[Sc. XXII.]
Enter Countie Paris and his Page with flowers and sweete water.
Par: Put out the torch, and lye thee all along
Vnder this Ew-tree, keeping thine eare close to the hollow ground.
And if thou heare one tread within this Churchyard,
Staight giue me notice. 5
Boy: I will my Lord.
Paris strewes the Tomb with flowers.
Par: Sweete Flower, with flowers I strew thy Bridale bed:
Sweete Tombe that in thy circuite dost containe,
The perfect modell of eternitie:
Faire Iuliet that with Angells dost remaine, 10
Accept this latest fauour at my hands,
That liuing honourd thee, and being dead
With funerall praises doo adorne thy Tombe.
Boy whistles and calls. My Lord.
Enter Romeo and Balthasar, with a torch, a mattocke, and a crow of yron.
Par: The boy giues warning, something doth approach. 15
What cursed foote wanders this was to night,
To stay my obsequies and true loues rites?
What with a torch, muffle me night a while.
Rom: Giue mee this mattocke, and this wrentching Iron.
And take these letters, early in the morning, 20
See thou deliuer them to my Lord and Father.
So get thee gone and trouble me no more.
Why I descend into this bed of death,
Is partly to behold my Ladies face,
But chiefly to take from her dead finger, 25
A precious ring which I must vse
In deare imployment: but if thou wilt stay,
Further to prie in what I vndertake,
By heauen Ile teare thee ioynt by ioynt,
And strewe thys hungry churchyard with thy lims 30
The time and my intents are sauage, wilde.
Balt: Well, Ile be gone and not trouble you.
Rom: So shalt thou win my fauour, take thou this,
Commend me to my Father, farwell good fellow.
Balt: Yet for all this will I not part from hence. 35
Romeo opens the tombe.
Rom: Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death,
Gorde with the dearest morsell of the earth.
Thus I enforce thy rotten iawes to ope.
Par: This is that banisht haughtie Mountague,
That murderd my loues cosen, I will apprehend him. 40
Stop thy vnhallowed toyle vile Mountague.
Can vengeance be pursued further then death?
I doe attach thee as a fellon heere.
The Law condemnes thee, therefore thou must dye,
Rom: I must indeed, and therefore came I hither, 45
Good youth be gone, tempt not a desperate man.
Heape not another sinne vpon my head
By sheding of thy bloud, I doe protest
I loue thee better then I loue my selfe:
For I come hyther armde against my selfe, 50
Par: I doe defie thy coniurations:
And doe attach thee as a fellon heere.
Rom: What dost thou tempt me, then haue at thee boy.
They fight.
Boy: O Lord they fight, I will goe call the watch.
Par: Ah I am slaine, if thou be mercifull 55
Open the tombe, lay me with Iuliet.
Rom: Yfaith I will, let me peruse this face,
Mercutios kinsman, noble County Paris?
What said my man, when my betossed soule
Did not regard him as we past a long.
Did he not say Paris should have maried
Iuliet? eyther he said so, or I dreamd it so.
But I will satisfie thy last request,
For thou hast prizd thy loue aboue thy life.
Death lye thou there, by a dead man interd, 65
How oft have many at the houre of death
Beene blith and pleasant? which their keepers call
A lightning before death But how may I
Call this a lightning. Ah deare Iuliet,
How well thy beauty doth become this graue? 70
O I beleeue that vnsubstanciall death,
Is amorous, and doth court my loue.
Therefore will I, O heere, O euer heere,
Set vp my euerlasting rest
With wormes, that are thy chamber mayds. 75
Come desperate Pilot now at once runne on
The dashing rockes thy sea-sicke weary barge.
Heers to my loue. O true Apothecary:
Thy drugs are swift: thus with a kisse I dye. Falls.
Enter Fryer with a Lanthorne.
How oft to night haue these my aged feete 80
Stumbled at graues as I did passe along.
Whose there?
Man. A frend and one that knowes you well.
Fr: Who is it that consorts so late the dead,
What light is yon? if I be not deceiued, 85
Me thinkes it burnes in Capels monument?
Man. It doth so holy Sir, and there is one
That loues you dearly.
Fr. Who is it?
Man: Romeo. 90
Fr: How long hath he beene there?
Man: Full halfe an houre and more.
Fr: Goe with me thether.
Man: I dare not sir, he knowes not I am heere:
On paine of death he chargde me to be gone, 95
And not for to disturbe him in his enterprize.
Fr: Then must I goe: my minde presageth ill.
Fryer stoops and lookes on the blood and weapons.
What bloud is this that staines the entrance
Of this marble stony monument?
What meanes these maisterles and goory weapons?
Ah me I doubt, whose heere? what Romeo dead?
Who and Paris too? what vnluckie houre
Is accessary to so foule a sinne?
Iuliet rises.
The Lady sturres.[1595]
Ah comfortable Fryer. 105
I doe remember well where I should be,
And what we talkt of: but yet I cannot see
Him for whose sake I vndertooke this hazard.
Fr: Lady come foorth, I heare some noise at hand,
We shall be taken, Paris he is slaine, 110
And Romeo dead: and if we heere be tane
We shall be thought to be as accessarie.
I will prouide for you in some close Nunery.
Iul: Ah leaue me, leaue me, I will not from hence.
Fr: I heare some noise, I dare not stay, come, come. 115
Iul: Goe get thee gone.
Whats heere a cup closde in my louers hands?
Ah churle drinke all, and leaue no drop for me.
Enter watch.
Watch: This way, this way.
Iul: I, noise? then must I be resolute. 120
O happy dagger thou shalt end my feare,
Rest in my bosome, thus I come to thee.
She stabs herselfe and falles.
Enter watch.
Cap: Come looke about, what weapons haue we heere?
See frends where Iuliet two daies buried,
New bleeding wounded, search and see who's neare, 125
Attach and bring them to vs presently.
Enter one with the Fryer.
1. Captaine heers a Fryer with tooles about him,
Fitte to ope a tombe.
Cap: A great suspition, keep him safe.
Enter one with Romeos man.
1. Heeres Romeos Man. 130
Capt: Keepe him to be examinde.
Enter Prince with others.
Prin: What early mischiefe calls vs vp so soone.
Capt: O noble Prince, see here
Where Juliet that hath lyen intoombd two dayes,
Warme and fresh bleeding, Romeo and Countie Paris 135
Likewise newly slaine.
Prin: Search seeke about to finde the murderers.
Enter olde Capolet and his Wife.
Capo: What rumor's this that is so early vp?
Moth: The people in the streetes crie Romeo,
And some on Iuliet: as if they alone 140
Had been the cause of such a mutinie.
Capo: See Wife, this dagger hath mistooke:
For (loe) the backe is emptie of yong Mountague,
And it is sheathed in our Daughters breast.
Enter olde Montague.
Prin: Come Mountague, for thou art early vp, 145
To see thy Sonne and Heire more early downe.
Mount: Dread Souereigne, my Wife is dead to night,
And yong Benuolio is deceased too:
What further mischiefe can there yet be found?
Prin: First come and see, then speake. 150
Mount: O thou vntaught, what manners is in this
To presse before thy Father to a graue.
Prin: Come seale your mouthes of outrage for a while,
And let vs seeke to finde the Authors out
Of such a hainous and seld seene mischaunce. 155
Bring forth the parties in suspition.
Fr: I am the greatest able to doo least.
Most worthie Prince, heare me but speake the truth.
And Ile informe you how these things fell out.
Juliet here slaine was married to that Romeo, 160
Without her Fathers or her Mothers grant:
The Nurse was priuie to the marriage.
The balefull day of this vnhappie marriage,
Was Tybalts doomesday: for which Romeo
Was banished from hence to Mantua. 165
He gone, her Father sought by foule constraint
To marrie her to Paris: But her Soule
(Loathing a second Contract) did refuse
To giue consent; and therefore did she vrge me
Either to finde a meanes she might auoyd 170
What so her Father sought to force her too:
Or els all desperately she threatned
Euen in my presence to dispatch her selfe.
Then did I giue her, (tutord by mine arte)
A potion that should make her seeme as dead: 175
And told her that I would with all post speed
Send hence to Mantua for her Romeo,
That he might come and take her from the Toombe.
But he that had my Letters (Frier John)
Seeking a Brother to associate him, 180
Whereas the sicke infection remaind,
Was stayed by the Searchers of the Towne,
But Romeo vnderstanding by his man,
That Iuliet was deceasde, returnde in post
Vnto Verona for to see his loue. 185
What after happened touching Paris death,
Or Romeos is to me vnknowne at all.
But when I came to take the Lady hence,
I found them dead, and she awakt from sleep:
Whom faine I would haue taken from the tombe, 190
Which she refused seeing Romeo dead.
Anone I heard the watch and then I fled,
What after happened I am ignorant of.
And if in this ought haue miscaried.
By me, or by my meanes let my old life 195
Be sacrificd some houre before his time.
To the most strickest rigor of the Law.
Pry: We still haue knowne thee for a holy man,
Wheres Romeos man, what can he say in this?
Balth: I brought my maister word that shee was dead, 200
And then he poasted straight from Mantua,
Vnto this Toombe. These Letters he deliuered me,
Charging me early giue them to his Father.
Prin: Lets see the Letters, I will read them ouer.
Where is the Counties Boy that calld the Watch? 205
Boy: I brought my Master vnto Juliets graue,
But one approaching, straight I calld my Master.
At last they fought, I ran to call the Watch.
And this is all that I can say or know.
Prin: These letters doe make good the Fryers wordes, 210
Come Capolet, and come olde Mountagewe.
Where are these enemies? see what hate hath done.
Cap: Come brother Mountague giue me thy hand,
There is my daughters dowry: for now no more
Can I bestowe on her, thats all I haue. 215
Moun: But I will giue them more, I will erect
Her statue of pure golde:
That while Verona by that name is knowne.
There shall no statue of such price be set,
As that of Romeos loued Iuliet. 220
Cap: As rich shall Romeo by his Lady lie.
Poore Sacrifices to our Enmitie.
Prin: A gloomie peace this day doth with it bring.
Come, let vs hence,
To haue more talke of these sad things. 225
Some shall be pardoned and some punished:
For nere was heard a Storie of more woe,
Than this of Iuliet and her Romeo.
FINIS.