That he dares ne'er come back to challenge you; Romeo's a dishclout to him; an eagle, madam, Or else beshrew them both. Nurse. From my soul too; Amen! To what? Jul. Well, thou hast comforted me marvellous much. Go in; and tell my lady I am gone, Having displeased my father, to Laurence' cell, Nurse. Marry, I will; and this is wisely done.. [Exit. Jul. Ancient damnation! O most wicked fiend! Is it more sin-to wish me thus forsworn, Or to dispraise my lord with that same tongue If all else fail, myself have power to die. [Exit. 1 In The Two Noble Kinsmen, by Fletcher and Shakspeare, we find : ACT IV. SCENE I. Friar Laurence's Cell. Enter FRIAR LAURENCE and PARIS. 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.1 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 talked 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 slowed.2 [Aside. Look, sir, here comes the lady towards my cell. Enter JULIET. Par. Happily met, my lady, and my 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? 1 The meaning of Paris is, there is nothing of slowness in me, to induce me to slacken or abate his haste; but the words the Poet has given him import the reverse. The first edition reads, "And I am nothing slack to slow his haste." 2 To slow and to foreslow were anciently in common use as verbs. 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 abused 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, which is a truth ; And what I spake, I spake it to my face. Par. Thy face is mine, and thou hast slandered 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 ? 1 Fri. My leisure serves me, pensive daughter, now. My lord, we must entreat the time alone. Par. God shield, I should disturb devotion.- [Exit PARIS. Jul. O, shut the door! and when thou hast done so, Come weep with me; past hope, past cure, 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 joined my heart and Romeo's, thou our hands; And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo sealed, Shall be the label to another deed,2 1 Juliet means vespers; there is no such thing as evening-mass. 2 The seals of deeds formerly were appended on distinct slips or labels affixed to the deed. VOL. VII. 28 Or my true heart with treacherous revolt Fri. Hold, daughter; I do spy a kind of hope, Jul. O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, To live an unstained wife to my sweet love. 4 1 i. e. shall decide the struggle between me and my distress. "Or chain me to some steepy mountain's top, In the text, the quarto of 1599 is followed, except that it has "or hide me nightly." 4 Thus the quarto 1599 and the folio: the quarto 1597 reads: "To keep myself a faithful unstained wife To my dear iord, my dearest Romeo."-Boswell. Fri. Hold, then; go home, be merry, give consent To marry Paris. Wednesday is to-morrow; And this shall free thee from this present shame ; 1 Not in the folio of 1623. 2 Instead of the remainder of this scene, the quarto 1597 has only these four lines : "And when thou art laid in thy kindred's vault, Jul. Friar, I go; be sure thou send for my dear Romeo." 3 The Italian custom here alluded to, of carrying the dead body to the grave richly dressed, and with the face uncovered (which is not mentioned by Painter), Shakspeare found particularly described in the Tragicall Hystory of Romeus and Juliet. |