ON THE FABLE AND COMPOSITION OF ROMEO and JULIET. THE ftory on which this play is founded, is related as a true one in Girolamo de la Corte's Hiftory of Verona. It was originally published by an anonymous Italian novelift in 1549, at Venice; and again in 1553, at the fame place. The firft edition of Bandello's work appeared a year later than the last of these already mentioned. Pierre Boifteau copied it with alterations and editions. Belleforeft adopted it in the firft volume of his collection, 1596; but very probably fome edition of it yet more ancient, had found its way abroad; as, in this improved ftate, it was translated into English, and published in an octavo volume 1562, but without a name. On this occafion it appears in the form of a poem entitled, The tragical Hiftorie of Romeus and Juliet. It was republished in 1587, under the same title: "Contayning in it a rare Example of true Conftancie: with the fubtill Counfels and practices of an old Fryer, and their Event. Imprinted by R. Robinfon.' Among the entries on the books of the Stationers' Company, I find Feb. 18, 1582. M. Tottell] Romeo and Juletta? Again, Aug. 5, 1596: "Edward White] a new bal lad of Romeo and Juliett." The fame ftory is found in The Palace of Pleafure: however, Shakefpeare was not entirely indebted to Painter's epitome; but rather to the poem already mentioned. Stanyhurft, the translator of Virgil in 1582, enumerates Julietta among his heroines, in a piece which he calls an Epitaph, or Commune Defunctorum; and it appears (as Dr Farmer has obferved), from a paffage in Ames's Typogra. phical Antiquities, that the ftory had likewife been tranflated by another hand. Captain Breval, in his Travels Travels tells us, that he faw at Verona the tomb of thefe unhappy lovers. STEEVENS. This play is one of the most pleasing of our author's performances. The fcenes are bufy and various, the incidents numerous and important, the catastrophe irrefiftibly affecting, and the process of the action carried on with such probability, at least with such congruity to popular opinions, as tragedy requires. Here is one of the few attempts of Shakespeare to exhibit the converfation of gentlemen, to represent the airy sprightlinefs of juvenile elegance. Mr Dryden men. tions a tradition, which might easily reach his time, of a declaration made by Shakespeare, that be avas obliged to kill Mercutio in the third act, left he should have been killed by him. Yet he thinks him no fuch formidable perfon, but that he might have lived through the play, and died in his bed, without danger to a poet. Dryden well knew, had he been in queft of truth, that, in a pointed fentence, more regard is commonly had to the words than the thought, and that it is very feldom to be rigorously understood. Mercutio's wit, gaiety, and courage, will always procure him friends that with him a longer life; but his death is not precipitated : he has lived out the time allotted him in the conftruction of the play; nor do I doubt the ability of Shakefpeare to have continued his exiftence, though fome of his fallies are perhaps out of the reach of Dryden ; whofe genius was not very fertile of merriment, nor ductile to humour, but acute, argumentative, comprehenfive, and fublime. The Nurfe is one of the characters in which the author delighted: he has, with great fubtilty of diftinction, drawn her at once loquacious and fecret, obsequious and infolent, trufty and dishoneft. His comic fcenes are happily wrought, but his pathetick ftrains are always polluted with fome unexpected depravations. His perfons, however diftreffed, have a conceit left them in their mifery-a miferable conceit. JOHNSON. PRO PROLOGUE. Two households, both alike in dignity, Do, with their death, bury their parents' ftrife. The fearful paffage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their childrens' end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours' traffick of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here fhall mifs, our toil fhall ftrive to mend. |