O, what a beast was I to chide at him! Nurse. Will you speak well of him that kill'd your cousin? Jul. Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband? Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name,7 When I, thy three-hours wife, have mangled it?— But, wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin? That villain cousin would have kill'd my husband: Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring; Your tributary drops belong to woe, Which you, mistaking, offer up to joy. My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain; And Tybalt's dead, that would have slain my hus band: All this is comfort; Wherefore weep I then? Like damned guilty deeds to sinners' minds: Tybalt's death Is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, 7 what tongue shall smooth thy name,] To smooth, in ancient language, is to stroke, to caress, to fondle. 8 Hath slain ten thousand Tybalts.] That is, is worse than the loss of ten thousand Tybalts. 9 Which modern lamentation, &c.] i. e. trite, common. All slain, all dead:-Romeo is banished, Where is my father, and my mother,_nurse? Nurse. Weeping and wailing over Tybalt's corse: Will you go to them? I will bring you thither. Jul. Wash they his wounds with tears? mine shall be spent, When theirs are dry, for Romeo's banishment. He made you for a highway to my bed; Come, cords; come, nurse; I'll to my wedding bed; Jul. O find him! give this ring to my true knight, And bid him come to take his last farewell. [Exeunt. SCENE III. Friar Laurence's Cell. Enter Friar LAURENCE and ROMEO. 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 sorrow craves acquaintance at my hand, Fri. Is my Too familiar dear son with such sour company: I bring thee tidings of the prince's doom. Rom. What less than dooms-day is the prince's doom? Fri. A gentler judgment vanish'd from his lips, Not body's death, but body's banishment. Rom. Ha! banishment? be merciful, say death: For exile hath more terror in his look, Much more than death: do not say-banishment. Hence-banished is banish'd from the world, Fri. O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness! Rom. 'Tis torture, and not mercy: heaven is here, Where Juliet lives; and every cat, and dog, And little mouse, every unworthy thing, Live here in heaven, and may look on her, But Romeo may not.-More validity, More honourable state, more courtship lives seize In carrion flies, than Romeo:2 they may 1 This is dear mercy,] The old copies read mere mercy, which in ancient language, signifies absolute mercy. 2 More validity, More honourable state, more courtship lives In carrion flies, than Romeo:] Validity seems here to mean worth or dignity. By courtship, the author seems to mean, the On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand, And say'st thou yet, that exile is not death? O friar, the damned use that word in hell; A sin-absolver, and my friend profess'd, Rom. O, thou wilt speak again of banishment. Fri. I'll give thee armour to keep off that word; Adversity's sweet milk, philosophy, To comfort thee, though thou art banished. Fri. O, then I see that madmen have no ears. no eyes? Fri. Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.3 Rom. Thou canst not speak of what thou dost not feel: Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love, state of a lover; that dalliance, in which he who courts or wooes a lady is sometimes indulged. 3 Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.] i. e. talk over thy affairs. An hour but married, Tybalt murdered, Then might'st thou speak, then might'st thou tear thy hair, And fall upon the ground, as I do now, Fri. Arise; one knocks; good Romeo, hide thyself. [Knocking within. Rom. Not I; unless the breath of heart-sick groans, Mist-like, infold ine from the search of eyes. [Knocking. Fri. Hark, how they knock!-Who's there? Romeo, arise; Thou wilt be taken:-Stay a while:-stand up; [Knocking. Run to my study:-By and by:-God's will! [Knocking. Who knocks so hard? whence come you? what's your will? Nurse. [Within.] Let me come in, and you shall know my errand; I come from lady Juliet. Fri. Welcome then. Enter Nurse. Nurse. O holy friar, O, tell me, holy friar, Where is my lady's lord, where's Romeo? Fri. There on the ground, with his own tears made drunk. Nurse. O, he is even in my mistress' case, Just in her case! O woeful sympathy! Even so lies she, Fri. |