Hold, friends! friends, part! and, fwifter than his

tongue,

His agile arm beats down their fatal points,
And 'twixt them rushes; underneath whofe arm
An envious thruft from Tybalt hit the life.
Of ftout Mercutio, and then Tybalt fled;
But by and by comes back to Romeo,
Who had but newly entertain'd revenge,
And to't they go like lightning; for ere I
Could draw to part them, was ftout Tybalt flain;
And as he fell, did Romco turn to fly.
This is the truth, or let Benvolio die.

La. Cap. He is a kinfman to the Montagues,
• Affection makes him falfe, he speaks not true.
Some twenty of them fought in this black ftrife,
And all thofe twenty could but kill one life.
I beg for juftice, which thou, Prince, must give;
Romeo flew Tybalt, Romeo muft not live.

1

Prin. Romeo flew him, he flew Mercutio;
Who now the price of his dear blood doth owe?
La. Mont. Not Romeo, Prince, he was Mercutio's
friend;

His fault concludes but what the law should end,
The life of Tybalt.

Prin. And for that offence,
Immediately we do exile him hence:

I have an intereft in your hearts' proceeding, My blood for your rude brawls doth lie a bleeding;

But

6 I have an intereft in your

hearts' proceeding,] Sir Th. Hanmer faw that this line gave, no fenfe, and therefore put, by a very easy change,

I have an intereft in your beat's proceeding,

Which is undoubtedly better than the old reading which Dr. Warburton has followed; but the

fenfe

But I'll amerce you with fo ftrong a fine,
That you fhall all repent the lofs of mine.
I will be deaf to pleading and excuses,
Nor tears nor prayers fhall purchase out abuses;
Therefore use none; let Romeo hence in hafte,
Elfe, when he's found, that hour is his laft.
Bear hence his body, and attend our will:
Mercy but murders, pardoning those that kill.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

Changes to an Apartment in Capulet's House.

Enter Juliet alone.

Jul. GALLOP apace, you fiery-footed steeds,

Tow'rds

Phabus manfion; fuch a wag

goner,

As Phaeton, would whip you to the weft,
And bring in cloudy night immediately.

7 Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night,
That Run-aways eyes may wink; and Romeo

Leap

Leap to these arms, untalkt of and unfeen.
Lovers can fee to do their am'rous rites
By their own beauties, or, if love be blind,
It beft agrees with night. 8 Come, civil night,
Thou fober-fuited matron, all in black,
And learn me how to lofe a winning match,
Play'd for a pair of stainless maidenheads.
Hood my

9 unmann'd blood baiting in my cheeks, With thy black mantle; 'till ftrange love, grown bold,

Thinks true love acted, fimple modefty."

Come, night; come, Romeo! come, thou day in night,

For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night,
Whiter than fnow upon a raven's back:

Come, gentle night; come, loving, black-brow'd night!

Give me my Romeo, and, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little ftars,
And he will make the face of heaven fo fine,
That all the world fhall be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the gairifh fun.
O, I have bought the manfion of a love,
But not poffefs'd it; and though I am sold,
Not yet enjoy'd; fo tedious is this day,

1

As is the night before fome festival,

To an impatient child that hath new robes,
And may not wear them. O, here comes my nurse

Enter Nurfe with cords.

And the brings news; and every tongue, that fpeaks
But Romeo's name, fpeaks heavenly eloquence;
Now, nurfe, what news? what haft thou there?
The cords that Romeo bid thee fetch?
Nurfe Ay, ay, the cords.

ful. Ah me, what news?

Why dost thou wring thy hands?

Nurfe. Ah welladay, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead!

We are undone, lady, we are undone.

Alack the day! he's gone, he's kill'd, he's dead,
Jul. Can heaven be fo envious?

Nurfe. Romeo can,

Though heav'n cannot. O Romeo! Romeo!
Who ever would have thought it, Romeo?

Jul. What devil art thou, that doft torment me thus?

This torture fhould be roar'd in difmal hell.
Hath Romeo flain himfelf? fay thou but, I;
2 And that bare vowel, I, fhall poifon more
Than the death-darting eye of cockatrice,

Narfe. I faw the wound, I faw it with mine eyes, (God fave the mark,) here on his manly breast. A piteous coarfe, a bloody piteous coarse; Pale, pale as afhes, all bedawb'd in blood, All in gore blood. I fwooned at the fight. Jul. O break, my heart!-poor bankrupt, break at once!

To prifon, eyes! ne'er look on liberty;
Vile earth to earth refign, end motion here,
And thou and Romeo prefs one heavy bier!
Nurfe. O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had:
O courteous Tybalt, honeft gentleman,
That ever I fhould live to fee thee dead!

Jul. What ftorm is this, that blows fo contrary 1
Is Romeo flaughter'd? and is Tybalt dead?
My dear-lov'd coufin, and my dearer Lord?
Then let the trumpet found the general Doom,
For who is living, if thofe two are gone?
Nurfe. Tybalt is dead, and Romeo banished,
Romeo, that kill'd him, he is banished.

Jul. O God! did Romeo's hand fhed Tybalt's blood?

Nurfe. It did, it did. Alas, the day! it did. Jul. O ferpent heart, hid with a flow'ring face! Did ever dragon keep fó fair a cave?

Beautiful tyrant, fiend angelical!