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To stop the inundation of her teares.

Which too much minded by her felfe alone,
May be put from her by focietie.

Now doe you know the reason of this hast?

Fri. I would I knew not why it fhould be flowed. Looke fir here comes the lady towards my cell.

Enter Iuliet.

Par. Happily met my lady and my wife.
Iu. That may be fir, when I may be a wife.

Pa. That may be, muft be loue, on Thursday next.
Iu. What must be shall be.

Fri. Thats a certaine text.

Par. Come you to make confeffion to this father?
Iu. To answere that, I fhould confefe to you..
Pa. Do not denie to him, that you loue me.
Iu. I will confeffe to you that I loue him.
Par. So will ye, I am fure that you loue me.
Lu. If I do fo, it will be of more price,

Being spoke behind your backe, then to your face.
Par. Poore foule thy face is much abufd with teares.
Iu. The teares haue got small victorie by that,

For it was bad inough before their spight.

Pa. Thou wrongft it more then teares with that report.
lu. That is no flaunder fir, which is a truth,

And what I spake, I fpake it to my face.

Pa. Thy face is mine, and thou haft flaundred it.

Iu. It may be fo, for it is not mine owne.

Are you at leifure, holy father now,

Or fhall I come to you at euening maffe?

Fri. My leisure ferues me penfiue daughter now,

My lord we muft intreat the time alone.

Pa. Godshield, I should disturbe deuotion,

Iuliet,

Juliet, on Thursday early will I rowse yee,
Till then adue, and keepe this holy kiffe.

Iu. O fhut the doore, and when thou haft done fo,
Come weepe with me, paft hope, past care, past helpe.
Fri. O Iuliet, I already know thy griefe,

It straines me past the compaffe of my wits,
I heare thou muft, and nothing may prorogue it,
On Thursday next be married to this countie.

Iu. Tell me not frier that thou hearest of this,
Vnleffe thou tell me how I may preuent it :
If in thy wifedome thou canft giue no helpe,
Do thou but call my refolution wife,
And with this knife, Ile helpe it presently,

God ioynd my heart, and Romeos, thou our hands
And ere this hand by thee to Romeos feald :
Shall be the labell to another deede,

Or my true heart with trecherous reuolt,
Turne to another, this fhall flay them both :
Therefore out of thy long experienst time,
Giue me fome prefent counfell, or behold
Twixt my extreames and me, this bloudy knife
Shall play the vmpeere, arbitrating that,
Which the commiffion of thy yeares and art,
Could to no iffue of true honour bring:
Be not fo long to fpeake, I long to die,
If what thou speakst, speake not of remedy.

Fri. Hold daughter, I doe spie a kind of hope,
Which craues as desperat an execution.
As that is defperate which we would preuent.
If rather then to marrie countie Paris

Thou haft the strength of will to flay thy felfe,
Then is it likely thou wilt vndertake

A thing like death to chide away this shame,

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That coapft with death himselfe, to scape from it.
And if thou dareft, Ile giue thee remedie.

Iu. Oh bid me leape, rather then marry Paris,
From of the battlements of any tower,

Or walke in theeuifh waies, or bid me lurke
Where ferpets are: chaine me with roaring beares
Or hide me nightly in a charnell house,
Orecouered quite with dead mens ratling bones,
With reekie shankes and yealow chappels* fculls:
Or bid me go into a new made graue,

And hide me with a dead man in his †.

Things that to heare them told, haue made me tremble,

And I will doe it without feare or doubt,

To liue an vnstaind wife to my fweet loue.

Fri. Hold then, goe home, be merrie, giue confent,

To marrie Paris: Wenfday is to morrow,

To morrow night looke that thou lie alone,
Let not thy nurfe lie with thee in thy chamber:
Take thou this violl being then in bed,
And this diftilling liquor drinke thou off,
When presently through all thy veines shall run,
A cold and drowfie humour: for no pulfe
Shall keepe his natiue progresse but furcease
No warmth, no breath fhall teftifie thou liueft,
The roses in thy lips and cheekes shall fade
Too many afhes, the eyes windowes fall:
Like death when he fhuts vp the day of life
Each part depriu'd of fupple gouernment,

Shall stiffe and starke, and cold appeare like death;
And in this borrowed likenesse of fhrunke death
Thou shalt continue two and forty houres,

And then awake as from a pleasant sleepe.

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to paly.

thy.

Now

Now when the bridegroome in the morning comes,
To rowse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead:
Then as the manner of our country is,

In thy beft robes vncouered on the beere,
Be borne to buriall in thy kindreds graue:
Thou shalt be borne to that fame ancient vault,
Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie,
In the meane 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 beare thee hence to Mantua.
And this fhall free thee from this prefent fhame,
If no inconftant toy nor womanish feare,
Abate thy valour in the acting it.

lu. Giue me, giue me, O tell not me of feare.

Fri. Hold get you gone, be ftrong and profperous In this refolue, Ile fend a frier with speed

To Mantua with my letters to thy lord.

Iu. Loue giue me ftrength, and ftrength fhall helpe afford; Farewell deare father.

Exit.

Enter father Capulet, mother, Nurse, and feruing men, two or

three.

Ca. So many guests inuite as here are writ,

Sirrah, go hire me twenty cunning cookes,

Ser. You shall haue none ill fir, for Ile trie if they can licke their fingers.

Ca. How canft thou trie them fo?

Ser. Marrie fir, tis an ill cooke that canot lick his own fingers: therefore he that cannot licke his fingers goes not with me.

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Ca. Go be gone, we shall be much vnfurnisht for this time: What is my daughter gone to frier Lawrence?

Nur. I forfooth.

Ca. Well he may chance to do fome good on her,
A peeuifh felfe willde harlotry it is.

Enter Iuliet.

Nur. See where he comes from shrift with merrie looke.
Ca. How now my headftrong, where haue you bin gadding?
Iu. Where I haue learnt me to repent the fin

Of difobedient oppofition,

To you and your behefts, and am enioynd
By holy Lawrence, to fall proftrate here,
To beg your pardon, pardon I beseech you,
Henceforward I am euer ruld by you.

Ca. Send for the countie, goe tell him of this,
Ile haue this knot knit vp to morrow morning.
Iuli. I met the youthfull lord at Lawrence cell,
And gaue him what becomd loue I might,
Not stepping ore the bounds of modeftie.

Ca. Why I am glad ont, this is well, stand vp,
This is aft fhould be, let me fee the county:
I marrie go I fay and fetch him hether.
Now afore God, this reuerend holy frier,⚫
All our whole citie is much bound to him.

Iu. Nurfe, will you goe with me into my clofet,

To helpe me fort fuch needful ornaments,

As you thinke fit to furnish me to morrow?

Fa. Go nurse, go with her, weele to church to morrow.

Mo. No not till Thursday, there is time inough.

Mo. We shall be short in our prouifion,

Tis now neare night.

becommed.

Exeunt.

Fa.

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