Jul. To answer that, were to confess to you. Being spoke behind your back, than to your face. Par. Thou wrong'st it, more than tears, with that report. Jul. That is no slander, sir, which is a truth; And what I spake, I spake it to my face. Par. Thy face is mine, and thou hast slandered it. Jul. It may be so, for it is not mine own.— Are you at leisure, holy father, now; Or shall I come to you at evening-mass? 1 Fri. My leisure serves me, pensive daughter, now. My lord, we must entreat the time alone. Par. God shield, I should disturb devotion.Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouse you; Till then, adieu! and keep this holy kiss. [Exit PARIS. Jul. O, shut the door! and when thou hast done so, Come weep with me; past hope, past cure, past help!! Fri. Ah, Juliet, I already know thy grief; It strains me past the compass of my wits. Jul. Tell me not, friar, that thou hear'st of this, If, in thy wisdom, thou canst give no help, God joined my heart and Romeo's, thou our hands; 1 Juliet means vespers; there is no such thing as evening-mass. 2 The seals of deeds formerly were appended on distinct slips or labels affixed to the deed. Or my true heart with treacherous revolt Fri. Hold, daughter; I do spy a kind of hope, Thou hadst the strength of will to slay thyself; A thing like death to chide away this shame, Jul. O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, O'er covered quite with dead men's rattling bones, And hide me with a dead man in his shroud; Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble, And I will do it without fear or doubt, To live an unstained wife to my sweet love.* 1 i. e. shall decide the struggle between me and my distress. 2 Commission may be here used for authority. 3 The quarto 1597 reads: "Or chain me to some steepy mountain's top, In the text, the quarto of 1599 is followed, except that it has "or hide me nightly." 4 Thus the quarto 1599 and the folio: the quarto 1597 reads: "To keep myself a faithful unstained wife To my dear lord, my dearest Romeo."-Boswell. 1 Fri. Hold, then; go home, be merry, give consent 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 distilled liquor drink thou off; When, presently, through all thy veins shall run A cold and drowsy humor, [which shall seize Each vital spirit ;]' for no pulse shall keep His natural progress, but surcease [to beat:] No warmth, no breath, shall testify thou liv'st; The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade To paly ashes; thy eyes' windows fall, Like death, when he shuts up the day of life; Each part deprived of supple government, Shall, stiff, and stark, and cold, appear like death: And in this borrowed likeness of shrunk death Thou shalt remain full two-and-forty hours,2 And then awake as from a pleasant sleep. Now when the bridegroom in the morning comes To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead: Then (as the manner of our country is) In thy best robes uncovered on the bier,3 Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault, Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie. In the mean time, against thou shalt awake, Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift t; And hither shall he come; and he and I Will watch thy waking, and that very night Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua. And this shall free thee from this present shame; 1 Not in the folio of 1623. 2 Instead of the remainder of this scene, the quarto 1597 has only these four lines: "And when thou art laid in thy kindred's vault, And he shall come and take thee from thy grave. Jul. Friar, I go; be sure thou send for my dear Romeo." 3 The Italian custom here alluded to, of carrying the dead body to the grave richly dressed, and with the face uncovered (which is not mentioned by Painter), Shakspeare found particularly described in the Tragicall Hystory of Romeus and Juliet. If no unconstant toy,1 nor womanish fear, Jul. Give me, give me! O, tell me not of fear. Fri. Hold; get you gone; be strong and prosperous In this resolve. I'll send a friar with speed To Mantua, with my letters to thy lord. Jul. Love, give me strength! and strength shall help afford. Farewell, dear father! [Exeunt. SCENE II. A Room in Capulet's House. Enter CAPULET, LADY CAPULET, Nurse, and Servants. Cap. So many guests invite as here are writ.[Exit Servant. Sirrah, go hire me twenty cunning cooks. 2 Serv. You shall have none ill, sir; for I'll try if they can lick their fingers. Cap. How canst thou try them so? 2 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, begone. [Exit Servant. We shall be much unfurnished for this time. What, is my daughter gone to friar Laurence? Nurse. Ay, forsooth. Cap. Well, he may chance to do some good on her; A peevish, self-willed harlotry it is. Enter JULIET. Nurse. See, where she comes from shrift 2 with merry look. Cap. How now, my headstrong? where have you been gadding? 1 If no fickle freak, no light caprice, no change of fancy, hinder the performance. 2 i. e. confession. Jul. Where I have learned me to repent the sin To you, and your behests; and am enjoined And beg your pardon.-Pardon, I beseech you! Cap. Send for the county; go tell him of this; Cap. Why, I am glad on't; this is well,-stand up; Jul. Nurse, will you go with me into my closet, La. Cap. No, not till Thursday; there is time enough. morrow. Cap. Go, nurse, go with her ;-we'll to church to[Exeunt JULIET and Nurse. La. Cap. We shall be short in our provision; 'Tis now near night. Cap. Tush! I will stir about, And all things shall be well, I warrant thee, wife. I'll not to bed to-night;-let me alone; [Exeunt. 1 Becomed for becoming; one participle for another; a frequent practice with Shakspeare. 2 Thus the folio and the quartos 1599 and 1609. The oldest quarto reads, perhaps more grammatically:— "All our whole city is much bound unto." |