That he dares ne'er come back to challenge you;
Or if he do, it needs must be by stealth,
Then, fince the cafe fo ftands, as now it doth,
I think it beft, you married with the County.
Oh! he's a lovely gentleman!"

2.

Romeo's a difh-clout to him; an eagle, Madam,
Hath not fo green, fo quick, fo fair an eye
As Paris hath. Befhrew my very heart,

I think you are happy in this fecond match,
For it excels your firft: or if it did not,.
Your first is dead; or 'twere as good he were,
3 As living here, and you no ufe of him.
Jul. Speakeft thou from thy heart?

Nurfe. And from my foul too,

Or elfe befhrew them both.

ful. Amen. Nurse. What?

Jul. Well, thou haft comforted me marvellous much.

Go in; and tell my lady I am gone,

Having difpleas'd my father, to Laurence' cell,
To make confeffion, and to be abfolv'd.

Nurfe. Marry, I will; and this is wifely done.

[Exit. Jul. Ancient damnation! O moft wicked fiend! Is it more fin to wifh me thus forfworn, Or to difpraise my lord with that fame tongue Which the hath prais'd him with above compare, So many thoufand times?-Go, counsellor, Thou and my bofom henceforth fhall be twain :I'll to the friar, to know his remedy;

If all elfe fail, myfelf have power to die.

2

[Exit.

-fo green,-] So the first editions. HANMER reads,

fo keen. JOHNSON.

3 As living here,-] Sir T. HANMER reads, as living hence; that is, at a distance, in banishment; but bere may fignify, in this world. JOHNSON.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

ON

Friar Laurence's cell.

Enter friar Laurence and Paris.

FRIAR.

N Thursday, Sir? The time is very short. Par. My father Capulet will have it fo; And I am nothing flow to flack his hafte.

Fri. You fay, you do not know the lady's mind: Uneven in the course, I like it not.

Par. Immoderately fhe weeps for Tybalt's death, And therefore little have I talk'd of love; For Venus fmiles not in a house of tears. Now, Sir, her father counts it dangerous, That fhe should give her forrow fo much fway; And, in his wifdom, haftes our marriage, To stop the inundation of her tears; Which, too much minded by herself alone, May be put from her by fociety.

Now do you know the reafon of this hafte?

Fri. I would I knew not why it should be flow'd.

[Afide, Look, Sir, here comes the lady towards my cell.

Enter Juliet.

Par. Happily met, 2 my lady and my wife! ful. That may be, Sir, when I may be a wife.

And I am, &c.] His hafte fhall not be abated by my flowness. It might be read,

And I am nothing flow to back his hafte: that is, I am diligent to abet and enforce his hafte.

JOHNSON. my lady and my wife!] As thefe four firft lines feem intended to rhyme, perhaps the author wrote thus:

my lady and my life! JOHNSON.

Par.

Par. That may-be, must be, love, on Thursday

next.

Jul. What must be, shall be.

Friar. That's a certain text.

Par. Come you to make confeffion to this father? Jul. To answer that, were to confess to you. Par. Do not deny to him, that you love me. Jul. I will confefs to you, that I love him. Par. So will ye, I am fure, that you love me. ful. If I do fo, it will be of more price, Being spoke behind your back, than to your face. Par. Poor foul, thy face is much abus'd with tears. Jul. The tears have got small victory by that; For it was bad enough before their fpight.

Par. Thou wrong'ft it, more than tears, with that report.

Jul. That is no flander, Sir, which is a truth; And what I fpake, I fpake it to my face.

Par. Thy face is mine, and thou haft flander'd it. Jul. It may be fo, for it is not mine own. Are you at leisure, holy father, now; Or fhall I come to you at evening mass?

Fri. My leifure ferves me, penfive daughter, now:My lord, I must intreat the time alone.

Par. God fhield, I should disturb devotion! Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouze you: 'Till then, adieu! and keep this holy kifs.

[Exit Paris. Jul. O fhut the door; and when thou haft done fo, Come weep with me; paft hope, paft cure, past help! Friar. O Juliet, I already know thy grief;

It strains me paft the compass of my wits:
I hear, you must, and nothing may prorogue it,
On Thursday next be married to the County.
Jul. Tell me not, Friar, that thou hear'ft of this,
Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it.
If, in thy wisdom, thou canft give no help,
Do thou but call my resolution wife,

And

And with this knife I'll help it presently.

God join'd my heart and Romeo's, thou our hands;
And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo feal'd,
Shall be the label to another deed,

Or my true heart with treacherous revolt
Turn to another, this fhall flay them both.
Therefore, out of thy long-experienced time,
Give me fome prefent counfel; or, behold,
'Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife
3 Shall play the umpire; arbitrating that,
Which the 4 commiffion of thy years and art
Could to no iffue of true honour bring.
Be not fo long to fpeak; I long to die,
If what thou fpeak'ft fpeak not of remedy.
Friar. Hold, daughter; I do 'fpy a kind of hope,
Which craves as defperate an execution,
As that is defperate which we would prevent.
If, rather than to marry County Paris,
Thou haft the strength of will to flay thyself;
Then it is likely, thou wilt undertake

A thing like death to chide away this fhame,
That cop'ft with death himself, to 'fcape from it:
And, if thou dar'ft, I'll give thee remedy.

Jul. O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,
From off the battlements of yonder tower;
5 Or walk in thievifh ways; or bid me lurk
Where ferpents are; chain me with roaring bears;
Or hide me nightly in a charnel house,

O'er-cover'd quite with dead men's rattling bones, With

3 Shall play the umpire ;-] That is, this knife fhall decide the ftruggle between me and my diftreffes. JOHNSON.

4

commiffion of thy years and art] Commiffion is for authority

or power. JOHNSON.

Or chain me, &c.]

Or walk in thievifh ways, or bid me lurk

Where ferpents are; chain me with roaring bears,
Or hide me nightly, &c.

It is thus the editions vary. POPE.

My

With reeky fhanks, and yellow chapless skulls;
Or bid me go into a new-made grave,

And hide me with a dead man in his fhroud,

Things, that to hear them nam'd, have made me tremble;

And I will do it without fear or doubt,

To live an unftain'd wife to my sweet love.

Fri. Hold, then; go home, be merry, give confent
To marry Paris: Wednesday is to-morrow;
To-morrow night, look, that thou lie alone,
Let not thy nurse lie with thee in thy chamber.
Take thou this phial, being then in bed,
And this diftilled liquor drink thou off:
When, prefently, through all thy veins fhall run
A cold and drowfy humour, which fhall seize
Each vital fpirit; for no pulfe fhall keep
His natural progrefs, but furceafe to beat.
No warmth, no breath, fhall teftify thou liv'ft;
The rofes in thy lips and cheeks fhall fade
To paly afhes: thy eyes' windows fall,
Like death, when he huts up the day of life;
Each part, depriv'd of fupple government,
Shall stiff, and stark, and cold appear, like death:
And in this borrow'd likeness of fhrunk death
Thou fhalt continue two-and-forty hours,
And then awake as from a pleasant sleep.

Now when the bridegroom in the morning comes
To route thee from thy bed, there art thou dead:

My edition has the words which Mr. Pope has omitted; but the old copy feems in this place preferable; only perhaps we might better read,

Where favage bears and roaring lions roam. JOHNSON. I have inferted the lines which Pope omitted; for which I must offer this fhort apology: in the lines rejected by him we meet with three diftin&t ideas, fuch as may be fuppofed to excite terror in a woman, for one that is to be found in the others. The lines now omitted are thefe :

Or chain me to fome freepy mountain's top,
Where roaring bears and favage lions roam;
Or fhut me STEEVENS,

Then