Balthazar with a Light.
Rom.
Give me the wrenching Iron.
Take this Letter, early in the Morning
See thou deliver it to my Lord and Father.
Hang up the Light; upon thy Life, I charge thee,
What e'er thou hear'st, or see'st, stand all aloof,
And do not interrupt me in my Course.
Why I descend into this Bed of Death
Is partly to behold my Lady's Face:
But chiefly to take thence from her dead Finger
A precious Ring, a Ring that I must use
In dear Employment; therefore hence be gone:
-- 61 --
But if thou jealous dost return to pry
In what I further shall intend to do,
By Heaven I will tear thee Joint by Joint,
And strew this hungry Church-Yard with thy Limbs;
The Times and my Intents are savage, wild,
More fierce and more inexorable far
Than empty Tygers, or the roaring Sea.
Bal.
I will be gone, Sir, and not trouble you.
Rom.
So shalt thou win my Favour. Take thou that,
Live and be prosperous, and farewell, good Fellow.
Bal.
For all this, I'll not move far:
His Looks, I fear, and his Intents I doubt.
[Exit.
Rom.
Thou destable Maw, thou Womb of Death.
Gorged with the dearest Morsel of the Earth,
This shall enforce thy rotten Joys to open,
[Breaking open the Monument.
And in despite, I'll cram thee with more Food.
Paris.
This is that banish'd haughty Mountague,
That murder'd my Love's Cousin; (with which Grief
It is supposed the fair Creature died)
And here is come to do some villainous shame
To the dead Bodies: I'll apprehend him,
Stop thy unhallowed Toil vile Mountague.
Can Vengeance be pursued further than Death?
Condemned Villain, I do apprehend thee;
Obey, and go with me, for thou must die.
Rom.
I must indeed, and therefore came I hither—
Good gentle Youth, tempt not a desperate Man,
Fly hence, and leave me. Think upon these gone.
Let them affright thee! I beseech thee, Youth,
Pull not another Sin upon my Head,
By urging me to fury. O, be gone!
By Heaven, I love thee better than myself;
For I came hither arm'd against myself.
Paris.
I do defy thy Commiseration,
And apprehend thee for a Felon here.
Rom.
Wilt thou provoke me? Then have at thee, Boy.
[They fight, Paris falls.
-- 62 --
Paris,
Oh, I am slain! if thou be merciful,
Open the Tomb, lay me with Juliet.
Rom.
In faith I will: Let me peruse this Face—
Mercutio's Kinsman! Paris! Fare thee well.
Since in Misfortune's Book with me thou art writ
I'll bury thee in a triumphant Grave.
For here lies Juliet—Oh my Love, my Wife,
Death that hath suck'd the Honey of thy Breath,
Hath had no Power yet upon thy Beauty
That is not conquer'd, Beauty's Ensign yet
Is crimson in thy Lips, and in thy Cheeks,
And Death's pale Flag is not advanced there.
Why art thou so fair? Shall I believe
That unsubstantial Death is amorous,
And that the lean abhorred Monster keeps
Thee here in dark, to be his Paramour:
For fear of that, I'll stay with thee for ever.
Come bitter Conduct, thou unsavoury Guide:
Here's to my Love—
[Drinks the Poison.
And now Eyes look your last,
Arms take your last Embrace, whilst on these Lips
I fix the Seal of an eternal Contract—
She breathes and stirs.—
[Juliet wakes.
Jul. In the Tomb.
Where am I? Bless me, Heaven!
'Tis very cold: And yet here's something warm—
Rom.
She lives, and we shall both be made immortal.
Speak, speak my Juliet, speak some heavenly News,
And tell me how the Gods design to treat us.
Jul.
O! I have slept a long ten thousand Years.
What have they done with me? I'll not be us'd thus?
I'll not wed Paris: Romeo is my Husband,
Is he not, Sir? Methinks you're very like him.
Be good as he is, and protect me.
Rom.
Juliet, Hah!
Wilt thou not own me? Am I then but like him?
Much, much indeed I'm chang'd from what I was;
And ne'er shall be my self, if thou art lost.
Jul.
The Gods have heard my Vows; it is my Romeo.
-- 63 --
Once more they have restor'd him to my Eyes.
Hadst thou not come, sure I had slept for ever.
But there's a sovereign Charm in thy Embraces,
That might do Wonders, and revive the Dead.
Rom.
Ill Fate no more, my Juliet, now shall part us,
Nor cruel Parents, nor oppressing Laws.
Did not Heav'n's Pow'rs all wonder at our Loves?
And when thou told'st the Tale of thy Disasters,
Was there not Sadness and a Gloom amongst 'em?
I know there was; and they in pity sent thee,
Thus to redeem me from this Vale of Torments,
And bear me with thee to those Hills of Joys.
This World's gross Air grows burthensome already.
I'm all a God; such heav'nly Joys transport me,
That mortal Sense grows sick, and faints with lasting.
[Dies.
Jul.
Oh! to recount my Happiness to thee,
To open all the Treasure of my Soul,
And shew thee how 'tis fill'd, would waste more Time
Than so impatient Love as mine can spare.
He's gone! he's dead! breathless: Alas! my Romeo,
A Phial too: here, here has been his Bane.
O Churl! drink all? Not leave one friendly Drop
For your poor Wife. Yet I'll drain thy Lips.
Perhaps some welcome Poison may hang there,
To help me to o'ertake thee on thy Journey.
They're cold and damp as Earth. Hah! Stains of Blood!
And a Man murder'd 'tis the unhappy Paris.
Who fix their Joys on any Thing that's mortal,
Let 'em behold my Portion and Despair.
Oh! I could rend the Air with Lamentations,
And rouse the dead up from their darksome Graves,
Let Heart felt Rage, Distraction, and Despair,
Seize all the World till they grow mad as I am.
Watch Within.
Lead Boy. Which way?
Jul.
What Noise is that—I will have no Prevention.
Then I'll be brief. Come well-secreted Dagger.
[Stabs herself.
-- 64 --
This is thy Sheath, there rust and let me die?
'Tis o'er;—my Eyes grow dim. Where is my Love?
Have I caught you! now, now, we'll part no more.
[Falls on Romeo, and dies.
Enter a Page with Watch, &c.
Page.
This is the Place where yonder Light doth burn.
Watch.
The Ground is bloody. Search all about the Church;
Go some of you, whom e'er you find attack.
Go tell the Prince, run to the Capulets,
Raise up the Mountagues, some others search—
Enter some of the Watch with Romeo's Man.
2d Watch.
Here's Romeo's Man, we found him in
the Church-yard.
1st Watch.
Hold him in Safety till the Prince comes
hither.
Enter Friar, and a third Watchman.
3d Watch.
Here's a Friar, from whom we took
this Iron and this Spade.
1st Watch.
Stay the Friar too. Let none escape.
Friar, looking on the Bodies.
Juliet, I came to free thee from the Grave,
But little thought to find thee fast in Death.
What! Romeo too? Ill-fated lovely Pair.
Oh! dire Effect of most unhappy Error!
Enter the Prince, and Attendants.
Prince.
What Misadventure is so early up,
That calls our Person from our Morning's Rest?
Enter Capulet, and Lady Capulet.
Cap.
What should it be that they so shriek abroad?
L. Cap.
The People in the Street cry Romeo,
Some Juliet, and some Paris; and all run
With open Outcry toward our Monument.
Prince.
What Fear is this that startles in your Ears?
-- 65 --
1st Watch.
Sovereign, here lies noble Lord Paris
slain, and Romeo dead, and Juliet warm and new
kill'd.
Prince.
Search, seek, and know how this foul Murder
comes.
Watch.
Here is a Friar, and slaughter'd Romeo's
Man, with Instruments upon them fit to open these
dead Men's Tombs.
Cap.
Oh Heaven! oh Wife, look how our Daughter bleeds!
Oh me! this Sight of Death is as a Bell,
That warns my old Age to a Sepulchre.
Enter Mountague.
Prince.
Lord Mountague, thou art full early up,
To see thy Son and Heir now early fallen.
Mount.
Alas! my Liege, my Wife is dead Tonight,
Grief of my Son's Exile hath stopt her Breath.
What further Woe conspires against my Age?
Prince.
Look where thy Son lies dead.
Mount.
O thou untaught! what Manners is in this,
To press before thy Father to a Grave?
Prince.
Seal up the Mouth of Outrage for a while,
'Till we can clear these Ambiguities,
And let Mischance be Slave to Patience.
Bring forth the Parties of Suspicion.
Fri.
I am the greatest, able to do least,
Yet most suspected as the Time and Place
Doth make against me, of this direful Murder;
And here I stand both to impeach and purge;
My self condemned, and my self excus'd.
Prince.
Then say at once what thou dost know in this.
Fri.
Romeo, there dead, was Husband to that Juliet.
I married them; to which her Nurse was witness.
Early next Day fair Juliet comes to me,
And with wild Looks bid me devise some Means,
Which might prevent her Marriage with young Paris,
Or in my Cell there would she kill herself.
-- 66 --
Then gave I her (so tutor'd by my Art)
A sleeping Potion, which so took Effect
As I intended, for it wrought on her
The Form of Death. Meantime I write to Romeo,
That he should hither come as this dire Night,
To help to take her from her borrowed Grave;
Being the Time the Potion's Force should cease.
But he which bore my Letter, Friar John,
Was stay'd by Accident; and Yesternight
Return'd my Letter back; then all alone,
At the prefixed Hour of her awaking,
Came I, to take her from her Kindred's Vault;
Meaning to keep her closely at my Cell,
'Till I conveniently could send to Romeo.
If this be not the Truth, let my old Life
Be sacrificed some Hours before its Time,
Unto the Rigour of severest Law.
Prince.
We still have known thee for a holy Man.
Where's Balthazar, what can he say to this?
Bal.
I brought my Master News of Juliet's Death,
And then he came to this same Monument:
This Letter he bid me early give his Father,
And threat'ned me with Death going to the Vault,
If I departed not, and left him there.
Prince.
Give me the Letter, I will look on it.
Where is Count Paris' Page that rais'd the Watch?
What brought your Master to this Place To-night?
Page.
He came with Flowers to strew his Lady's Grave,
And bid me stand aloof; and so I did.
Anon comes one with Light to ope the Tomb,
And by and by my Master drew on him;
And then I ran away to call the Watch.
Prince.
This Letter doth make good the Friar's Words,
Their Course of Love, the Tidings of her Death:
And here he writes, that he did buy a Poison
Of a poor Apothecary, and therewithal
Came to this Vault to lie with Juliet.
Where be these Enemies Capulet! and Mountague?
-- 67 --
See what a Scourge is laid upon your Hate,
That Heaven finds Means to kill your Joys with Love:
And I for winking at your Discords too,
Have lost a Brace of Kinsmen: All are punish'd.
Lord Mountague give Capulet thy Hand,
And let all Hate be buried in this Tomb.
Cap.
This is my Daughter's Jointure; for no more
Can I demand.
Mount.
But I can give thee more;
For I will raise her Statue in pure Gold,
That while Verona by that Name is known,
There shall no Figure at that Rate be set,
As that of true and faithful Juliet.
Cap.
As rich shall Romeo by his Lady lie,
Poor Sacrifices of our Amity.
Prince.
A gloomy Peace this Morning with it brings,
The Sun for Sorrow will not shew its Head:
We'll hence to enquire farther of these Facts;
And, as the Law directs, pardon or punish.
Never true Lovers Story did impart
More real Anguish to a humane Heart.
