Belonging to a man. O! be some other name'.
What's in a name? that which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes3,
Without that title.-Romeo, doff thy name;
And for thy name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself *?

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 bescreen'd in night,

So stumblest on my counsel?

Rom.

By a name

I know not how to tell thee who I am:
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,
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 utterance3, yet I know the sound. Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?

It is a mistake to say, with

1 Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O! be some other name.] some modern editors, that the folio, 1623, omits "O! be some other name:" the folio, 1623, omits "nor any other part," and the passage (copied from the quartos, 1599 and 1609) there stands thus unintelligibly :

"Nor arm nor face, O be some other name
Belonging to a man."

:

Malone recovered the necessary words, "nor any other part," from the quarto, 1597, but "O, be some other name" is there omitted. The folio, 1623, instead of printing, with all preceding editions, "What's in a name?" &c. gives "What? in a name's that which we call a rose."

2 By any other NAME-] All editions, but the first of 1597, read corruptly, "By any other word."

3 Retain THAT DEAR perfection which he owes,] The quarto, 1597, reads, "Retain the divine perfection he owes ;" and in the next line," part thy name," for "doff" or "do off thy name."

4 Take all MYSELF.] "Take all I have," in the quarto, 1597.

5 Of THAT tongue's UTTERANCE,] So the quarto, 1597: the later quartos and folio, "Of thy tongue's uttering." In the next line but one, the later quartos and folio read, maid for "saint," and dislike for "displease." In these instances the older text would seem to be the best.

Rom. Neither, fair saint, if either thee displease. Jul. How cam'st thou hither, tell me? and wherefore?

The orchard walls are high, and hard to climb;

And the place death, considering who thou art,
If any of my kinsmen find thee here.

Rom. With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls;

For stony limits cannot hold love out:

And what love can do, that dares love attempt;
Therefore, thy kinsmen are no let to me.

Jul. If they do see thee, they will murder thee.
Rom. Alack! there lies more peril in thine eye,
Than twenty of their swords: look thou but sweet,
And I am proof against their enmity.

Jul. I would not for the world they saw 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 whose direction found'st thou out this place?

Rom. By love, that first did prompt me to inquire; He lent me counsel', and I lent him eyes.

I am no pilot; yet, wert thou as far

As that vast shore wash'd with the farthest sea,

I would adventure for such merchandise.

Jul. Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face;

Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek,

For that which thou hast heard me speak to-night.
Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny
What I have spoke: but farewell compliment!

6 are no LET to me.] i. e. no stop; and such is the word in the quarto, 1599, and later editions. The writers of Shakespeare's time, and long afterwards, used "let" for hinderance.

7 He lent me counsel,] In the quarto, 1597, "He gave me counsel." There are other trifling variations in this part of the scene.

Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say-Ay;
And I will take thy word; yet, if thou swear'st,
Thou may'st prove false: at lovers' perjuries,
They say, Jove laughs. O, gentle Romeo!
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:
Or if thou think'st I am too quickly won,
I'll frown, and be perverse, and say thee nay,
So thou wilt woo; but, else, not for the world.
In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond;
And therefore thou may'st think my haviour light:
But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true
Than those that have more cunning to be strange.
I should have been more strange, I must confess,
But that thou over-heard'st, ere I was ware,
My true love's passion: therefore, pardon me;
And not impute this yielding to light love,
Which the dark night hath so discovered.

Rom. Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear,
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops,-

Jul. O swear not by the moon, th' inconstant

moon

That monthly changes in her circled orb,

Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
Rom. What shall I swear by?

Jul.

Do not swear at all;

Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self',
Which is the god of my idolatry,

And I'll believe thee.

Rom.

If my heart's dear love

Jul. Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee,

I have no joy of this contract to-night :

It is too rash, too unadvis'd, too sudden;

8

MORE CUNNING ] So the quarto, 1597: later editions, coying.

9 LADY, by yonder BLESSED moon I swear,] The folio, 1623, reads, "Lady, by yonder moon I vow," omitting "blessed," which is found in every older copy. The quarto, 1597, has "swear" instead of row of the later editions.

1

by thy gracious self,] The quarto, 1597, "by thy glorious self." Lower down it has," If my true heart's love," for " If my heart's dear love."

Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be,
Ere one can say it lightens. Sweet, good night!
This bud of love', by summer's ripening breath,
May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.
Good night, good night! as sweet repose and rest
Come to thy heart, as that within my breast!

Rom. O! wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?
Jul. What satisfaction canst 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.

Rom. Would'st thou withdraw it? for what purpose, love?

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 sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.

[Nurse calls within.
I hear some noise within: dear love, adieu !—
Anon, good nurse!-Sweet Montague, be true.
Stay but a little, I will come again.

Rom. O blessed blessed night! I am afeard,

Being in night, all this is but a dream,

Too flattering-sweet to be substantial.

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, send me word to-morrow,

2 This bud of love,] The quarto, 1597, reads, "I hear some coming," and then proceeds to "Dear love, adieu," &c., just before Juliet's first exit, omitting the intermediate lines.

3 Too flattering-SWEET-] So all the later copies, and rightly: the quarto, 1597, alone, "Too flattering true:" in the next line, it has "good Romeo" for "dear Romeo."

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'.
Nurse. [Within.] Madam.

Jul. I come, anon.-But if thou mean'st not well, I do beseech thee,

Nurse. [Within.] Madam.

Jul.

By and by; I come.

To cease thy strife', and leave me to my grief:

To-morrow will I send.

Rom.
So thrive my soul,—
Jul. A thousand times good night!

[Exit.

Rom. A thousand times the worse, to want thy

light.

Love goes toward love, as school-boys from their books; But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.

Re-enter JULIET, above.

[Retiring.

Jul. Hist! Romeo, hist!-O, for a falconer's voice, To lure this tercel-gentle back again!

Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloud;

Else would I tear the cave where echo lies,

And make her airy voice more hoarse than mine'

With repetition of my Romeo's name.

4

Rom. It is my soul, that calls upon my name:

throughout the world.] From this passage, down to "Love goes toward love," &c. is not in the quarto, 1597.

5 To cease thy STRIFE,] Malone erroneously says that the quarto, 1597, has suit, for "strife" of all the other copies. The quarto, 1597, has no such passage, for the reason explained in the last note.

To lure this TERCEL-GENTLE back again!] The tercel is the male of the gosshark. See this Vol. p. 69. Steevens adds, "This species of hawk had the epithet of gentle annexed to it, from the ease with which it was tamed."

7 And make her airy VOICE more hoarse than mine] So the quarto, 1597, more fitly than the later copies, which substitute tongue for "voice." All modern editors read tongue, not observing the variation in the editions. The quartos and folio (with the exception of that of 1597 and the undated quarto) omit "mine" at the end of this line, and "name" at the end of the next.