suades him not to infringe the laws of hospitality. During the dialogue, Julia and Roselo admire each other. By degrees the crowd and tumult of the assembly favour Roselo's addressing Julia. He declares his love; she listens to it without resentment. Octavio endeavours to disturb the conversation; but this does not prevent Julia from slipping a ring into Roselo's hand, and making an appointment for the following night in the garden.

"The assembly breaks up, and all go off, except Julia, and Celia her confident; to whom she discovers what has passed.

"The three or four following scenes pass alternately in the street, and in the house of Fabricio (Roselo's father), and are of no consequence to the subject of the play. At the close of night, the scene changes again to Antonio's garden, and Julia appears with Roselo, who has scaled the wall. This is a long scene, the most interesting of the whole, and concludes with her consenting to a private marriage.

66 ACT II.

"The interval between the first and second act, is supposed to be taken up by the secret marriage of Roselo and Julia. Their happiness does not last long, without being interrupted by a most cruel accident.

"All the Nobility of Verona are assembled, for a certain solemnity, in the great church. Dorothea, a Castelvin Lady (sister to Octavio, and daughter to Theobald), is insulted in this sacred place, and the insult is given by the servants of a Montese Lady. This insolence raises a great tumult in the church, and revives the animosity of the factions; but the Castelvins are obliged to give way to the greater number of their adversaries.

"In the twelve first scenes, the decoration is a public square, at the end of which appears the front and gate of the church, where this adventure is supposed to happen. Fesennio (Theobald's servant) relates it to his master, who receives it with the utmost violence of temper, though before he had inclined to moderation.

"Octavio enters, and is excited by his father to revenge Dorothea. They return into the church, to join their party. Roselo, Anselm, and Marin, enter, ignorant of what has passed. Whilst the two friends are conversing of Roselo's marriage and happiness, the church becomes a field of battle. The noise of swords and tumultuous cries are heard; and, soon after, the two parties rush in, in pursuit of their quarrel. Roselo endeavours to interpose; and after a long expostulation with Octavio, in which he proposes friendship in the kindest terms, and a double marriage (between himself and Julia; Octavio, and Dona Andrea, a Montese Lady), being insulted by Octavio, and obliged to defend himself, he at length kills him, and escapes. Maximilian, the Duke of Verona, comes too late to prevent the misfortune, and informs himself of the circumstances. All the depositions are favourable to Roselo, and acknow. ledge, that he did his utmost to appease the quarrel, and that Octavio forced him to defend his life.

"Upon this the Prince, who esteems Roselo, and yet is unwilling to exasperate the Castelvins, as a medium, banishes him from Verona.

66

Roselo, then upon the point of leaving his Julia, runs all hazards to bid her farewell; and goes in the night, with Marin, to the garden, where they meet Julia and Celia; and, after a moving scene between the lovers, and a burlesque one

between the confidents, they are surprised by the appearance of Antonio, and his domestics, armed, who were alarmed by a noise in the garden. Roselo and Marin escape unseen, and Julia says she came there to weep in solitude, for the unfortunate death of Octavio. Antonio applauds her humanity; and, to give her consolation, informs her of his design of marrying her to Count Paris, an amiable young Nobleman of great power.

"This Count has already expressed a passion for Julia, and even demanded her in marriage; but the proposal had been waved in favour of Octavio. He is not then in Verona; Antonio therefore writes to him, and sends the letter by Fesennio.

"This old servant of Theobald's finds Count Paris with Roselio at a magnificent country-seat, which makes the decoration of the three following scenes. Roselo, at his leaving the city, fell into an ambuscade, laid for him by the Castelvins, and was rescued by Paris, who has brought him to his house, and is offering to accompany him to the gates of Ferrara; when Fesennio interrupts their professions of friendship, by the delivery of the letter, which Paris imparts to Roselo. He, from the conclusion of the letter (which assures the Count of Julia's tenderness and affection for him), is seized by the most unaccountable jealousy and rage that is possible. The Count departs for Verona, assuring him, that, notwithstanding this alliance with the Castelvins, he shall always continue his friend; and Roselo remaining, concludes the act with a long soliloquy of rage and despair, which terminates in a resolution of endeavouring to shake off his passion for the unfaithful Julia, and fix his heart on some more worthy object at Ferrara.

During the interval between the second and third acts, the father of Julia has been attempting to force her to marry the Count: and his persecutions have been so violent, that, finding at length she shall be obliged to submit, she listens only to despair, and determines to die, rather than betray Roselo.

"With this design she sends Celia to Aurelio (the priest who married her privately). He does not appear upon the stage, but is frequently mentioned. Profound learning, universal charity, and attention to the wants of the unhappy, are the distinguishing marks of his character.

"Julia implores the assistance of this pious man, and informs him in her billet, that if he can find no method of preserving her from the misfortune she dreads, she shall escape from it by a voluntary death.

"The beginning of the act supposes all that is here said, and the spectators are informed of it with great address. Julia and her father appear upon the stage, which represents a sallon. Antonio presses his daughter to the marriage; she excuses herself; he menaces her with his utmost indignation, and at last assures her, if she does not consent willingly, they shall find means to force her submission.

"This severity constrains her to promise obedience, and her father leaves her to reflect upon her unhappy situation. Celia enters, as returned from Aurelio, and tells her, that, after showing great disorder and concern, he had retired for an hour; and then delivered her a vial for Julia to drink, which he told her he hoped would prevent all she feared.

"After a moving scene of doubt, hopes, and fears, Julia drinks the composition; and immediately feeling the effects of it, imagines that by mistake, Aurelio has given her poison, and (as they both suppose) dies in the arms of Celia, recommending to her, if she ever saw Roselo, to tell him, she carried her tenderness for him to the grave, and died pronouncing his name; that she wished him to remember her with kindness, but not with pain; to be comforted, and to live happy.

"The scene closes upon Julia, and her confident, and immediately changes to Ferrara. It represents a street, where two cavaliers, Ferdinand, and Rutilio, are giving a serenade to Silvia, a Lady of that city. She appears but once in the play, and that only at her window.

"The persons in this scene, are entirely foreign to the subject of the play, and have not the least connexion with the Castelvins and Monteses. The author only introduces them to give Roselo an opportunity of endeavouring to revenge himself for the supposed infidelity of Julia, and the whole design is insipid and unnatural.

"The day begins to dawn, Roselo comes in, and the two cavaliers and their men withdraw, without any reason, but the pleasure of the author. The young Montese makes love to Silvia, but in a way and manner, that shews his heart is full of another object, and that Julia is still the mistress of it, notwithstanding all his resolutions.

"Anselm, who is come to Ferrara in search of Roselo, meets him in the street; Silvia shuts her window, and disappears. Roselo learns from Anselm what has passed: he shivers with horror, his eyes are opened, he sees how wrongfully he suspected her fidelity, and breaks out into the most moving complaints; when Anselm comforts him, by in