The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-09-02
c.Ill@r.s sAaL.peare.

49, .swsse = sSvs~es fev sAs sssss sssse
Cellierss shakspeare.
m. hav. hereaof0fs alluded TO the new con-
rorer.y 10 which this book has given Ftses
e., $ new evidences has bsen introduced.
vhiea seems in q mir way 70 damage the au-
hen,lcssy Of the corrections, not lsas than the
haracser Of Mr. CoLLfn1 himself, ~ feel
,ound to put our readers In pesssssion Of the
acss, By giving succinct history Of the whole
49,
Everybody 10 aware, that although fourteen
i sHAxsrEAxgsp plays we're published during
liz life, the editions were spurious, the author
leithsr having corrected the press, nor been in
nay WY Interested In the publication. Seven
vsars After his deAfh, Ia 1o23, HKnrses and
JonDxLx, players and associates OF SHAK-
Ip1ARA collected his plays, and, for the nrst
lima, pnbltshed q complete edition. For nine
years, the public Of that day seems TO nave
been satisfied with this edition, and II was not
until ie3a that second, in folio. unpublished.
The works OF the great poet. as they were
owen 10 the world in these two editions, pre-
scented mangled and melancholy appearance
They were, indeed, 90 full Of errors as to lead
trresistibfy to the conclusion, either that the
press had not been corrected. or that that duty
had been discharged by persons TO the last de-
gree incompetent Perhaps the works OF no
other author that ever lived ever suffered So
severely from the fault Of his publishers. II
appeared impossible TO restore them TO theif
primary condition. for the original manu-
scripts had long been destroyed, and there
were no data upon which to found anything
like an accurate opinion with regard TO sin
gle one OF the many thousand contested pas
sages. It thus happened that when, many
years after his death, the subject began to en-
rxxe The attention Of a critical age, and the
desire became universal to have the works OF
SHAKsrrARx a. he wrote them, learned men
who undertook the task Of restoration, found
themselves obliged to substitute CONJECTURE
and com parison Of passages, for certainty, AND
70 coilste the works Of contemporary authors
to ~ ppiy meaning, reinstate words, and evolve
4hs sense. These critics increased in number
until they absolutely swarmed through thu
last century, including in their number som.
names fsuch a. those of PORK, WARBURToN,
and JoHHsos,) that stand among the very
highest in English literature. The numbers
increased a. the distance from the age OF the
poet grew greater, until there was hardiy
commentator At the same time, there was
a "restoration" that was not disputed
bv acme other restoror who had had no hand in
the particular discovery. The quarreis be-
tween these commentators grew more and
more furious, as the pile of commentaries in
creased They hated each other with all the
b ttsrness Of rival sectaries, and flew at each
,thsrs ihroats with the ferocity Of pirates or
outlawed brigands. This warfare has con-
tinued down to our own day, and the presen
controversy is the most curious
Of ALL Let US now give some account OF
the manner in which 1t arose, and Of its
progress; for it seems very far from having
come TO an end.
In the spring Of the year 1882, Mr.. PAYNE
COLLIER, a gentleman who had devoted his
whole life to the study of SHAKESPEARE, and
who had published highly popular edition
of that poets works, announced, through the
columns Of the London Ahenenm that he
edition of 1882, on the margin of which were
thou sands Of corrections, Gin a hand writing
not much later than the time when it came
from the press" He had bought the volume
three years before, I'm 1sia) at SECONDHAND
bookstore in London, and he accounted for
his remissness in not before announcing the
fact, by saying that he had made the purchase.
without reference to anything particular
which itcontained, and that his attention had
but lately boen attracted 70 the immense num-
her Of notes, and then by mere accident
This annunciation was quickly followed by
the publication OF a book containing num-
Der Of the most important emendations, and
this book became the foundation, of no Leaf
than Ave editions Of SHAKESPEARE, two OF
which were published in this country. They,
however, embraced but small portion OF the
corrections found on the margin of MIR. COL
LixR's folio, which amounted, on the whole
to 10000. These publications, as was to have
been expected, elected a perfect storm Of ad-
verse criticism but, as MIR. COLLIER bore a
high character, and the corrections were, for
the most part, excellent in themselves, he
finally succeeded In gaining the confidence
not only Of large number of the most en-
lightened admirers Of SHAKESPEARE, but OF
the public in general. 1t happened that he
either was, or considered himself, under grea,
obligations to the late Duke of Devonshire
and, by way Of expressing his gratitude he
made him present of the folio. But the Gu
riosity OF the learned world was SO thorough
ly aroused, and 20 many people desired to see
the book, that the Duke soon found 1t o sub
jeet OF annoyance, and, to get rid Of it, he
placed It in the British Museum, where all
who wished could obtain access to it. Here d
new chapter Of trials opened upon Mr.. COL
LEE.
uscripts Of the Museum, a profsssed antiquary
nvA IN . nat oAd ~ MT
Dpscies Of literary evidence, had not long had
he volume within his reach, before he be-
'hought himself of applying TO it tests OF
which Mr.. CoLLIER never appears to have
1reamed. His first motion was to subject the
sand. writing Of the corrector, for which Mr..
J. had claimed an an tiquity almost ~ great as
hat Of the volume itself. to the action Of
powerful microscope. 1t was not long before
10 discovered pencil marks, cropping out
very now and then from beneath the writing
n ink. From this he inferred that the corr
,sctions had iirst been written in pencil, and
hsn written over with pen and ink. From
his fact he concluded that the corrections
we're modern, and he was not long in stating
10 conyictiou 10 the world. This brought out
6r CoLLIsn. who denied that there were any
encii marks when the book passed out of his
ands. He stated, further, that 1t had be-
,nged. nifty years ago. to . gentleman named
AIRY, who Immediately recognized itas hav-
e been his properly, when it was shown to
I'm few years since ButSir FREDERIcK was
OF TO be bafled in this style. Having obtained
- consent of the present Duke Of Devon
hire to try series Of experiments on the
and-writing. he called In the aid Of a cslebra-
a chemist who Immediately subjected II to
~ closest critical analysis. 1t appeared a.
nes that what seemed to b ink two centuries |
10 was, In point Of fact not ink at all, but
awny-coiored figment made to resemble very |
ncient lax The hand. writing in this ngment |
1as washed away In many ine n nces and In /