A drain of poison; such soon-speeding gear Doth hurry from the fatal cannon's womb. Ap. Such mortal drugs I have; but Mantua's law Is death to any he that utters them. Rom. Art thou so bare, and full of wretchedness, And fear'st to die? famine is in thy cheeks, Need and oppression starveth in thy eyes, Contempt and beggary hang upon thy back, The world is not thy friend, nor the world's law: The world affords no law to make thee rich; Then, be not poor, but break it, and take this. Ap. My poverty, but not my will, consents. Rom. I pay thy poverty, and not thy will. Ap. Put this in any liquid thing you will, And drink it off; and, if you had the strength Of twenty men, it would despatch you straight. Rom. There is thy gold; worse poison to men's souls, Doing more murders in this loathsome world, I sell thee poison, thou hast sold me none. Thus the old copies. Otway copied the line in his Caius Marius, only changing starveth to stareth, which has been adopted into the text by Singer, and may be right. Pope changed "starr eth in thy eyes to "stare within thy eyes." As stands, the expression conveys a strong sense, though it will hardly bear analysing. The two nouns with a verb in the singular was not ungrammatical according to old usage. In the next line, the first quarto has, Upon thy back hangs ragged misery," which is strangely preferred by some editors. H. Come, cordial, and not poison, go with me [Exeunt SCENE II. Friar LAURENCE'S Cell. Enter Friar JOHN. John. Holy Franciscan friar! brother, ho! Enter Friar LAURENCE Lau. This same should be the voice of friar Welcome from Mantua : What says Romeo? And finding him, the searchers of the town, 1 Each friar had always a companion assigned him by the superior, when he asked leave to go out. In the Visitatio Notabilis de Seleborne, a curious record printed in White's Natural History of Selborne, Wykeham enjoins the canons not to go abroad without leave from the prior, who is ordered on such occasions to assign the brother a companion, "ne suspicio sinistra vel scandalum oriatur." There is a similar regulation in the statutes of Trinity College, Cambridge. So in the poem : "Apace our frier John to Mantua him hyes, That friers in the towne should seldome walke alone, Shakespeare has departed from the poem. in supposing the pesti lence to rage at Veroua instead of Mantua. Lau. Who bare my letter, then, to Romeo? here it is again, Nor get a messenger to bring it thee, So fearful were they of infection. Lau. Unhappy fortune! by my brotherhood, John. Brother, I'll go and bring it thee. [Exit. And keep her at my cell till Romeo come: [Ecit. SCENE III. A Church-Yard in it a Monument belonging to the Capulets. Enter PARIS, and his Page, bearing Flowers and a Torch. Par. Give me thy torch, boy: hence, and stand aloof; Yet put it out, for I would not be seen. Under yond' yew-trees lay thee all along,' That is, was not on a trivial or idle matter, but on a subject of importance. See Act in sc. 1, note 9. All the old copies excep the first quarto have "young trees” instead of " yew-trees." H. Holding thine ear close to the hollow ground; [Retires. Par. Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew. O woe! thy canopy is dust and stones, [Retires. Enter ROMEO and BALTHASAR, with a Torch, Mattock, &c. Rom. Give me that mattock, and the wrenching iron. 2 Instead of these six lines, the quarto of 1597 has the fclow ing seven, which are preferred by some editors: "Sweet flower, with flowers I strew thy bridal bed: The perfect model of eternity, Fair Juliet, that with angels dost remain. Accept this latest favour at my hands, H Hold, take this letter: early in the morning But, chiefly, to take thence from her dead finger In dear employment. Therefore hence, begone: 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 Bal. I will be gone, sir, and not trouble you. Rom. So shalt thou show me friendship. Take thou that: Live, and be prosperous; and farewell, good fellow. Bal. For all this same, I'll hide me hereabout: His looks I fear, and his intents I doubt. [Retires Rom. Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death, Gorg'd with the dearest morsel of the earth, Thus I enforce thy rotten jaws to open, [Breaking open the Door of the Monument. And, in despite, I'll cram thee with more food! Par. This is that banish'd haughty Montague, 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 [Advancing Stop thy unhallow'd toil, vile Montague: |