Fri.
On Thursday, sir? the time is very short.

Par.
My father Capulet will have it so;
And I am nothing slow, to slack his haste^{9 note}

Fri.
You say, you do not know the lady's mind;
Uneven is the course, I like it not.

Par.
Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt's death,
And therefore have I little talk'd of love;
For Venus smiles not in a house of tears.
Now, sir, her father counts it dangerous,
That she doth give her sorrow so much sway;
And, in his wisdom, hastes our marriage,
To stop the inundation of her tears;
Which, too much minded by herself alone,
May be put from her by society:
Now do you know the reason of this haste.

Fri.
I would I knew not why it should be slow'd^{1 note}

. [Aside.
Look, sir, here comes the lady towards my cell. Enter Juliet.

Par.
Happily met, my lady, and my wife!

Jul.
That may be, sir, when I may be a wife.

Par.
That may be, must be, love, on Thursday next.

Jul.
What must be shall be.

Fri.
That's a certain text.

Par.
Come you to make confession to this father?

Jul.
To answer that, were to confess to you.

Par.
Do not deny to him, that you love me.

Jul.
I will confess to you, that I love him.

Par.
So will you, I am sure, that you love me.

Jul.
If I do so, it will be of more price,
Being spoke behind your back, than to your face.

Par.
Poor soul, thy face is much abus'd with tears.

Jul.
The tears have got small victory by that;
For it was bad enough, before their spite.

Par.
Thou wrong'st it, more than tears, with that report.

Jul.
That is no slander, sir^{2 note}

Par.
Thy face is mine, and thou hast slander'd it.

Jul.
It may be so, for it is not mine own.—
Are you at leisure, holy father, now;
Or shall I come to you at evening mass^{3 note}?

Fri.
My leisure serves me, pensive daughter, now:—
My lord, we must entreat the time alone.

Par.
God shield, I should disturb devotion!—
Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouse you;
Till then, adieu! and keep this holy kiss. [Exit Paris.

Jul.
O, shut the door! and when thou hast done so,
Come weep with me; Past hope, past cure* ^note, past help!

Fri.
Ah, Juliet, I already know thy grief;

It strains me past the compass of my wits:

I hear thou must, and nothing must prorogue it,
On Thursday next be married to this county.

Jul.
Tell me not, friar, that thou hear'st of this,
Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it:

If, in thy wisdom, thou canst give no help,
Do thou but call my resolution wise,
And with this knife I'll help it presently.
God join'd my heart and Romeo's, thou our hands;
And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo seal'd,
Shall be the label to another deed^{4 note}
,
Or my true heart with treacherous revolt
Turn to another, this shall slay them both:
Therefore, out of thy long-experienc'd time,

Give me some present counsel; or, behold,
'Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife
Shall play the umpire^{5 note}; arbitrating that
Which the commission of thy years and art^{6 note}
Could to no issue of true honour bring.
Be not so long to speak; I long to die* ^note,
If what thou speak'st speak not of remedy.

Fri.
Hold, daughter; I do spy a kind of hope,
Which craves as desperate an execution
As that is desperate
which
we would prevent.

If, rather than to marry county Paris,
Thou hast the strength of will* ^note to slay thyself:
Then is it likely, thou wilt undertake
A thing like death to chide away this shame,
That cop'st with death himself to scape from it† ^note;
And, if thou dar'st, I'll give thee remedy.

Jul.
O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,
From off the battlements of yonder tower^{7 note}

O'er-cover'd quite with dead men's rattling bones,
With reeky shanks, and yellow chapless sculls;
Or bid me go into a new-made grave,
And hide me with a dead man in his shroud^{9 note}

Fri.
Hold, then; go home* ^note,
be merry, give consent
To marry Paris: Wednesday is to-morrow;
To-morrow night look that thou lie alone,

Let not thy nurse lie with thee in thy chamber:
Take thou this phial^{2 note}

And this distilled liquor drink thou off:
When, presently, through all thy veins shall run
A cold and drowsy humour^{3 note}
, which shall seize
Each vital spirit; for no pulse shall keep
His natural progress, but surcease to beat:
No warmth, no breath* ^note, shall testify thou liv'st;

The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade

To paly ashes^{4 note}

And then awake as from a pleasant sleep.
Now when the bridegroom in the morning comes
To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead:
Then (as the manner of our country is,)
In thy best robes uncover'd on the bier^{7 note}

Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua.
And this shall free thee from this present shame;
If no unconstant toy^{9 note}

Jul.
Give me, give me! O tell me not of fear* ^{note 1 note}
;

Fri.
Hold; get you gone, be strong and prosperous
In this resolve: I'll send a friar with speed
To Mantua, with my letters to thy lord.

Jul.
Love, give me strength! and strength shall help afford.
Farewell, dear father! [Exeunt.

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