Edg. By nursing them, my lord.-List a brief tale: And when 'tis told, O, that my heart would burst! The bloody proclamation to escape That follow'd me so near (O our lives' sweetness! That we the pain of death would hourly die, Led him, beggd for him, sav'd him from despair; Edm This speech of yours hath mov'd me, And shall, perchance, do good: but speak you on; You look as you had something more to say. Alb. If there be more, more woful, hold it in; For I am almost ready to dissolve, Hearing of this. Edy. Whilst I was big in clamour, came there in a man, But who was this? Follow'd his enemy king, and did him service Improper for a slave. Enter a Gentleman hastily, with a bloody knife. Gent. Help! help! O help! Edg. Alb. What kind of help? Speak, man. Edg. What means this bloody knife? Gent. "Tis hot, it smokes; It came even from the heart of-O she's dead. Alb. Who dead? speak, man. Gent. Your lady, sir, your lady: and her sister By her is poison'd; she confesses it. Edm. I was contracted to them both; all three Now marry in an instant. Edg. Here comes Kent. Kent. I am come Enter LEAR, with CORDELIA dead in his arms: EDGAR, Officer, and others. Lear. Howl, howl, howl!-O, you are men of stones; Had I your tongues and eyes I'd use them so That heaven's vault should crack:-She's gone for ever! I know when one is dead, and when one lives; O my good master! [Kneeling. Lear. Prithee, away. Edg. "Tis noble Kent, your friend. Lear. A plague upon you, murderers, traitors all! I have seen the day, with my good biting faulchion I would have made them skip: I am old now, And these same crosses spoil me.-Who are you? Mine eyes are not o' the best; - I'll tell you straight. Kent. If fortune brag of two she lov'd and hated, One of them we behold. Lear. This is a dull sight. Are you not Kent? Kent. The same; Your servant Kent: Where is your servant Caius ? KING Lear. He's a good fellow, I can tell you that; He'll strike, and quickly too: He's dead and rotten. Kent. No, my good lord; I am the very man ;- Kent. That, from your first of difference and Have follow'd your sad steps. Lear. Your eldest daughters have fore-done themselves, Lear. Ay, so I think. Edg. Alb. He knows not what he says; and vain it is That would upon the rack of this tough world That we present us to him. Edg. Very bootless. Enter an Officer. Off. Edmund is dead, my lord. AU. Stretch him out longer. Edg. He is gone, indeed. Kent. The wonder is, he hath endur'd so long: He but usurp'd his life. Alb. Bear them from hence.-Our present busi ness Is general woe. Friends of my soul, you twain, Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. [Exeunt with a dead march, ROMEO & JULIET DRAMATIS PERSONE. SCENE.-During the greater part of the play. in Verona; once (in the Fifth Act) at Mantua. PROLOGUE. Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, Do, with their death, bury their parents' strife. And the continuance of their parents' rage. Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. SCENE L-A public place. ACT I. when I have fought with the men, I will be civil Enter SAMPSON and GREGORY, armed with swords with the maids, and cut off their heads. and bucklers. Sam. Gregory, o'my word, we'll not carry coals. Sre. No, for then we should be colliers. Sam. I mean, if we be in choler, we'll draw. Gre. Ay, while you live, draw your neck out of the collar. Sam. I strike quickly, being moved. Gre. But thou art not quickly moved to strike. Sam. A dog of the house of Montague moves ine. Gre. To move is to stir; and to be valiant, is to stand; therefore, if thou art moved, 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. Gre. That shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes to the wall. Sam. True; and therefore women, being the 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. Gre. The quarrel is between our masters, and us their men. Sam. "Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: Gre. The heads of the maids? Sum. Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maiden-heads; take it in what sense thou wilt. Gre. They must take it sense, that feel it. Sam. Me they shall feel, while I am able to stand: and 'tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh. Gre. 'Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been poor John. Draw thy tool; here comes of the house of Montagues. Enter ABRAM and BALTHASAR. Sam. My naked weapon is out; quarrel, I will back thee. Gre. How? turn thy back, and run? Gre. No, marry: I fear thee! Sam. Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin. Gre. 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 Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? Sam. No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I bite my thumb, sir. Gre. Do you quarrel, sir? Sam. If you do, sir, I am for you: I serve as good a man as you. Abr. No better. Enter BENVOLIO, at a distance. Gre. Say-better; here comes one of my master's kinsmen. Sam. Yes, better. Sam. Draw, if you be men.-Gregory, remember thy swashing blow. [They fight. Ben. Part, fools; put up your swords; you know not what you do. [Beats down their swords. Enter TYBALT. Tyb. What, art thou drawn among these heart less hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death. You, Capulet, shall go along with me, [Exeunt PRINCE and Attendants; CAPULET, Mon. Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach? Ben. Here were the servants of your adversary, La. Mon. O, where is Romeo?-saw you him Right glad am I he was not at this fray. Ben. Madam, an hour before the worshipp'd sun Peer'd forth the golden window of the east, Ben. I do but keep the peace; put up thy A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad, sword, Or manage it to part these men with me. Where, underneath the grove of sycamore, Tyb. What, draw, and talk of peace? I hate the So early walking did I see your son: word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: [They fight. Enter several partisans of both houses, who join the fray; then enter Citizens, with clubs. 1 Cit. Clubs, bills, and partisans! strike! beat them down! Down with the Capulets! down with the Montagues! Enter CAPULET, in his gown; and Lady CAPULET. Cap. What noise is this?-Give me my long sword, ho! 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 me. Enter MONTAGUE and Lady MONTAGUE. Mon. Thou villain Capulet,-Hold me not, let me go. La. Mon. Thou shalt not stir a foot to seek a foe. Prin. Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage Towards him I made; but he was 'ware of me, Mon. Many a morning hath he there been seen, Ben. My noble uncle, do you know the cause? Enter ROMEO at a distance. Ben. See, where he comes: So please you, step I'll know his grievance, or be much denied. Ben. Good morrow, cousin. Is the day so young? Ben. It was:-What sadness lengthens Romeo's | hours? Rom. Not having that, which, having, makes them short. Ben. In love? 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 pathways to his will! Where shall we dine?-O me!-What fray was here? Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. O heavy lightness! serious vanity! Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!- Ben. No, coz, I rather weep. Doth add more grief to too much of mine own. [Going. Ben. Soft, I will go along; An if you leave me so, you do me wrong, Rom. Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here; This is not Romeo, he's some other where. Ben. Tell me in sadness, who is that you love. Rom. What, shall I groan, and tell thee? Ben. Groan? why, no; But sadly tell me, who. Rom. Bid a sick man in sadness make his will: Ah, word ill urged 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 marksman!-And 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; O, she is rich in beauty! only poor Rom. She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste; For beauty, starv'd with her severity, Cuts beauty off from all posterity. She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair, 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. "Tis the way Rom. To call hers exquisite, in question more: These happy masks, that kiss fair ladies' brows, Being black, put us in mind they hide the fair; He that is strucken blind, cannot forget The precious treasure of his eyesight lost: Show me a mistress that is passing fair, What doth her beauty serve, but as a note Where I may read, who pass'd that passing fair? Farewell: thou canst not teach me to forget. Ben. I'll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-A Street. 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 Earth hath swallow'd all my hopes but sue, And like her most, whose merit most shall be: My house and welcome on their pleasure stay. [Exeunt CAPULET and PARIS. Serv. Find them out, whose names are written 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 writ, and can never find what names the writing person hath here writ. I must to the learned:-In good time. |