The Woodstock age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1844-1845, 1844-05-16
who speak the tongue
That Shaiespcar spake,

could not cOnten, hmSeIfwnh mere repuhcn-
liun NJ compilation. lie has therefore prevailed
upaa K ". WEIR, whose reputation as nm ar
lit il already identified wnh his country s history,
To contrhulc series OE original designs, together
with surh ud, lee aud assistance in other details OF
at ms his taste nay sugGcs' for The llio,racn ana
establishment %. tas pnhrn'lrn from Inc same
reason the publisher. instead oi rrpinllGs Inc
,ry and c0nrnrary Of any ppnUnr English IN pres
,on, was desilou, hat lis rdrIinn should ha,elfe
SUPERVISION If an American Editor I his task has
been Undertaken by CUBAN {, NERPLANCk.
The plan proposed 10 himself by the editor is to
furnish The reader with carefully prepared and
accurately printed text, uncncunbrgrd by any
notes or comments upon the page ITSELF; ms howev-
er useful they may lie el>rw hrre, They are too npt
10 e,i h. mind from the power OF the Poels
,hnuslt, ind To disturb the magic of his sreEc--
Such notes as nav be thought useful for the eAp!n-
nation or criticism Of the text, will be thrown into
an Appendix 10 each pay
The tent Of Smkrsprarc's dramatic works,
drawn from old printed copies in his nee which had
| never PASSED under the authors own eyc.was con-
.rqurnIl, il,i'gu,cd by errors aud olscures.
il passed during he last reriur, through n sue
crs,ion If var, ing editions until the revision OF Sic
vrrs aud Malone, Nh0>e text, Tor ralher That OF
Stcyrns,) has become the standard from which
mos, ct the English aud Amelican editions have
! been rriulpd Wih various degrees Of accuracy.
nut Wiliio ihr last twenty year n,ore Minute ard
Gu!ar acquaintance with n'h English iionS, hnb-
rs and lpdes ci thought, guided by mn Hirrse and
constantly increasing adnilral.'n Ter shaNt5peaTe's
genius. has led 70 the strong coGNcllUn that ,eIJ
many Of the numerous lIuugh slight dcNiH'"i'S irnin
the ancient text appearing III E,uG,rn odicns, are
useless or erroneous ucrpo'aricus, sometimes
weakening the lsr and often substituting an abb
imry moanronouS melfcal reg"'al.ly to ihe Poets
avn rsil,r u,puAy Accordingly very many Of
these en- rpAa'iois have been rejected l., the last
AID lest iugl.h editors, c'lcrlr.ly Mr. Knight md
Nr Collier. ard lha reading. Il The old loms aud
qraros have been restored, unless where some er.
ror or the pres. or manuscript was LHdrGlsb'y
manifest Yet there ARE many such passages con-
ics.edl, corgp, and requiring conwctural enen-
dunu; lhrIG UIe also differences 1T reading he-
tween the several ed Impressions, niord'ny
rnunds rnr som diversity Of icAt and warm cUnro-
ycrsr between the more recent edl'Ols
lprn these, the l,dilna thinks It due 10 tho
hructcr If tli; cGuiun,'o decide Cor himself with
ou' Implicitly roluwiug be lrNr ofary one undrru
edition. hs'hr Industry and learning of prior ed
TORS have furnished tire collation. NJ ,HIluus read
ngs aud the authority upon which they may bs
= .rpnrrA the lasi is M longer that Of II lnhornus
investigation. but rs il were ola judicial decision
enlightened ~ cnu,eudlug argument.
As many Of these variations are OF neatly cqnal
probability, mud Us somo Of them are dunblcss the
70 anrhcr S own alterations al different periods, all
the more important readings will he presented 10
i ihn reader in The notes for his own sclecilon.-
= Those notes will nso contain 50 much Of cumcnla-
tnry ms may be u., fll 10 explain anquialed words,
, phrases, obscurell expressed passages, aud su-
: SONS 10 obsolete oplhlpns or history or habits OF
V The times; the whole in as condensed furm as
, practicable. Eut any rOmentdry upon Shakes
near ,hnwcyer hi-f would lie imperf It if il did not
prpsenl some view Of The higher criticism employ
ed mot on The Interpretation u; ss;s .hsurso, but
upon his thnnshls. lis chaaclrr, his poetry. pas
e Sims. and Phosrrlr. The only difficulty hers
arises from The aLuldance, the magnificent variety
Of materials contributed iur'u. he last hall cen
I iur, ly the most brilliant minds Of Europe. Snll
it ia believed that This duty can be satisfactorily
. performed without swelling the edition TO an in
: con,eninl bulk INV. HEWITT. Publisher,
2sl Broadway, N. Y.
81 Feb. Is, lSt4 .--l0S-lOw