Troi, Hector is flain.

Enter Troilus.

All. Hector!the Gods forbid !

Troi. He's dead, and at the murtherer's horses tail
In beaftly fort dragg'd through the fhameful field.
Frown on, you heav'ns, effect your rage with speed;
Sit, Gods, upon your Thrones, and fmile at Troy !
I fay, at once, let your brief plagues be mercy,
And linger not our fure deftructions on.

Ene. My lord, you do discomfort all the Hoft,
Troi. You understand me not, that tell me fo
I do not speak of flight, of fear, of death,
But dare all imminence, that Gods and men
Addrefs their dangers in. Hector is gone!
Who fhall tell Priam fo? or Hecuba?
Let him, that will a fcrietch-owl ay be call'd,
Go into Troy, and fay there, Hector's dead:
That is a word will Priam turn to stone
Make wells and Niobes of the maids and wives;
Cold ftatues of the youth; and, in a word,
Scare Troy out of it felf. But march away,
Hector is dead: there is no more to say.
Stay yet, you vile abominable Tents,

;

Thus proudly pight upon our Phrygian plains:
Let Titan rife as early as he dare,

I'll through and through you. And thou, great-fiz'd coward!

No space of earth fhall funder our two hates ;
I'll haunt thee, like a wicked conscience still,
That mouldeth Gobiins fwift as Frenzy's thoughts,
Strike a free March to Troy! with comfort go:
Hope of revenge shall hide our inward woe.

Enter Pandarus.

Pan. But hear you, hear you?

Troi. Hence, brothel-lacquy; ignominy, fhame

Pursue thy life, and live aye with thy name!

[Strikes bim. [Exeunt.

Pan.

Pan. A goodly med'cine for mine aking bones! Oh world! world! world! thus is the poor agent defpis'd: Oh, traitors and bawds, how earnestly are you fet at work, and how ill requited? why fhould our endeavour be fo lov'd, and the performance fo loath'd? what verfe for it? what inftance for it?-let me feeFull merrily the humble-bee doth fing, 'Till he hath loft his honey and his fting; But being once fubdu'd in armed tail, Sweet honey and fweet notes together fail.

Good traders in the flesh, fet this in your painted cloths

As many as be here of Pandar's Hall,

Your eyes half out, weep out at Pandar's Fall;
Or if you cannot weep, yet give some groans,
Though not for me, yet for your aking bones.
Brethren and fifters of the hold-door trade,
Some two months hence my will fhall here be made:
It should be now; but that my fear is this,
Some galled goofe of Winchester would hifs;
'Till then, I'll fweat, and feek about for eases,
And at that time bequeath you my diseases.

[Exit.

ROMEO

1.

ROMEO

AND

JULIE T

PROLOGUE

WO Houfholds, both alike in Dignity, (1)
In fair Verona, (where we lay our Scene)
From ancient Grudge break to new mutiny;
Where civil blood makes civil bands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of thefe two foes,
A pair of star-croft lovers take their life;
Whofe mif-adventur'd piteous Overthrows

Do, with their death, bury their Parents' ftrife.

The

(1) Two Houfebolds, &c.] The Fable of this Play is built on a real Tragedy, that happen'd about the Beginning of the 14th Century. The Story, with all its Circumftances is given us by Bandello, in one of his Novels; as alfo by Girolame da Corte in his Hiftory of Verona. The young Lover, as this Hiftorian tells us, was call'd Romeo Montecchi; and the Lady, Julietta Capello. Captain Breval in his Travels tells us, that, when he was at Verona, he was fhewn an Old Building, (converted into an House for Orphans,) in which the Tomb of these unhappy Lovers had formerly been broken up; and that he was inform'd by his Guide in all the Particulars of their Story: which put him in Mind of our Author's Play on the Subject. The Captain has clos'd his Account of this Affair with a Reproof to our excellent OT WAY, for having turn'd this Story to that of Caius Marius; confidering, (fays he,)" how incon"fiftent it was, (to pass by other Abfurdities) to make the Romans bury "their Bodies in the latter End of the Confular times, when every School"boy knows, that it was the Custom to burn them first, and then bury "their Afhes."I cannot help obferving in Refpect to Otway's Memory, that both Interring and Burning were at one and the fame time ufed by the Romans. For Inftance, Marius was buried; and Sylla, his Enemy, was by his own exprefs Orders burnt; the first of the Cornelian Family, that had been fo difpos'd of. Pliny gives us the reafon for fuch his Orders: Idq; voluiffe, veritum talionem, eruto Caii Marii cadavere. (Nat. Hift. /. vii. cap. 55.) He fear'd Reprisals upon his own Body, his Soldiers having dug up and committed Indignities on the Body of Marius. To this Fear of his, Cicero has likewife alluded