So holesome salve will I for your afflictions fynde, That you shall hence depart againe with well contented mynde." And he out of the church in haste is to the chaumber gonne; To let her take Paris to spouse, since he him selfe hath byn His restles thoughts hath heaped up within his troubled hed. The execution eke he demes so much more daungerous, That yong is, simple and unware, for waighty affayres unfit. Both she and Romeus were undonne, him selfe eke punished. And then with double hast retornde where woful Juliet was; "On Wensday next, (quoth Juliet) so doth my father say, I must geve my consent; but, as I do remember, The solemne day of mariage is the tenth day of September." Out of the bondage which you feare, assuredly deliver. Even from the holy font thy husband have I knowne, And, since he grew in veres, have kept his counsels as myne owne. For from his youth he would unfold to me his hart, And often have I cured him of anguish and of smart: I knowe that by desert his frendship I have wonne, And him do holde as deere, as if he were my propre sonne. Should wrongfully in oughte be harmde, if that it lay in me Or timely to prevent the same in any other wise. And sith thou art his wyfe, thee am I bound to love, For Romeus friendship sake, and seeke thy anguish to remove, And dredful torments, which thy hart besegen rounde; Wherefore, my daughter, geve good care unto my counsels sounde. Forget not what I say, ne tell it any wight, Not to the nurce thou trustest so, as Romeus is thy knight. My fame or shame, his weale or woe that chose thee to his wyfe. As every where is spred of me, but chefely in this towne, Through every lande found out by men, by men inhabited; And to a thousand daungers more, by water and by lande. That by the pleasant thought of passed thinges doth grow, know: What force the stones, the plants, and metals have to worke, When sodayn daunger forceth me; but yet most cheefly when (Not helping to do any sin that wrekefull Jove forbode.) But now am comme unto the brinke of my appoynted grave, When love and fond desyre were boyling in my brest, Whence hope and dred by striving thoughts had banishd frendly rest. Know therefore, daughter, that with other gyftes which I Of certain rootes and savory herbes to make a kynd of dowe, And dranke with conduite water, or with any kynd of wine, It doth in halfe an howre astone the taker so, And mastreth all his sences, that he feeleth weale nor woe: And so it burieth up the sprite and living breath, That even the skilful leche would say, that he is slayne by death. The taker, by receiving it, at all not greeved is; From which, according to the quantitie he taketh, The happy happe or yll mishappe of thy affayre doth rest. And on the marriage day, before the sunne doe cleare the skye, Then drink it of, and thou shalt feele throughout eche vayne and lym A pleasant slumber slyde, and quite dispred at length On all thy partes, from every part reve all thy kindly strength; Withouten moving thus thy ydle partes shall rest, No pulse shall goe, ne hart once beate within thy hollow brest, But thou shalt lye as she that dyeth in a traunce: Thy kinsmen and thy trusty frendes shall wayle the sodayne chaunce; The corps then will they bring to grave in this churcheyarde, daughter, Till I to Mantua sende for Romeus, thy knight; Out of the tombe both he and I will take thee forth that night. And when out of thy slepe thou shalt awake agayne, Then may'st thou goe with him from hence; and, healed of thy payne, In Mantua lead with him unknowne a pleasant lyfe; And yet perhaps in tyme to comme, when cease shall all the stryfe, Both to my prayse, and to thy tender parentes joy, That dangerles, without reproche, thou shalt thy love enjoy." To which our Juliet so well her care and wits did bend, Her fainting hart was comforted with hope and pleasant thought, With stout and unapauled hart your happy hest fulfill. Yea, if I wist it were a venomous dedly drinke, Rather would I that through my throte the certaine bane should sinke, Then I, not drinking it, into his handes should fall, That hath no part of me as yet, ne ought to have at all. To greatest daunger yeld my selfe, and to the dedly smart, To come to him on whom my life doth wholly stay, A thousand thankes and more our Juliet gave the frier, She saw her mother in the doore, that with her there would meete, In mynde to aske if she her purpose yet dyd hold, In mynde also, apart twixt them, her duety to have tolde; "Madame, at sainct Frauncis churche have I this morning byn, Where I did make abode a longer while, percase, Then dewty would; yet have I not been absent from this place This frute have I receaved there;-my hart, erst lyke to dye, For lo! my troubled gost, alas too sore diseasde By gostly counsell and advise hath fryer Lawrence easde; By my ungrate and stubborne stryfe I styrred unto yre; Made me another woman now than I had been before. That. though I sought, no sure defence my searching thought could finde. So forced I was at length to yeld up witles will, And promist to be ordered by the fryers pray sed skill. Wherefore, albeit, I had rashely, long before, The bed and rytes of mariage for many yeres forswore, Yet mother, now behold your daughter at your will, Ready, if you commaunde her aught, your pleasure to fulfill To go unto my lord and syre, withouten long delay; And shew him, if it pleaseth you, his child is now at last And that I will, God lendeth lyfe, on Wensday next, be prest Where I will, in your hearing, and before my fathers face, And take him for my lord and spouse; thus fully am I bent; The bravest garmentes and the richest jewels there, Which, better him to please, I mynde on Wensday next to weare; Yet might attyre helpe to amende my bewty and my shape." Not halfe a word could she bring forth, but in this joyfull plight Unto her pensive husband, and to him with pleasant face syer. With hands and eyes heaved-up he thankes God in his hart, By helping us at nedefull times with wisdomes pretious lore. But is, for somme good torne, unto this holy father bounde. So much, in fayth, his extreme age my frendly hart doth greeve." At Freetowne, where he myndes to make for him a costly feast. But loe, the earle saith, such feasting were but lost, And counsels him till mariage time to spare so great a cost. For then he knoweth well the charges will be great; The whilst, his hart desyreth still her sight, and not his meate. He craves of Capilet that he may straight goe see Fayre Juliet; wherto he doth right willingly agree. The mother, warnde before, her daughter doth prepare; She warneth and she chargeth her that in no wyse she spare As cunning craftsman to the sale do set theyr wares on rew; So secretly unwares to him she stale away his hart, That of his lyfe and death the wily wench hath powre; And now his longing hart thinkes long for theyr appoynted howre, And with importune sute the parents doth he pray The wedlocke knot to knit soone up, and hast the mariage day. The woer hath past forth the fyrst day in this sort, And many other more then this, in pleasure and disport. At length the wished time of long hoped delight (As Paris thought) drew nere; but nere approched heavy plight. Agaynst the brydall day the parentes did prepare Such rich attyre, such furniture, such store of dainty fare, |