Jul. Go, shut the door, and when thou hast done

fo, Come weep with me, past hope, past cure, paft help.

. Fri. O Juliet, I already know thy grief, It strains me past the Compass of my Wits. } hear, you must, and nothing may prorogue it, On Thursday next be married to this Count.

Jul. Tell me not, Friar, that thou hear'ft of this,
Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it.
If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help,
Do thou but call my resolution wise,
And with this knifé I'll help it presently.
God join'd my heart and Romeo's; thou, our hands ;
And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo fealid,
Shall be the label to another deed,
Or
my

true heart with treacherous revolt
Turn to another, this shall flay them both:
Therefore out of thy long-experienc'd time,
Give me some present counsel ; or, behold,
'Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife
Shall play the umpire; arbitrating that,
Which the commission of thy years and art
Could to no issue of true honour bring :
Be not so long to speak; I long to die,
If what thou speak'st speak not of remedy.

Fri. Hold, daughter, I do 'spy a kind of hope,
Which craves as desperate an execution,
As That is defp'rate which we would prevent.
If, rather than to marry County Paris,
Thou haft the strength of will to say thyself,
Then it is likely, thou wilt undertake
A thing like death to chide away this shame,
That cop'ft with death himself, to 'scape from it :
And if thou dar'ft, I'll give thee remedy.

Jul. O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,
From off the battlements of yonder tower:
Or chain me to some steepy mountain's top,
Where roaring bears and favage lions roam;

Or

Or shut me nightly in a carnel house,
O’er-cover'd quite with dead men's ratling bones,
With reeky Thanks, and yellow chapless skulls ;
Or bid me go into a new-made Grave,
And hide me with a dead man in his shroud ;
(Things, that to hear them nam'd, have made me

tremble:)
And I will do it without fear or doubt,
To live an unítain'd wife to my sweet love.

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 humour, which shall seize Each vital spirit; for no Pulse fhall keep His nat’ral progress, but furcease to beat. No warmth, no breath, fhall testify thou livest; The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade To paly alhes ; thy eyes' windows fall, Like death, when he shuts up the day of life; Each Part, depriv'd of supple Government, Shall stiff, and stark, and cold appear like Death : And in this borrowed likeness of shrunk death Thou shalt continue two and forty hours, 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 uncover'd on the bier, Be borne to burial in thy kindred's Grave: Thou shalt be borne to that saine 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, 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,
If no unconstant toy, nor womanilh fear,
Abate thy valour in the acting it.
Jul. Give me, oh give me, tell me not of fear.

[Taking the phial.
Fri. Hold, get you gone, be strong and prosperous
In this Resolve; T'Il send a Friar with speed
To Mantua, with my letters to thy lord.
Jul. Love, give me strength, and strength shall

help afford. Farewel, dear father!

[Exeunt.

Changes to Capulet's House.
Enter Capulet, Lady Capulet, Nurse, and two or three

Servants.
Cap.
SS

O many Guests invite, as here are writ;

Sirrah, go hire me twenty cunning cooks. Ser. You shall have none ill, Sir, for I'll try ifthey can lick their fingers.

Cap. How canst thou try them fo ?

Ser. 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, be gone.
We shall be much unfurnish'd for this time:
What, is my daughter gone to Friar Lawrence ?

Nurse. Ay, forsooth.

Cap. Well, he may chance to do some good on her: A peevith self-will'd harlotry it is.

Enter Juliet. Nurse. See, where she comes from Shrift with merry Look.

Сар.

Cap. How now, my head-strong ? where have you

been gadding?
Jul. Where I have learnt me to repent the fin
Of disobedient opposition
To You and your Behests; and am enjoin'd
By holy Lawrence to fall proftrate here,
And beg your pardon : Pardon, I beseech you!
Henceforward I am ever rul'd by you.

Cap. Send for the County, go tell him of this, I'll have this knot knit up to-morrow morning.

Jul. I met the youthful lord at Lawrence' cell, And gave him what becoming love I might, Not stepping o'er the bounds of Modesty.

Cap. Why, I am glad on't, this is well, stand up; This is as't should be; let me see the County: Ay, marry, go, I say, and fetch him hither. Now, afore God, this reverend holy Friar, * All our whole city is much bound to him.

Ju!. Nurse, will you go with me into my closet, To help me fort such needful ornaments As you

think fit to furnish me to-morrow ? La. Cap. No, not’till Thursday, there is time enough. 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 ftir about, And all things shall be well, I warrant thee, wife : Go thou to Juliet, help to deck up her, I'll not to bed to-night, let me alone: I'll play the housewife for this once-What, ho! They are all forth ; well, I will walk myself To County Paris, to prepare him up Against to-morrow. My heart's wondrous light, Since this same way-ward girl is so reclaim'd.

[Exeunt Capulet and lady Capulet. whole city is much bound to him. ] Without doubt Shakespear -much bound to hymn.

SCENE.

morrow,

Our

*All wrote,

Changes to Juliet's Chamber.

Enter Juliet and Nurse.
Y, those attires are beft; but, gentle nurse,

Jul. AYplay thee, leave me to myself to-night:

For I have need of many Orisons
To move the heav'ns to smile upon my State,
Which, well thou know'st, is cross, and full of Sin.

Enter lady Capulet.
La. Cap. What, are you busy, do you need my help?

Jul. No, Madam, we have cull’d such necessaries As are behoveful for our flate to-morrow: So please you, let me now be left alone, And let the nurse this night sit up with you: For, I am sure, you have your hands full all, In this so sudden business.

La. Cap. Good-night, Get thee to bed and reft, for thou hast need. (Exeunt, Jul. Farewel-God knows, when we shall meet

again! I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins, That almost freezes up the heat of life. I'll call them back again to comfort me. Nurse—what should she do here? My dismal scene I needs must act alone: Come, phial-- What if this mixture do not work at all? Shall I of force be marry'd to the Count? No, no, this shall forbid it ; lie thou there

[Pointing to a dagger. What if it be a poison, which the Frair Subtly hath ministred, to have me dead, Left in this marriage he should be dishonour'd, Because he married me before to Ronieo?