SCENE II-FRIAR LAURENCE's Cell.

Enter FRIAR JOHN.

John. Holy Franciscan friar! brother, ho!

Enter FRIAR LAURENCE.

Lau. This same should be the voice of Friar John.-
Welcome from Mantua: What says Romeo?
Or, if his mind be writ, give me his letter.
John. Going to find a barefoot brother out,
One of our order to associate me,

Here in this city visiting the sick,

And finding him, the searchers of the town,
Suspecting that we both were in a house
Where the infectious pestilence did reign,
Seal'd up the doors, and would not let us forth;
So that my speed to Mantua there was stay'd.
Lau. Who bare my letter then to Romeo?
John. I could not send it,-here it is again,-
Nor get a messenger 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 straight
Unto my cell.

John. Brother, I'll go and bring't thee.
Lau. Now must I to the monument alone;

[Exit.

Within this three hours will fair Juliet wake;

She will beshrew me much, that Romeo

Hath had no notice of these accidents:

But I will write again to Mantua,

And keep her at my cell till Romeo come;

Poor living corse, closed in a dead man's tomb!

[Exit.

SCENE III-A Church-Yard; in it, a Monument belonging

to the CAPULETS.

Enter PARIS, and his PAGE, bearing Flowers and a Torch.

Par. Give me thy torch, boy: Hence, and stand aloof;Yet put it out, for I would not be seen.

Under yon yew-trees lay thee all along,

Holding thine ear close to the hollow ground;
So shall no foot upon the churchyard tread
(Being loose, unfirm, with digging up of graves),
But thou shalt hear it: whistle then to me,
As signal that thou hear'st something approach.
Give me those flowers. Do as I bid thee, go.
Page. I am almost afraid to stand alone
Here in the church-yard; yet I will adventure.
Par. Sweet flower, with flowers I strew thy bridal bed:

*I. e. on a trivial or idle subject.

[Retires.

Sweet tomb, that in thy circuit dost contain
The perfect model of eternity;

[The Boy whistles.

Fair Juliet, that with angels dost remain,
Accept this latest favour at my hands;
That living honour'd thee, and, being dead,
With funeral praises do adorn thy tomb!
The boy gives warning, something doth approach.
What cursed foot wanders this way to-night,
To cross my obsequies, and true-love's rites ?
What, with a torch !-muffle me, night, a while.

[Retires.

Enter ROMEO and BALTHASAR with a Torch, Mattock, &c.

Rom. Give me that mattock, and the wrenching iron.

Hold, take this letter; early in the morning

See thou deliver it to my lord and father.

Give me the light: Upon thy life I charge thee,
Whate'er thou hear'st or seest, stand all aloof,
And do not interrupt me in my course.
Why I descend into this bed of death,
Is, partly, to behold my lady's face:

But, chiefly, to take hence from her dead finger
A precious ring; a ring that I must use

In dear employment:* therefore hence, begone:-
But if thou, jealous, dost return to pry

In what I further shall intend to do,

By heaven, I will tear thee joint by joint,

And strew this hungry churchyard with thy limbs :
The time and my intents are savage-wild;

More fierce, and more inexorable far,

Than empty tigers, or the roaring sea.

Bal. I will be gone, Sir, and not trouble you.

Rom. So shalt thou show me friendship.-Take thou that: Live, and be prosperous; and farewell, good fellow. Bal. For all this same, I'll hide me hereabout;

His looks I fear, and his intents I doubt.

Rom. Thou détestable maw, thou womb of death
Gorged with the dearest morsel of the earth,
Thus I enforce thy rotten jaws to open,

[Retires.

[Breaking open the door of the monument.
And, in despite, I'll cram thee with more food!
Par. This is that banish'd haughty Montague,
That murder'd my love's cousin ;-with which grief,
It is supposed the fair creature died,-

And here is come to do some villanous shame
To the dead bodies: I will apprehend him.-
Stop thy unhallow'd toil, vile Montague;

Can vengeance be pursued farther than death?
Condemned villain, I do apprehend thee:
Obey, and go with me; for thou must die.

[Advances.

Rom. I must, indeed; and therefore came I hither.Good gentle youth, tempt not a desperate man,

Fly hence and leave me;-think upon these gone;

*I. e. action of importance.

Let them affright thee.-I beseech thee, youth,
Heap not another sin upon my head,

By urging me to fury:-0, be gone!

By heaven, I love thee better than myself:
For I come hither arm'd against myself:
Stay not, begone;-live, and hereafter say―
A madman's mercy bade thee run away.
Par. I do defy thy conjurations,*

And do attach thee as a felon here.

Rom. Wilt thou provoke me? then have at thee, boy.

Page. O lord! they fight: I will go call the watch.

[They fight.

[Exit PAGE.

Par. O, I am slain! [Falls.]-If thou be merciful,
Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet.

Rom. In faith, I will:-Let me peruse this face ;-
Mercutio's kinsman, noble county Paris:-
What said my man, when my betossed soul
Did not attend him as we rode ? I think,
He told me, Paris should have married Juliet:
Said he not so ? or did I dream it so ?
Or am I mad, hearing him talk of Juliet,
To think it was so ?-O, give me thy hand,
One writ with me in sour misfortune's book!
I'll bury thee in a triumphant grave,-
A grave? O, no; a lantern,† slaughter'd youth,
For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes
This vault a feasting presence full of light.
Death, lie thou there, by a dead man interr'd.

[Dies.

[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: O, how may I
Call this a lightning ?-O, my love! my wife!
Death that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath,
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty:
Thou art not conquer'd; beauty's ensign yet
Is crimson in thy lips, and in thy cheeks,
And death's pale flag is not advanced there.-
Tybalt, liest thou there in thy bloody sheet ?
O, what more favour can I do to thee,

Than with that hand that cut thy youth in twain,
To sunder his that was thine enemy?
Forgive me, cousin!-Ah, dear Juliet,
Why art thou yet so fair? Shall I believe
That unsubstantial Death is amorous;
And that the lean abhorred monster keeps
Thee here in dark to be his paramour?
For fear of that, I will still stay with thee;
And never from this palace of dim night
Depart again; here, here will I remain

*Thy conjurings.

+ I. e. an open-work vault. Presence chamber.

With worms that are thy chambermaids; O, here
Will I set up my everlasting rest;

And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars

From this world-wearied flesh.-Eyes, look your last!
Arms, take your last embrace! and lips, O you
The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss
A dateless bargain to engrossing death ?—
Come, bitter conduct,* come, unsavoury guide!
Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on

The dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark!

Here's to my love!-[Drinks.] O, true apothecary!

Thy drugs are quick.-Thus with a kiss I die.

[Dies.

Enter at the other end of the Church-yard, Friar LAURENCE, with a Lantern, Crow, and Spade.

Fri. Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night

Have my old feet stumbled at graves ?-Who's there?

Who is it that consorts,+ so late the dead?

Bal. Here's one, a friend, and one that knows you well.
Fri. Bliss be upon you! Tell me, good my friend,

What torch is yond', that vainly lends his light

To grubs and eyeless sculls? as I discern,

It burneth in the Capels' monument.

Bal. It doth so, holy Sir; and there's my master,

One that you love.

Fri. Who is it?

Bal, Romeo.

Fri. How long hath he been there ?

Bal. Full half an hour.

Fri. Go with me to the vault.

Bal. I dare not, Sir:

My master knows not, but I am gone hence;

And fearfully did menace me with death,

If I did stay to look on his intents.

Fri. Stay, then; I'll go alone:-Fear comes upon me:

O, much I fear some ill unlucky thing.

Bal. As I did sleep under this yew-tree here,

I dreamt my master and another fought,
And that my master slew him.

Fri. Romeo ?

Alack, alack, what blood is this, which stains

The stony entrance of this sepulchre ?—

What mean these masterless and gory swords

[Advances.

To lie discolour'd by this place of peace? [Enters the monument. Romeo! O, pale !-Who else? what, Paris, too?

And steep'd in blood ?-Ah, what an unkind hour

Is guilty of this lamentable chance!

The lady stirs.

[JULIET wakes and stirs.

Jul. O, comfortable friar! where is my lord?
I do remember well where I should be,
And there I am :-Where is my Romeo?

[Noise within.

Fri. I hear some noise.-Lady, come from that nest

* Conductor.

+ Keeps company with.

Of death, contagion, and unnatural sleep;
A greater power than we can contradict
Hath thwarted our intents; come, come away:
Thy husband in thy bosom there lies dead;

And Paris too; come, I'll dispose of thee
Among a sisterhood of holy nuns:

Stay not to question, for the watch is coming;

Come, go, good Juliet,-[Noise again.] I dare stay no longer.

Jul. Go, get thee hence, for I will not away.

What's here? a cup, closed in my true love's hand?
Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end :-

O churl! drink all; and leave no friendly drop,
To help me after ?-I will kiss thy lips;
Haply, some poison yet doth hang on them,
To make me die with a restorative.
Thy lips are warm!

[Exit.

[Kisses him.

1 Watch. [Within.] Lead, boy :-Which way?
Jul. Yea, noise ?-then I'll be brief.-O happy dagger!

[Snatching ROMEO's Dagger.

This is thy sheath; [Stabs herself.] there rest, and let me die. [Falls on ROMEO's body, and dies.

Enter WATCH, with the PAGE of PARIS.

Page. This is the place; there, where the torch doth burn.
1 Watch. The ground is bloody; Search about the church-
yard:

Go, some of you, whoe'er you find, attach.
Pitiful sight! here lies the county slain ;-
And Juliet bleeding: warm, and newly dead,
Who here hath lain these two days buried.
Go, tell the prince,-run to the Capulets,—
Raise up the Montagues,-some others, search;

[Exeunt some.

[Exeunt other WATCHMEN.

We see the ground whereon these woes do lie;
But the true ground of all these piteous woes,
We cannot without circumstance descry.

Enter some of the WATCH, with BALTHASAR.

2 Watch. Here's Romeo's man, we found him in the churchyard.

1 Watch. Hold him in safety, till the prince come hither.

Enter another WATCHMAN with Friar LAURENCE.

3 Watch. Here is a friar, that trembles, sighs, and weeps: We took this mattock and this spade from him,

As he was coming from this church-yard side.

1 Watch. A great suspicion; Stay the friar too. Enter the PRINCE and Attendants.

Prince. What misadventure is so early up, That calls our person from our morning's rest?