Fri. L. I will be brief, for my short date of breath
Is not so long as is a tedious tale.
Romeo, there dead, was husband to that Juliet; 230
And she, there dead, that Romeo's faithful wife:[1563]
I married them; and their stol'n marriage-day
Was Tybalt's dooms-day, whose untimely death[1564]
Banish'd the new-made bridegroom from this city;
For whom, and not for Tybalt, Juliet pined. 235
You, to remove that siege of grief from her,
Betroth'd and would have married her perforce
To County Paris: then comes she to me,
And with wild looks bid me devise some mean[1565]
To rid her from this second marriage, 240
Or in my cell there would she kill herself.
Then gave I her, so tutor'd by my art,
A sleeping potion; which so took effect
As I intended, for it wrought on her
The form of death: meantime I writ to Romeo,[1566] 245
That he should hither come as this dire night,[1567]
To help to take her from her borrow'd grave,[1568]
Being the time the potion's force should cease.
But he which bore my letter, Friar John,
Was stay'd by accident, and yesternight 250
Return'd my letter back. Then all alone[1569]
At the prefixed hour of her waking[1570]
Came I to take her from her kindred's vault,
Meaning to keep her closely at my cell
Till I conveniently could send to Romeo: 255
But when I came, some minute ere the time[1571]
Of her awaking, here untimely lay[1572]
The noble Paris and true Romeo dead.
She wakes, and I entreated her come forth,[1573]
And bear this work of heaven with patience: 260
But then a noise did scare me from the tomb,[1574]
And she too desperate would not go with me,
But, as it seems, did violence on herself.
All this I know; and to the marriage[1575]
Her nurse is privy: and, if aught in this[1575][1576] 265
Miscarried by my fault, let my old life[1575]
Be sacrificed some hour before his time[1575][1577]
Unto the rigour of severest law.
Prince. We still have known thee for a holy man.[1578]
Where's Romeo's man? what can he say in this?[1579] 270
Bal. I brought my master news of Juliet's death,[1580]
And then in post he came from Mantua
To this same place, to this same monument.[1581]
This letter he early bid me give his father,
And threaten'd me with death, going in the vault,[1582] 275
If I departed not and left him there.[1583]
Prince. Give me the letter; I will look on it.
Where is the county's page, that raised the watch?
Sirrah, what made your master in this place?
Page. He came with flowers to strew his lady's grave;[1584] 280
And bid me stand aloof, and so I did:
Anon comes one with light to ope the tomb;
And by and by my master drew on him;
And then I ran away to call the watch.
Prince. This letter doth make good the friar's words, 285
Their course of love, the tidings of her death:
And here he writes that he did buy a poison
Of a poor 'pothecary, and therewithal
Came to this vault to die and lie with Juliet.
Where be these enemies? Capulet! Montague! 290
See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love!
And I, for winking at your discords too,
Have lost a brace of kinsmen: all are punish'd.[1585]
Cap. O brother Montague, give me thy hand: 295
This is my daughter's jointure, for no more
Can I demand.
Mon. But I can give thee more:[1586]
For I will raise her statue in pure gold;
That whiles Verona by that name is known,[1587]
There shall no figure at such rate be set[1588] 300
As that of true and faithful Juliet.[1589]
Cap. As rich shall Romeo's by his lady's lie;[1590]
Poor sacrifices of our enmity!
Prince. A glooming peace this morning with it brings;[1591]
The sun for sorrow will not show his head: 305
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;
Some shall be pardon'd and some punished:[1592]
For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. [Exeunt.[1593]