The Press. — London, England, 1856-06-14 00:00:00

THE PRESS. I JUNE 14, 1856 The Municipal Directory for 1356. Kelly and Co. THE TEXT OF SHAKESPEARE. (Continued from the PRESS of May 3.) it should feed upon dust. The Prophet Isaiah says " dust shall be the serpent's meat; " and the Prophet Micah "they shall lick the dust like a serpent." The whole book is in conversations between a mother and her children, and the tone unaffectedly devout. Sketches and Adventures in Madeira, Portugal, and the Andalusias of Spain. By the Author of " Daniel Webster and his Contemporaries." Lon. don: Sampson Low and Co. ONE of the most agreeable American books of travel we have met with. It principally relates to the author's wanderings in Andalusia, of which it pre sents a series of animated and fascinating pictures. The author seems to have been enchanted with the dolce far niente life of this charming country, and writes under such an impression of the ivresse it in spires him with as to cast warmth and colour on his pages. His sketches are of the most vivid kind; all his experience delighted him, and as a consequence there is scarcely a " groan "in the book. We do not know whether we are indebted to his pencil for the wood-engravings. If so they are very creditable to his artistic talent. THIS is a kind of work which has been necessitated by recent reforms, and we think it seems tolerably somplete. Its title sufficiently bespeaks its character, which to describe at length would be little else than simply to copy out the index. It is a work which should undoubtedly be in the hands of ail who are interested either in parish business or the conduct of metropolitan affairs in general. As Measure for Measure is one of the plays instanced by the Edinburgh reviewer to prove the authority of the corrector, we have taken the pains to go through Mr. Collier's text, and we think that even here are to be found decisive proofs that the corrector could not have had any genuine text before him when he made his corrections. At the commencement of sc. 3, act i., the folio reads : Enter PROVOST, CLAUDIO, JULIET, and OFFICERS. Juliet does not speak in this scene, and the MS. cor rector strikes out her name, but he leaves in the ex clamation of the Clown immediately previous : Clown. Here comes Signor Claudio, led by the Provost to prison; and there's .ifadant Juliet. In later scenes we see that Juliet was imprisoned as well as Claudio, and we find moreover that, at the commencement of act ii., the Provost speaks con cerning her to Angelo : Provost. I crave your honour's pardon. What shall be done, air, with the groaning Juliet? She's very near her hour. Angelo. Dispose of her to some more filter place, And that with speed. We must conclude, therefore, that Juliet accompanies Claudio in custody of the Provost, and this is the snore evident as Claudio takes Lucie aside when speaking to him of her condition. Here is one posi tive instance of an alteration being wrongly made, and of the extreme superficiality of that corrector whose authority we are told we ought not to dis pute. Finding that Juliet does not speak in the scene, he erases her name from the stage directions, without reference to what goes before or after. When Lucio inquires of Claudio the reason of his restraint, Claudio replies, as in the received text:— From too much liberty, my Lucio, liberty; As surfeit is the father of much fast, So every scope by the immoderate use Turns to restraint. There cannot be a doubt that " scope " is right. Through the immoderate use of that liberty or scope which he had, Claudio is brought into restraint. What can be clearer? In exactly the same sense "scope" is used in act i. sc. 4 of this same play. The Duke, explaining why he could not resort to those measures of severity which were necessary to ♦indicate the authority of his "strict statutes and " most biting laws," says : Sith 'twas my fault to give the people scope, 'Twould be my tyranny to strike and gall them For what I bid them do. But Mr. Collier's corrector, in the first of these pas sages, turns "scope" into "scape" : So every scape by the immoderate use Turns to restraint. A world of ignorant presumption is exposed to us in this one little correction. The corrector did not understand the use of " scope" in the sense of liberty; " scape" seemed to him the more familiar word, and " scape " it is printed by Mr. Collier, to the utter destruction not only of the beauty but even of the sense of the passage. But again, the Edinburgh reviewer would meet us with—What has sense to do with it' What is your opinion or mine ? There is the beer-stained (oh ! those beer stains !), can dle-snuffed, grease-grained folio, tattered with the discipline of the servants' hall—there are the cor rections in an old handwriting—and, in presence of those credentials of authority, it is our part to reve rently receive, not to audaciously inquire. What can common sense weigh against " dilapidated leaves " scarcely holding together," and such "paleness of the ink" that all the MS. corrections have not yet been deciphered, though Mr. Collier has been four or rive years at his work ? We repeat we do not impugn the genuineness of these corrections—so far as the date assigned to them is concerned,—though we know no special reasons beyond Mr. Collier's respectability that should pre• dude doubt on the subject. If such doubt is felt, the Edinburgh reviewer says that it ought to be openly expressed. Charges that the corrections are in a recent band, writes the reviewer, " ought not to " be suggested ; they should be made directly and " seriously." Very good. But then is it certain that they would be met in a literary spirit ? Would they be replied to with a notification that the volume is open to the inspection of literary men, or would they be met with a summons to appear in a court of law ? The reviewer who gives this advice to make "charges "directly and seriously," cooly informs us on the next page : Mr. Collier bits been forced into a court of justice to vindicate his character from the downright charge of literary forgery, brought against him by some anonymous assailant. We therefore think critics should be careful how they follow the reviewer's advice. If Mr. Collier is prosecuting such an action as is here stated, he must be very unmindful of the loyalty of the literary character, he must be ignorant of the forbearance demanded by letters, unless indeed the provocation be very aggravated, and the charge undoubtedly malignant. It is not in a court of law that he can really hope to prove the authenticity of his "discovery," or to stand clear from all suspicion in the eyes of his brethren. Such proceeding looks more like the impudence of brazen guilt than the confidence of conscious innocence. To return to the play of Measure for Measure. At the conclusion of scene I in act iv. the Duke says, as printed in the first folio : Come, let's go ; Our corn's to reap, for yet our tithe's to sow. Warburton, by a most happy conjecture, substituted tilth, and this is what we may almost undoubtedly say is what Shakespeare wrote. But in Mr. Collier's corrected edition we have— Our corn's to reap, for yet ourficid's to sow, a word which every reader of taste must allow weakens the generic force of the whole image. Would this correction have been made had the corrector had the genuine text before him ? and which is the surest guide to tha sense of Shakespeare in this instance, "conjectural emendation," or the authority of the MS. corrector ? At the commencement of act ii. the stage direc tion reads—" Enter Angelo, Escalus, a Justice, Pro " vost, Officers, and other attendants." The MS. corrector strikes out " Provost," and after Angelo's question, Where is the Provost ? he inserts "Enter Provost," his notion evidently being, that it would be improper for Angelo to in quire " Where is the Provost ?" if he was present at the time. But the Provost is behind Angelo, with the other officers and attendants ; and surely it is more appropriate for him to come forward when in quired for, than to enter just as the question is asked. One passage which has much puzzled commenta tors in this play is the exclamation of Escalus, sc. 1 act ii. Mr. Collier prints the manifest corruption of the folio : Well, Heaven forgive him, and forgive us all! Some rise by sin and some by virtue fall : Some run from breaks of ice and answer none, And some condemned for a fault alone. Had the corrector had the genuine text before him, would he have suffered the passage to stand as it does? Rowe corrected the phrase to " brakes of vice." Brake is elsewhere used by Shakespeare in its ordinary sense of a thicket or waste of thorns, ac cording to an instance given by Mr. Singer, K. Henry VIII., act i. sc. 2 : 'Tis but the fate of place, and the rough brake That virtue must go through. But to run from a brake of vice in this sense would hardly seem a just ground for punishment as Escalus implies. Probably the true reading should be : Some run through brakes of vice, and answer none. The sense would then be perfectly clear. " Some go through the thorny paths of vice, and are never called to account or made to suffer for their wicked ness, while others are condemned for a mere fault." The antithesis is complete on this supposition. 571 As an example of the corrector's authority, the reviewer quotes the passage, act i. sc. 3, commonly printed :--. She is fast my wife Save that we do the denunciation lack Of outward order. We doubt the correctness of " denunciation " in this sense, though Mr. Singer affirms its validity; but even if change be allowable, we should not take the corrector's alteration, "the pronunciation lack ;" we should rather read:— Save that we do th' annunciation lack. By the elision the line is truer and more musical ; and the reading gives, we think, a clearer sense than that of the corrector. The annunciation of the marriage was all that was wanted to give it validity. There is one passage in this play which we have a suspicion is slightly corrupt, though it has not been touched by Mr. Collier's corrector, nor, so far as we know, by any other commentator. It is from the same scene as the last : Claudio. Thus can the demi-god, Authority, Make us pay down for our offence by weight.— The words of Heaven ;—on whom it will, it will ; On whom it will not, so; yet still 'tis just. There is evident abruptness in this passage, nor can we think the sense of the line clear, Make ns pay down for oar offence by weight. By what weight? Not by weight of the balance; not by any just !need ; for Authority is here represented as acting arbitrarily. We are inclined to read the passage:— Thus can the deini-gal, Authority, Make us pay down for our offence by weight Of words of Heaven ;—ou whom it will, &c. That is, " the demi-god Authority can arbitrarily " make us vay down for our offences by the weight "or forte of Heaven's arbitrary decree." A change in the punctuation, and the substitution of "of" for " the " at the commencement of the third line, are only required. If the reader will consider this emendation, we incline to think we shall have his verdict in our favour. Amid many changes manifestly unsound and absurdly erroneous, the corrector has made which we think may hereafter be admitted into text. In the ordinary text, Angelo, replying Isabella, act ii. sc. 3, exclaims : Having waste ground enough, Shall we desire to raze the sanotuary And pitch our evils there ? For " evils " the corrector substitutes " offals, we are strongly disposed to take his change as a valuable restoration of the text. In the same we think the line, Either new, or by remissness new•conceived, is the true reading in place of "either now, The opening lines of the play also, as corrected, . pass. But the substitution of " God of judgment for " top of judgment " is one of the most clumsy changes that ever blundering commentator made blind critic approved. " Prejudice apart," says ' reviewer, "is not the commoner word the more bable one?" Now, setting taste aside, as a question of probability the change is absurd, for has previously been indicated as "He," and it attribute, not His personality, that has to pressed. "If He which is," i. e., if "God which not surely the " God of judgment.," which have no signification, but the head, or " top of. ment," which is all significant. In all such cases have not barely to consider, as the reviewer as which is the more probable word to our apprehension, but which is the word Shakespeare most probably wrote. 1u All's Well that Ends Welt we ha• line— Bow'd his eminent top to their low ranks. And in Macbeth we have— And wears upon his baby-brow the round And top of sovereignty. Here we close our notice of one of the Measure for Measure, in which the reviewer he authority of the corrector is most evident. urther remarks we must defer till another occasion. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.-JuNE 12. BOOKS. Evangeline. Suivie des Voix de la Nuit. P. Pkolanai. Speeches at the Bar and in the Senate. John C. Hney. Dublin : J. Duffy. California; its Gold and its Inhabitants. Two Vols. Newby. Caravan Journeys and Wanderings in Persia, Afghanislen, Turkistan, etc. .1. Murray The Everlasting Circles. T. Hatchard. A Glimpse of the Wonders of Creation. Leonard C. Prince. T. Hatched. The Crimean Expedition, to the Capture of Sebastopol. Vols. Sayripsnn and I. Wandering among the rfigh Alps. Alfred Wills. R. Bentley. The Martins of Cro' Martin. Charles Lever. Chapman and L. The Acquirements and Principal Obligations and Duties c, the Pariah Priest.. J Murray. I JUNE 14, 1856 THE PRESS. 571 it should feed upon dust. The Prophet Isaiah says " dust I with it' What is you r o pi n i on or m i ne ? Th ere i s As an example of the corrector's authority, the I 1 shall be the serpent's meat; " and the Prophet Micah "they the beer-stained (oh ! those beer stains !), can- reviewer quotes the passage, act i. sc. 3, commonly shall lick the dust like a serpent." die-snuffed, grease-grained folio, tattered with the printed : The s ; whole book is in conversations between a discipline of the servants' hall—there are the cor- She is fast my wife mother and her children, and the tone unaffe c t e dly rect i ons i n an old handwriting—and, in presence of Save that we do the denunciation lack devout. t h ose credent i als of authority, it is our part to reve- Of outward order. I rently receive, not to audaciously inquire. What can We doubt the correctness of " denunciation "in this i Sketches and Adventures in Madeira, Portugal, and common sense weigh against "dilapidated leaves sense, though Mr. Singer affirms its validity; but the Andalusias of Spain. By the Author of " scarcely holding together," and such "paleness of even if change be allowable, we should not take the "Daniel Webster and his Contemporaries." Lon• the ink" that all the MS. corrections have not yet corrector's alteration, "the pronunciation lack ;" we don: Sampson Low and Co. been deciphered, though Mr. C o lli er h as b een four should rather read : — or five years at his work ? ONE of the most agreeable American books of travel Save that we do th' annunciation lack. We repeat we do not impugn the genuineness of By the elision the line is truer and more musical ; we have met with. It principally relates to tha these corrections—so far as the date assigned to them author's wanderings in Andalusia, of which it pre- and the reading gives, we think, a clearer sense than hth we know no special reasons d n cocerne,—oug sents a series of animated and fascinating pictures. is that of the corrector. The annunciation of the Mr. C o lli er ' s respectability that should pre. The author seems to have been enchanted with the bey ond marriage was all that was wanted to give it validity. dolceelude doubt on the subject. If such doubt is felt, far niente life of this charming country, and There is one passage in this play which we have a writes under such an impression of the ivresse it in- the Edinburgh reviewer says that it ought to be suspicion is slightly corrupt, though it has not been openly expressed. Ch arges . that the corrections are spires him with as to cast warmth and colour on histouched by Mr. Collier's corrector, nor, so far as we pages. in a recent h an d , writes the reviewer, ' ought not to His sketches are of the most vivid kind ; allknow, by any other commentator. It is from the ", be . suggested ; they should be made directly and same scene as the last his experience delighted him, and as a consequence ' seriously." Very good. But then is it certain that : there is scarcely a " groan" in the book. We do not Claudio. Thus can the demigod, Authority, they would be met in a literary spirit ? Would they know whether we are indebted to his pencil for the Make us pay down for our offence by weight.— be replied to with a notification that the volume is wood-engravings. If so they are very creditable to The words of Heaven ;—on whom it will, it will ; his artistic talent. open to the inspection of literary me n , or wou ld th ey On whom it will not, so; yet still 'tis just. be met with a summons to appear in a co ur t o f l aw ? There is evident abruptness in this passage, nor can The reviewer who gives this advice to make "charges we think the sense of the line clear, The Municipal Directory for 1550. London : "directly and seriously," cooly informs us on the Kelly and Co. next page : Make us pay down for our o ff ence b y we i g ht. THIS is a kind of work which has been necessitated Mr. Collier has been forced into a court o f j us ti ce t o By what weight? Not by weight o f th e b a l ance ;no t by recent reforms, and we think it seems tolerably vindicate his character from the downright charge of by any just weed ; for Authority is here represented somplete. Its title su ffi ciently bespeaks its character, literary forgery, brought against him by s o m e anon y mous as acting arbitrarily. We are incl i n e d t o rea d t h e which to describe at length would be little else than assail ant. passage:— simply to copy out the index. It is a work which We therefore think critics should be careful how Thus can the deini-gal, Authority, should undoubtedly be in the hands of all who are they follow the reviewer's advice. If Mr. Collier is Make us pay down for our offence by weight interested either in parish business or the conduct prosecuting such an action as is here stated, he must Of words of Heaven ;—on whom it will, &c. of metropolitan affairs in general. be very unmindful of the loyalty of the literary Th a t is, "the demi-god Authority can arbitrarily character, he must be ignorant of the forbearance " make us nay down for our offences by the weight THE TEXT OF SHAKESPEARE. demanded by letters, unless indeed the provocatio n "or forte of Heaven's arbitrary decree." A change be very aggravated, and the charge undoubtedly in the punctuation, and the substitution of "of" for (Continued from the PRESS of May 3.) malignant. It is not in a court of law that he can " the "at the commencement of the third line, are As Measure for Measure is one of the plays instanced really hope to prove the authenticity of his " discovery," only required. If the reader will consider this by the Edinburgh reviewer to prove the authority of or to stand clear from all suspicion in the eyes of his emendation, we incline to think we shall have his the corrector, we have taken the pains to go through brethren. Such proceeding looks more like the verdict in our favour. Mr. Collier's text, and we think that even here are impudence of brazen guilt than the confidence of to be found decisive proofs that the corrector could conscious innocence. To return to the play of Amid many changes manifestly unsound and e v en absurdly erroneous, the corrector has m a de a f e w not have had any genuine text before him when he Measure for Measure. which we think may hereafter be admitted into the made his corrections. At the commencement of At the conclusion of scene lin act iv. the Duke text. In the ordinary text, Angelo, replying to sc. 3, act i., the folio reads : says, as printed in the first folio : Isabella, act ii. sc. 3, exclaims : Enter PROVOST, CLAUDIO, JULIET, and OFFICERS. Come, let's go ; Juliet does not speak in this scene, and the MS. cor- Our corn's to reap, for yet our tithe's to sow. Having waste ground enough, we desire to raze the sanotuary rector strikes out her name, but he leaves in the ex- Warburton, by a most happy conjecture, substituted And pitch our evils there ? clamation of the Clown immediately previous : tilth, and this is what we may almost undoubtedly For " evils " the corrector substitutes " °frills," an d say is what Shakespeare wrote. But in Mr. Collier's Clown. Here comes Signor Claudio, led by the Provost we are strongly disposed to take his change as a most to prison; and there's Madam Juliet. corrected edition we have— valuable restoration of the text. In the same scene In later scenes we see that Juliet was imprisoned Our corn's to reap, for yet our field's to sow, we think the line, as well as Claudio, and we find moreover that, at a word which every reader of taste must allow Either new, or by remissness new-conceived, the commencement of act ii., the Provost speaks con- weakens the generic force of the whole image. Would cerning her to Angelo : t hi s correc ti on h ave b een ma d e h a d t h e corrector h a d is the true reading in place of " either now ," & c . Provost. I crave your honour's pardon. the genuine text before him ? and which is the sure s t The opening lines of the play also, as co rrec t e d, ma y What shall be done, sir, with the groaning Juliet? gu id e t o t h e sens e o f Sh a k es p eare i n thi s i nstance , pass. But the substitution of " God of j u d gmen t " She's very near her hour. " con j ectura l emen d at i on, " or t h e aut h or i ty o f t h e for "top of judgment " is one of the m os t c l ums y Angelo. Dispose of her to some more fitter place, MS. corrector ? changes that ever blundering commentator made or "' - And that with speed. At the commencement of act ii. the stage direc- blind critic approved. " Prejudice apart," says the --- ad even le a few into the ring to Is," and ; a most 11 /1 le scene ne," Pd, may ;meat " clumsy nade or ;ys the we pro- a mere for God t is His be ex- iich is," . would )fjudg- ;ases we cr says, iension, robably ave the Oar, thinks Some cession. [2. nolandi. trey. f. Duffy. Newby. tanistaa, Murray. atchard. Prince. atchard. I. Two nd Low. Bentley. id Hall. Duties of Murray.