Oh, this fame thought did but fore-run my need,
And this fame needy man must sell it me.
As I remember, this fhould be the house.
Being holy-day, the beggar's fhop is fhut.
What, ho! apothecary!
Ap. Who calls fo loud?
Rom. Come hither, man. Hold.
I fee, that thou art poor.
There is forty ducats. Let me have
A dram of poifon, fuch foon-speeding geer,
As will difperfe itself thro' all the veins,
That the life-weary Taker may fall dead;
And that the Trunk may be difcharg'd of breath,
As violently, as hafty powder fir'd
Doth hurry from the fatal cannon's womb.
Ap. Such mortal drugs I have, but Mantua's law Is death to any he that utters them.
Rom. Art thou fo bare and full of wretchedness, And fear'ft to die? Famine is in thy cheeks, Need and oppreffion ftare within thine eyes, Contempt and beggary hang upon thy back, The world is not thy friend, nor the world's law; The world affords no law to make thee rich, Then be not poor, but break it, and take this. Ap. My poverty, but not my will, consents. Rom. I pay thy poverty, and not thy will, Ap. Put this in any liquid thing you will, And drink it off, and if you had the ftrength Of twenty men, it would dispatch you ftraight. Rom. There is thy gold; worfe poifon to men's fouls,
Doing more murders in this loathsome world,
Than thefe poor compounds that thou may'ft not fell.
I fell thee poifon, thou haft fold me none.-
Farewel, buy food, and get thee into flesh.
Come, cordial, and not poifon; go with me
To Juliet's grave, for there muft I ufe thee. [Exeunt.
SCENE II.
Changes to the Monaftery of Verona.
Enter Friar John.
John. Holy Francifcan Friar! brother! ho!
Enter Friar Lawrence to him.
Lau. This fame fhould be the voice of Friar John.
Welcome from Mantua; what fays Romeo?
Or, if his mind be writ, give me his letter.
John. Going to find a bare-foot brother out,
One of our Order, to affociate me,
Here in this city visiting the fick;
And finding him, the Searchers of the town,
Sufpecting that we both were in a houfe
Where the infectious peftilence did reign,
Seal'd up the doors, and would not let us forth;
So that my speed to Mantua there was ftaid.
Law. Who bore my letter then to Romeo?
John. I could not fend it; here it is again;
Nor get a Meffenger to bring it thee,
So fearful were they of infection.
Lau. Unhappy fortune! by my Brotherhood,
The letter was not nice, but full of charge
Of dear import; and the neglecting it
May do much danger. Friar John, go hence,
Get me an iron Crow, and bring it ftraight
Unto my cell.
John. Brother, I'll go and bring it thee.
Law. Now muft I to the Monument alone,
Within these three hours will fair Juliet wake;
She will befhrew me much, that Romeo
Hath had no notice of thefe accidents.
But I will write again to Mantua,
Poor living coarfe, clos'd in a dead man's tomb !
Changes to a Church-yard; in it, a Monument belonging to the Capulets.
Enter Paris, and his Page, with a light.
Par. Give me thy torch, boy; hence and ftand a
Yet put it out, for I would not be seen.
Under yond yew-trees lay thee along,
Laying thy ear close to the hollow ground,
So fhall no foot upon the church-yard tread,
Being loose, unfirm, with digging up of Graves,
But thou thalt hear it: whistle then to me,
As fignal that thou hear'ft fomething approach.
Give me those flow'rs. Do as I bid thee. Go.
Page. I am almost afraid to stand alone
Here in the church-yard, yet I will adventure. [Exit.
Par. Sweet flow'r with flow'rs thy bridal bed I
ftrew:
[Strewing florvers.
(2) Fair Juliet, that with angels doft remain,
Accept this lateft favour at my hand;
That living honour'd thee, and, being dead,
With fun'ral obfequies adorn thy tomb.
The boy gives warning, fomething doth ap-
proach.
What curfed foot wanders this way to-night.
To cross my Obfequies, and true love's rite?
What, with a torch? Muffle me, night, a while.
Enter Romeo and Balthafar with a light.
Rom. Give me that mattock, and the wrenching iron. Hold, take this letter; early in the morning
(2) Fair Juliet, that with angels, &c.] Thefe four lines from the old edition.
Mr. Pope has followed the best copy. The folio has thefe lines; Sweet flow'r, with flow'rs thy bridal bed 1 firew :
O woe! thy canopy is duft and franes,
Which with fweet water nightly I will dew,
Or wanting that, with tears diftill'd by moans.
The obfequies which I for thee will keep,
Nightly fhall be to firew thy grave, and weep.
E 2
See thou deliver it to my Lord and father.
Give me the light. Upon thy life, I charge thee,
Whate'er thou hear'ft or feeft, ftand all aloof,
And do not interrupt me in my course.
Why I defcend into this bed of death,
Is partly to behold my lady's face;
But chiefly to take thence from her dead finger
A precious ring, a ring that I must use
In (3) dear employment. Therefore hence. Be gone:
But if thou, jealous, doft return to pry
On what I further shall intend to do,
By heaven, I will tear thee joint by joint,
And strew this hungry church-yard with thy limbs.
The time and my intents are favage, wild,
More fierce and more inexorable far
Than empty tygers, or the roaring fea.
Balth. I will be gone, Sir, and not trouble you.
Rom. So fhalt thou fhew me Friendship.-
Live and be profp'rous, and farewel, good fellow.
Balth. For all this fame, I'll hide me hereabout.
His looks I fear, and his intents I doubt.
[Exit Balth. Rom. Thou deteftable maw, thou womb of death, Gorg'd with the dearest morfel of the earth,
Thus I enforce thy rotten jaws to open,
[Breaking up the Monument.
And in defpight I'll cram thee with more food.
Par. This is that banifh'd, haughty Montague,
That murder'd my love's coufin; with which grief,
It is fuppofed, the fair Creature dy'd,
And here is come to do fome villainous fhame
To the dead bodies. I will apprehend him.
Stop thy unhallow'd toil, vile Montague,
Can vengeance be purfu'd further than death?
Condemned villain, I do apprehend thee;
Obey, and go with me, for thou muft die.
Rom. I muft, indeed, and therefore came I hither.
Good, gentle youth, tempt not a defp'rate man;
Fly hence, and leave me. Think upon thefe gone,
Let them affright thee. I beseech thee, youth,
(3) dear employment.] That is, aftion of importance. Gems were fuppofed to have great powers and virtues.
JULIE T.
Pull not another fin upon my head,
By urging me to fury. O be gone!
By heav'n, I love thee better than myself;
For I come hither arm'd against myself.
Stay not, be gone. Live, and hereafter say,
A madman's Mercy bade thee run away.
Par. I do defy thy commiferation,
And apprehend thee for a felon here.
Rom. Wilt thou provoke me? then have at thee, boy. [They fight, Paris falls. Page. Oh Lord, they fight! I will go call the Watch, Par. Oh, I am flain; if thou be merciful, Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet.
[Dies.
Rom. In faith, I will. Let me perufe this face.
Mercutio's kinfman; Noble County Paris!
What faid my man, when my betoffed foul
Did not attend him as we rode? I think,
He told me, Paris fhould have married Juliet.
Said he not fo? or did I dream it fo?
Or am I mad, hearing him talk of Juliet,
To think it was fo? Öh give me thy hand,
One writ with me in four Misfortune's book,
I'll bury thee in a triumphant Grave.
A Grave? O, no; a Lanthorn, flaughter'd youth;
For here lies Juliet ; and her beauty makes
This vault a feafting (4) Presence full of Light.
Death, lie thou there, by a dead man interr'd.
[Laying Paris in the Monument.
How oft, when Men are at the point of death,
Have they been merry? Which their Keepers call
A Lightning before Death. (5) O, how may 1
Call this a Lightning!-Oh my love, my wife!
Death, that hath fuckt the honey of thy breath,...
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty,
Thou art not conquer'd; beauty's enfign yet
Is crimson in thy lips, and in thy cheeks,
And death's pale flag is not advanced there.
(4) -Prefence-] A prefence is a publick room. (5)-0, bow may I
Call tall this a lightning !] I think we fhould read, -0, now may I
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