Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-04-20
.ShaEsDe0re E3neud0tio,,s.

volume entitled s.Notes and lamentations to
the Text of Shakspeare's Plays" has recently
been issued in England. The book attracted
much attention on the other side of the Atlantic,
and we observe that the Redfelds of New York
have put forth an American edition of it. We
are indebted to the New York Tribune for the
following interesting history OF this curious
work:
1t owes its present appearance in print to Mr..
Payne Collier, distinguished Shaksperian anna.
teur and commentator. Happening to be 10 the
shop of his bookseller one fine morning about
four years ago, his attention was directed to
a package of books that had just arrived from the
country On looking at the backs and title pages
of several volumes, he perceived ancient folio.
much cropped, with worn and greasy covers, and
imperfect at the beginning and end. 1t proved to
be copy of the second folio of Shakespeare s
Plays, reprinted from previous impression in
the same form In 1923. He was led to purchase
the volume, but it not until after the lapse of
year, that he found the treasures hid between
its covers. On examining it more particularly,
he discovered great variety of emendations ia
the handwriting of the time when it came from
the PRESS evidently from the pen of annotator
who had ample means of knowing what he was
about. Many passages in nearly all the plays
are struck out, as if for the purpose of shorten
ing the performance; hundreds of stage directions
| are inserted in manuscripts; showing that the
volume was in possession OF person connected
with one of the early theaters and that the cor
| rections were probably made by some manager or
member of company, for theatrical purposes
| The punctuation has been carefully set Alright
throughout literal verbal errors, we'll as graver
lapses, have been corrected; the whole number
of ep.endations amounting to 10000; of which
| the present volume includes over thousand.-
Nothing that was deemed essential in the orgi-
nal copy has been omitted from the reprint, al
though the editor has not thought it worth while
to reproduce all the emendations, many Of which
are of slight importance, and many also are mere
repstitions.
The recurrence of such numerous errors in the
text of Shakespeare is easily explained. The first
edition OF his plays was not published until seven
years after his DEATH which took place in 1916.
The copy was made for the printer, in the first
instance, by persons who wrote down the dia-
logue as they heard it on the stage. Instead of
receiving the last touches of the author, it
In fact the crude sketch of reporter. It was
difficult to obtain play for the press. The ORR
gnals were sold to theatrical managers who did
their utmost 10 prevent them from appearing in
print, and when they were brought out, it was
usually by surreptitous means. During the life
time of Shakespeare, nearly halfof his productions
remainediu manuscript and notone can be- pointed
OUT IN tne puOllcatlOn or Wn1cn ne was concerned.
He seems to have lost n interest in his works
after his retirement to Stratford, and no doubt
thought they were beyond his control. Under
tRese circumstances, it is remarkable that the text
is not dis6gured by greater number Of errors
than even those with which it now abounds.
How far the emendations of this edition are
worthy of credit, appears for the most part on
their face. They are sustained by internal evil
dence. They make sense out of what was before
unmeanug or uninteligbe. We accept them at
once, because we see they hit the nail on the
head. 1t is another question, from what sources
the annotator derived his information. This is
purely u matter of conjecture, and is left very
much in the dark.
The Mobile Tribune learns from Il letter dated
PENSACOLA, 9th inst, that serious fracas occur
red in that city few nights since, The sailors
belonging to one of the war vessels in the harbor
committed some disorder in the CITY, which |
aroused the citizens and arrayed them against the |
sailors. In the conflict, Mr.. Sierre, the Mayor, |
killed one of the sailors. He himself was rough |
iy handled, and received severe injuries.
The principal news from the Sandwich Is |
lands is an account of the reception Of NJ. Perrin
as as pienipotentiary from France, by his Hawaiian
Majesty ln his address, Nj. Perrin said
haG L.I IL.