The Press.
London, England, 1853-10-08 00:00:00

ele.

Tins dr. must be 'held to include some five or
six o•nittll pnblirations by NI r.
pamphlet tor two by 11r. Charles Knight, two
long articles in Illor4 roma. Magazixe, several
numbers of our weekly vontempontries. the
A thrtsava r, the Exantiner. and A'atem and (lorries.
have specified them partieularly would
have ew•rupled more room than we are abbe to
spare f4ir noisier of ?-9.41V1.1. 11111 Mil than a mere
catalogue of isiniphlets and newspapers. The
:4'11+41, howe've'r. Whiell they relate is of
rest moment I lave we anything like a correct
text of Shakespeare's Nays?
The gentleman who has occasioned all this
emitroversy—this wstr of wordn, ay, and hard
words too—is a munelosm annotator, who is
said to have lived dining the Protectorate,
Hutt who appears in person represented by
Mr. Joins Payne Collier. This Mr. Perkins
(for such it.; supposed to have been his name)
Alume before us, we admit, well represented.
Mr. Collier has been one of the most misfal
sulinirers of the great islet, and to his eitte mid
industry we are indebted for the best existing
edition of his works (that. in eight whores
octavo), and for the di:(covery of many new
and initswtant partieulars bearing directly on
Sliakeveare himself. lie had been. it is
well known, a sturdy advocate for the purity
of the text in the first folio. What he wart
unable to understated ho was unwilling to
lie worked for truth : And his edition was,
and with some exceptions must still be,
looked upon as the true text of the great poet.
What, then, was the piddle surprise when
Isom. some year and a lin I fag 4 4) Mr. Collier began
to repudiate his own test. to give np Ileminge
and Condelt, to abandon his fitith in the first
folio, and to supply from week to week in the
eolumus of the Athem,ento many startling new
readings. made by a nameless petson in a
(lofty of the second folio, and in a handwriting
nearly ent'Vetl with Shakespeare himself? The
surprise will not soon be forgotten in literary
civvies. Mr. Collies% it is din` to hint to say.
put one and all haore the piddle Milli a
becoming diffidence. He told the story of
his nequisition briefly and monistakaldy.
Al he bad to say in their behalf he urged
moderately. and now 111141 tlicn convincingly.
The corrections, indeed. spoke for themsolves.
Many were addressed to poetie minds—more
to common-sense people. New lights were
thrown 1111 obscure passages. Mill, iu sonic
instances, whole lines were restored. Former
cotkieeturem were now and then confirmed. and
the public iiegan to !eel that or the countless
e4itgolls4 of Shakespeare to be had at every
kind of priee none Were 1,0 be relied upon.
Mr. Colliers 11 S. annotator was worth all
your Popes owl Theoladds. your Ilamssers
and Warburton., your ('spell, your .14•Impsons,
your Steseveliws, your Heeds. your Maiones,
your colliers. your Knights. and your Dynes.
'lime Shakespeare Society patronised the
itnnatator : the hook was publicly shown at
the Society of Antiquaries and elsewhere
opininna of all kinds wen e sought and such
was the belief in this new annotator and his
test that .both the Row nod Albemarle-street
wow pulling the skirts of Nlr. Collier at one
and the same time. The Row won, and then