Rom. He jests at scars, that never felt a wound. [JULIET appears above, at a window. But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks! It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!-- That thou her maid art far more fair than she: O, that she knew she were! She speaks, yet she says nothing; What of that? Her eye discourses, I will answer it. I am too bold, 't is not to me she speaks: 6 There are two lines here omitted in the text of Steevens' edition, which Malone has restore to the text. The lines are gross, but the grossness is obscure, and, if it were understood, could scarcely be called corrupting. The freedoms of Mercutio arise out of his dramatic character;-his exuberant spirits betray him into levities which are constantly opposed to the intellectual refinement which rises above such baser matter. But Pope rejected these lines-Pope, who, in the Rape of the Lock, has introduced one couplet, at least, that would have disgraced the age of Elizabeth. We do not print the two lines of Shakspere, for they can only interest the verbal critic. But we distinctly record their omission. As far as we have been able to trace-and we have gone through the old editions with an especial reference to this matterthese two lines constitute the only passage in the original editions which has been omitted by modern editors. this exception, there is not a passage in Shakspere which is not reprinted in every edition except that of Mr. Bowdler. And yet the writer in Lardner's Cyclopædia (Lives of Literary and Scientific Men), has ventured to make the following assertion: "Whoever has looked into the original editions of his dramas will be disgusted with the obscenity of his allusions. They absolutely teem with the grossest improprieties -more gross by far than can be found in any contemporary dramatist." The insinuation that the original editions contain improprieties that are not to be found in modern editions, is difficult to characterise without using expressions that had better be avoided. b Be not a votary to Diana,-the "Queen and huntress, chaste and fair." of Ben Jonson's beautiful hymn. With Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! Jul. O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Deny thy father, and refuse thy name; Rom. Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this? [Aside. Jul. "Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!* What's in a name? that which we call a rose, By any other named would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, Retain that dear perfection which he owes, Without that title:-Romeo, doff thy name; And for thy name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself. Rom. e I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptiz'd; Henceforth I never will be Romeo. Jul. What man art thou, that thus bescreen'd in night, So stumblest on my counsel? My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself, Had I it written I would tear the word. Jul. My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words Of thy tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound; Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague ? Rom. Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike." Jul. How cam'st thou hither, tell me? and wherefore? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb; And the place death, considering who thou art, If any of my kinsmen find thee here. Rom. With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls; For stony limits cannot hold love out : Jul. If they do see thee, they will murder thee. eye, Than twenty of their swords; look thou but sweet, And I am proof against their enmity. Jul. I would not for the world they saw thee here. Rom. I have night's cloak to hide me from their eyes; And, but thou love me, let them find me here: Rom. By love, that first did prompt me to inquire; eyes. He lent me counsel, and I lent him Jul. Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face; Or, if thou think'st I am too quickly won, 3 But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true That those that have more cunning to be strange. I should have been more strange, I must confess, Pom. Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear," That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops,Jul. O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon That monthly changes in her circled orb, Rom. I have no joy of this contract to-night: This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath, meet. Good nig, good night! as sweet repose and rest Re-enter JULIET, above. Jul. Three words, dear Romeo, and good night, indeed. If that thy bent of love be honourable, Jul. I come, anon:-But if thou mean'st not well, Rom. By the hour of nine. Jul. I will not fail; 't is twenty years till then. I have forgot why I did call thee back. Rom. Let me stand here till thou remember it. Jul. I shall forget, to have thee still stand there, Remem'bring how I love thy company. Rom. And I'll still stay, to have thee still forget, Forgetting any other home but this. Jul. 'Tis almost morning, I would have thee gone: And yet no further than a wanton's bird; Rom. I would I were thy bird. Sweet, so would I: Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing. Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night, till it be morrow. [Exit. Rom. Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast! 'Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest! Hence will I to my ghostly friar's close* cell; His help to crave, and my dear hap to tell. [Exit. SCENE III.--Friar Laurence's Cell. Fri. The grey-ey'd morn smiles on the frowning night, Checkering the eastern clouds with streaks of light; And flecked darkness like a drunkard reels for My neece, which is the reading of the first folio, and of the second and third quartos. In the first quarto we have Madam, which Malone adopts. But in the first quarto there is no interruption at all by the Nurse; whilst in the second quarto she has twice before used the word Madam; -and, consequently, the poet, in his amended copy, avoided the use by Romeo of a title which had just been used by the Nurse. We believe that the word Neece is altogether a mistake.-that the word Nurse was written, as denoting a third interruption by her-and that Madam, the use of which was the form of the interruption, was omitted acci dentally, or was supposed to be implied by the word Nurse. As we have printed the passage the metre is correct; and it is to be observed that in the second quarto and the subse quent copies, at before "what o'clock," which was in the first quarto, is omitted, showing that a word of two syllables was wanted after my when at was rejected. Zachary Jackson, instead of niece, would read norice. I must up-fill this osier cage of ours, father! Rom. Good morrow, Therefore thy carliness doth me assure, Rom. That last is true, the sweeter rest was mine. of the first copy of the change of a word or so, and leaving the MS upon the page, without obliterating the original passage, it came to be inserted twice. The lines, as given to Romeo, stand thus in the quarto of 1609, and in the folio:"The grey-ey'd morn smiles on the frowning night, Checkering the eastern clouds with streaks of light; And darkness fleckel'd, like a drunkard reels From forth day's path-way, made by Titan's wheels." Six lines, ending with this line, are not in (4). bin (A), small. ein (A), foes. In the other ancient editions, rings. Opposed foes has not the propriety of opposed kings-a thoroughly Shaksperean phrase. D 2 Rom. I'll tell thee, ere thou ask it me again. I have been feasting with mine enemy; Where, on a sudden, one hath wounded me, That's by me wounded; both our remedies Within thy help and holy physic lies; 6 I bear no hatred, blessed man; for, lo, My intercession likewise steads my foe. Fri. Be plain, good son, and homely in thy drift; Riddling confession finds hut riddling shrift. Rom. Then plainly know, my heart's dear love is set On the fair daughter of rich Capulet: As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine; Fri. Holy Saint Francis! what a change is here! Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, Hath wash'd thy sallow checks for Rosaline! Women may fall, when there's no strength in Mer. Why, that same pale hard-hearted wench, that Rosaline, Torments him so, that he will sure run mad. Ben. Romeo will answer it. Mer. Any man, that can write, may answer a letter. Ben. Nay, he will answer the letter's master, how he dares, being dared. Mer. Alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead! stabbed with a white wench's black eye; shot thorough the ear with a love-song; the very pin of his heart cleft with the blind bow-boy's buttshaft; And is he a man to encounter Tybalt? Ben. Why, what is Tybalt? b Mer. More than prince of cats, I can tell you. O, he is the courageous captain of compliments. He fights as you sing prick-song keeps time, distance, and proportion; rests me his minim rest, one, two, and the third in your bosom : the very butcher of a silk button, a duellist, a ducllist; a gentleman of the very first house,—of the first and second cause: Ah, the immortal passado! the puncto reverso! the bay! Ben. The what? Mer. The pox of such antic, lisping, affecting fantasticoes; these new tuners of accents!-By Jesu, a very good blade !—a very tall man !— a very good whore !-Why, is rat this a lament The centre of the target, where the pin fastened the clout. b Tybert is the name given to the cat in the story of Reynard the Fox. Prick song, music pricked, or noted, down, so as to read according to rule; in contradistinction to music learnt by the ear, or sung from memory. able thing, grandsire, that we should be thus afflicted with these strange flies, these fashionmongers, these pardon-mes, who stand so much on the new form, that they cannot sit at ease on the old bench? O, their bons, their bons! Enter ROMEO. Ben. Here comes Romeo, here comes Romeo. Mer. Without his roe, like a dried herring :O, flesh, flesh, how art thou fishified!--Now is he for the numbers that Petrarch flowed in: Laura, to his lady, was but a kitchen-wench;marry, she had a better love to be-rhyme her: Dido, a dowdy; Cleopatra, a gipsy; Helen and Hero, hildings and harlots; Thisbé, a grey eye or so, but not to the purpose.-Signior Romeo, bon jour! there's a French salutation to your French slop. You gave us the counterfeit fairly last night. Rom. Good morrow to you both. What counterfeit did I give you ? Mer. The slip, sir, the slip; Can you not conceive? Rom. Pardon, good Mercutio, my business was great; and, in such a case as mine, a man may strain courtesy. Mer. That's as much as to say-such a case as yours constrains a man to bow in the hams. Rom. Meaning-to court'sy. Mer. Thou hast most kindly hit it. till Rom. Why, then is my pump well flowered Mer. Sure wit. Follow me this jest now, thou hast worn out thy pump; that, when the single sole of it is worn, the jest may remain, after the wearing, solely singular. Rom. O single-soled jest, solely singular for the singleness! Mer. Come between us, good Benvolio; my wits faint. Rom. Switch and spurs, switch and spurs ; or I'll cry a match. Mer. Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase, I have done; for thou hast more of the wildgoose in one of thy wits, than, I am sure, I have in my whole five: Was I with you there for the goose? |