Maugre thy strength, youth, place, and emi- | And, when 'tis told, O, that my heart would The bloody proclamation to escape, burstThat follow'd me so near, (O our lives' sweet nence, Despite thy victor sword, and fire-new fortune, bent To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak Edm. In wisdom, I should ask thy name;+ But, since thy outside looks so fair and warlike, [breathes, And that thy tongue some 'say of breeding What safe and nicely I might well delay By rule of knighthood, I disdain and spurn: Back do I toss these treasons to thy head; With the hell-hated lie o'erwhelm thy heart; Which, (for they yet glance by, and scarcely bruise,) [way, This sword of mine shall give them instant Where they shall rest for ever.-Trumpets, speak. [Alarums.-They fight.-EDMUND falls. Alb. O save him, save him! Gon. This is mere practice, Gloster: By the law of arms, thou wast not bound to answer An unknown opposite; thou art not vanBut cozen'd and beguil'd. [quish'd, Alb. Shut your mouth, dame, Or with this paper shall I stop it:-Hold, Sir:Thou worse than any name, read thine own evil: No tearing, lady; I perceive, you know it. [Gives the Letter to EDMUND. Gon. Say, if I do; the laws are mine, not Who shall arraign me for't? [thine: Alb. Most monstrous! Know'st thou this paper? Gon. Ask me not what I know. [Exit GONERIL. Alb. Go after her: she's desperate; govern her. [To an OFFICER, who goes out. Edm. What you have charg'd me with, that have I done; Lout; And more, much more: the time will bring it "Tis past, and so am I: But what art thou, That hast this fortune on me? If thou art noble, I do forgive thee. Edg. Let's exchange charity. I am no less in blood than thou art, Edmund; The dark and vicious place where thee he got, Edm. Thou hast spoken right, 'tis true; The wheel is come full circle; I am here. Alh. Methought, thy very gait did prophesy A royal nobleness:-I must embrace thee; Let sorrow split my heart, if ever I Did hate thee, or thy father! Edg. Worthy prince, I know it well. Alb. Where have you hid yourself? [ther? ness! That with the pain of death we'd hourly die, That very dogs disdain'd: and in this habit (Alack, too weak the conflict to support!) Twixt two extremes of passion, joy and grief, Burst smilingly. Edm. This speech of yours hath mov'd me, And shall, perchance, do good: but speak He fasten'd on my neck, and bellow'd out As he'd burst heaven; threw him on my father; Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him, That ever ear receiv'd: which in recounting His grief grew puissant, and the strings of life Began to crack: Twice then the trumpet sounded, And there I left him tranc'd. Alb. But who was this? Edg. Kent, Sir, the banish'd Kent; who in disguise Follow'd his enemy king, and did him service Improper for a slave. Enter a GENTLEMAN hastily, with a bloody Knife. Gent. Help! help! O help! Edg. What kind of help?" Alb. Speak, man. Edg. What means that bloody knife? It came even from the heart of— Gent. Your lady, Sir, your lady: and her By her is poison'd; she confesses it. [sister Edm. I was contracted to them both; all Now marry in an instant. [three Alb. Produce their bodies, be they alive or dead! This judgement of the heavens, that makes us tremble, How have you known the miseries of your fa-Touches us not with pity. [Exit GENTLEMAN. Edg. By nursing them, my lord.-List|| a brief tale; Notwithstanding. + Because if his adversary was not of equal rank, Ed mund might have declined the combat. ↑ Sample. Stratagem. || Hear. Kent. I am come To bid my king and master aye* good night; Is he not here? Alb. Great thing of us forgot!Speak, Edmund, where's the king? and where's Cordelia? See'st thou this object, Kent? [The Bodies of GONERIL and REGAN are brought in. Kent. Alack, why thus? Edm. Yet Edmund was belov'd: Alb. Even so.-Cover their faces. Edm. I pant for life:-Some good I mean to do, Despite of mine own nature. Quickly send,- Alb. Run, run, O, run Lear. I'll see that straight. Kent. That, from your first of difference and Have follow'd your sad steps. [decay, Lear. You are welcome hither. Kent. Nor no man else; all's cheerless, dark, and deadly. [selves, Alb. He knows not what he says; and vain Edg. To who, my lord?-Who has the of- That we present us to him. fice? send Edg. Very bootless. Enter an OFFicer. Of. Edmund is dead, my lord. Alb. That's but a trifle here. [it is You lords, and noble friends, know our intent. Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life, And thou no breath at all? O, thou wilt come Never, never, never, never, never! no more, Pray you, undo this button: Thank you, Sir.Do you see this? Look on her,-look,-her lips, Look there, look there!- Kent. Vex not his ghost: O, let him pass!¶ he hates him, That would upon the rack of this tough world Stretch him out longer. Edg. O, he is gone, indeed. Kent. The wonder is, he hath endur'd so He but usurp'd his life. [long: Alb. Bear them from hence. Our present Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Gre. But thou art not quickly moved to strike. Sam. A dog of the house of Montague moves me. Gre. To move, is-to stir; and to be valiant, Where civil blood makes civil hands un-is-to stand to it: therefore, if thou art mov'd, clean. thou run'st away. stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid Sam. A dog of that house shall move me to of Montague's. Gre. That shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes to the wall. weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall:Sam. True; and therefore women, being the therefore I will push Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall. Gre. The quarrel is between our masters, and us their men. Sam. 'Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids; I will cut off their heads. Gre. The heads of the maids? Sam. Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt. Gre. They must take it in sense, that feel it. Enter ABRAM and BELTHASAR. Gre. How? turn thy back, and run? Gre. No, marry: I fear thee! Sam. Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin. Gre. will frown, as I pass by; and let them take it as they list. Sum. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them; which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it. Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, Sir? Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, Sir? Sam. No, Sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, Abr. Quarrel, Sir? no, Sir. Will they not hear?-what ho! you men, you That quench the fire of your pernicious rage Sam. If you do, Sir, I am for you; I serve Once more, on pain of death, all men depart. as good a man as you. Abr. No better. Sam. Well, Sir. Enter BENVOLIO, at a Distance. [Exeunt PRINCE, and Attendants; CAPULET, LADY CAPULET, TYBALT, CITIZENS, and Servants. Mon. Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach? Gre. Say-better; here comes one of my Speak, nephew, were you by when it began? master's kinsmen. Sam. Yes, better, Sir. Abr. You lie. Sam. Draw, if you be men.-Gregory, remember thy swashing blow. [They fight. Ben. Part, fools; put up your swords; you know not what you do. [Beats down their Swords. Enter TYBALT. Tyb. What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death. Ben. I do but keep the peace'; put up thy sword, Or manage it to part these men with me. As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: [ [They fight. Enter CAPULET, in his Gown; and LADY Cap. What noise is this?-Give me my long La. Cap. A crutch, a crutch!-Why call you for a sword? Cap. My sword, I say!-Old Montague is Enter PRINCE, with Attendants. Clubs! was the usual exclamation at an affray in the streets, as we now call Watch! Ben. Here were the servants of your adver sary, And yours, close fighting ere I did approach: Came more and more, and fought on part and to-day? sun, Right glad I am, he was not at this fray. Pursu'd my humour, not pursuing his, seen, [dew, cause? Mon. I neither know it, nor can learn of him. Ben. Have you importun'd him by any means? Mon. Both by myself, and many other friends: But he, his own affections' counsellor, Enter ROMEO, at a distance. Ben. See, where he comes: So please you, step aside; I'll know his grievance, or be much denied. Mon. I would, thou wert so happy by thy stay, To hear true shrift,-Come, madam, let's away. [Exeunt MONTAGUE, and LADY. Ben. Good morrow, cousin. Rom. Ah me! sad hours seem long. Rom. Not having that, which having, makes them short. Ben. In love? Rom. OutBen. Of love? Rom. Out of her favour, where I am in love. Ben. Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof! Rom. Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still, Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will! Where shall we dine?-O me!-What fray was here? Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! health! Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!- Ben. No, coz, I rather weep. Rom. Good heart, at what? Ben. At thy good heart's oppression. Doth add more grief to too much of mine own. [Going. Ben. Soft, I will go along; This is not Romeo, he's some other where. love. In seriousness. Rom. What, shall I groan, and tell thee! Ben. Groan? why, no; But sadly tell me, who. Rom. Bid a sick man in sadness make his will: Ah, word ill urg'd to one that is so ill!— Rom. A right good marksman !—And she's fair I love. Ben. A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit. Rom. Well, in that hit, you miss: she'll not be hit harm'd. With Cupid's arrow, she hath Dian's wit; Rom. She hath, and in that sparing makes For beauty, stary'd with her severity, Ben. Be rul'd by me, forget to think of her. Ben. By giving liberty unto thine eyes; To call hers, exquisite, in question more: Being black, put us in mind they hide the fair; Farewell; thou canst not teach me to forget. SCENE II-A Street. Enter CAPULET, PARIS, and SERVANT. Cap. And Montague is bound as well as I, In penalty alike; and 'tis not hard, I think, For men so old as we to keep the peace. Pur. Of honourable reckoningt are you both; And pity 'tis, you liv'd at odds so long. But now, my lord, what say you to my suit? Cap. But saying o'er what I have said be fore: My child is yet a stranger in the world, Par. Younger than she are happy mothers made. Cap. And too soon marr'd are those so early made. The earth hath swallow'd all my hopes but she, *I. e. What end does it answer? |