Lady C. Talk not to me; for I'll not speak a word: Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee. [Exit. Jul. O Heaven! 0 Nurse, how shall this be pre
vented?
Nurse. Rise; faith, here it is ;-
Romeo is banish'd; all the world to nothing,
That he dares ne'er come back to challenge you;
Or, if he do, it needs must be by stealth;
Then, since the case so stands, I think it best,
You marry'd with the Count.
Jul. Speakest thou from thy heart?
Nurse. And from my soul, too;
Or else, beshrew them both.
Jul. Amen, amen.
Nurse. To what?
Jul. Well, thou hast comforted me marvellous
much;
Go in, and tell my lady, I am gone,
Having displeas'd my father, to Lawrence' cell,
To make confession, and to be absolv’d.
Nurse. Marry, I will; and this is wisely done.
[Exit.
Jul. Oh, most wicked fiend!
Is it more sin, to wish me thus forsworn,
Or to dispraise my lord, with that same tongue,
Which she hath prais'd him with, above compare,
thousand times ?-Go, counsellor, Thou, and my bosom, henceforth shall be twain. I'll to the Friar, to know his remedy: If all else fail, myself have power to die. [Exit.
Enter FRIAR LAWRENCE and PARIS.
Fri. On Thursday, sir! the time is very short.
Par. My father, Capulet, will have it so, And I am nothing slow to slack his haste.
Fri. You say, you do not know the lady's mind ? Uneven is this course; I like it not.
Par. Immoderately she weeps for Tibalt's death, And, therefore, have I little talk'd of love; For Venus smiles not in a house of tears. Now, sir, her father counts it dangerous, That she should give her sorrow so much sway, And, in his wisdom, hastes our marriage, To stop the inundation of her tears. Now do you know the reason of this haste. Fri. I would I knew not why it should be slow'd.
[Aside. Look, sir, here comes the lady, tow'rds my cell.
Enter JULIET. Par, Happily met, my lady, and my wife. Jul. That may be, sir, when I may be a wife. Par. That may be, must be, love, on Thursday
next. Jul, What must be, shall be. Par. Come you to make confession to this father ? Jul. To answer that, were to confess to you.
Are you at leisure, holy father, now;
Or shall I come to you at evening mass?
Fri. My leisure serves me, pensive daughter,
now.
My lord, I must entreat the time alone.
Par. Heav'n shield, I should disturb devotion. Juliet, farewell.
[Exit PARIS. Jul. Go, shut the door, and when thou hast done
So,
Come weep with me, past hope, past care, past help. Fri. O Juliet, I already know thy grief.
Jul. Tell me not, Friar, that thou know'st my grief,
Unless thou tell me, how I may prevent it.
If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help,
Do thou but call my resolution wise,
And with this steel I'll help it presently.
Heav'n join'd my heart and Romeo's; thou, our
hands;
And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo seal'd,
Shall be the label to another deed,
Or my true heart, with treacherous revolt,
Turn to another, this shall slay them both.
Therefore, out of thy long experienc'd time,
Give me some present counsel, or behold,
"Twixt my extremes and me, this bloody dagger
Shall play the umpire-
Fri. Hold, daughter! I do spy a kind of hope,
Which craves as desperate an execution,
As that is desperate which we would prevent.
If, rather than to marry County Paris,
Thou hast the strength or will to slay thyself,
Then it is likely thou wilt undertake
A thing like death, to free thee from this marriage;
And, if thou dar'st, I'll give thee remedy.
Jul. O bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,
From off the battlements of yonder tower:
Or chain me to some steepy mountain's top,
Where roaring bears and savage lions roam !
Or shut me nightly in a charnel house,
O'ercover'd quite with dead men's rattling bones,
With reeky shanks and yellow chapless sculls;
Or bid me go into a new made grave,
And hide me with a dead man in his shroud;
Things, that to hear them nam’d, have made me trem-
And I will do it, without fear or doubt,
To live an unstain'd wife to my sweet love.
Fri. Hold then, go home, be merry, give consent
To marry Paris ; look thou lie alone;
Let not thy Nurse lie with thee in thy chamber;
And when thou art alone, take thou this phial,
And this.distilled liquor drink thou off;
When presently through all thy veins shall run
A cold and drowsy humour, which shall seize
Each vital spirit; for no pulse shall keep
His natural progress, but surcease to beat,
No warmth, no breath, shall testify thou liv's
The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade
To paly ashes;
And in this borrow'd likeness of shrunk death
Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,
And then awake, as from a pleasant sleep.
Now, when the bridegroom in the morning coines
To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead :
Then, as the manner of our country is,
In thy white robes uncover'd on the bier,
Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault,
Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie.
In the mean time, against thou shalt awake,
Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift.
And hither shall he come: and he and I
Will watch thy waking, and that very night
Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua ;
And this shall free thee from this present shame,
If no unconstant toy, nor womanish fear,
Abate thy valour in the acting it.
Jul. Give me, Oh, give me, tell me not of fear.
[Taking the Phial.
Fri. Hold, get you gone, be strong and prosperous
In this resolve; l'll send a Friar with speed
To Mantua, with my letters to thy lord.
Jul. Love, give me strength, and strength shall help
afford. Farewell, dear father
[Exeunt.
Enter CAPULET, LADY CAPULET, and NURSE. Cap. What, is my daughter gone to Friar Law
rence? Nurse. Ay, forsooth. Cap. Well, he may chance to do some good on
her; A peevish, self-will’d harlotry it is.
Enter JULIET. Nurse. See, where she comes from shrift, with
Cap. How now, my headstrong; where have you
been gadding?
Jul. Where I have learnt me to repent the sin
Of disobedient opposition
To you and your behests; and am enjoin'd,
By holy Lawrence, to fall prostrate here,
And beg your pardon ; pardon, I beseech you !
Henceforward I am ever ruled by you.
Cap. Send for the County; go tell him of this:
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