ROME O AND JULIE T. By SHAKESPEAR. With ALTERATIONS, and an additional SCENE: By D. GARRICK, As it is Performed at the Theatre-Royal LONDON: Printed for J. and R. TONSON and S. DRAPER. THE chief Defign of the Alterations in the following Play, was to clear the Original as much as poffible from the Fingle and Quibble which were always the Objections to the reviving it. The fudden Change of Romeo's Love from Rofaline to Juliet, was thought by many, at the first Revival of the Play, to be a blemish in his Character; an Alteration in that particular has been made more in Compliance to that Opinion, than from a Conviction that Shakespear, the best Judge of human Nature, was faulty. Bandello, the Italian Novelift, from whom Shakefpear has borrow'd the Subject of this Play, has made Juliet to wake in the Tomb before Romeo dies: This Circumftance Shakespear has omitted, not perhaps from Judgment, but from reading the Story in the French or English Translation, both which have injudiciously left out this Addition to the Cataftrophe. Mr. Otway in his Caius Marius, a Tragedy taken from Romeo and Juliet, has made use of this affecting Circumftance, but it is matter of Wonder that fo great a dramatic Genius did not work up a fcene from it of more Nature, Terror and Diftrefs Such a Scene was attempted at the Revival of this Play, and it is hop'd, than an endeavour to fupply the failure of fo great a Mafler will not be deem'd arrogant, or the making ufe of two or three of his Introductory Lines, be accounted a Plagiarifm. The perfons who from their great Good-nature and Love of Justice have endeavour'd to take away from the prefent Editor the little Merit of this Scene by afcribing it to Otway, have unwittingly, from the Nature of the Accufation, paid him a Compliment which he believes they never intended him. |