.

(7) Spread thy close curtain, love-performing Night,

That runaways eyes may wink ;] What runaways are thefe, whofe eyes Juliet is withing to have ftopt? Macbeth, we may remember, makes an invocation to Night much in the fame ftrain, Come, feeling Night,

Ca

Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day, &c.

So

Leap to these arms, untalkt of and unseen.
Lovers can fee to do their am'rous rites
By their own beauties, or, if love be blind,
It beft agrees with night. (8) Come, civil night,
Thou fober-fuited matron, all in black,
And learn me how to lose a winning match,
Play'd for a pair of stainless maidenheads.
Hood my (9) unmann'd blood baiting in my cheeks,
With thy black mantle i 'till ftrange love, grown

bold,

Thinks true love acted, fimple modefty.

Come, night come, Romeo! come, thou day in
night!

For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night,
Whiter than fnow upon a raven's back:

So Juliet would have Night's darkness obfcure the great eye of the day, the Sun; whom confidering in a poetical light as Phoe bus, drawn in his carr with fiery-footed fteeds, and pofting thro' the heavens, the very probably calls him, with regard to the fwiftnefs of his courfe, the Runaway. In the like manner our Poet fpeaks of the Night in the Merchant of Venice:

For the clofe Night doth play the Runaway.

WARBURTON.

I am not fatisfied with this emendation, yet have nothing better to propose,

Spread thy clofe curtain love-performing night,

That Run-aways eyes may wink ;-] I am no better fatisfied with Dr. Warburton's emendation than the prefent editor, but tho' I have none I have a good opinion of, to propofe in its room, will yet offer an explanation.

Juliet wishes the night may be fo dark, that none of those who are obliged to run away in it, on fome account or other, may meet with Romeo, and know his perfon, but that be may

Leap to her arms untalk'd of and unfeen.

The run-away in this place cannot be the fun, who muft have been effectually gone before night could spread its curtain, and fuch a wish muft have taken place before the eyes of thefe runaways could be fuppofed to wink.

The Revifal reads, That Rumour's eyes may twink, and he might have fupported his conje&ure from the figure of Fame, . e. Rumour, as defcribed by Virgil.

Tot vigiles oculi fubter, &c.

And yet this is but a conjecture, though a very ingenious one.

Mr. STEEVENS.

(8) Come, civil night,] Civil is grave, decently folemn.
-unmann'd blood -] Blood yet unacquainted with

(9)

Come,

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