Enter Juliet.

Par. Welcome, my love, (9) my lady, and my wife! Jul. That may be, Sir, when I may be a wife.

Par. That may be, muft be, Love, on Thursday

next.

Jul. What muft be, fhall be.

Fri. That's a certain text.

Par. Come you to make confeffion to this father? Jul. To anfwer that, I fhould confefs to you. Par. Do not deny to him, that you love me. Jul. I will confefs to you, that I love him. Par. So will ye, I am fure, that you love me. Jul. If I do fo, it will be of more price Being spoke behind your back, than to your face. Par. Poor foul, thy face is much abus'd with tears. Jul. The tears have got small victory by that: For it was bad enough before their fpight.

Par. Thou wrong'ft it, more than tears, with that report.

Jul. That is no flander, Sir, which is but truth,
And what I fpeak, I speak it to my face.

Par. Thy face is mine, and thou haft flander'd it.
Jul. It may be fo, for it is not mine own.
Are you at leifure, holy father, now,
Or fhall I come to you at evening mafs?

Fri. My leifure ferves me, penfive daughter, now. My Lord, I muft intreat the time alone.

Par. God fhield, I should disturb devotion. Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouze you; "Till then, adieu! and keep this holy kifs.

[Exit Paris.

Jul. Go, fhut the door, and when thou haft done so, Come weep with me, past hope, paft cure, past help. Fri. O Juliet, I already know thy grief,

It ftrains me paft the Compafs of my Wits.
I hear, you must, and nothing may prorogue it,
On Thursday next be married to this County.

Jul. Tell me not, Friar, that thou heard'ft of this, Unlefs thou tell me how I may prevent it.

(9) my lady and my wife !] As thefe four first lines feem intended to rhyme, perhaps the authour wrote thus,

my lady and my life!

If

If in thy wisdom thou canft give no help,
Do thou but call my refolution wife,
And with this knife I'll help it presently.

God join'd my heart and Romeo's; thou our hands;
And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo feal'd,
Shall be the label to another deed,
Or my true heart with treacherous revolt
Turn to another, this shall slay them both.
Therefore out of thy long-experienc'd time,
Give me fome prefent counfel; or, behold,
'Twixt my extreams and me this bloody knife
(1) Shall play the umpire; arbitrating that,
Which the (2) commiffion of thy years and art
Could to no iffue of true honour bring.
Be not fo long to fpeak; I long to die,
If what thou fpeak'ft, fpeak not of remedy.
Fri. Hold, daughter, I do spy a kind of hope,
Which craves as defperate an execution,
As that is defp'rate which we would prevent.
If, rather than to marry County Paris,
Thou haft the strength of will to flay thyself,
Then it is likely, thou wilt undertake
A thing like death to chide away this fhame,
That cop'ft with death himself, to 'fcape from it
And if thou dar'ft, I'll give the remedy.

Jul. O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,
From off the battlements of yonder tower;
(3) Or chain me to fome fteepy mountain's top,
Where roaring bears and favage lions roam;
Or fhut me nightly in a charnel house,

(1) Shall play the umpire;] That is, this knife fhall decide the ftruggle between me and my diftreffes.

(2)-Commiffion of thy years and art-] Commiffion is for authority

or power.

(3) Or chain me, &c.]

Or walk in thievifh ways, or tid me lurk

Where ferpents are, chain me with roaring bears,

Or, bide me nightly, &c.

It is thus the editions vary.

1

POPE.

My edition has the words which Mr. Pope has omitted; but the old copy feems in this place preferable, only perhaps we might better read,

Where favage bears and roaring lions 10am.

O'er

O'er-cover'd quite with dead mens' rattling bones,
With reeky thanks, and yellow chapless skulls;
Or bid me go into a new-made Grave,

And hide me with a dead man in his fhroud;
Things, that to hear them nam'd, have made me trem
ble,

And I will do it without fear or doubt,

To live an unftain'd wife to my sweet love.

Fri. Hold, then, go home, be merry, give confent
To marry Paris; Wednesday is to-morrow;
To-morrow Night, look that thou lie alone,
Let not thy Nurse lie with thee in thy chamber.
Take thou this phial, being then in Bed,
And this diftilled liquor drink thou off;
When presently through all thy veins shall run
A cold and drowfy humour, which shall seize
Each vital fpirit; for no Pulfe fhall keep
His nat❜ral progrefs, but furcease to beat.
No warmth, no breath, fhall testify thou liv'ft;.
The rofes in thy lips and cheeks fhall fade
To paly afhes: thy eyes' windows fall,
Like death, when he fhuts up the day of life;
Each Part, depriv'd of fupple Government,
Shall stiff, and stark, and cold appear, like Death:
And in this borrowed 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 roufe thee from thy bed, there art thou dead.
Then, as the manner of our Country is,
In thy beft robes uncover'd on the bier,
Be borne to burial in thy kindred's Grave,
Thou shalt be borne to that fame ancient vault,
Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie.
In the mean time, against thou fhalt awake,
Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift,
And hither fhall he come; (4) 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,

Will wanh thy waking,] These word: are not in the folio,

(5)

(5) If no unconftant toy, nor womanish fear,
Abate thy valour in the acting it.
Jul. Give me, oh give me.

Tell me not of fear.

[Taking the phial.

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 strength, and strength shall help

afford

Farewel, dear father!

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.

Changes to Capulet's House.

Enter Capulet, Lady Capulet, Nurse, and two or three Servants.

Cap. Sor

many guests invite, as here are writ; Sirrah, go hire me twenty cunning cooks.

Serv. You fhall have none ill, Sir, for I'll try if they can lick their fingers.

Cap. How canft thou try them fo?

Serv. Marry, Sir, 'tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers; therefore he that cannot lick his fingers, goes not with me.

Cap. Go, be gone.

We fhall be much unfurnished for this time.

What, is my daughter gone to Friar Lawrence?

Nure. 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 the comes from

Look.

Shrift with merry

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

ful. Where I have learnt me to repent the fin Of difobedient oppofition

(5) If no unconftant toy, -] If no fickle freak, no light caprice, no change of fancy, hinder the performance.

To

Το you and your Behefts; and am enjoin'd
By holy Lawrence to fall proftrate here, [She kneels.
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;
This is as it should be.
Let me fee the County;
Ay, marry
Go, I fay, and fetch him hither.
Now, afore God, 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. No, not 'till Thurfday, there is time enough. Cap. Go, nurfe, go with her. We'll to Church to[Exeunt Juliet and Nurfe. La. Cap. (6) We fhall be fhort in our provifion; 'Tis now near night.

morrow

Cap. Tufh, I will stir about,

And all things fhall be well, I warrant thee, wife...
Go thou to Juliet, help to deck up her,
I'll not to bed to-night. Let me alone;
I'll play the housewife for this once.

They are all forth; well, I will walk myself
To County Paris, to prepare him up

What ho!

Against to-morrow. My heart's wondrous light,
Since this fame way-ward girl is fo reclaim'd.

[Exeunt Capulet and lady Capulet.

SCENE III.

Changes to Juliet's Chamber.

Enter Juliet and Nurse.

Jul. Ay, thofe attires are beft. But, gentle nurse,

I pray thee, leave me to myself to-night;

(6) We shall be fort -] That is, We shall be defective.

(7) For