Amid the defert rockes the mountaine beare Geves them fuch fhape, as doth, ere long, delight With gaping mouth and stayned jawes with blood; Tyll Tyme geve ftrength, to meete and match in fight, Of noble trymphes, and deedes of martial might; And shall geve rules of chaft and honeft lyfe. The whyle, I pray, that ye with favour blame, Of this my mufe. Love hath inflamed twayne by fodayn fight, They wed in thrift, by counfell of a frier; Yong Romeus clymes fayre Juliets bower by night. He payeth death to Tybalt for his hyre. A banisht man, he fcapes by fecret flight: New mariage is offred to his wyfe; She drinkes a drinke that feemes to reve her breath; They bury her, that sleping yet hath lyfe. He drinkes his bane; and the, with Romeus' knyfe," ROME HERE is beyond the Alps a towne of ancient fame, T Where bright renoune yet fhineth cleare, Verona men it name; Bylt in an happy time, bylt on a fertyle foyle, Maynteined by the heavenly fates, and by the townish toyle. The In the preliminary note on Romeo and Juliet I observed that it was founded on the Tragicall Hyftery of Romeus and Juliet, printed in 1562. That piece being almoft as rare as a manufcript, I reprinted it a few years ago, and fhall give it a place here as a proper fupplement to the commentaries on this tragedy. From the following lines in An Epitaph on the death of Maifter Arthur Brooke drownde in paffing to New-Haven, by George Tuberville, [Epitaphes, Epigrammes, &c. 1567,] we learn that the former was the authour of this poem: "Apollo lent him lute, for folace fake, "To found his verfe by touch of ftately string, "As may be judge by Julyet and ber mate; "More speedie death than fuch one did deserve." The original relater of this story was Luigi da Porto, a gentleman of Vicenza, who died in 1529. His novel did not appear till fome years after his death; being first printed at Venice, in octavo, in 1535, under the title of La Giulietta. In an epiftle prefixed to this work, which is addrefled Alla belliffima e leggiadra Madonna Lucina Savorgnana, the authour gives the following account (probably a fictitious one) of the manner in which he became acquainted with this story: "As you yourself have seen, when heaven had not as yet levelled against me its whole wrath, in the fair fpring of my youth I devoted myself to the profeffion of arms, and, following therein many brave and valiant men, for fome years I ferved in your delightful country, Frioli, through every part of which, in the courfe of my private fervice, it was my duty to roam. I was ever accuftomed, when upon any expedition on horseback, to bring with me an archer of mine, whofe name was Peregrino, a man about fifty years old, well prac tifed in the military art, a pleasant companion, and, like almost all his countrymen of Verona, a great talker. This man was not only H h 4 a brave The fruitefull hilles above, the pleasant vales belowe, To fyll the houngry eyes of those that curiously beholde ; To reache rewarde unto the good, to paye the lewde with pay! Which Boccace fkant, not my rude tonge, were able foorth to Within my trembling hande my penne doth shake for teare, And, on my colde amazed head, upright doth ftand my heare a brave and experienced foldier, but of a gay and lively di and, more perhaps than became his age, was for ever in love lity which gave a double value to his valour. Hence it wa delighted in relating the moft amufing novels, especially fuch of love, and this he did with more grace and with better arra than any I have ever heard. It therefore chanced that, from Gradifca, where I was quartered, and, with this ar two other of my fervants, travelling, perhaps impell'd by love, Udino, which route was then extremely folitary, and entire. and burned up by the war,-wholly abforbed in thought, and a diftance from the others, this Peregrino drawing near me, as gueffed my thoughts, thus addreffed me: "Will you then for this melancholy life, becaufe a cruel and difdainful fair or not love you? though I now speak against myself, yet, fi vice is easier to give than to follow, I must tell you, mafter o that, befides its being difgraceful in a man of your profeffion to long in the chains of love, almost all the ends to which he cond are fo replete with mifery, that it is dangerous to follow him. testimony of what I fay, if it so please you, I could relate a tran that happened in my native city, the recounting of which will the way lefs folitary and lefs difagreeable to us; and in this you would perceive how two noble lovers were conducted to a mi and piteous death.-And now, upon my making him a fign willingness to liften, he thus began." The phrafe, in the beginning of this paffage, when heaven as yet levelled against me its whole wrath, will be beft explain fome account of the authour, extracted from Crefcimbeni, Iftori Volgar Poefia, T. v. p. 91: Luigi da Porto, a Vicentine, w his youth, on account of his valour, made a leader in the Ve army; but, fighting against the Germans in Friuli, was fo w ed, that he remained for a time wholly difabled, and afterwards and weak during his life; on which account, quitting the proz of arms, he betook himfelf to letters," &c. MALONE. But fith shee doeth commaunde, whose heft I must obeye, For you it caufd, which I alas! unable am to wryte. There were two auncient stocks, which Fortune hygh did place And lyke unhappy were they both, when Fortune lift to ftryke; A wonted ufe it is, that men of likely forte, (I wot not by what furye forsd) envye eache others porte. And then of grudging envies roote blacke hate and rancor grew; So, of a kyndled fparke of grudge, in flames flafh oute their eyre: That did behold the grifly fight with wet and weeping eye. By jentyl meane he fought their choler to affwage, And by perfwafion to appease their blameful furious rage; When frendly fage advise ne gentyll woords avayle, By thondring threats and princely powre their courage gan he quayle; In hope that when he had the wafting flame fuppreft, In time he should quyte quench the sparke that boornd within their brest. Now whylft thefe kyndreds do remayne in this eftate, And eche with outward frendly fhew doth hyde his inward hate, One Romeus, who was of race a Mountague, Upon whofe tender chyn as yet no manlyke beard there grewe, Whofe beauty, fhape, and comely grace, did fo his heart entrappe To her he writeth oft, oft meflengers are fent, At length, in hope of better fpede, himselfe the lover went; With vertues foode, and taught in fchole of wifdomes skilfull lore, By By aunfwere did cutte off thaffections of his love, That he no more occafion had fo vayne a fute to move: So much the more his fervent minde was prickt fourth by defyre, Had ferved her, who forced not what paynes he did endure, If chaunge of place might chaunge away his ill-bestowed love; Can reape none other fruite at all but fcorne and proude difdayne? But the the path wherein I treade with spedy flight doth shunne. She is ay beft content when the is farthest of from me. In fyghs, in teares, in plainte, in care, in forrow and unreft, So depe hath love, with pearcing hand, ygravd her bewty bright That he of force must yelde as thrall ;-no way is left to start. And eche of them in frendly wyfe his heavy hap bewayles But one emong the reft, the truftieft of his feeres, Farre more then he with counfel fild, and ryper of his yeeres, Which are of force, I weene, to move the hardest hart to ruthe? That thou hence foorth become thine owne;-O give no more away In that thou loveft fuck a one thou feemft thy self to hate. For |