With piercing steel at bold Mercutio's breast; Retorts it. Romeo, he cries aloud, Hold, friends! friends, part! and, swifter than his tongue, His agile arm beats down their fatal points, La. Cap. He is a kinsman to the Montague. Prin. Romeo slew him, he slew Mercutio; His fault concludes but, what the law should end, Prin. And, for that offence, I have an interest in your hates' proceeding, Bear hence this body, and attend our will; [Exeunt. SCENE II. A Room in Capulet's House. Enter JULIET. 3 Jul. Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phoebus' mansion; such a wagoner As Phaeton would whip you to the west, And bring in cloudy night immediately.2Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night! That runaway's eyes may wink; and Romeo Leap to these arms, untalked of, and unseen!Lovers can see to do their amorous rites By their own beauties; or, if love be blind, It best agrees with night.-Come, civil night, Thou sober-suited matron, all in black, And learn me how to lose a winning match, Played for a pair of stainless maidenhoods; Hood my unmanned blood bating in my cheeks,5 With thy black mantle; till strange love, grown bold, Think true love acted, simple modesty. Come, night!-Come, Romeo! come, thou day in night! For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night 1 The sentiment here enforced is different from that found in the first edition, 1597. There the prince concludes his speech with these words : "Pity shall dwell, and govern with us still; Mercy to all but murderers, pardoning none that kill.” 2 Here ends this speech in the original quarto. The rest of the scene has likewise received considerable alterations and additions. 3 i. e. that the eyes of prying persons, who run away as soon as observed, may wink, i. e. see imperfectly. Much ingenious criticism has been bestowed in endeavoring to explain this passage. The runaway 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. 4 Civil is grave, solemn. 5 These are terms of falconry. An unmanned hawk is one that is not brought to endure company. Bating is fluttering or beating the wings as striving to fly away. Whiter than new snow upon a raven's back.— To an impatient child, that hath new robes, Enter Nurse, with cords. And she brings news; and every tongue, that speaks But Romeo's name, speaks heavenly eloquence.Now, nurse, what news? What hast thou there? the cords That Romeo bade thee fetch? Nurse. Ay, ay, the cords. Jul. Ah me! what news? why dost thou wring thy hands? Nurse. Ah, well-a-day! he's dead, he's dead, he's dead! We are undone, lady, we are undone ! Alack the day!-he's gone, he's killed, he's dead! Though Heaven cannot. Romeo can, O Romeo! Romeo! Who ever would have thought it? Romeo! Jul. What devil art thou, that dost torment me thus? This torture should be roared in dismal hell. Hath Romeo slain himself? say thou but I1 And that bare vowel I shall poison more In Shakspeare's time, the affirmative particle ay was usually written I; and here it is necessary to retain the old spelling. Than the death-darting eye of cockatrice: Or those eyes shut, that make thee answer, I. Brief sounds determine of my weal, or woe. Nurse. I saw the wound, I saw it with mine eyes,- Pale, pale as ashes, all bedaubed in blood, Jul. O, break, my heart!-poor bankrupt, break at once ! To prison, eyes! ne'er look on liberty! Vile earth, to earth resign; end motion here; Nurse. O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had! Jul. What storm is this, that blows so contrary? Is Romeo slaughtered? and is Tybalt dead? My dear-loved cousin, and my dearer lord?Then, dreadful trumpet, sound the general doom! For who is living, if those two are gone? Nurse. Tybalt is gone, and Romeo banished; Romeo, that killed him, he is banished. Jul. O God!-did Romeo's hand shed Tybalt's blood? Nurse. It did, it did; alas the day! it did. Jul. O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face! Did ever dragon keep so fair a cave? Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical! Dove-feathered raven! wolvish-ravening lamb! 1 See Othello, Act i. Sc. 1. In mortal paradise of such sweet flesh? Nurse. There's no trust, No faith, no honesty in men; all perjured, All forsworn, all naught, all dissemblers. Ah, where's my man? Give me some aqua vitæ.These griefs, these woes, these sorrows make me old. Shame come to Romeo! Jul. Blistered be thy tongue, For such a wish! he was not born to shame. Upon his brow shame is ashamed to sit; For 'tis a throne where honor may be crowned O, what a beast was I to chide at him! Nurse. Will you speak well of him that killed your cousin? Jul. Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband? Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth' thy name, When I, thy three-hours wife, have mangled it?But wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin? That villain cousin would have killed my husband. Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring; Your tributary drops belong to woe, Which you, mistaking, offer up to joy. My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain; Some word there was, worser than Tybalt's death, But, O! it presses to my memory, Like damned, guilty deeds to sinners' minds. That-banished, that one word-—banished, 1 To smooth is to flatter, to speak fair; it is here metaphorically used for to mitigate or assuage the asperity of censure with which Romeo's name would be now mentioned. 2 i. e. is worse than the loss of ten thousand Tybalts. |