ROMEO, Son to Montague. MERCUTIO, Friends of Romeo, TYBALT, Kinsman to Capulet. An old Man, his Cousin. Friar LAWRENCE, a Franciscan. Friar JOHN, of the same Order. BALTHASAR, Servant to Romeo. GREGORY, } Servants to Capulet. ABRAM, Servant to Montague. Three Musicians. PETER. Lady MONTAGUE, Wife to Montague, Lady CAPULET, Wife to Capulet. JULIET, Daughter to Capulet; in love with Romeo. CHORUS, Page, Boy to Paris, an Officer, an Apothecary. Citizens of Verona, several Mer and Women, Relations to both Houses; Maskers, Guards, Watch, and other Attendants. The SCENE, in the beginning of the fifth Act, is in Mantua; during all the rest of the Play, at Verona PROLOGUE, TWO households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny., Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean, From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crost lovers take their life; Whose misadventur'd pileous overthrows Do, with their death, bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. SCENE I. A STREET. ACT I, REGORY, o' my word, we'll not carry 20 Greg. No, for then we should be colliers. Sam. I strike quickly, being mov'd. Sam. A dog of the house of Montague moves me. Greg. To move, is---to stir; and to be valiant, is--to stand to it: therefore, if thou art mov'd, thou runn'st away. Sam. A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's. Greg, That shews thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes to the wall. Sam. True; and therefore women, being the 25 weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall. The story on which this play is founded, is related as a true one in Girolamo de la Corte's History of Verona, and was well known to the English poets before the time of Shakespeare. Dr. Warburton observes, that this was a phrase formerly in use to signify the bearing injuries. 3Q 4 Greg. Greg. The quarrel is between our masters, and us their men. Sam. 'Tis all one, I will shew myself a tyrant: when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids; I will cut off their heads. Greg. The heads of the maids? Sam. Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt. Down with the Capuleta! down with the Montagues! Enter old Capulet, in his gown; and Lady Capulet. Cap. What noise is this?-Give me my long 5 sword, ho! Greg. They must take it in sense, that feel it. Sam. Me they shall feel, while I am able to stand: 10 and, 'tis known, I am a pretty piece of flesh. Greg. 'Tis well, thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been Poor John.-Draw thy tool; here comes of the house of the Montagues. Enter Abram, and Balthasar. Sam. My naked weapon is out; quarrel, I will back thee. Greg. How? turn thy back and run? Greg. No, marry; I fear thee! Sam. Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin. Greg. I will frown, as I pass by; and let them take it as they list. Sam, 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? Sam. I do bite my thumb, sir. Sam. No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, Sam. If you do, sir, I am for you; I serve as good a man as you. Abr. No better. Sam. Well, sir. Enter Benvolio. Greg. Say-better; here comes one of my master's kinsmen. Sam. Yes, better, sir. Abr. You lye. 15 25 La. Cap. A crutch, a crutch!-Why call you for a sword? Cap. My sword, I say!-old Montague is come, And flourishes his blade in spite of nie. Enter old Montague, and Lady Montague. Mon. Thou villain, Capulet,Hold me not, let me go. La. Mon. Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe. Enter Prince, with Attendants. 20 That quench the fire of your pernicious rage 401 Sam. Draw, if you be men.-Gregory, re-451 Tyb. What, art thou drawn among these heart-50 Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death. Ben. I do but keep the peace; put up thy sword, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: Have at thee, coward. Enter three or four Citizens, with clubs. Ben. Here were the servants of your adversary, Right glad I am, he was not at this fray. Ben. Madam, an hour before the worshipp'd sun Cit, Clubs, bills, and partisans ! strike! beat 60 That westward rooteth from the city' side- To swash seems to have meant to be a bully, to be noisily valiant. was the sword used in war, which was sometimes wielded with both hands. are weapons used in anger. * The long sword Mis-temper'd weapons Towards Towards him I made; but he was 'ware of me, 5 [Feather of lead, bright smoak,cold fire,sick health! Ben. No, coz, I rather weep, Ben. At thy good heart's oppression. Rom. Why, such is love's transgression.→→ Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast; 10 Which thou wilt propagate, to have it prest With more of thine: this love that thou hast shown, Doth add more grief to too much of mine own. Love is a smoke rais'd with the fume of sighs; Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lover's eyes; 15 Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with lovers' tears: What is it else? a madness most discreet, A choaking gall, and a preserving sweet. Farewell, my coz. Ben. My noble uncle, do you know the cause? So far from sounding and discovery, 25 Could we but learn froin whence his sorrows grow, 30| Ben. See, where he comes: So please you, step I'll know his grievance, or be much deny'd. Ben. Good morrow, cousin. [Exeunt. 35 Ben. Soft, I will go along; [Going. An if you leave me so, you do me wrong. But sadly tell me, who. Rom. Bid a sick man in sadness make his will:O word ill urg'd to one that is so ill!In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman. Ben. I aim'd so near, when I suppos'd you lov'd. Rom. A right good marks-man!-Ånd 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 With Cupid's arrow, she hath Dian's wit; And, in strong proof of chastity well arm'd, From love's weak childish bow she lives unharm'd. She will not stay the siege of loving terms, 40 Nor bid the encounter of assailing eyes, Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold: O, she is rich in beauty; only poor, That, when she dies, with beauty dies her store'. Ben. Then she hath sworn, that she will still live chaste? [waste; Rom. She hath, and in that sparing makes huge For beauty, stary'd with her severity, Cuts beauty off from all posterity. She is too fair, too wise; wisely too fair, 50 To merit bliss by making me despair: She hath forsworn to love; and, in that vow, Do I live dead, that live to tell it now. Ben. But new struck nine. Rom. Out Ben. 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 path-ways to his will! Where shall we dine?-Ome!-What fray was 55 here? Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. Here's much to do with hate, but more with love:-- That is, tell me in seriousness. Ben. Be rul'd by me, forget to think of her. Rom. O, teach me how I should forget to think. Ben. By giving liberty unto thine eyes; Examine other beauties. Rom. 'Tis the way. To call hers, exquisite, in question more: 2 Mr. Theobald reads, "With her dies beauty's store." i, e. the masks worn by female spectators of the play. Shew 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. Par. Of honourable reckoning 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 before: My child is yet a stranger in the world, She hath not seen the change of fourteen years; Let two more summers wither in their pride, Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride. 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, [Exeunt Capulet and Paris. 5 15 One pain is lessen'd by another's anguish ;' Turn giddy, and be holp by backward turning; One desperategrief cureswith another'slanguishe Take thou some new infection to thy eye, And the rank poison of the old will die. Rom. Your plantain leaf is excellent for that. Ben. For what, I pray thee? Rom. For your broken shin. Ben. Why, Romeo, art thou mad? fellow. [is; 10 Rom.Not mad, but bound more than a mad-man 20 [He reads the list.] "Signior Martino, and his wife, and daughters; "County Anselm, and his beauteous sisters; The lady widow of Vitruvio; Signior Placentio, and 25" his lovely nieces; Mercutio, and his brother "Valentine; Mine uncle Capulet, his wife and "daughters; My fair niece Rosaline; Livia; "Signior Valentio, and his cousin Tybalt; Lucio, and the lively Helena." 30 A fair assembly; Whither should they come? Soro. Up.. 35 Rom. Whither to supper? [fore. Rom. Indeed, I should have ask'd you that beServ. Now I'll tell you without asking: My master is the great rich Capulet; and if you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray, come and 40 crush a cup of wine. Rest you merry. Ben. At this same ancient feast of Capulet's Sups the fair Rosaline, whom thou so lov'st; With all the admired beauties of Verona: Go thither; and, with untainted eye, 45 Compare her face with some that I shall show, And I will make thee think thy swan a crow. Rom. When the devout religion of mine eye Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fires! And these,-who, often drown'd,could never die,-Transparent hereticks, be burnt for liars! One fairer than my love! the all-seeing sun Ne'er saw her match, since first the world begun. Ben. Tut! tut! you saw her fair, none else being Herself pois'd with herself in either eye: But in those crystal scales, let there be weigh'd Your lady's love against some other maid That I will shew you, shining at this feast, And sheshall scant shew well, that now shews best. Rom. I'll go along, no such sight to be shewn, 60 But to rejoice in splendour of mine own. [Exeunt. Serv. Find them out, whose names are written 50 here? It is written-that the shoemaker should meddle with his yard, and the tailor with his last, the fisher with his pencil, and the painter with his nets; but I am sent to find those persons, whose names are here writ, and can never find what 55 names the writing person hath here writ. I must to the learned:In good time. Enter Benvolio, and Romeo. Ben. Tut, man! one fire burns out another's burning. [by, This is a Gallicism: Fille de terre is the French phrase for an heiress. * A cant expression which seems to have been once common among low people. We still say-to crack a bottle. › Your lady's love is the love you bear to your lady, which in our language is commonly used for the lady herself. SCENE |