Despite thy victor sword, and fire-new fortune, bent To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak, Edm. In wisdom, I should ask thy name; But, since thy outside looks so fair and warlike, And that thy tongue some 'say of breeding breathes, What safe and nicely I might well delay Alb. Most monstrous! Ask me not what I know. [Exit GONERIL. Alb. Go after her: she's desperate; govern her. [To an Officer, who goes out. Edm. What you have charged me with, that have I done; And more, much more: the time will bring it out; Let's exchange charity. I am no less in blood than thou art, Edmund; The dark and vicious place where thee he got, Edm. Did hate thee, or thy father! I know it well. Alb. Worthy prince, Where have you hid yourself? How have you known the miseries of your father? Edg. By nursing them, my lord.-List a brief tale; And, when 'tis told, O, that my heart would burst!- Their precious stones new lost; became his guide, Edm. This speech of yours hath mov'd me, 2 Sample. • Stratagem. Alb. If there be more, more woeful, hold it in, For I am almost ready to dissolve, Hearing of this. Edg. Whilst I was big in clamor, came there a man, If that her breath will mist or stain the stone, Is this the promis'd end? Fall, and cease. Kent. "Tis noble Kent, your friend. Lear. A plague upon you, murderers, traitors, all! I might have saved her; now she's gone for ever!Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little. Ha! What is't thou say'st?-Her voice was ever soft, Did I not, fellow? 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? Lear. He's a good fellow, I can tell you that; He'll strike, and quickly too:-He's dead and Enter an Officer. Off. Edmund is dead, my lord. To him our absolute power:-You to your rights; Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life, more, Never, never, never, never, never!— Pray you, undo this button: Thank you, sir.— . That would upon the rack of this tough world Edg. O, he is gone, indeed. Kent. The wonder is, he hath endured so long: He but usurp'd his life. Alb. Bear them from hence.-Our present business Is general woe. Friends of my soul, you twain obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest hath borne most: we, that are young, Shall never see so much, nor live so long. [Exeunt, with a dead march. ↑ Useless. SCENE, during the greater Part of the Play, in Verona; once, in the fifth Act, at Mantua. PROLOGUE. Two households, both alike in dignity, The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, naught could re move, Is now the two-hours' traffic of our stage; The which, if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. SCENE I-A Public Place. ACT I. Sam. Gregory, o' my word, we'll not carry coals.1 Gre. No, for then we should be colliers. Sam. I mean, an 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 me. Gre. To move, is-to stir; and to be valiant, isto stand to it: 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: when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids; I will cut off their heads. A phrase formerly in use, to signify the bearing injuries. Gre. The heads of the maids? heads; take it in what sense thou wilt. Sam. Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maiden Gre. They must take it in 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.2 Draw thy tool; here comes two of the house of the Montagues. Enter ABRAM and BALTHAZAR. 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 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. Poor John is hake, dried and salted. 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 heartless hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death. As I hate hell, ali Montagues, and thee; I hate [They fight. Enter several Partizans of both Houses, who join the Fray; then enter Citizens with Clubs. Cit. Clubs, bills, and partizans! 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 one foot to seek a foe. Enter Prince, with Attendants. Prin. Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, Profaners of this neighbor-stained steel,Will they not hear!-what, ho! you men, you beasts, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage Mon. Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach? Clubs was the usual exclamation at an affray in the streets, as we now call Watch! Angry. A kind of pike. La. Mon. O, where is Romeo?-saw you him today? Right glad I am, he was not at this fray. Ben. Madam, an hour before the worshipp'd sun Peer'd forth the golden window of the east, A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad;" Where,-underneath the grove of sycamore, That westward rooteth from the city's side,So early walking did I see your son: Towards him I made; but he was 'ware of me, And stole into the covert of the wood: I, measuring his affections by my own,-That most are busied when they are most alone,Pursued my humor, not pursuing his, And gladly shunn'd who gladly fled from me. Mon. Many a morning hath he there been seen, With tears augmenting the fresh morning's dew, Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs: But all so soon as the all-cheering sun Should in the furthest east begin to draw The shady curtains from Aurora's bed, Away from light steals home my heavy son, And private in his chamber pens himself; Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, And makes himself an artificial night: Black and portentous must this humor prove, Unless good counsel may the cause remove. Ben. My noble uncle, do you know the cause? Mon. I neither know it, nor can learn of him. Ben. Have you importuned him by any means? Mon. Both by myself and many other friends: But he, his own affections' counsellor, Is to himself, I will not say, how trueBut to himself so secret and so close, So far from sounding and discovery, As is the bud bit with an envious worm, Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air, Or dedicate his beauty to the sun. Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow, We would as willingly give cure, as know. Enter ROMEO, at a distance. Ben. See, where he comes: So please you, step aside; I'll know his grievance, or be much denied. Ben. But new struck nine. Is the day so young? Ah me! sad hours seem long. Was that my father that went hence so fast! Ben. It was:-What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours? Rom. Not having that, which having, makes them short. Ben. In love? Rom. OutBen. Of love? Rom. Out of her favor, 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. Here's much to do with hate, but more with love:- Ben. At thy good heart's oppression. Doth add more grief to too much of mine own. Love is a smoke rais'd with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with lovers' fears: • Appeared. [Going. What is it else? a madness most discreet, 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; That, when she dies, with beauty dies her store. Ben. Then she hath sworn, that she will still live chaste? Rom. She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste; For beauty, starv'd with her severity, She is too fair, too wise; wisely too fair, She hath forsworn to love; and in that vow, Ben. Be ruled 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. Rom. SCENE II.-A Street. Par. Of honorable reckoning7 are you both; Cap. But saying o'er what I have said before: Par. Younger than she are happy mothers made. Cap. And too soon marr'd are those so early made. Inherits at my house; hear all, all see, My house and welcome on their pleasure stay. Enter BENVOLIO and ROMEO. Ben. Tut, man! one fire burns out another's burning, One pain is lessen'd by another's anguish; Turn giddy, and be holp by backward turning. One desperate grief cure with another's lan guish: Take thou some new infection to thy eye, For your broken shin. Shut up in prison, kept without my food, Whipp'd and tormented, and-Good-e'en, good fellow. Serv. God gi' good-c'en.-I pray, sir, can you read? [Reads. Rom. Ay, mine own fortune in my misery. Serv. Perhaps you have learn'd it without book: But I pray, can you read any thing you see? Rom. Ay, if I know the letters, and the language. Serv. Ye say honestly: Rest you merry! Rom. Stay, fellow; I can read. Signior Martino, and his wife and daughters; County Anselme, and his beauteous sisters; The lady widow of Vitruvio; Signior Placentio, and his lovely nieces; Mercutio, and his brother Valentine; Mine uncle Capulet, his wife and daughters; My fair niece Rosaline; Livia; Signior Valentio, and his cousin Tybalt; Lucio, and the lively Helena. A fair assembly; [Gives back the Note.] Whither should they come? Serv. Up. Rom. Whither? Serv. To supper; to our house. Rom. Whose house? Serv. My master's. Rom. Indeed, I should have asked you that before. Serv. Now I'll tell you without asking: My master is the great rich Capulet; and if you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray, come and crush a cup of wine.9 Rest you merry. [Exit. Ben. At this same ancient feast of Capulet's Rom. When the devout religion of mine eye Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fires! And these, who, often drown'd, could never die |