Rom. I take thee at thy word:

Call me but love, and I'll be new baptiz'd,
Henceforth I never will be Romeo.

Jul. What man art thou that thus befcreen'd in night
So stumbleft on my counsel?

Rom. By a name

I know not how to tell thee who I am:

My name, dear faint, is hateful to my felf,
Because it is an enemy to thee.

Had I it written, I would tear the word.

Jul. My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words
Of that tongue's uttering, yet I know the found.
Art thou not Romeo, and a Mountague?

Rom. Neither, fair faint, if either thee diflike.
Jul. How cam'ft thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?
The orchard walls are high, and hard to climb,
And the place death, confidering who thou art,
If any of my kinsmen find thee here.

Rom. With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls,
For ftony limits cannot hold love out,

And what love can do, that dares love attempt:
Therefore thy kinfmen are no ftop to me.

Jul. If they do fee thee, they will murder thee.
Rom. Alack there lyes more peril in thine eye,
Than twenty of their fwords; look thou but fweet,
And I am proof against their enmity.

Jul. I would not for the world they faw thee here.
Rom. I have night's cloak to hide me from their eyes,
And but thou love me, let them find me here;
My life were better ended by their hate,

Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.

Jul. By whofe direction found'it thou out this place? Rom. By love, that firft did prompt me to enquire; He lent me counfel, and I lent him eyes:

I am no pilot, yet wert thou as far

As that vaft fhore wash'd with the fartheft sea,

I would adventure for fuch merchandise.

Jul. Thou know'ft the mask of night is on my face,

Elfe

Elfe would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek
For that which thou haft heard me speak to-night.
Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny
What I have spoke but farewel compliment:
Doft thou love me? I know thou wilt fay, ay,
And I will take thy word-yet if thou fwear'ft,
Thou may'ft prove falfe; at lovers perjuries
They fay Jove laughs. Oh gentle Romeo,
If thou doft love, pronounce it faithfully:
Or if thou think I am too quickly won,
I'll frown and be perverfe, and say thee nay,
So thou wilt wooe: but elfe not for the world.
In truth, fair Mountague, I am too fond;
And therefore thou may'ft think my 'haviour light:
But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true,
Than those that have more cunning to be strange.
I fhould have been more ftrange, I muft confefs,
But that thou over-heard'ft, ere I was 'ware,
My true love's paffion; therefore pardon me,
And not impute this yielding to light love,
Which the dark night hath fo discovered.

Rom. Lady, by yonder bleffed moon I vow, That tips with filver all thefe fruit-tree tops Jul. O fwear not by the moon, th' inconftant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb ; Left that thy love prove likewife variable. Rom. What fhall I swear by?

Jul. Do not fwear at all;

Or if thou wilt, fwear by thy gracious felf,
Which is the God of my idolatry,

And I'll believe thee.

Rom. If my true heart's love

Jul. Well, do not fwear-although I joy in thee, I have no joy of this contract to-night;

It is too rafh, too unadvis'd, too fudden,
Too like the lightning which doth ceafe to be

Ere one can fay, It lightensfweet, good night!
This bud of love by fummer's ripening breath

May

May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet:
Good night, good night-as fweet repofe and reft
Come to thy heart, as that within my breaft!
Rom. O, wilt thou leave me fo unfatisfied?
Jul. What fatisfaction canft thou have to-night?
Rom. Th' exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine.
Jul. I gave thee mine before thou didst request it:
And yet I would it were to give again.

[love?
Rom. Wouldst thou withdraw it? for what purpose,
Jul. But to be frank, and give it thee again.
And yet I wish but for the thing I have:
My bounty is as boundless as the fea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.

I hear some noise within; dear love, adieu.

Anon, good nurfe

[Nurfe calls within. Sweet Mountague, be true:

Stay but a little, I will come again.

Rom. O bleffed, bleffed night! I am afraid

Being in night all this is but a dream,

Too flattering-fweet to be fubftantial.

Re-enter Juliet above.

[Exit.

Jul. Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed: If that thy bent of love be honourable,

Thy purpose marriage, fend me word to-morrow,
By one that I'll procure to come to thee,
Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite;
And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay,
And follow thee, my lord, throughout the world.

[Within: Madam.

I come, anon-but if thou mean'ft not well,

I do befeech thee-[Within: Madam.] By and by I come-
To cease thy fuit, and leave me to my grief.
To-morrow will I fend.

Rom. So thrive my foul!

Ful. A thousand times good night!

[Exit. Rom.

Rom. A thousand times the worse to want thy light. Love goes tow'rd love, as fchool-boys from their books; But love from love, towards school with heavy looks. Enter Juliet again.

Jul. Hift! Romeo, hift! O for a falkner's voice,
To lure this Taffel-gentle back again

Bondage is hoarfe, and may not speak aloud;
Elfe would I tear the cave where Echo lyes,
And make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine,
With repetition of my Romeo.

Rom. It is my love that calls upon my name;
How filver-fweet found lovers tongues by night,
Like fofteft mufick to attending ears!

Jul. Romeo!

Rom. My fweet!

Jul. At what a clock to-morrow Shall I send to thee?

Rom. By the hour of nine.

Jul. I will not fail, 'tis twenty years 'till then,I have forgot why I did call thee back.

Rom. Let me ftand here 'till thou remember it. Jul. I fhall forget, to have thee still stand there, Remembring how I love thy company.

Rom. And I'll ftill ftay to have thee ftill forget, Forgetting any other home but this.

Jul. 'Tis almoft morning. I would have thee gone, And yet no further than a Wanton's bird,

That lets it hop a little from her hand,

Like a poor prifoner in his twisted gyves,

And with a filk thread plucks it back again,
So loving-jealous of his liberty.

Rom. I would I were thy bird.

Jul. Sweet, fo would I;

Yet I fhould kill thee with much cherishing.
Good night, good night! Parting is fuch sweet sorrow,
That I fhall fay, Good night, 'till it be morrow. [Exit.
Rom. Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast!

Would

Would I were fleep and peace, fo fweet to reft!
Hence will I to my ghoftly friar's clofe cell,
His help to crave, and my dear hap to tell.

[Exit.

S C EN E III.

A Monaftery,

Enter Friar Lawrence, with a basket.

Fri. TH

'HE grey-ey'd morn fmiles on the frowning
night,

Check'ring the eaftern clouds with ftreaks of light,
And darkness flecker'd like a drunkard reels:
From forth day's path-way, made by Titan's wheels.
Now ere the fun advance his burning eye,

The day to chear, and night's dank dew to dry,
I must fill up this ofier cage of ours!

113

With baleful weeds, and precious-juiced flowers.
The earth that's nature's mother, is her tomb,
What is her burying grave, that is her womb;
And from her womb children of divers kind
We fucking on her natural bofom find:
Many for many virtues excellent,

None but for fome, and yet all different.
O mickle is the powerful grace, that lyes
In plants, herbs, ftones, and their true qualities.
For nought fo vile, that on the earth doth live,
But to't the earth fome fpecial good doth give:
Nor ought fo good but, ftrain'd from that fair ufe,
Revolts from's true birth ftumbling on abuse.
Virtue it self turns vice, being mifapplied,
And vice fometime by action's dignified.
Within the infant rind of this fmall flower
Poison hath refidence, and medicine power:

For this, being fmelt, with that fenfe chears each part;
Being tasted, flays all fenfes with the heart.

VOL. VI.

R

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