The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-05-07

We propose, before an attempt to enforce the
conviction which we have to the origin anu no'
thority of the emendations in Mr.. Coiher ammo
lated folio, to place readers IN possess'oo oi
sufficient number of the more fu po''a"'' " oe
able to keep company in The conoIos'on On WHICH
we propose TO insist. BY way " preface, We may
stste that the course which play takes on lts way
10 ths ,f,ys il some thing in this order-(and
have no reason to doubt but That Shakspeares FOL
lowed the ordinary course : Inc play 10 written;
IL bsa more or ess OF alteration by the author him
alt before il 10 submitted to the managers and
ACTORS; other changes are then likely to be intro
ducsd some affecting the general action of the
piece and the arrangement and distribution of the
scenes, others the language as regards length of
passages, convenience for Evolutionary delivery
and the capaci y of the immediate performers A
copy is prepared, by the prompter or copyist, of
the entire play; the separate paris written out
for each actor, with the proper cues" as they are
technically called; that is, half lines of the previ.
Gus Character to suggest what follows; and the
play 10 put In rehearsal. Other changes in all
the points TO which have referred NAV now
be introduced-suggested by the working Of the
piece on this preliminary trial. IL 10 acted :;
ana from its actual performance before, and
recepnon BY, the public, other important
changes may and generally are found to
be required to adapt it to practical and
living representation. In our own times the
play IL sometimes printed Immediately on the
occasion of it's fret performance; but, in the day
OF Shakespeare, 1t fingered in print oftentimes for
many years, subject TO the caprice or convenience
OF the theatre, the mana cement, and the actors;
and, In the absence of the supervising attention Of
the author, q multitude OF liberties doubt
taken with the text As have described il, this
was no doubt The ordeal through which all of the
shakspearian dramas was compelled to pass; and
this will amply account for the immune rable yari .
Gus readings, poipilngs, uanspoaftons, and other
mutations with which these dramas have been be-
set, Gu all hands, down to time; and it
will also reconcile to the belief hat 20 900 errors
OF one kind and another remained to be corrected
by this rio folio, The pr,ucipal
lamentations divide themselves into two classes:
such AZ affect the text or language, and those
which relate to the action stage business. Of
the hrst class We have every possible variety, from
the slig htest corrections in the printing I'D to the
intr )docto of entire lines Leaving those of the
lesser degree TO justify themselves in detail, We
direct our attention to the changes in the sub
stance of the text; which, if any, will prove the
presence, not of an accidental and fortunate con-
Jectural talent, but Of vital literary faculty,
which the instances we shall produce must prove
to have issued from the author of the dramas-or
nor-according to their worth The most conye-
nlent order to pursue is that of the plays them
selves. We begin, accordingly, with the ITEM.
pest, ;" and our f1rst example, as brought forward
by Mr.. Collier, is this:
"Ths emendaion in the subsequent lines, as
signed to Prospero, is important. The reading
since the publication of The folio 1923 with one
exception to be noticed Immediately, mas inyaria
bly, been follows:
The direful spectacle Of the wreck which touch'd
The very virtue of mpassion in thee,
have with such provision in mine art
So safely order'd that there is no soul
No, not SO much perdition an hair
Betid to any creature in the vessel.
THE only exception to the above text was a cor
rupuon which found its way into the folio 1852
where compassion OF the second line repeated
in the third:
1 have with such compassion in mine art, &C.
the printer having caught the word from the pre-
ceding line.
have with such precision in mine art,
the word in the folio, 1923, has always been follow
ed but that 1t was error may be said Sc proved
by the manuscript corrector of the folio 1882 who
altered compassion as il stood there) to pro
vision (ast stood in the folio, 1928 but prsvi-
sion, in reference to Prosperos power of foresceing
what would be the result Of the tempest be had
raised
have with such provision in mine art
SO safely ordered, that there ia soul, &c.
Provision would answer the purpose u Civ
ing meaning, because Prospero ight have pro-
Yided that soul should suffer; but prersior SUD-
plies a higher and finer sense showing that the
great gician had by his art foreseen that there
should not be so much perdition hair among
the whole crew The alteration of single letter
makes the whole difference"
Our next example is from the second play, s.The
Two Gentlemen of Verona"
1--WE have here a very important emendation,
supplying whole line, evidently deficient, and
yet never missed by any of the commentators. IL
is in one of the speeches of Sir Eglamour wherein
ne consents to aid Silvia in her escape. Until now
IT has run
Madam, pity much your grievances;
Which since know they virtuOusy are PLACID,
give consent to go along with you.
'tHere there is no connection between the first
and the second lines, because Sir EglamouT could
not mean that the grievances Dot that the 0sc.
fions of Silvia were 'yirtuously placed Sha ks-
peare must, therefore, have written what find
in an adjoining blank space of the folio, 1852,
which makes the sense complete
Madam, pity much your grievances,
Ind The most true Affections that uou bear.
Which since know they yirtuOusly are PLACID,
give consent to go along with you"
Another from the same play:
"The usual opening ia in these lines
How use doth breed a habit in a mani
MS shadowy desert, unfrequented woods
better brook than fourishing peoplsd towns
''The manuscriPt-corrector renders the second
line
These shadovy, desert, unfrequeuted woods"
sc.
And another
1.-The two lines which close the play are in
rhyme, according to the came authority In the
folio, 1929 they do not rhy me, nd there stand
That done, our day of marriage shall be yours;
One feast, one house, one mutual happiness.
"The nuscrpt-corrector of the folio, 1882
tells that the lines ought to run follows
Our day of marriage shall be yours no less
One feast, one house, one mutual happiness"
From ''The Merry Wives of Windsor"
eft occurs at the end of one of the hosts speeches
10 Ofs Cilues
/ will bring Thee where Mistress Anne Pageis, at
a farmhouse a Fasting, and thou shalt WOO her.
Cried o. me, said | welR
THE difficulty has been how to make any sense
out of Cried g1me;' and various suggestions,
such as tried game, cry aim, &c, have been made;
but the truth seems 10 be, that the host, having
said that Anne Page was feasting at a farmhouse,
in order still ineite Or. Caius to go there,
mentioned the most ordinary objects of Fasting at
farm-houses at that time, viz: cuTds and creap,y
'curds and cream in the hands of the old com.
positor became strangely me'amorphosed into
cried game-at least, this 10 the marginal eK pla-
nation in the corrected folio, 1862. The host,
therefore, ends his speech about Anne Pages
feasting at the farm house by the exclamation,
'Curds and cream said / wellp"
In 'sMeasure for MeasuTe:'
1.-Two rather important words are altered in the
corrected folio, 1852, in Claudio's speech. The
usual reading is
She is fast my wife,
Save that do the denunciation lack
or outward order; this came not to,
Only for propagation of dover.
sDenunciation' is changed to pronunciation, and
spropa CATION 10 procuTation, meaning, of course
the procuring Of the dover"
The next emeudation Of this class-and we have
a particular purpose in singing these OUTS from
's'rhe Comedy OF Errors :" |. a.