Hold, there is forty ducats: let me have
A dram of poison: such soon speeding geer*
As will disperse itself through all the veins,
That the life-weary taker may fall dead;
And that the trunk may be discharg'd of breath
As violently, as hasty powder fir'd

Doth hurry from the fatal cannon's womb.

Ap. Such mortal drugs I have; but Mantua's law Is death to any he that utters them.

Rom. Art thou so bare, and full of wretchedness,
And fear'st to die? famine is in thy cheeks,
Need and oppression starveth in thy eyes,
Upon thy back hangs ragged misery,

The world is not thy friend, nor the world's law;
The world affords no law to make thee rich;
Then be not poor, but break it, and take this.
Ap. My poverty, but not my will, consents.
Rom. I pay thy poverty, and not thy will.
Ap. Put this in any liquid thing you will,
And drink it off; and if you had the strength
Of twenty men it would despatch you straight.
Rom. There is thy gold, worse poison to men'
souls,

Doing more murders in this loathsome world,
Than these poor compounds that thou may'st not sell
I sell thee poison, thou hast sold me none.
Farewell; buy food, and get thyself in flesh.

THE CONTEST OF ROMEO AND PARIS.

Par. Stop thy unhallow'd toil, vile Montague; Can vengeance be pursu'd further than death? Condemned villain, I do apprehend thee: Obey, and go with me; for thou must die.

Rom. I must, indeed, and therefore came I hither. Good gentle youth, tempt not a desperate man, Fly hence and leave me; think upon these gone; Let them affright thee.-I beseech thee, youth, Heap not another sin upon my head,

By urging me to fury: O, be gone!
By heaven, I love thee better than myself:
For I come hither, arm'd against myself:

* Stuff.

Stay not, begone:-live, and hereafter say-
A madman's mercy bade thee run away.
Par. I do defy thy conjurations,*

And do attach thee as a felon here. ·

Rom. Wilt thou provoke me? then have at thee, boy.

*

[They fight.

Par. O, I am slain! [Falls.]—If thou be merciful,
Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet.
[Dies.
Rom. In faith, I will:-Let me peruse this face;-
Mercutio's kinsman, noble county Paris:-
What said my man, when my betossed soul
Did not attend him as we rode? I think,
He told me, Paris should have married Juliet:
Said he not so? or did I dream it so?

Or am I mad, hearing him talk of Juliet,
To think it was so!-O give me thy hand,

One writ with me in sour misfortune's book!"

ROMEO'S LAST SPEECH OVER JULIET IN THE TOME.

O, my love! my wife!

Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath,
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty:
Thou art not conquer'd; beauty's ensign yet
Is crimson in thy lips, and in thy cheeks,
And death's pale flag is not advanced there.-
Tybalt, liest thou there in thy bloody sheet?
O, what more favour can I do to thee,
Than with that hand that cut thy youth in twain,
To sunder his that was thine enemy!
Forgive me, cousin!-Ah, dear Juliet,
Why art thou yet so fair! Shall I believe
That unsubstantial death is amorous;
And that the lean abhorred monster keeps
Thee here in dark to be his paramour!
For fear of that, I will still stay with thee;
And never from this palace of dim night
Depart again; here, here will I remain
With worms that are thy chambermaids; O, here
Will I set up my everlasting rest;

* I refuse to do as thou conjurest me to do, i. e. depart.

And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars

From this world-wearied flesh.-Eyes, look your last:
Arms, take your last embrace! and lips, O you
The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss
A dateless bargain to engrossing death!—
Come, bitter conduct, come unsavoury guide!
Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on
The dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark!
Here's to my love!-[Drinks.] O, true apothecary!
Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die. [Dies.

TIMON OF ATHENS.

ACT I.

PAINTING.

THE painting is almost the natural man; For since dishonour traffics with man's nature, He is but outside: These pencil'd figures are Even such as they give out.f

THE PLEASURE OF DOING GOOD.

O, you gods, think I, what need we have any friends, if we should never have need of them? they were the most needless creatures living, should we ne'er have use for them: and would most resemble sweet instruments hung up in cases, that keep their sounds to themselves. Why, I have often wished myself poorer, that I might come nearer to you. We are born to do benefits: and what better or properer can we call our own, than the riches of our friends? O, what a precious comfort 'tis, to have so many, like brothers, commanding one another's fortunes!

ACT II.

A FAITHFUL STEWARD.

So the gods bless me,

When all our officest have been oppress'd

Conductor. † Pictures have no hypocrisy; they are what they profess to be.

The apartments allotted to culinary offices, &c.

With riotous feeders; when our vaults have wept With drunken spilth of wine: when every room Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with minstrelsy; I have retired me to a wasteful cock,*

And set mine eyes at flow.

INGRATITUDE.

They answer in a joint and corporate voice, That now they are at fall,† want treasure, cannot Do what they would; are sorry-you are honourable,—

But yet they could have wish'd-they know not-but Something hath been amiss-a noble nature

May catch a wrench-would all were well—'tis pity

And so, intending‡ other serious matters,

After distasteful looks, and these hard fractions,§
With certain half-caps, and cold-moving nods,
They froze me into silence.

ACT III.

THE MISERABLE SHIFTS OF INGRATITUDE.

Ser. My honoured lord,

[To Lucius. Luc. Servilius! you are kindly met, sir. Fare thee well:-Commend me to thy honourable virtuous lord, my very exquisite friend.

Ser. May it please your honour, my lord hath

sent

Luc. Ha! what has he sent? I am so much endeared to that lord; he's ever sending: How shall I thank him, thinkest thou? And what has he sent now?

Ser. He has only sent his present occasion now, my lord; requesting your lordship to supply his instant use with so many talents.

Luc. I know, his lordship is but merry with me; He cannot want fifty-five hundred talents.

* A pipe with a turning stopple running to waste.

ti. e. At an ebb.

same meaning as attending.

+ Intending, had anciently the

§ Broken hints, abrupt remarks.

A half cap is a cap slightly moved, not put off.

Ser. But in the mean time he wants less, my lord. If his occasion were not virtuous,*

I should not urge it half so faithfully.

Luc. Dost thou speak seriously, Servilius?
Ser. Upon my soul, 'tis true, sir.

Luc. What a wicked beast was I, to disfurnish myself against such a good time, when I might have shown myself honourable? how unluckily it happened, that I should purchase the day before for a little part, and undo a great deal of honour;-Servilius, now before the gods, I am not able to do't; the more beast, I say: I was sending to use lord Timon myself, these gentlemen can witness; but I would not, for the wealth of Athens, I had done it now. Commend me bountifully to his good lordship; and I hope his honour will conceive the fairest of me, because I have no power to be kind: And tell him this from me, I count it one of my greatest afflictions, say, that I cannot pleasure such an honourable gentleman. Good Servilius, will you befriend me so far, as to use mine own words to him?

Ser. Yes, sir, I shall.

Luc. I will look you out a good turn, Servilius.[Exit SERVILIUS. True, as you said, Timon is shrunk, indeed; And he, that's once denied, will hardly speed. [Exit.

AGAINST DUELLING.

Your words have took such pains, as if they la bour'd

To bring manslaughter into form, set quarrelling
Upon the head of valour; which, indeed,

Is valour misbegot, and came into the world
When sects and factions were but newly born:
He's truly valiant, that can wisely suffer

The worst that man can breathe; and make his

wrongs

His outsides; wear them like his raiment, carelessly; And ne'er prefer his injuries to his heart,

To bring it into danger.

*If he did not want it for a good use."