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And judged who best, and who next her, was wrought in Nature's frame.

At length he saw a maid, right fair, of perfect shape,

Which Theseus or Paris would have chosen to their rape.

Whom erst he never saw; of all she pleased him most;

Within himself he said to her, "Thou justly may'st thee boast

Of perfect shape's renown, and beauty's sounding praise,

Whose like ne hath, ne shall be seen, ne liveth in our days."

And whilst he fixed on her his partial piercéd eye,

His former love, for which of late he ready was to die,

Is now as quite forgot, as it had never been:

The proverb saith, "Unminded oft are they that are unseen."

And as out of a plank a nail a nail doth drive,

So novel love out of the mind the ancient love doth rive.

This sudden kindled fire in time is wox so great,

That only death and both their bloods might quench the fiery heat.

When Romeus saw himself in this new tempest tossed,

Where both was hope of pleasant port, and danger to be lost,

He doubtful, scarcely knew what countenance to keep;

In Lethe's flood his wonted flames were quenched and drenchéd deep.

Yea, he forgets himself, ne is the wretch so bold

To ask her name, that without force hath him in bondage fold.

Ne how t'unloose his bonds doth the poor fool devise,

But only seeketh by her sight to feed his hungry eyes:

Through them he swalloweth down love's sweet impoisoned bait:

How surely are the wareless wrapt by those that lie in wait!

So is the poison spread throughout his bones and veins,

That in a while, alas, the while, it hasteth deadly pains.

Whilst Juliet, for so this gentle damsel hight,

From side to side on every one did cast about her sight:

At last her floating eyes were anchored fast on him,

Who for her sake did banish health and freedom from each limb.

He in her sight did seem to pass the rest as far

As Phoebus' shining beams do pass the brightness of a star.

In wait lay warlike Love with golden bow and shaft,

And to his ear with steady hand the bowstring up he raft.

Till now she had escaped his sharp inflaming dart,

Till now he listed not assault her young and tender heart.

His whetted arrow loosed, so touched her to the quick,

That through the eye it strake the heart, and there the head did stick.

It booted not to strive, for why, she wanted strength;

The weaker aye unto the strong of force must yield, at length.

The pomps now of the feast her heart 'gins to despise;

And only joyeth when her eyne meet with her lover's eyes.

When their new smitten hearts had fed on loving gleams,

Whilst, passing to and fro their eyes, y-mingled were their beams.

Each of these lovers 'gan by other's looks to know,

That friendship in their breast had root, and both would have it grow.

When thus in both their hearts had Cupid made his breach

And each of them had sought the mean to end the war by speech,

Dame Fortune did assent their purpose to advance,

With torch in hand a comely knight did fetch her forth to dance;

She quit herself so well, and with so trim a grace,

That she the chief praise won that night from all Verona race,

The whilst our Romeus a place had warely won,

Nigh to the seat where she must sit, the dance once being done.

Fair Juliet turned to her chair with pleasant cheer,

And glad she was her Romeus approachéd was so near.

At th' one side of her chair her lover Romeo,

And on the other side there sat one called Mercutio;

A courtier that each where was highly had in price,

For he was courteous of his speech, and pleasant of device.

Even as a lion would among the lambs be bold,

Such was among the bashful maids Mercutio to behold.

With friendly gripe he seized fair Juliet's snowish hand:

A gift he had that Nature gave him in his swathing band,

That frozen mountain ice was never half so cold,

As were his hands, though ne'er so near the fire he did them hold.

As soon as had the knight the virgin's right hand raught,

Within his trembling hand her left hath loving Romeus caught.

For he wist well himself for her abode most pain,

And well he wist she loved him best,