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And this distilled liquor drink thou off;

When, presently, through all thy veins shall run
A cold and drowsy humor, which shall seise
Each vital spirit; for no pulse shall keep
His natural progress, but surcease to beat:
No warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest;
The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade
To paly ashes; thy eyes' windows fall,

Like death, when he shuts up the day of life;
Each part, deprived of supple government,
Shall stiff, and stark, and cold, appear like death;
And in this borrow'd likeness of shrunk death
Thou shalt remain full two and forty hours,
And then awake as from a pleasant sleep.
Now, when the bridegroom in the morning comes
To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead :
Then, as the manner of our country is,

In thy best robes uncover'd on the bier,

Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault,
Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie.
In the mean time, against thou shalt awake,
Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift,
And hither shall he come; and he and I
Will watch thy waking, and that very night
Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua.
And this shall free thee from this present shame;
If no unconstant toy, nor womanish fear,

Abate thy valor in the acting it.

Ju. Give me, give me! O, tell me not of fear. F. Lau. Hold; get you gone; be strong and prosperous

In this resolve: I'll send a friar with speed
To Mantua, with my letters to thy lord.

Ju. Love, give me strength! and strength shall help afford.

Farewell, dear father!

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.

A room in Capulet's house.

Enter CAPUlet, LADY CAPULET, NURSE, and

SERVANTS.

Cap. So many guests invite as here are writ.—

[Exit Servant. Sirrah, go hire me twenty cunning cooks.

2 Ser. You shall have none ill, sir; for I'll try if they can lick their fingers.

Cap. How canst thou try them so?

2 Ser. Marry, sir, 'tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers; therefore he that cannot lick his fingers goes not with me.

Cap. Go; be gone.

[Exit Servant.

We shall be much unfurnish'd for this time.

What, is my daughter gone to friar Laurence?

Nurse. Ay, forsooth.

Cap. Well, he may chance to do some good on

her:

A peevish self-will'd harlotry it is.

Enter JULIET.

Nurse. See, where she comes from shrift with

merry look.

Cap. How now, my headstrong! where have you been gadding?

Ju. Where I have learn'd me to repent the sin

Of disobedient opposition

To you, and your behests;1 and am enjoin'd
By holy Laurence to fall prostrate here,

And beg your pardon.-Pardon, I beseech you:
Henceforward I am ever ruled by you.

Cap. Send for the county; go tell him of this:
I'll have this knot knit up to-morrow morning.
Ju. I met the youthful lord at Laurence' cell;
And gave him what becomed 2 love I might,
Not stepping o'er the bounds of modesty.

Cap. Why, I am glad on 't; this is well; stand up:

This is as 't should be.-Let me see the county;
Ay, marry, go, I say, and fetch him hither.—
Now, afore God, this reverend holy friar,
All our whole city is much bound to him.

Ju. Nurse, will you go with me into my closet, To help me sort such needful ornaments

As

you

think fit to furnish me to-morrow? L. Cap. No, not till Thursday; there is time

enough.

Cap. Go, nurse, go with her: we'll to church [Exeunt Juliet and Nurse.

to-morrow.

L. Cap. We shall be short in our provision;

'Tis now near night.

1 Commands.

2 For becoming.

Cap.

Tush! I will stir about,

And all things shall be well, I warrant thee, wife :
Go thou to Juliet, help to deck up her;
I'll not to bed to-night;-let me alone;

I'll play the housewife for this once.-What, ho!-
They are all forth: well, I will walk myself
To county Paris, to prepare him up

Against to-morrow: my heart is wondrous light,
Since this same wayward girl is so reclaim'd.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Juliet's chamber.

Enter JULIET and NURSE.

Ju. Ay, those attires are best :-but,

nurse,

I pray thee, leave me to myself to-night;

For I have need of many orisons

gentle

To move the heavens to smile upon my state, Which, well thou know'st, is cross and full of sin.

Enter LADY CAPULET.

L. Cap. What, are you busy? do you need my

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Ju. No, madam; we have cull'd such necessaries As are behoveful for our state to-morrow.

So please you, let me now be left alone,

And let the nurse this night sit up with you;
For, I am sure, you have your hands full all
In this so sudden business.

L. Cap.

Good night!

Get thee to bed, and rest; for thou hast need.

[Exeunt Lady Capulet and Nurse. Ju. Farewell!-God knows, when we shall meet

again.

I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins,
That almost freezes up the heat of life:

I'll call them back again to comfort me :-
Nurse!-What should she do here?

My dismal scene I needs must act alone.
Come, phial.

What, if this mixture do not work at all?
Must I of force be married to the county?-
No, no; this shall forbid it :-lie thou there.
[laying down a dagger.
What if it be a poison, which the friar
Subtly hath minister'd to have me dead;
Lest in this marriage he should be dishonor'd,
Because he married me before to Romeo?

I fear it is; and yet, methinks, it should not,
For he hath still been tried a holy man :
I will not entertain so bad a thought.-
How if, when I am laid into the tomb,

I wake before the time that Romeo

Come to redeem me? there's a fearful point!

Shall I not then be stifled in the vault,

To whose foul mouth no healthsome air breathes in,

And there die strangled ere my Romeo comes?

Or, if I live, is it not very like,

The horrible conceit of death and night,

Together with the terror of the place,

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