Is my dear son with such sour company: doom? Fri. A gentler judgment vanish'd from his lips, Not body's death, but body's banishment. Rom. Ha! banishment? be merciful, say-death: For exile hath more terror in his look, Much more than death: do not say-banishment. Hence-banished is banish'd from the world, Fri. O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness! Rom. 'Tis torture, and not mercy: heaven is here, Where Juliet lives; and every cat, and dog, And little mouse, every unworthy thing, Live here in heaven, and may look on her, But Romeo may not.-More validity, More honourable state, more courtship lives In carrion flies, than Romeo:2 they may seize This is dear mercy,] The old copies read mere mercy, which in ancient language, signifies absolute mercy. 2 More validity, More honourable state, more courtship lives In carrion flies, than Romeo:] Validity seems here to mean worth or dignity. By courtship, the author seems to mean, the On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand, Flies may do this, when I from this must fly; And say'st thou yet, that exile is not death? O friar, the damned use that word in hell; A sin-absolver, and my friend profess'd, Rom. O, thou wilt speak again of banishment. Fri. I'll give thee armour to keep off that word; Adversity's sweet milk, philosophy, To comfort thee, though thou art banished. Fri. O, then I see that madmen have no ears. no eyes? Fri. Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.3 Rom. Thou canst not speak of what thou dost not feel: Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love, state of a lover; that dalliance, in which he who courts or wooes a lady is sometimes indulged. 3 Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.] i. e. talk over thy affairs. An hour but married, Tybalt murdered, Then might'st thou speak, then might'st thou tear thy hair, And fall upon the ground, as I do now, Taking the measure of an unmade grave. Fri. Arise; one knocks; good Romeo, hide thyself. [Knocking within. Rom. Not I; unless the breath of heart-sick groans, Mist-like, infold me from the search of eyes. [Knocking. Fri. Hark, how they knock!-Who's there? Romeo, arise; Thou wilt be taken:-Stay a while:-stand up; Run to my study:-By and by:-God's will! [Knocking. [Knocking. Who knocks so hard? whence come you? what's your will? Nurse. [Within.] Let me come in, and you shall know my errand; I come from lady Juliet. Fri. Welcome then. Enter Nurse. Nurse. O holy friar, O, tell me, holy friar, Where is my lady's lord, where's Romeo? Fri. There on the ground, with his own tears made drunk. Nurse. O, he is even in my mistress' case, Just in her case! Fri. Nurse. O woeful sympathy! Even so lies she, Blubbering and weeping, weeping and blubbering:- Rom. Nurse! Nurse. Ah sir! ah sir!-Well, death's the end of all. Rom. Spak'st thou of Juliet? how is it with her? Doth she not think me an old murderer, Now I have stain'd the childhood of our joy With blood remov'd but little from her own? Where is she? and how doth she? and what says My conceal'd lady to our cancell'd love? Nurse. O, she says nothing, sir, but weeps and weeps; And now falls on her bed; and then starts up, Rom. As if that name, Shot from the deadly level of a gun, Did murder her; as that name's cursed hand Murder'd her kinsman.-O tell me, friar, tell me, In what vile part of this anatomy Doth my name lodge? tell me, that I may sack The hateful mansion. Fri. [Drawing his Sword. Hold thy desperate hand: Art thou a man? thy form cries out, thou art; Why rail'st thou on thy birth, the heaven, and earth? Since birth, and heaven, and earth, all three do meet And usest none in that true use indeed Thy dear love, sworn, but hollow perjury, And thou dismember'd with thine own defence." 4 Like powder in a skill-less soldier's flask, &c.] To understand the force of this allusion, it should be remembered that the ancient English soldiers, using match-locks, instead of locks with flints as at present, were obliged to carry a lighted match hanging at their belts, very near to the wooden flask in which they kept their powder. 5 And thou dismember'd with thine own defence.] And thou torn to pieces with thine own weapons. |