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And, but thou love me, let them find me here;
My life were better ended by their hate,

Than death prorogued, 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
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 may'st 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 may'st 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 over-heard'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 blessed moon I swear,
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops,-

face.

Jul. O, swear not by the moon, the 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—

9 Mr. M. Mason thinks "but thou love me" means unless thou love me. He is

ainly right. So in Antony and Cleopatra:

But being charg'd, we will be still by land."

STEEVENS.

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. The 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.

[love!

Rom. Wouldst thou withdraw it? for what purpose,
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. [Nurse calls within.
I hear some noise within; Dear love, adieu !—

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

Rom. O blessed blessed night! I am afeard,
Being in night, all this is but a dream,

Too flattering-sweet to be substantial.

Re-enter JULIET, above.

[Exit.

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 :
Vurse. [Within.] Madam.

Jul. I come, anón :--But if thou mean'st not well,
I do beseech thee,-

Nurse. [Within.] Madam.

Jul. By and by, I come :--

To cease thy suit, and leave me to my grief:

To-morrow will I send.

Rom. So thrive my soul,

Jul. A thousand times good night!

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VOL. IX

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Rom. A thousand times the worse, to want thy light.— Love goes toward love, as school-boys from their books; But love from love, toward school with heavy looks. [Retiring slowly.

Re-enter JULIET, above.

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
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. Romeo !

Rom. My sweet!

Jul. At what o'clock to-morrow

Shall I send to thee?

Rom. At the hour of nine.

Jul. I will not fail; 'tis twenty years till then. 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, Rememb'ring 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.

Rom. Sleep dwell upon thines eyes, peace in thy breast! -'Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest! Hence will I to my ghostly father's cell;

His help to crave, and my dear hap to tell.

[Exit.

[1] The tassel, or tiercel, for so it should be spelt, is the male of the goss hawk; so called, because it is a tierce or third less than the female. birds of prey. This species of hawk had the epithet gentle ease with which it was tamed, and its attachment to man.

This is equally true of all annexed to it, from the STEEVENS.

SCENE III.

Friar LAURENCE's Cell. Enter Friar LAURENCE, with a basket.
Fri. The grey-ey'd morn smiles on the frowning night,
Checkering the eastern clouds with streaks of light;
And flecked darkness' like a drunkard reels
From forth day's path-way, made by Titan's wheels:
Now ere the sun advance his burning eye,
The day to cheer, and night's dank dew to dry,
I must up-fill this osier cage of ours,
With baleful weeds, and precious-juiced flowers.
The earth, that's nature's mother, is her tomb;
What is her burying grave, that is her womb :
And from her womb children of divers kind
We sucking on her natural bosom find;
Many for many virtues excellent,

None but for some, and yet all different.
O, mickle is the powerful grace,' that lies
In herbs, plants, stones, and their true qualities.
For nought so vile that on the earth doth live,
But to the earth some special good doth give;
Nor aught so good, but, strain'd from that fair use,
Revolts from true birth, stumbling on abuse:
Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied;
And vice sometime's by action dignified.
Within the infant rind of this small flower
Poison hath residence, and med'cine power:

For this, being smelt, with that part' cheers each part;
Being tasted, slays all senses with the heart.

Two such opposed foes encamp them still
In man as well as herbs, grace, and rude will ;
And, where the worser is predominant,

Full soon the canker death eats up that plant.

Rom. Good morrow,

Fri. Benedicite!

Enter ROMEO.

father!

What early tongue so sweet saluteth me?-
Young son, it argues a distemper'd head,
So soon to bid good morrow to thy bed :
Gare keeps his watch in every old man's eye,
And where care lodges, sleep will never lie;
But where unbruised youth with unstuff'd brain
Doth couch his limbs, there golden sleep doth reign :

[2] Flecked is spotted, dappled, streaked, or variegated.

STEEVENS.

Efficacious virtue.

JOHNSON.

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Therefore thy earliness doth me assure,
Thou art up-rous'd by some distemp❜rature;
Or if not so, then here I hit it right-
Our Romeo hath not been in bed to-night.

Rom. That last is true, the sweeter rest was mine.
Fri. God pardon sin! wast thou with Rosaline ?
Rom. With Rosaline, my ghostly father? no;
I have forgot that name, and that name's woe.

[then? Fri. That's my good son: But where hast thou been Rom. I'll tell thee, ere thou ask it me again.

I have been feasting with mine enemy;
Where, on a sudden, one hath wounded me,
That's by me wounded; both our remedies
Within thy help and holy physic lies:
I bear no hatred, blessed man; for, lo,
My intercession likewise steads my foe.

Fri. Be plain, good son, and homely in thy drift ;
Riddling confession finds but riddling shrift.

Rom. Then plainly know, my heart's dear love is set On the fair daughter of rich Capulet :

As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine;

And all combin'd, save what thou must combine
By holy marriage: When, and where, and how,
We met, we woo'd, and made exchange of vow,
I'll tell thee as we pass; but this I pray,
'T'hat thou consent to marry us this day.

Fri. Holy saint Francis! what a change is here'
Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear,
So soon forsaken? young men's love then lies
Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.
Josu Maria! what a deal of brine

Hath wash'd thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!
How much salt water thrown away in waste,
To season love, that of it doth not taste!
The sun not yet thy sighs from heaven clears,
Thy old groans ring yet in my ancient ears;
Lo, here upon thy cheek the stain doth sit
Of an old tear that is not wash'd off yet.
If e'er thou wast thyself, and these woes thine,
Thou and these woes were all for Rosaline;

And art thou chang'd? pronounce this sentence then
Women may fall, when there's no strength in men.
Rom. Thou chidd'st me oft for loving Rosaline,
Fri. For doting, not for loving, pupil minc

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