Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-10-08
FAIR JULIETS TOMB.
RESTING PLACE OF THE HEROINE OF
THE SAD LOVE STORY.

THE SAD LOVE STORY.
The Romantt. Tale Founded on FACE.
Where Shakespeare Got His Ideas Of
the Play-Modern Scenes in the Town
OF Verona-Frequcnted by Visitors.
The great number of English speaking
people who visit Verona associate the town
with the tragic fate of the fair daughter Of
the Capuletti. Surrounded by the vast
and rugged battlements Of the Alps, inter
sected by the broad blue waters of ths
Adige rushing under old Roman arched
bridges, its narrow sun baked streets over
looked by medieval buildings and houses
with painted facades, its cathedral with
cloisters six centuries old, its churches sur
mounted by quaint shaped towers, its gar
dens planted with stately and venerable
expresses, Verona seems fitting scene for
what is, in sooth, the saddest love story o.
which mankind has heard.
That the tale was founded on fact we
learn from Girolamo de la Corte's History
of Verona" The romance writers Of Italy
speedily laid hands on the tragedy as a fit
ting theme for their pens, and v poetic yer
sion of the story by one Arthur Brooke
titled 1.-The Tragicall Historic of Romeus
and Juliet, Containing in it rare Ex-
ample of true Constancie; with the subtill
Counsels and Practises of an old Fryer
and their i'll Event" Some five-and-thirty
years later was printed William Shakes
peare's play, which has fixed the fate of
the Veronese lovers forever in the worlds
memory
WHERE THE BALCONY SCENE WAS ENACTED.
Guides are anxious to show the strangers
the house, now known as the Palazzo Sam
bonifaZi, III which Juliet lived. and the
balcony which Romeo scaled close upon
500 years ago. The building has nothing
remarkable in its appearance Its walls
are discolored by time, its stucco work
crumblng from age, no air of romance dis
tinguishing II from its neighbors. To
reach il one must pass through the Piazza
dele Erbe, once the forum of the republic,
now the fruit and vegetable market The
square, surrounded by palaces and houses
decorated with frescoeS by CavalIi is much
as il was when it ran red with blood dur
ing the fierce fights which took place be
tween the Guelphs and the Ghibellines-
families who for long rendered Italy saw
age and unmanageable"
Today it is peaceful enough and is full of
light and color Under the shade of huge
umbrellas-red, blue, green aud orange
are stalls piled high with melons and
pomegranatcs, fresh gathered figs and ap-
piles; beneath the striped awnings of port
able shops wearing apparel of gaudy hues
flaming in the bright sunlight here and
there sacred pictures, crucifxes and stat
aes are exposed for sale.
THE TOMB.
PASSING the Roman aFDy,bif
in excellent repair, now given over TO ex-
hibitions of rope dancing and displays of
fireworks, the visitor takes his way by vel
low walled streets. through which Dante
may have walked what time he sought ref
uye in Verona on his Punishment from
Florence, until, passing the outside one of
the ancient gates n suppressed Franciscan
monastery. surrounded by high walls and
a fair garden, is reached Above the en-
trance is a large signboard, bearing in
crude letters the words "Juliet's Tomb"
] expected 10 find underneath admission
half frame" but instead saw the pro
prietor's name. Ringing at the gate, il
was speedily opened by rough looking
laborer, who smiled graciously at the pros
pect OF receiving a fee With an air OF
pride he pointed to the cabbages growing
in his garden saying his vegetables were
the finest in all Verona, for the ground
from which they sprang had been for full
500 years the burial place of monks.
The church is closed, like so many others
all over Italy, waiting to be let or to be
sold as a corn store, wine vault, stable or
factory. But one of its small chaDels.
bricked up and cut off from the larger
building, is approached by a garden path,
and here Is a red marble sarcophaeus
called the tomb of Juliet. The chapel lit
tie larger than recess, is chill and bare,
The whitewashed walls are discolored and
damp, decorated by faded laurel wreaths
and half covered by visiting cards nailed
on its surface. The tomb is likewise half
full of cards, for visitors being unable be
cause of the red stone 10 crafty the desire
which so strangely stirs them on seeing ia
nous shrines and historic places to write
their names have had to satisfy their v1II-
gar vanity and foolish egotism by leaving
cards as records OF their visits.
AN TNCREDCLOUs VISITOR.
II struck me the tomb. highly polished
and smooth, looked suspiciously new, and
| then remembered that more than fifty
years ago Byron described it in q letter to
Moore as "a plain. open and partly decayed
sarcOphaGus, with withered leaves in il. In
a wild and desolate cOnyeutual garden"
And, moreover, | had heard II was then
the fashion to chip away fragments of the
stone, which, having been set rs brooches
and bracelets, were worn by ladies who
posed as sentimsstalists The Inference
was PLAINTIFF so called tomb was a de
ception and a snare.
Therefore when the guide rolled out his
hackneyed sentences about this being the
last resting place Of the noble Lady Juliet
l frankly told him had no faith in what
he said. An awful pause ensued. during
which he looked at me with an expression
OF horror and amaZement, as if his ears
had been profaned. But quickly recover
ing himself he replied: "Signor. what |
say is fact, I assure you. The lady was
placed after death in this very tomb
GLOW do you know" asked.
he shrugged his shoulders in pity, threw
mp his hands in protest and elevated his
black brows in wonder Mt nv audacitv.
Hundreds come here yearly" he re
marked, resolving to strange in its birth
n doubt that, if allowed to flourish, might
seriously interfere with his income "They
come from England and from America to
see this tomb and they have no doubts,
signor, for it is really and truly, as every
one in Verona will tell you, the resting
place of the i'll fated Juliet"
! contented myself with shaking my
head, and he remained silent, until sud
denly his face flashed with brightness and
l saw that a new idea had dawned on him.
"Signor." he said gravely but firmly, 81
will prove to you it is Juliet's tomb, for
here" he added, turning triumphantly to
picture of a monk, painted at a compar-
atively recent period, which hung on
side wall, sis the portrait of Friar Laur-
ence, who married the lady and her lover
and gave her the poison"
He expected this remarkable example of
logic would surely silence me; nor was he
disappointed. Without another word /
left the spot, and the proprietor of Juliet's
tomb received my silver coin with the
virtuous air of man who had overcome
the darkness of doubt and let light shine
upon the benighted. Cor. London Graphic
GlGOSTONIAN VIEWS OF WOMAN.
The Aatesman Has No Admiration for
the "Unsexcd" Sisterhood.
IA.