Enter FRIAR LAURENCE and PARIS, with Musicians. Fri. Come, is the bride ready to go to church? O son, the night before thy wedding-day Hath death lain with thy bride.-See, there she lies, Death is my son-in-law, death is my heir; Par. Have I thought long to see this morning's face,' And doth it give me such a sight as this? La. Cap. Accursed, unhappy, wretched, hateful day! Most miserable hour, that e'er time saw But one, poor one, one poor and loving child, But one thing to rejoice and solace in, And cruel death hath catched it from my sight. O day! O day! O day! O hateful day! Par. Beguiled, divorced, wronged, spited, slain! By cruel, cruel thee quite overthrown!— O love! O life!-not life, but love in death! Cap. Despised, distressed, hated, martyred, killed! Uncomfortable time! why cam'st thou now To murder, murder our solemnity?— 1 The quarto of 1597 continues the speech of Paris thus : "And doth it now present such prodigies? Accurst, unhappy, miserable man, Born to the world to be a slave in it: Distrest, remediless, unfortunate. Oh, heavens! Oh, nature! wherefore did you make me To live so vile, so wretched as I shall?" In the text, the edition of 1599 is here followed. The nurse's exclama tory speech is not in the first quarto. O child! O child!-my soul, and not my child! Fri. Peace, ho, for shame! confusion's cure lives not In these confusions. Heaven and yourself Had part in this fair maid; now Heaven hath all, Your part in her you could not keep from death; [Exeunt CAPULET, LADY CAPULet, Paris, 11 Instead of this and the following speeches, the first quarto has only a couplet: "Let it be so; come, woful sorrow-mates, Let us together taste this bitter fate." The enlarged text is formed upon the poem. 1 Mus. 'Faith, we may put up our pipes, and be gone. Nurse. Honest, good fellows, ah, put up; put up; For, well you know, this is a pitiful case. [Exit Nurse. 1 Mus. Ay, by my troth, the case may be amended. Enter PETER. Pet. Musicians, O musicians, Heart's ease, heart's ease; O, an you will have me live, play-heart's ease. 1 Mus. Why heart's ease? Pet. O musicians, because my heart itself playsMy heart is full of woe. O, play me some merry dump,2 to comfort me. 2 Mus. Not a dump we; 'tis no time to play now. Pet. You will not then? Mus. No. Pet. I will then give it you soundly. 1 Mus. What will you give us? Pet. No money, on my faith; but the gleek; I will give you the minstrel. 1 Mus. Then will I give you the serving-creature. Pet. Then will I lay the serving-creature's dagger on your pate. I will carry no crotchets; I'll re you, I'll fa you. Do you note me? 1 Mus. An you re us, and fa us, you note us. 2 Mus. 'Pray you, put up your dagger, and put out your wit. Pet. Then have at you with my wit; I will dry-beat 1 This is the burden of the first stanza of A Pleasant New Ballad of Two Lovers: "Hey hoe! my heart is full of woe." 2 A dump was formerly the received term for a grave or melancholy strain in music, vocal or instrumental. It also signified a kind of poetical elegy. A merry dump is no doubt a purposed absurdity put into the mouth of master Peter. 3 A pun is here intended. A gleekman, or gligman, is a minstrel. To give the gleek, meant, also, to pass a jest upon a person, to make him appear ridiculous; a gleek being a jest or scoff. you with an iron wit, and put up my iron dagger.Answer me like men: When griping grief the heart doth wound, Why, silver sound? why, music with her silver sound? 1 Mus. Marry, sir, because silver hath a sweet sound. Pet. Pratest! What say you, Hugh Rebeck? 2 Mus. I say-silver sound, because musicians sound for silver. Pet. Pratest too!-What say you, James Soundpost? 3 Mus. 'Faith, I know not what to say. Pet. O, I cry you mercy! you are the singer; I will say for for you. It is-music with her silver sound, because musicians have seldom gold for sounding : Then music, with her silver sound, [Exit, singing. 1 Mus. What a pestilent knave is this same! 2 Mus. Hang him, Jack! Come, we'll in here; tarry for the mourners, and stay dinner. [Exeunt. 1 This is part of a song by Richard Edwards, to be found in the Paradice of Dainty Devices, fol. 31, b. Another copy of this song is to be found in Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry. 2 This worthy takes his name from a small lutestring made of catgut; his companion, the fiddler, from an instrument of the same name, mentioned by many of our old writers, and recorded by Milton as an instrument of mirth. ACT V. SCENE I. Mantua. A Street. Enter ROMEO. Rom. If I may trust the flattering eye of sleep,' Ah me! how sweet is love itself possessed, Enter BALTHASAR. News from Verona !-How now, Balthasar? Bal. Then she is well, and nothing can be ill. Rom. Is it even so? Then I defy you, stars!— 1 Thus the first quarto. The folio reads :— "If I may trust the flattering truth of sleep.” The sense appears to be, If I may repose any confidence in the flattering visions of the night. Otway reads: "If I may trust the flattery of sleep." |