The Tragicall His torye of Romeus and Iuliet, writ- In ædibus Richardi Tottelli. [In the Second Edition, printed 1587, the Title was varied to THE TRAGICALL HYSTORY OF ROMEUS AND JULIET. CONTAYNING IN IT A RARE EXAMPLE OF TRUE CONSTANCIE; WITH THE SUBTILL COUNSELS AND PRACTICES OF AN OLD FRYER; AND THEIR ILL EVENT. "To the Reader.*-The God of all glorye created vniuersallye all creatures, to sette forth his prayse, both those whiche we esteme profitable in vse and pleasure, and also those, whiche we accompte noysome, and lothsome. But principally, he hath appointed man, the chiefest instrument of his honour, not onely, for ministryng matter thereof in man himselfe but aswell in gatheryng out of other, the occasions of publishing Gods goodnes, wisdome, & power. And in like sort, euerye dooyng of man hath by Goddes dyspensacion some thynge, whereby God may, and ought to be honored. So the good doynges of the good, & the euill actes of the wicked, the happy successe of the blessed, and the wofull procedinges of the miserable, doe in diuers sorte sound one prayse of God. And as eche flower yeldeth hony to the bee, so euery exaumple ministreth good lessons to the well disposed mynde. The glorious triumphe of the continent man vpon the lustes of wanton fleshe, incourageth men to honest restraynt of wyld affections, the shamefull and wretched endes of such, as haue yelded their libertie thrall to fowle desires, teache men to withholde them selues from the hedlong fall of loose dishonestie. So, to lyke effect, by sundry meanes, the good mans exaumple byddeth men to be good, and the euill mans mischefe, warneth men not to be euyll. To this good ende, serue all ill endes, of yll begynnynges. And to this ende (good Reader) is this tragicall matter written, to describe vnto thee a coople of vnfortunate louers, thralling themselues to vnhonest desire, neglecting the authoritie and aduise of parents and frendes, conferring their principall counsels with dronken gossyppes, and superstitious friers (the naturally fitte instrumentes of vnchastitie) attemptyng all aduentures of peryll, for thattaynyng of their wished lust, vsyng auriculer confession (the kay of whoredome, and treason) for furtheraunce of theyr purpose, abusyng the honorable name of lawefull mariage, to cloke the shame of stolne contractes, finallye, by all meanes of vnhonest lyfe, hastyng to most vnhappye deathe. This president (good Reader) shalbe to thee, as the slaues of Lacedemon, oppressed with excesse of drinke, deformed and altered from likenes of men, both in mynde, and vse of body, were to the free borne children, so shewed to them by their parentes, to thintent to rayse in them an hatefull lothyng of so filthy beastlynes. Hereunto if you applye it, ye shall deliuer my dooing from offence, and profit yourselues. Though I saw the same argument *This address is from the first edition, printed in 1562, and inserted in the second volume of the British Bibliographer, by Mr. Haslewood, who has collated the whole poem with a copy of that edition, and by him obligingly communicated for the present edition. HARRIS. lately set foorth on stage with more commendation, then I can looke for: (being there much better set forth then I haue or can dooe) yet the same matter penned as it is, may serue to lyke good effect, if the readers do brynge with them lyke good myndes, to consider it, which hath the more incouraged me to publishe it, suche as it is. Ar. Br." * The poem rhymes in couplets, but the lines originally were divided throughout; otherwise the measure forms alternate lines of twelve and fourteen syllables. A short specimen, to shew the manner of first printing it, will suffice. "There is beyonde the Alps, a towne of auncient fame, Whose bright renoune yet shineth cleare, Bylt in an happy time, bylt on a fertile soyle: Maynteined by the heauenly fates, and by the townish toyle." &c. Fo. 1. * Steevens, in a note prefixed to the play, rather prophetically observes, "we are not yet at the end of our discoveries relative to the originals of our author's dramatick pieces:" true; a play founded on the story of Romeo and Juliet, appearing on the stage "with commendation," anterior to the time of Shakspeare, is a new discovery for the commentators. HASLEWOOD. AMID the desert rockes the mountaine beare Geues them such shape, as doth, ere long, delight With gaping mouth and stayned iawes with blood; In stormes to gyde to hauen the tossed barke; Right so my muse Hath (now, at length,) with trauell long, brought forth Tyll Tyme geue strength, to meete and match in fight, Of this my muse, THE ARGUMENT. LOUE hath inflamed twayne by sodayn sight, He payeth death to Tybalt for his hyre. A banisht man, he scapes by secret flight: New marriage is offred to his wyfe: She drinkes a drinke that seemes to reue her breath; Her husband heares the tydinges of her death; ROMEUS AND JULIET.* THERE is beyonde the Alps a towne of auncient fame, Whose bright renoune yet shineth cleare, Verona men it name; Bylt in an happy time, bylt on a fertyle soyle, Maynteined by the heauenly fates, and by the townish toyle. * In a preliminary note on Romeo and Juliet I observed that it was founded on The Tragicall Hystory of Romeus and Juliet, printed in 1562. That piece being almost as rare as a manuscript, I reprinted it a few years ago, and shall give it a place here as a proper supplement to the commentaries on this tragedy. From the following lines in An Epitaph on the Death of Maister Arthur Brooke drownde in passing to New-Haven, by George Tuberville, [Epitaphes, Epigrammes, &c. 1567,] we learn that the former was the author of this poem: Apollo lent him lute, for solace sake, "To sound his verse by touch of stately string, "And of the never-fading baye did make 66 As may be judge by Julyet and her mate; "More speedie death than such 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 some years after his death; being first printed at Venice, in octavo, in 1535, under the title of La Giulietta. In an epistle prefixed to this work, which is addressed Alla bellissima e leggi adra Madonna Lucina Savorgnana, the author 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 spring of my youth I devoted myself to the profession of arms, and, following therein many brave and valiant men, for some years I served in your delightful country, Frioli, through every part of which, in the course of my private service, it was my duty to roam. I was ever accustomed, when upon any expedition on horseback, to bring with me an archer of mine, whose name was Peregrino, a man about fifty years old, well practised in the military art, a pleasant companion, and, like almost all his countrymen of Verona, a great talker. This man was not only a brave and experienced soldier, but of a gay and lively disposition, and, more perhaps than became his age, was for ever in love; a quality which gave a double value to his valour. Hence it was that he delighted in relating the most amusing novels, especially such as treated of love, and this he did with more |