Butte semi-weekly miner., 1886-05-12
Story Of Shakespeare's Lovers, Romeo
ard Juliet, q Seen By Visitor
To Verona.
The House In Which the Capulets Lived
The Orchard Wall That Remeo
Climbed.
Vain Search for the NY Mythical Balcony.
Where the Alleged Prince
Resided.

urchln that lOafs around q prominent note
where English and American tourists stoI
can for few pennies show the way to th'
tomb of Juhette. They get it by heart
the old story, and know that all foreigners
as general rule, wish to see the tomb.
arrived on a bright moonlight night, anC
was impressed with wonderful variety o
fantastic buildings - Italian renaissance
Gothic, Arabesque and medieval styles o
architecture mingled in beautiful confusion
As I passed along the streets where the
Montagues and Capulets once met in con
Aict. l admired the l,,fty towers. marble
churches, the Roman gates and the great
amphitheatre, where in ages past human
beings were butchered to make a holiday
heard the waters OF the swift running
Adige River which once was colOred with
the blood OF the Cue. phs and Ghibbelines
The principal square OF the city contains
the amphitheatre, nearly l, ZOO years old
| 1t is a curiosity to look at this ancient
place of amusement. It has sforty-five tiers
| of seats. unbroken to the top, and upoll
| the parapets grass and wild flowers grow.
The people in Verona are not warriors now
and have little respect for antiquity. In
the walls of the old structure there are
seventy-tvo arcades, in which merchants
| with their wares do h thriving business.
The Town Council recognized the value ol
these arcades
As PLACES OF BUSINESS
and had them constructed for that pur-
pose. The merchant who does business in
these higb-toned stores, consecrated as it
were by the blood of nOrtals, pays a high
rental, and the city besses the day the Ro-
mans erected the theater. Over some OF
the arches the old Roman numerals are
still distinct. and the tourist with his eye
glasses poised on his unclasscal nose stares
at them as if they were poems by Horace
or sonnets by Petarch. II q ladder or any
convenient way could be devised by which
the adventurous and modest Traveller
could reach these numerals, his name or
her name (women tourists do not hesitate
to scratch their names down anywhers)
would be written there to gladden. the eyes
of others who would follow and emulate
the example. The shops though, have Lot
destroyed the staircases and sui.terranean
passages, winding corridors and cells where
wild beasts we're kept. Not far from this
interesting spot is the Piazzi di Signora
which has a tower 300 feet high. Close by
is the Loggis, which is tie old town hall.
It's facade is adorned with statues in bronze
and marble Of all the noted natives of the
CIUy. L uc mdrUlc bCdtuc OI DdHVe, VINO
fled from Florence and sought refuge with
the Scaleers, stands in the center of tho
square. The great poets villa is but
short distance from the town. In it he
wrote the greater part of the Inferno. His
descendants, bearing the name of Dante
Aligheieri, still occudy the villa. Tn.
famous cathedral, supposed to have been
built in the time OF Charltmagne. is en-
tered by a magnificent portal guarded by
two paladins Roland and Oliver, in half
relief, the columns grimly supported by
griffins. Long rows of double colums of
old Verona marble support the arches OF
the cloisters. The silence under the arches
in these long, dreary aisles is oppressive. A
window was open and lighted up Titian's
great picture, The Assumption, just over
the first altar. The rich coloring of the
Venetian painter could not be mistaken
Wherever the powerful brush of the great
master worked his bod genius lives and
perpetuates bis fame.
GOING TO JUIlEr's TOMB.
Romeo certainly had cause to complain
of his banishment if Verona was as beauti.
full then as now.
There is no world without Verona's walls
But purgatory, torture, hell itself
Hence bsnished, is banished from the world
And the worlds exile is death.
Yet the impetuous lover had delightful
country to meet his eyes speeding on his
way to Mantua. The rich purple of the
Tyrol mountains met his gaze, and clear
flowing streams along the plains OF Lom-
hardy. 1t is not to be supposed, however,
that he enjoyed the beauties of nature
when his heart and mind were so distracted
by his passion for Juliet. / pursued his
fight only in imagination, while bent my
footsteps towards the tomb of his child
and wife. passed the Piazza d'Erbe, or
the flower, fruit and vegetable market,
which, in mediaval times, was the forum
Of the republic. In the center of the square |
ported by four columns, where justice in |
an'ient times was administered. Very |
,oon came to the short street of st. Se- |
Dastian, which formerly bore the name of
Capeletti (Capulet), where the house OF !
Juliet's parents is situated. It is now |
'sed for tavern. is tall, narrow house,
With the arms OF the Capulets Ia hat) still
over the en-, RI nee to the court. A small,
'quare yard is in front and presents any
hing but a romantic appearance. Fowls
an about in it, and a lot of dirty peasants
oiled around, Indifferent to time and
work. The house is marble and discolored
'ery much by age. l stroled into the
orchard and garden, or rather a narrow
'ver and met Juliet at the balcony. did
'ot locate the window where the rash
over, according to the Bard of Avon, saw
! light breaking and swore:
It is the east and Juliet is the sun!
THE BALCONY.
The balcony, too, where the passionate
Gene occurred which resulted in the mutual
of eternal fidelity, is not there
10 it is in the play. l tried to imagine tue
'oung and beautiful face of Capulet peep
ng over the bale, ny, repeating those lines
hat are 80 familiar:
Oh, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeoe
Deny thy father. and refuse thy name;
Or, II thou wilt not be but sworn my love,
And Ilbno longer be a Capulet.
But as tine orchard and garden have
assed into other hands and been built up,
gave up the task and asked my guide to
how me Juiet's tomb. He led me down
side street in the Via Capuccini to an old
monastery, enclosed within a
arden. The garden is sadly neglected, bnt
many beautiful flowers grow in wild con-
1sion amid tall grasses. straight path,
he only one, leads to the tomb. A Gus
odian unlocked the iron grating and l
ntered the small chapel, which is partially
estOred.
Here is the tomb of Romeo and Juliet"
dIu buc duCaSuG-IOOkluS CUSTODIAN In MS
oft, italian tongue. |!
1t is only partially tomb; all that re-
'ains is plain, open sarcophagus, greatly
ecayed. 1t is made Of red Verona marble. l
No stretch of the Imagination could !
icture this tomb as the place where the !:
raeedy occurred according to Shake !
peare's version.
The ponderous and highly-colored cata- I
llques that delight the eyes of the play {
oers and reflect great upon the ingenuity !
the stages manager, do not suggest the
Iintest resemblance to ancient places of {
urial. The ravages of time have left lit :
e to speculate upon as to the beauty and '
nish OF the tomb when this ill-starred
aughter Of Guelph was placed therein. 8
sat down upon an old marble colun ?
not far from the sarcophagus, {,
nd began to sketch and enjoy the Wild 4
nd picturesque scene, where the hand OF q
ernal time had chiseled as c,uld no NOR
Il sculptor. Back of the tomb lowered a
ie ruined convent walls, while all around y
overs sprang up and ia. gled in luxuriance II
yer the nameleae pra YES that sca RE could q