What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part

(43)

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 owes
Without that title:-Romeo, doff thy name;
And for that 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 ?

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 not yet drunk a hundred words
Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound :
Art thou not Romeo and a Montague ?

Rom. Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.

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.

been brought back, first by Mr. Staunton, and next by Mr. Grant White, who have both defended it in notes which, I must confess, are to me hardly intelligible.

"In this line and the three following lines we may, I think, discern traces of an abortive attempt (perhaps by Shakespeare himself) to remove the impropriety of representing a Christian, and not a family, name as the name to be got rid of. These lines at any rate interrupt the natural connection of the passage, and so far from slurring over the impropriety in question, they only render it more obtrusive. Shakespeare could scarcely have written be some other name:' but conjecture would be thrown away on these four lines." W. N. LETTSOM.

(43) Belonging to a man.] "For the sake of metre, I am willing to suppose our author wrote "Longing to man.' .'" STEEVENS.-“Qu. ' Longing t' a man'?" Walker's Crit. Exam., &c., vol. iii. p. 225.

Rom. With love's light wings did I o'er-perch 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 sight; And but thou love me, let them find me here: My life were better ended by their hate Than death proroguèd, wanting of thy love.

Jul. By whose direction found'st thou out this place? Rom. By love, who 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 furthest 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 !
Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say "Ay;"
And I will take thy word: yet, if thou swear'st,
Thou mayst 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 mayst 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 overheard'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 blessèd 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;

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. Wouldst 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.

I hear some noise within; dear love, adieu !

[Nurse calls within.

Anon, good nurse!-Sweet Montague, be true.
Stay but a little, I will come again.

Rom. O blessed, blessèd night! I am afeard,

[Exit above.

Being in night, all this is but a dream,

Too flattering-sweet to be substantial.

Re-enter JULIET above.

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.

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 suit,(44) and leave me to my grief:

To-morrow will I send.

So thrive my soul

Rom. Jul. A thousand times good night! [Exit above. Rom. A thousand times the worse, to want thy light.Love goes toward love, as schoolboys 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 tassel-gentle back again!

Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloud;

Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies,

And make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine,(45)

(44) suit,] So the undated quarto; and rightly. Both Mr. Knight and Mr. Collier give the lection of the other old eds., "strife;" Mr. Knight without any note, and Mr. Collier with a note which may mislead the reader to suppose that "suit" is a modern conjectural emendation.-1865. Mr. Collier now prints "suit," solely on the authority of his Ms. Corrector.

(45) And make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine,] Mr. Collier gives airy voice more hoarse," &c.; and remarks, "So the quarto 1597 [which, however, has '. airie voice as hoarse,' &c.], more fitly

With repetition of my Romeo's name.

Rom. It is my soul that calls upon my name : How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, Like softest music to attending ears!

Jul. I will not fail: 'tis twenty years till the... I have forgot why I did call thee back.

Rom. Let me stand here till thou remember it. Jul. I shall forget, to have thee still stand there, Remembering how I love thy company.

Rom. And I'll still stay, to have thee still forget, Forgetting any other home but this.

Jul. 'Tis almost morning; I would have thee gone,And yet no further than a wanton's bird,

Who lets it hop a little from her hand,

Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves,

And with a silk thread plucks it back again,
So loving-jealous of his liberty.

Rom. I would I were thy bird.

Jul.

Sweet, so would I :

Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing.

Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow. [Exit above
Rom. Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast!—

than the later copies, which substitute tongue for 'voice."" But the word "voice" is objectionable here, because it occurs just above; and though the expression, "her airy tongue more hoarse," &c., is, strictly speaking, incorrect, it surely may be allowed in poetry. To "airy tongue," at least, Milton saw no objection; for he recollected the present passage when he wrote

"And airy tongues that syllable men's names," &c.

Comus, v. 208.

(46) My dear?] So the undated quarto ("My Deere ").-The first quarto has "Madame."-The quartos of 1599 and 1609 have "My Neece" ("neece" being evidently a blunder for "deere," and by progressive corruption,-"Deere," "Neere," "Neece").-The folio also has "My Neece."-The editor of the second folio substituted "My sweete."