Rom. Alive, in triumph! and Mercutio slain ! Away to heaven, respective lenity,

And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!

Re-enter TYBALT.

Now, Tybalt, take the 'villain' back again,
That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio's soul
Is but a little way above our heads,
Staying for thine to keep him company:

Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him.
Tyb. Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort
him here,

Shalt with him hence.

Rom.

130

This shall determine that.

[They fight; Tybalt falls.

Ben. Romeo, away, be gone!

The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain.

Stand not amazed: the prince will doom thee death,

If thou art taken: hence, be gone, away!

Rom. O, I am fortune's fool!

140

Ben.

Why dost thou stay?

[Exit Romeo.

Enter Citizens, etc.

First Cit. Which way ran he that kill'd Mercutio?

Tybalt, that murderer, which way ran he?

Ben. There lies that Tybalt.

First Cit.

Up, sir, go with me;

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

Enter Prince, attended; MONTAGUE, CAPULET,
their Wives, and others.

Prin. Where are the vile beginners of this fray?
Ben. O noble prince, I can discover all

128. respective, considerate, 139. amazed, bewildered.
scrupulous.
147. discover, disclose.

VOL. VII

465

2 H

The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl:
There lies the man, slain by young Romeo,
That slew thy kinsman, brave Mercutio.

La. Cap. Tybalt, my cousin! O my brother's child!

O prince! O cousin! husband! O, the blood

is spilt

Of my dear kinsman! Prince, as thou art true,
For blood of ours, shed blood of Montague.
O cousin, cousin!

Prin. Benvolio, who began this bloody fray?

Ben. Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo's hand did slay;

Romeo that spoke him fair, bade him bethink

How nice the quarrel was, and urged withal
Your high displeasure: all this uttered.

With gentle breath, calm look, knees humbly bow'd,

Could not take truce with the unruly spleen
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 scorn, with one hand beats
Cold death aside, and with the other sends
It back to Tybalt, whose dexterity

Retorts it: Romeo he cries aloud,

'Hold, friends! friends, part!' and, swifter than

his tongue,

His agile arm beats down their fatal points,
And 'twixt them rushes; underneath whose arm
An envious thrust from Tybalt hit the life
Of stout 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, ere I

148. manage, course.

Could draw to part them, was stout Tybalt slain,
And, as he fell, did Romeo turn and fly.
This is the truth, or let Benvolio die.

La. Cap. He is a kinsman to the Montague;
Affection makes him false; he speaks not true:
Some twenty of them fought in this black strife,
And all those twenty could but kill one life.
I beg for justice, which thou, prince, must give ;
Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo must not live.

Prin. Romeo slew him, he slew Mercutio;
Who now the price of his dear blood doth owe?
Mon. Not Romeo, prince, he was Mercutio's

friend;

180

His fault concludes but what the law should end, 190 The life of Tybalt.

Prin.

And for that offence

Immediately we do exile him hence:

I have an interest in your hate's proceeding,
My blood for your rude brawls doth lie a-bleeding;
But I'll amerce you with so strong a fine
That you shall all repent the loss of mine:
I will be deaf to pleading and excuses;
Nor tears nor prayers shall purchase out abuses :
Therefore use none: let Romeo hence in haste,
Else, when he's found, that hour is his last.
Bear hence this body and attend our will:
Mercy but murders, pardoning those that kill.

SCENE II. Capulet's orchard.

Enter JULIET.

[Exeunt.

Jul. Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phoebus' lodging: such a waggoner

193. hate's; Knight's emendation for Qq Ff 'hearts.'

200

As Phaethon would whip you to the west,
And bring in cloudy night immediately.
Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night,
That runaways' eyes may wink, and Romeo
Leap to these arms, untalk'd of and unseen.
Lovers can see to do their amorous rites
By their own beauties; or, if love be blind,
It best agrees with night. Come, civil night,
Thou sober-suited matron, all in black,
And learn me how to lose a winning match,
Play'd for a pair of stainless maidenhoods:
Hood my unmann'd blood, bating in my cheeks,
With thy black mantle; till strange love, grown
bold,

Think true love acted simple modesty.

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

For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night

Whiter than new snow on a raven's back.

Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-brow'd night,

3. Phaethon, who rashly attempted to drive the chariot of the Sun.

6. runaways'. No interpretation of this word is satisfactory. Those who retain it commonly explain it 'ramblers, vagabonds,' whose observation Romeo could not defy till it was dark; a prosaic idea.

Dyce proposed rude day'; Heath • Rumour's'; Halpin thought that 'Runaway' meant Cupid ("Epws Spanérns); Warburton that it referred to Phœbus in his chariot; and Mr. Gollancz suggests, very prettily, that Runaway may have belonged, in the sense of "Day," to the play

Give me my
Romeo ); and, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him' out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
-And pay no worship to the garish sun
O, I have bought the mansion of a love,
But not possess'd it, and, though I am sold,
Not yet enjoy'd so tedious is this day
As is the night before some festival

To an impatient child that hath new robes

And may not wear them. O, here comes my nurse,
And she brings news; and every tongue that speaks
But Romeo's name speaks heavenly eloquence.

Ay, ay, the cords. [Throws them down.

Jul. Ay me! what news? why dost thou wring thy hands?

Nurse. Ah, well-a-day! he's dead, he's dead,

he's dead!

We are undone, lady, we are undone !

Alack the day! he's gone, he's kill'd, he's dead!
Jul. Can heaven be so envious?

Nurse.

30

Romeo can,

40

Though heaven cannot: O Romeo, Romeo!
Who ever would have thought it?

Romeo!

Jul. What devil art thou, that dost torment me

thus ?

This torture should be roar'd in dismal hell.

Hath Romeo slain himself? say thou but 'I,'

45. say thou but 'I,' i.e. 'ay,' which was commonly written 'I.'