Death, lie thou there, by a dead man interr'd'. Tybalt, Again, in Weftward for Smelts, 1620: "the king fent for the wounded man into the prefence." MALONE. This thought, extravagant as it is, is borrowed by Middleton in his comedy of Blunt Mafter Conftable, 1602: 7 "The darkest dungeon which fpite can devife "Can make as lightsome as the fairest chamber by a dead man interr'd.] Romeo being now determined to put an end to his life, confiders himself as already dead. MALONE. 8-0, how may I Call this a lightning ?—] I think we should read, Call this a lightning. JOHNSON. The reading of the text is that of the quarto, 1599. The first copy reads: But how, &c. which fhews that Dr. Johnson's emendation cannot be right. MALONE. This idea occurs frequently in the old dramatic pieces. So, in the fecond part of The Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntingdon, 1601: I thought it was a lightning before death, "Too fudden to be certain." Again, in Chapman's tranflation of the 15th Iliad: "To th' utmost lightning that ftill ufhers death." STEEVENS. 9 Death, that bath fuck'd the boney of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty:] So, in Daniel's Com plaint of Rofamond, 1594: "Decayed rofes of difcolour'd cheeks "Do yet retain fome notes of former grace, "And ugly death fits faire within her face." MALONE. 1-beauty's enfign yet Is crimson in thy lips, and in thy cheeks, M 3 « And Tybalt, ly'ft thou there in thy bloody sheet 2 ? Than with that hand that cut thy youth in twain, Why art thou yet so fair? Shall I believe And And death's pale flag, &c.] So, in Daniel's Complaint of Rofa. mond, 1594: And nought-refpecting death (the laft of paines) "Plac'd his pale colours (th' enfign of his might) "Upon his rew.got fpoil;" &c. In the first edition of Romeo and Juliet, Shakspeare is lefs florid in his account of the lady's beauty; and only fays: 66 ah, dear Juliet, "How well thy beauty doth become the grave!" The fpeech, as it now ftands, is first found in the quarto, 1599. STEEV And death's pale flag is not advanced there.] An ingenious friend fome time ago pointed out to me a paffage of Marini, which bears a very ftrong resemblance to this: Morte la'nfegna fua pallida e bianca Vincitrice fpiego fu'l volto mio. Rime lugubri, p. 149. ed. Venet. 1605. TYRWHITT. 2 Tybalt, lyft theu there in thy bloody facet? &c.] So, in Painter's tranflation, tom. ii. p. 242: "what greater or more cruel fatisfaction canft thou defyre to have, or henceforth hope for, than to fee hym which murdered thee, to be empoyfoned wyth hys owne handes, and buryed by thy fyde?" STEEVENS. 3 Ab, dear Juliet, Why art thou yet jo fair? fhall I believe That unfubftantial death is amorcus; &c.] So, in Daniel's Complaint of Rofamond, 1594: "Ah, now, methinks, I fee death dallying feeks "To entertain itfelfe in love's faveste place." Inftead of the very long notes which have been written on this controverted paffage, I fhall lay before the reader the lines as they are exhibited in the original quarto of 1597, and that of 1599, with which the folio correfponds. In the quarto 1597, the paffage appears thus: Ah dear Juliet, How well thy beauty doth become this grave! Is amorous, and doth court my love. With worms that are thy chamber maids. Come, And that the lean abhorred monster keeps Come, defperate pilot, now at once run on For [falls In the quarto 1599, and the folio, (except that the folio has arms instead of arm,) the lines ftand thus: Ah dear jul et, Why art thou yet fo fair? I will believe Shall I believe that unfubftantial death is amorous, Thee here in dark to be his paramour; And never from this palace [palat 4] of dim night Thy drugs are quick: thus with a kiss I die.] With worms that are thy chamber-maids: O, here Will I fet up my everlasting reft, And shake the yoke of inaufpicious ftars, &c. com There cannot, I think, be the smallest doubt that the words included within crotchets, which are not found in the undated quarto, were repeated by the carelefinefs or ignorance of the tranfcriber or pofitor. In like manner, in a former fcene we have two lines evidently of the fame import, one of which only the poet could have intended to retain. See p. 135, n.16. In a preceding part of this paffage Shakspeare was probably in doubt whether he should write: -I will believe That unfubitantial death is amorous; Or, -Sball I believe That unfubftantial death is amorous; and having probably erafed the words I will believe imperfectly, the wife compofitor printed the rejected words as well as thofe intended to be retained. With respect to the line, Here's to thy health, where'er thou tumbleft in, it is unnecessary to inquire what was intended by it, the passage in which this For fear of that, I will still stay with thee; And shake the yoke of inaufpicious ftars. From this world-wearied flesh.-Eyes, look your last! Thou this line is found, being afterwards exhibited in another form; and being much more accurately expreffed in its fecond than its first exhibition, we have a right to prefume that the poet intended it to appear in its fecond form, that is, as it now appears in the text. MALONE. 4-my everlasting reft;] See a note on fcene 5th of the preceding Act. So, in the Spanish Gipfie, by Middleton and Rowley, 1653: could I fet up my reft "That he were loft or taken prifoner, "I could hold truce with forrow." To fet up one's reft is to be determined to any certain purpofe, to reft in perfect confidence and refolution, to make up one's mind. Again, in the fame play: "Set up thy reft; her marrieft thou, or none." STEEVENS. 5Eyes, look your last! Arms, take your last embrace! and lips, O you The doors of breath, feal with a righteous kijs A dateless bargain to engrossing death!] So, in Daniel's Complaint f Rofamond, 1594: "Pitiful mouth, faid he, that living gaveft "The sweetest comfort that my foul could with, "The forrowing farewell of a dying kiss! "And you, fair eyes, containers of my blifs, "Entomb'd in your fweet circles, fleep for ever!" I think there can be little doubt, from the foregoing lines and the other paffages already quoted from this poem, that our authour had read it recently before he wrote the last act of the prefent tragedy. MALONE. -to engroffing death !] Engroffing seems to be here used in its clerical fenfe. MALONE. Come, bitter conduct,] Marfton alfo in his fatires, 1599, ufes conduct for condu&tor: "Be thou my conduct and my genius." So, Thou defperate pilot, now at once run on The dathing rocks thy fea-fick weary bark! Here's to my love!-[drinks.] O, true apothecary! [dies. Enter, at the other end of the church-yard, Friar LAWRENCE, with a lantern, crow, and spade. Fri. Saint Francis be my fpeed! how oft to-night Have my old feet ftumbled at graves??-Who's there? Bal. Here's one, a friend, and one that knows you well. Fri. Blifs be upon you! Tell me, good my friend, It burneth in the Capels' monument. Bal. It doth fo, holy fir; and there's my mafter, One that you love. Fri. Who is it? Bal. Romeo. Fri. How long hath he been there? Bal. Full half an hour Fri. Go with me to the vault. Bal. I dare not, fir: My mafter knows not, but I am gone hence; And fearfully did menace me with death, If I did ftay to look on his intents. Fri. Stay then, I'll go alone :-Fear comes upon me; O, much I fear fome ill unlucky thing. Bal. As I did fleep under this yew-tree here, So, in a former fcene in this play: "And fire-ey'd fury be my condu&t now." See alfo Vol. I. p. 98, n. 7. MALONE. 7-bow oft to-night Have my old feet ftumbled at graves ?] This accident was reckoned ominous. So, in K. Henry VI. "For many men that fumble at the threshold, Again, in K. Richard III. Haftings, going to execution, fays: STEEVENS. I dreamt |