The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 184?-1851, 1845-01-08
WHO speak the tongue

i llL E-lthbDCUlC oD"Ntf
could not content himself with a mere republication OF
compilation. He has therefore prevailed upon X. w.
WEIR, whose reputation as an Artist is already ldentl-
fed with his country's history, to contribute a series or
ORIGINAL designs, together with such advice and assls-
lance in other details of art as his taste may suggest for
the illustration and establishment of this publication.
From the same reason the publisher, instead otreprlnting
the text and commentary Of any popular English i'm
preston, was DESTROYS that his edition should have tho
supervision ofan American editor. This task has been
undertaken. by GUILAN c. VERPLANCK.
The plan proposed to himselfby the editor, is to fur
nish the reader with a carefully prepared and accurate
w printed text, unencumbered by any notes or com
lnents upon the page itself; as however useful they may
be elsewhere, they are too apt to divert the mind from
the power of the Poets thought, and to disturb the ma
gic ofhis scene. Such notes as may be thought nseiul
for the explanation or criticism Of the teXt,Will be
thrown into an Appendix to each play.
The text of Shakspeare's dramatic works, drawn
from old printed copies in his age, which had never pas
sed under the authors own eye, was consequently ols-
figured by many errors and obscur1t4es. 1t passed. uu-
ring the last century through a succession of varying
editions until the revision of Stevens and Malone, whose
text (or rather that of Steyens) has become the STAN
dard from which most Of the English and American e.
ditions have been printed, with various degrees OF ac-
curacy. But within the last twenty years, a more mi
mute and familiar acquaintance with old English idioms
habits and modes of thought, guided by an intense and
constantly increasing admiration for Shakspeare's ge-
MUS, has led to the strong conviction that very many OF
the numerous though slight deviations from the ancient
/ EN- tDDtuIlIG III lOtCi IbltlOliS w up1iS"S "a Wv
Ineous interpretations, sometimes weakening the sense
and often substituting an arbitrary monotonous metr1cal
regularity for the Poets own native melody. Accord
ingly very many of these examinations have been reJec-
ted BY the last and best English editors, especially Mr..
Knight and Mr.. Collier, and the readings of the old To-
hos and quartos have been restored, unless where some
error Ufthe press or manuscript was undcniably mani
fest. Yet there are many such passages coniessedly
corrupt, and requiring cOnjecnIal emendaion; there
are also differences of reading between the several old
impressions, afIording grounds for some diversity OF text
and warm controversy between the more recent editors
Upon these, the American editor thinks it due to the
character of this edition, to decide for himself without
implicitly following the text of any onemodern edition.
As the industry and learning of prior editors have fur
I nishcd the collation. ofvarious readings and the authori-
ties upon which they may be supported, the task is no
longer that oflaborou5 investigations, but, as it were, of
, judicial decision enlightened by contending argument.
As many of thesc variations are ofnearly equal prob
ability, and as some of them are doubtless the authors
own alterations at different periods, all the more impor-
tant readings will be presented to the reaGerin the notes
for his own selection. Those notes will also contain so
much documentary as may be useful to explain anti
ouated words and phrases, obscurely expressed passages
and illusions to obsolete opinions or the habits or his
! tory of the times; the whole in as condensed a form as
practicable. But any commentary upon Shakespeare,
however brief, would be imperfect if it did not present
some view of the higher criticism employed, not on the
Interpretation of his language. but upon his thoughts,
his character, his poetry, passions, philosophy. The
only difficulty here arises from the abundance, the mag
nifcent variety, OF the materials contributed during the
last half century by the most brilliant minds of Europe
Still it is believed that this duty can be satisfactorily
performed without swelling the edition to an inconvc-
nient bulk. II. w. HEWET, Publisher,
28l Broadway, New York.