Tib. Mercutio, thou consort'st with Romeo. Mer. Consort? what dost thou make us minstrels! if thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but discords: here's my fiddle-stick, here's that shall make you dance, zounds! consort? [Laying his band on bis sword, Ben. We talk here in the public haunt of man : Either withdraw into some private place,

Or reason coolly of your grievances,

Or else depart; here all eyes gazes on us.

Mer. Men's eyes were made to look, and let them gaze, I will not budge for one man's pleasure, I.

Enter ROMEO.

Tib. Well, peace be with you, Sir, here comes my man.
Mer. But I'll be hang'd, Sir, if he wear your livery.
Tib. Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford

No better term than this; thou art a villain.

Rom. Tibalt the reason that I have to love thee, Doth much excuse the appertaining rage

To such a greeting: villain I am none,

Therefore farewell, I see thou know'st me not.
Tib. Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries.
That thou hast done me, therefore turn and draw.
Rom. I do protest I never injur'd thee,
But love thee better than thou cans't devise;
And so, good Capulet, (whose name I tender
As dearly as my own) be satisfied.

Mer. O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!
Ha! la stoccata carries it away-Tibalt-you rat-catcher.
Tib. What would thou have with me?

Mer, Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives, that I mean to make bold withal: will you pluck your sword out of his pilchar by the ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your ears, ere it be out.

Tib. I am for you, Sir

Rom. Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.

Mer. Come, Sir, your passado.

[Drawing.

[Mer. and Tib. fight.

Rom. Draw, Benovolio-beat down their weapons

Gentlemen-for shame for bear this outrage

Hold Tibalt, good Mercutio

Mer. I am hurt

A plague of both your houses! I am sped:
Is he gone, and hath nothing?

[Exit Tibalt.

Ben.

Ben. What, art thou hurt?

Mer. Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch, marry, 'tis enough: Go, fetch a surgeon.

Rom Courage, man, the hurt cannot be much.

Mer. No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door, but 'tis enough, 'twill serve: I am pepper'd, I warrant, for this world-a plague of both your houses! -What? a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat, to scratch a man to death; a braggart, a rogue, a villain, that fights by the book of arithmetic? why the devil came you between us? I was hurt under your arm.

Rom. I thought all for the best.

Mer, Help me into some house, Benvolio,

Or Ishali faint; a plague o' both your houses!
They have made worms meat of me,

I have it, and soundly too: plague o' both your houses!

[Exeunt Mercutio and Benvolio.

SCENE II.

Rom. THIS gentleman, the prince's near ally

TH

My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt

In my behalf; my reputation's stain'd

With Tibalt's slander: O sweet Juliet !
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate,

And in thy temper softened valour's steel.

Enter BENVOLIO.

Ben. O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio's dead,
That gallant spirit hath aspir'd the clouds,
Which too untimely here did scorn the earth.

Enter TIBALT.

Ben. Here comes the furious Tibalt back again.
Rom. Alive? in triumph? and Mercutio slain ?

Away to heav'n, respective lenity,

And fire-ey'd fury be my conduct now!

Now, Tibalt, take the villain back again,

That late thou gav'st me: for Mercutio's soul

Is but a little way above our heads,

And thou or I must keep him company.

Tib. Thou wretched boy, that didst consort him here, Shalt with him hence,

Rom.

Rom. This shall determine that.

[They fight, Tibalt falls.

Ben. Romeo, away, begone;

The citizens are up, and Tibalt slain

Stand not amaz'd; the prince will doom thee death,
If thou art taken; hence, begone, away.

Rom. O! I am fortune's fool.

SCENE. III.

[Exit Romeo.

Enter PRINCE, MOUNTAGUE, CAPUTET, citizens, etc.

Prince.

WHE

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

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

Cap. Unhappy sight! alas, the blood is spill'd
Of my dear kinsman- -Now as thou art a prince,
For blood of ours, shed blood of Mountague.
Prin. Benvolio, who began this fray?

Ben. Tibalt, here slain;

Romeo bespoke him fair, bid him bethink
How nice the quarrel was, and urg'd withal
Your high displeasure: all this uttered

With gentle breath, calm looks, knees humbly bow'd,
Could not make truce with the unruly spleen
Of Tibalt, 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 Tibalt, whose dexterity

Retorts; 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 Tibalt hit the life

Of stout Mercutio, and then Tibalt fled;
But by and by comes back to Romeo,
Who had but newly entertain'd revenge,
And to't they go like lightening: for ere I
Could draw to part them, was stout Tibalt slain ;

And

And as he fell, did Romeo turn to fly;
This is the truth, or let Benvolio suffer.

Cap. He is a kinsman to the Mountague,
Affection makes him false; he speaks not true;
I beg for justice; justice, gracious prince;
Romeo slew Tibalt, Romeo must not live.
Prin. Romeo slew him, he slew Mercutio;
Who now the price of his dear blood doth owe?
Mount, Romeo but took the forfeit life of Tibalt.
Prin. And we for that offence do banish him.
I have an int'rest in your heady brawls,

My blood doth flow from brave Mercutio's wounds.
But I'll amerce you with so strong a fine,
That you shall all repent my loss in him,

I will be deaf to pleading and excuse,

Nor tears nor prayers shall purchase our repeal:
Therefore use none, let Romeo be gone,
Else when he is found, that hour is his last.
Bear hence this body, and attend our will:
Mercy but murders, pardoning those that kill.

SCENE IV.

An Apartment in CAPULET'S House.

Enter JULIET alone.

Jul. GALLOP apace, you fiery-footed steeds

[Exeunt

To mansion; such a waggoner,

As Phaeton, would whip you to the West,
And bring in cloudy night immediately.

Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night,

That the run-away's eyes may wink; and Romeo
Leap to these arms, untalkt of and unseen.

Come night, come Romeo! come thou day in night
For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night,
Whiter than snow upon the raven's back :
Give me my Romeo, Night, and when he dies,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,

And he will make the face of heav'n so fine,
That all the world will be in love with night,

And pay no worship to the garish sun :

Oh, I have bought the mansion of a love,

But

But not posess'd it; so tedious is the day,
As is the night before the festival,

To an impatient child that hath new robes,

And may not wear them. Oh, here comes my nurse!

Enter NURSE.

And she brings news, and every tongue that speaks
But Romeo's name, speaks heav'nly eloquence;
Now, nurse, what news?

Why dost thou wring thy hands?

Nurse. Ah, welladay he's dead, he's dead, he's dead! We are undone, lady, we are undone—————

Jul. Can heav'n be so envious?

Nurse. Romeo can,

Though heav'n cannot.

Oh Romeo! Romeo!

Jul. What devil art thou that does torment me thus ? This torture should be roar'd in dismal hell.

Hath Romeo slain himself? say thou but ay,
And that bare little word shall poison mere
Than the earth-darting eye of cockatrice.

Nurse. I saw the wound, I saw it with mine eyes,
Here on his manly breast.-A piteous coarse,
A bloody piteous coarse, pale, pale as ashes,

I swooned at the sight.

Jul. Oh break my heart!-poor bankrupt, break at

once !

To prison, eyes! ne'er look on liberty;
Vile earth to earth resign, and motion here,
And thou and Romeo press one heavy brier!
Nurse. Oh Tibalt, Tibalt, the best friend I had;
That ever I should leave to see thee dead!
Jul. What storm is this that blows so contrary?
Is Romeo slaughter'd? and is Tibalt dead?
Nurse. Tibalt is dead, and Romeo banished.
Romeo that kill'd him, he is banished.

Jul. Oh heav'n! did Romeo's hand shed Tibalt's blood?
Nurse. It did, it did, alas the day! it did.

Jul. Oh nature! what hadst thou to do in hell,

When thou didst bower the spirit of a fiend

In mortal paradise of such sweet flesh? Oh that deceit

should dwell

In such a gorgeous palace!

Nurse. There is no trust,

No