The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-04-17
From New Yosk Tribune.
N otes and lamentations - the Text Of bhaks-
poare,n RlaYn LII

From ne Yosk Tribune.
Notes and lamentations u tine Text Of shsks-
peare's Plays
We are glad TO American edition OF this very |
curious work. II has already made small sensation
in the English Shakspeaian circles. "a goody portion OF
the population nor viii the excitement produced by lis
appearance be less soaK tbs lovers oil the gres, bard
lhs country Every reader OF Shakespeare is OF the
plethora oil eaendaions TO The current text which have
been proposed By different critics. Usually these max
confusion worse coniounded" The admirable beauties
OF The poet still remain conjunction with glazing absurd
isies and most lame and impoten concusonsp This
volume comes IN al the night place. No previous al
tempt 10 elucidale The obscurles OF ShakspeaIes ext
can compare with IN abundant and satisfactory results
But let us explain lille the history OF this volume
of The beneht OF such OF readers not already
familiar with lis genesis IRON the accounts foreign
journals owes It's presen, appearance in print TO Mr.
Payne Collier. distinguished Shak spearan amateur and
commentator Happening 10 be in the shop OF his book
seller one ne morning about four years ago, his aen
on was directed TO package OF books that had just ar
tepages OF several volumes. he perceived an ancient
folio, much cropped, with and greasy covers and
imperfect al the beginning and end. II proved to be
copy OF the second folio of Shakspeares plays, reprinted
from previous impression in the form in 1923
He led purchase the volume. but 1t not until
after the lapse OF that he found the treasures hid
between its On examining II more particularly,
he discovered great variety OF cancellations in the hand
writing OF the time when came from the press, evident
y from the pen OF an anno,aor who had ample means OF
| knowing what he was about Many passages in nearly
all the plays struck out, ii Tor the purpose OF
shortening the performance hundreds Of stage directions
inserted in manuscript showing that the volume
in possession OF person connected with OF the
early theatres, and that the COTrecons probably
made by manager member of a company for the
aca purposes. The punctuation has been carefully set
right throughout; literal and verbal errors. well
gave apses have been corrected The whole number OF
emendalions amounting to twenty thousand OF which The
present volume includes over thousand Nothing that
deemed essential in the original copy has been omit
ted from the reprint although the editor has not thought
il worth while 10 reproduce all the emenda,oHs many of
which are OF slight Importance, and many also are
mere repetitons.
i The recurrence OF such numerous errors in the tex, Of
Shakespeare in easily explained The first edition OF his
plays published until years after his death
which took place in 1916. The copy made for the
printer in the first instance, by persons who wrote down
the dialogue they heard on the stage Instead oil
ceslng the last touches of the author fact the
crude sketch OF reporter. II difficult TO obtain
play Tor The press The originals sold TO theatrical
peaIlng print, and when they brought out,
usually by surreptitous MEANS During the lifetime OF
Shak speare, nearly half OF his productions remained in
manuscript, and be pointed in the publ
cation OF which he was concerned He seems 10 have
lost all interest in his works after his retirement to STRAIT
ford. aud no doubt thought they beyond his control
Under these circumstances Is remarkable that The text
is not dshgured by greater number of than
those with which it now abounds.
How far the emendatons OF this edition worthy of
credit, appears for the most part their face They
sustained By internal evidence They make sense out OF
what was before unmeaning or unntegible. We accept
them al once because we see they b., the nail on The
fo,'o'p
notator derived his information. This is purely matter
of conjecture, and is left very much in the dark.
/ We will give few specimens OF their character,
which presume student OF Shakespeare will hesitate
| in accepting
! TANNING The sHREw
| Let us take an instance from "The Tanning OF the
Shrew." Act /. Scene L. where Lucen,io arriving in
Padua TO read at the University Trano his man. enTea,s
his master not to apply himself TOO severely to study
'Only, good master, while do admire
| This virtue, and this moral disc pline,
Let's be no stocs, nor no stocks, pray
Or so devote to Arisrotle's checks,
| As Ovid be an outcast quite nbjuPd'
Such has been the nvarable text from the first publ
cation Of the comedy, in 1929 until our day yet IL
is PROFESSIONALLY wrong, and wrong in the most import
ant word in the quotation, the old corfec,o shows
and the reader will be 10 acknowledge the mo-
ment the emendation is proposed (: sN
Let's be no stoics, nor stocks pray,
Or so devote to Aristoie's Efhtes,
As Ovid be an outcast quite ablurd"
In the manuscript, from which the old printer worked
Ethies was, doubt written with small letter. and
with ke the end OF the word then the
tom, and the CARELESS conpositor mstook elhieka for
"ehecke," and printed IL "checkes is converted lno
siekes in the handwriting OF the emendator OF the folio,
1882 and it is hardly too much TO say that tAis msprnt
be repeated.
Another brief and laughabe proof may be adduced
from "Corioanus:" il is where Menenius, in Act 2, |
Scene 1, is talking OF himself 10 the Inbunes: am
known" (he says in all editions, ancient and modern) Ito
be humorous patrcisn, and that loves cup OF hot
wlDe with not drop oil ailayiDg Iyber IN II said TO be
something imperfect in favoring the first complaint"
Nobody has offered note explanatory OF the first
plant and IL has always passed current as the language
of Shakespeare Is IT SO Assuredy not; for what has
cup OF hot wine" TO do with "the first complaint 70
The old corrector calls upon us 10 read "a cup OF hot
wine, with not drop OF alayIng Tyber IN IT said to
be thing imperfect in avonng the thirst complaint"
and the utterly Lost humor OF the passage is at
stored The scribe misheard thirst, and "hrst"
and the bunder has already lasted between and three
centuries and might have lasted two three centuries
long but for the of thus corrected folio
MIDSUMMER nsHr's DREAM.
In the Midsummer Nights Dream, Act 2, Scene l.
the Fairy after meeting Puck says, speaking Of
Titania:
" The cowaips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you
Those be rubies, fairy favors,
In those ireekiss live their savors."
There several objections 10 this passage as il has
next, the crimson spots not in their coats"
the petals but al the bottom OF the cax Sbak
has himself told ms IN "Cy mbelne," Act q Scene a.
Like the crimson drops
T. tn bottom OF a oowsip."
The alteration authorized in manuscript in the folio,
1922, is, therefore, as follows:
" The cow.lips oil her per sioners be
In their gold caps spots You
Those be rubies, fairy favors,
In those freckles live their savors"
Rubes would be singular decorations for "coai," but
were common ornaments to golden chslices.
ATHENS.
In act 4, scene 2, old and modern Impressions fur
nsh with this text:
Who would be 80 mockd with glory, or to live
Raj al r4e uIs abr