The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1858-02-23
SHAKESPEARE.

SaAASF6A01'
It has been said that no man ever did SO
much to excite curiosity, or so little 10
crafty it as Shakespeare. We believe THIS
to be true. Ne man except Napoleon. eV-
er was so much written about, or ever gave
occasion to the publication OF so much
downright nonsense. We have been toio
that he was Indifferent to fame, because he
says nothing about himself in his plays as
if it were possible to lug in himself in his
dialegue-that he wrote for money, as II
all authors do not do the same-that he
had no education, as if the evidences OF a
highly cultivated mind were not strewed
Eaore thickly throughout his works, than
through any other productions of the hui
man mind.
The proof that he cared nothing about
posthumous fame is made to consist in his
not publishing his plays before his death.
Now men who talk in this way seem to
have overlooked entirely the preface of Hem
ing and Condell, the players who published
the first edition of his works, seven years
after his death. They say, in their quaint
Elizabethan style ut has bene thing, we
confesse, worthie to have bene wished,
that the author himselfe had lived to have to
set forth, and overseen his own writings"
There is the whole secret at once. The
author died before he could publish his
works, and that is the reason he did not
'soversee and set them forth.'' 1t is proba-
l. 4 e., fho S1nn q
given rise to many volumes of delicious
nonsense. The errors and obscarities i'll
Shakespeare are innumerable. They are
exactly such as are made every day, in
every printing office in the country, and
such as would make obscure the most
luminous work in the world were they not
corrected by competent proef readers
We have no doubt the publication of Col
lier gave the true key to the greater part
of them.
1t is really, however, very strange that
nothing is known of Shakespeare PERSONAL
ly, and that we find scarcely any mention
of him in contemperaneeus publications.
Perhaps after all, he was nobody at ALL
like Junius. We believe that somebody
has undertaken to prove that. Well,
Whately proved that there never was such
a man as Napoleon.-Richmond Wing.
PERFECTLY CooL.-A waggish friend of
ours tells the following, which VIC do not
remember to have seen in print:
A certain man, whom we will call NJ
was mooted for possessing great courage
and presence of mind, and the crossest wife
in the neighborhood. More than one at
tempt had been made to frighten NJ -,
without success; but one dark, stormy even
ing, one of his brother chips, resolving to
see if there was any scare in him, fixed up
in the most ghostly style possible, and
stationed himself in a louely piece of woods
through which NJ. had to pass on his way
home The pretended ghost had scarcely
settled himself in his position, when Nj,
hove in sight, and came whistlirg along
unconcerned as usual. Suddenly the
ghostly figure confronted him, in sepulchral
voice, commanding him to stop NJ did
so, and after regarding his companion for
moment; said, with the utmost GOODNESS: 4
can't stop friend; if you are man, must
request you to get out of the way and let
ME pass; if you are the devil, come along
and take supper with me, I married your
sister,
THE MEDICINE OF LAUGHTER.-It is
recorded of DR.. Griffin (says a writer in the
Atlantic.) that when President of the An