 | Romeo and Juliet |  |
SCENE Capulet's House
Juliet alone.
Jul.
Gallop a-pace ye fiery-footed Steeds,
To Phœbus' Mansion: Such a Charioteer
As Phaeton, wou'd whip you to the West,
And bring in Cloudy Night immediately.
Spread thy close Curtain, Love-performing Night,
To hoodwink jealous Eyes; and Romeo
Leap to these Arms, untalk'd of and unseen.
Give me my Romeo, and when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little Stars,
And he will make the Face of Heaven so fine,
That all the World shall be in love with Night,
And pay no Worship to the gaudy Sun.
O, I have bought the Mansion of a Love,
But not possess'd it. Tedious is this Day
As is the Night, before some Festival,
To an impatient Child that hath new Robes,
And may not wear them. O here comes my Nurse.
Enter Nurse with Cords.
And she brings News; and every Tongue that speaks
But Romeo's Name, speaks heavenly Eloquence:
Now Nurse, what News? What hast thou there
The Cords that Romeo bid thee fetch?
Nurse.
Ay, ay the Cords.
Jul.
Ay me, what News?
Why dost thou wring thy Hands.
Nurse.
Ah well-a-day 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 so envious?
Nurse.
Romeo can; though Heav'n cannot, O Romeo, Romeo!
Who ever wou'd have thought it, Romeo!
Jul.
What Devil art thou, that does torment me thus?
This Torture should be roar'd in dismal Hell.
Hath Romeo slain himself? Say then but ay,
And that one Syllable shall poison more
Than the Death-darting Eye of Cockatrice.
Nurse.
I saw the Wound, I saw it with my Eyes;
Heaven save the Mark! here on his manly Breast
A piteous Coarse! a bloody piteous Coarse!
Pale, pale as Ashes, all bedaub'd in Blood;
All in Gore Blood! I swooned at the Sight.
Jul.
O break my Heart, poor Bankrupt, break at once;
To Prison Eyes, ne'er look at Liberty;
Vile Earth to Earth resign; end Motion here,
And thou and Romeo press one heavy Bier.
Nurse.
O Tibalt, Tibalt, the best Friend I had;
O courteous Tibalt, honest Gentleman:
That ever I shou'd live to see thee dead!
Jul.
What Storm is this that blows so contrary?
Is Romeo slaughter'd? And is Tibalt dead?
My dear lov'd Cousin, and my dearer Lord?
Then let the Trumpet sound the general Doom,
For who is living, if those two are gone?
Nurse.
Tibalt is dead, and Romeo banished!
Romeo, that kill'd him, he is banished.
Jul.
O Heaven! did Romeo's Hand shed Tibalt's Blood?
Nurse.
It did, it did; alas the Day, it did.
Jul.
O serpent Heart, hid with a flow'ry Face!
Did ever Dragon keep so fair a Cave?
Beautiful Tyrant-Fiend angelical!
Oh Nature, what had'st thou to do in Hell,
When thou did'st bower the Spirit of a Fiend,
In mortal Paradise of such sweet Flesh?
Was ever Book containing such vile Matter
So fairly bound? O that Deceit should dwell
In such a gorgeous Palace!
Nurse.
Jul.
Blister'd be thy Tongue,
For such a Wish! he was not born to Shame;
Upon his Brow Shame is ashamed to sit:
For 'tis a Throne where Honour may be crown'd.
Sole Monarch of the Universal Earth.
O what a Beast was I to chide him so!
Nurse.
Will you speak well of him that kill'd your Cousin?
Jul.
Shall I speak iil of him that is my Husband?
Ah poor my Lord, what Tongue shall smooth thy Name,
When I, thy three Hour's Wife, have mangled it?
My Husband lives, that Tibalt wou'd have slain;
And Tibalt's dead, that wou'd have kill'd my Husband;
All this is Comfort; wherefore weep I then?
Some Word there was still worse than Tibalt's Death,
That murder'd me: I wou'd forget it fain.
But oh! it presses to my Memory,
Like damned guilty Deed to Sinners Minds:
Tibalt is dead, and Romeo banished!
That banished, that one Word banished,
Hath slain ten thousand Tibalts: Tibalt's Death,
Was Woe enough, if it had ended there:
Or if four Woe delights in Fellowship,
And needy will be rank'd with other Griefs,
Why follow'd not, when she said Tibalt's dead,
Thy Father, or thy Mother, nay or both?
Romeo is banished—To speak that Word,
Is Father, Mother, Tibalt, Romeo, Juliet,
All slain, all dead! Romeo is banished!
There is no End, no Limit, Measure, Bound,
In that Word's Death; no Words can sound that Woe.
Where is my Father, and my Mother, Nurse?
Nurse.
Weeping and wailing over Tibalt's Body.
Will you go to them? I will bring you thither.
Jul.
Wash they his Wounds with Tears? mine shall be spent
When their's are dry, for Romeo's Banishment.
Nurse.
Hie to your Chamber, I'll find Romeo,
To Comfort you, I wot well where he is;
Hark ye, your Romeo will be here at Night:
I'll to him, he is hid at Laurence's Cell.
Jul.
O find him, give this Ring to my poor Love;
And bid him come to take his last Farewel.
[Exeunt.
Juliet alone.
Jul.
Gallop a-pace ye fiery-footed Steeds,
To Phœbus' Mansion: Such a Charioteer
As Phaeton, wou'd whip you to the West,
And bring in Cloudy Night immediately.
Spread thy close Curtain, Love-performing Night,
To hoodwink jealous Eyes; and Romeo
Leap to these Arms, untalk'd of and unseen.
Give me my Romeo, and when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little Stars,
And he will make the Face of Heaven so fine,
That all the World shall be in love with Night,
And pay no Worship to the gaudy Sun.
O, I have bought the Mansion of a Love,
But not possess'd it. Tedious is this Day
As is the Night, before some Festival,
To an impatient Child that hath new Robes,
And may not wear them. O here comes my Nurse.
Enter Nurse with Cords.
And she brings News; and every Tongue that speaks
But Romeo's Name, speaks heavenly Eloquence:
34
The Cords that Romeo bid thee fetch?
Nurse.
Ay, ay the Cords.
Jul.
Ay me, what News?
Why dost thou wring thy Hands.
Nurse.
Ah well-a-day 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 so envious?
Nurse.
Romeo can; though Heav'n cannot, O Romeo, Romeo!
Who ever wou'd have thought it, Romeo!
Jul.
What Devil art thou, that does torment me thus?
This Torture should be roar'd in dismal Hell.
Hath Romeo slain himself? Say then but ay,
And that one Syllable shall poison more
Than the Death-darting Eye of Cockatrice.
Nurse.
I saw the Wound, I saw it with my Eyes;
Heaven save the Mark! here on his manly Breast
A piteous Coarse! a bloody piteous Coarse!
Pale, pale as Ashes, all bedaub'd in Blood;
All in Gore Blood! I swooned at the Sight.
Jul.
O break my Heart, poor Bankrupt, break at once;
To Prison Eyes, ne'er look at Liberty;
Vile Earth to Earth resign; end Motion here,
And thou and Romeo press one heavy Bier.
Nurse.
O Tibalt, Tibalt, the best Friend I had;
O courteous Tibalt, honest Gentleman:
That ever I shou'd live to see thee dead!
Jul.
What Storm is this that blows so contrary?
Is Romeo slaughter'd? And is Tibalt dead?
My dear lov'd Cousin, and my dearer Lord?
Then let the Trumpet sound the general Doom,
For who is living, if those two are gone?
Nurse.
Tibalt is dead, and Romeo banished!
Romeo, that kill'd him, he is banished.
35
O Heaven! did Romeo's Hand shed Tibalt's Blood?
Nurse.
It did, it did; alas the Day, it did.
Jul.
O serpent Heart, hid with a flow'ry Face!
Did ever Dragon keep so fair a Cave?
Beautiful Tyrant-Fiend angelical!
Oh Nature, what had'st thou to do in Hell,
When thou did'st bower the Spirit of a Fiend,
In mortal Paradise of such sweet Flesh?
Was ever Book containing such vile Matter
So fairly bound? O that Deceit should dwell
In such a gorgeous Palace!
Nurse.
There's no Trust, no Faith, no Honesty
in Men; all perjur'd. Shame come to Romeo!
Jul.
Blister'd be thy Tongue,
For such a Wish! he was not born to Shame;
Upon his Brow Shame is ashamed to sit:
For 'tis a Throne where Honour may be crown'd.
Sole Monarch of the Universal Earth.
O what a Beast was I to chide him so!
Nurse.
Will you speak well of him that kill'd your Cousin?
Jul.
Shall I speak iil of him that is my Husband?
Ah poor my Lord, what Tongue shall smooth thy Name,
When I, thy three Hour's Wife, have mangled it?
My Husband lives, that Tibalt wou'd have slain;
And Tibalt's dead, that wou'd have kill'd my Husband;
All this is Comfort; wherefore weep I then?
Some Word there was still worse than Tibalt's Death,
That murder'd me: I wou'd forget it fain.
But oh! it presses to my Memory,
Like damned guilty Deed to Sinners Minds:
Tibalt is dead, and Romeo banished!
That banished, that one Word banished,
Hath slain ten thousand Tibalts: Tibalt's Death,
Was Woe enough, if it had ended there:
Or if four Woe delights in Fellowship,
And needy will be rank'd with other Griefs,
Why follow'd not, when she said Tibalt's dead,
36
Romeo is banished—To speak that Word,
Is Father, Mother, Tibalt, Romeo, Juliet,
All slain, all dead! Romeo is banished!
There is no End, no Limit, Measure, Bound,
In that Word's Death; no Words can sound that Woe.
Where is my Father, and my Mother, Nurse?
Nurse.
Weeping and wailing over Tibalt's Body.
Will you go to them? I will bring you thither.
Jul.
Wash they his Wounds with Tears? mine shall be spent
When their's are dry, for Romeo's Banishment.
Nurse.
Hie to your Chamber, I'll find Romeo,
To Comfort you, I wot well where he is;
Hark ye, your Romeo will be here at Night:
I'll to him, he is hid at Laurence's Cell.
Jul.
O find him, give this Ring to my poor Love;
And bid him come to take his last Farewel.
[Exeunt.
| Romeo and Juliet | |