The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-07-22

they are found to be covered with an infinite num-
Der OF faint pencil and corrections in obedi-
ence to which the supposed old corrector has made
his lamentations. These pencil corrections have not
even the pretence of antiquity in character spell
ing, but are written in bold hand of the present
century. A remarkable instance occurs in erich
ard llP (fol 1882, p. Isl, col. p, where the
stage direction with the body, is written in pen
Gil. in clear modern hand while over this the ink
corrector writes in the antique and smaller charac-
ter, with the dead bodie, the word dead being
seemingly inserted to the entire space
occupied by the larger pencil writing and ''bodie''
instead of 'body, to give the requisite appear
ance of antiquity. Further on, in the tragedy of
"Hamet'' (fol. 1882, p. 1877, col. ~:
land crooke the pregnant Hndges of the knee
begging" occurs in pencil in the opposite margin
in the same modern hand, evidently with the inten-
ton Of superseding pregnant in the text. The
hatterd?" to GAS doe thee. Something too much
of this was afterwards struck out. The ink cor
rector, probably thrown off his guard by this.
neglected to copy over and afterwards rub out the
pencil alteration, according to his usual plan, and
by this oversight we seem to obtain as clear view
of the modus operandi if we had looked over the
cOrrector's shoulder and seen the entire work in
process of fabrication. give several further in
stances where the modern pencil-writing can be
distinctly seen underneath the old ink correction
ard should add that in parts of the volume page
after page occurs in which commas, notes of adm-
ration and interrogation, &C., deleted, or in
serted in obedience to pencil indications of precise
ly the same modern characters and appearance as
those employed in correcting the press at the pres
ent day ''Twelfth Night (fol. 1882, p. 25S, col
J: 81 take these Wsemen, that crow so at these
kind of fooes, better than the ooles Zanies
The cnrrector makes it ''t0 be no better than &c.
pencil ''to be- still clearly legible few lines
further down the letter is added in the margin
pencilI
In ''Hamlet" (fo. 1852, p. 27S, col II:
''oh, most perncious wOmann
is made into
sob, most pernicous and perfidious woman
But here, again. the "perfidious' of the corrector
can be to the above a pencil ''perfiidous"
written in perfectly modern hand.
In "Hamlet" (fol 1632 p. 276, col. q, the line
''Looke too't, charge you; come your way
has been altered BY the corrector into
Locke too't, charge you; come your way
in the inner margin The words $50 now" in faint
pencil and in a modern hand, on the outer margin
are distinctly visible. Immediately below this, and
before
ENTER Hamlet, Horatio, Norcellus."
the corrector has inserted Sec. ~ This would
seem to have been done in obedience to a pencil
CIV, in the margin.
In King John (fol. 1882, p. 6, col. 2)
austria and France shoot in each others mouth
The corrector adds, as direction, at this line
"aside," the same word 'aside," occurs likewise in
pencil in modern hand on the outer margin
manner, and clearly the limited scope of let
ter will admit the grounds upon which / conceive
it positively established that the cancellations, as
they called, of this folio copy of Shakespeare,
have been made in the margins within the present
century. What further deductions may be drawn
from the large mass of hitherto unpublished atera-
tions which the folio contains leave others to de-
termine. They may may not be the means of
identifying particular persons particular dates,
but in the main issue are comparatively unimpor-
tant.
While am pers.,:ally responsible for the conclu-
sons have been driven to by the discovery of the
aforementioned facts, the accuracy of the facts
themselves and the fidelity of my statement of them
have been carefully and scrupulously examined by
men having greater ability and experience in such
matters than | can lay claim to. Moreover these
areponts which may be tested by any persons inter
ested in the subject and who will be at the pains of
verifying for themselves the truth of what have
| here advanced. have only to add that l hope
shortly to lay before the public, in another form
and in fuller detail, other particulars relating to
! this remarkable volume
| am, &C., n. T.. s. A. HAMILTON
Department of MSS, British Museum July 90.