pluck your sword out of his pilcher" by the ears? make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere it be out. Tyb. I am for you. Rom. Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up. Mer. Come, sir, your passado." Rom. Draw, Benvolio; [Drawing, [They fight. Beat down their weapons:-Gentlemen, for shame, The prince expressly hath forbid this bandying [Exeunt TY BALT and his Partizans. Mer. I am hurt ;— Ben. What, art thou hurt? Mer. Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry, 'tis enough.— Where is my page?-go, villain, fetch a surgeon. [Exit Page. 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 : ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man. I am peppered, I warrant, for this world:-A plague o'both your houses!-'Zounds, 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 arithmetick!—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, They have made worm's meat of me: I have it, and soundly too :-Your houses! [Exeunt MERCUTIO and BENVOLIO. Rom. This gentlemen, the prince's near ally, My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt In my behalf; my reputation stain'd · pilcher-] Is here used for scabbard. A pilcher was a leathern coat worn by carmen.-NARES. a · passado.] i. e. A motion forward, a term in the old art of fencing.-NARES. With Tybalt's slander, Tybalt, that an hour Re-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. Rom. This day's black fate on more days doth depend; This but begins the woe, others must end. Re-enter TYBALT. Ben. Here comes the furious Tybalt back again. And fire-ey'd fury be my conduct now! Tyb. Thou wretched boy, that didst consort him here, Shalt with him hence. Rom. This shall determine that. [They fight; TYBALT falls. Ben. Romeo, away, be gone! The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain :— Stand not amaz'd:-the prince will doom thee death, If thou art taken :-hence!-be gone!-away! Rom. O! I am fortune's fool! Ben. Why dost thou stay? [Exit ROMEO. Enter Citizens, &c. 1 Cit. Which way ran he, that kill'd Mercutio? Tybalt, that murderer, which way ran he! b This day's black fate on more days doth depend ;] This day's unhappy destiny hangs over the days yet to come. There will yet be more mischief.-JOHNSON. respective lenity,] Cool, considerate gentleness. -- conduct-] For conductor. Ben. There lies that Tybalt. 1 Cit. Up, sir, go with me; I charge thee in the prince's name, obey. Enter Prince, attended; MONTAGUE, CAPULET, their Prin. Where are the vile beginners of this fray? La. Cap. Tybalt, my cousin!-O my brother's child! Unhappy sight! ah me, the blood is spill'd Of my dear kinsman! -Prince, as thou art true,e Prin. Benvolio, who began this bloody fray? Ben. Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo's hand did slay; Romeo that spoke him fair, bade him bethink How nice the quarrel was, and urg'd withal Your high displeasure :-All this-uttered With gentle breath, calm look, knees humbly bow'd,— Could not take truce with the unruly spleen Of Tybalt deaf to peace, but that he tilts With piercing steel at bold Mercutio's breast; And, with a martial scorn, with one hand beats Retorts it: 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 Of stout Mercutio, and then Tybalt fled: Who had but newly entertain'd revenge, And to't they go like lightning; for, ere I Could draw to part them, was stout Tybalt slain; La. Cap. He is a kinsman to the Montague, Prin. Romeo slew him, he slew Mercutio; Prin. And, for that offence, I have an interest in your hates' proceeding, That you shall all repent the loss of mine: Nor tears, nor prayers, shall purchase out abuses, Bear hence this body, and attend our will: Mercy but murders, pardoning those that kill. [Exeunt. SCENE II. A Room in Capulet's House. Enter JULIET. Jul. Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phœbus' mansion; such a waggoner As Phaeton would whip you to the west, amerce,] i. e. Punish with a fine. And bring in cloudy night immediately.- By their own beauties: or, if love be blind, Come, night!-Come, Romeo! come, thou day in night! Come, gentle night; come, loving, black-brow'd night, To an impatient child, that hath new robes, may not wear them. O, here comes my nurse, And she brings news; and every tongue, that speaks h That run away's eyes may wink ;] i. e. That the eyes of prying persons, who run-away as soon as observed, may wink, i. e. see imperfectly.-These eyes have much puzzled the commentators; and I am very distrustful of the correctness of the above interpretation; but I cannot agree with any other that I have met with. The run-away has been supposed to refer to the sun, to night, to Juliet, to Romeo, and to Fame. There is most probably some typographical error in the lines. i -civil-] i. e. Grave. k Hood my unmann'd blood bating in my cheeks,] These are terms of falconry. An unmanned hawk is one that is not brought to endure company. Bating is fluttering the wings.-STEEVENS. - garish,] i. e. Gandy, showy. |