The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 3: Books for ChildrenLamb, Charles
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The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 3: Books for Children
Lamb, Charles
Children's poetry; Children's stories
Romeo was beginning to call the heavens to witness, that nothing was
farther from his thoughts than to impute a shadow of dishonour to such
an honoured lady, when she stopped him, begging him not to swear;
for although she joyed in him, yet she had no joy of that night's
contract; it was too rash, too unadvised, too sudden. But he being
urgent with her to exchange a vow of love with him that night, she
said that she already had given him hers before he requested it;
meaning, when he overheard her confession; but she would retract what
she then bestowed, for the pleasure of giving it again, for her bounty
was as infinite as the sea, and her love as deep. From this loving
conference she was called away by her nurse, who slept with her, and
thought it time for her to be in bed, for it was near to day-break;
but hastily returning, she said three or four words more to Romeo,
the purport of which was, that if his love was indeed honourable, and
his purpose marriage, she would send a messenger to him to-morrow, to
appoint a time for their marriage, when she would lay all her fortunes
at his feet, and follow him as her lord through the world. While they
were settling this point, Juliet was repeatedly called for by her
nurse, and went in and returned, and went and returned again, for she
seemed as jealous of Romeo going from her, as a young girl of her
bird, which she will let hop a little from her hand, and pluck it
back with a silken thread; and Romeo was as loth to part as she: for
the sweetest music to lovers is the sound of each other's tongues at
night. But at last they parted, wishing mutually sweet sleep and rest
for that night. The day was breaking when they parted, and Romeo, who
was too full of thoughts of his mistress and that blessed meeting
to allow him to sleep, instead of going home, bent his course to a
monastery hard by, to find friar Lawrence. The good friar was already
up at his devotions, but seeing young Romeo abroad so early, he
conjectured rightly that he had not been a-bed that night, but that
some distemper of youthful affection had kept him waking. He was right
in imputing the cause of Romeo's wakefulness to love, but he made a
wrong guess at the object, for he thought that his love for Rosaline
had kept him waking. But when Romeo revealed his new passion for
Juliet, and requested the assistance of the friar to marry them that
day, the holy man lifted up his eyes and hands in a sort of wonder at
the sudden change in Romeo's affections, for he had been privy to all
Romeo's love for Rosaline, and his many complaints of her disdain; and
he said, that young men's love lay not truly in their hearts, but in
their eyes. But Romeo replying that he himself had often chidden him
for doting on Rosaline, who could not love him again, whereas Juliet
both loved and was beloved by him, the friar assented in some measure
to his reasons; and thinking that a matrimonial alliance between young
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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