New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-05-02
a COMMENTATORS CLEARED.

They seemed az bat time 10 nave Iaifl} pinneu nim
10 the sroupd, aud it was not easy to discern, from
the point Of veg then attsnsble, that there was
ADV way of escape for the unfortunate animal they
were worrying. Within the lsst two moatns, how
ever. pew turn has ceen given TO the hun,, the
quarry has stood ut bay and tsere s every present
reason to believe that he will come off unscathei,
and that it will be his pursuers that will come 70
grief Those of our readers who remember our
former articles on the subject will recoect that We
DO not esteem Commentator, and especially
SbskspeIian one, IS ga beast Of venerle" OF Tue
very nobest order, and have objection TO seeing
him run down where ne puts himself In the way o'
pursuit. and it il carried on according W 'no
sstablisbed Laws of the chase. But we do Dol %
soluteIy Glars him smopg the yeImn which are 10
be boup6ed out on any terms, to be trapped,
SHARED. pit-faled, circumvented N any msnner and
nv any means. and knocked on the hesd as general
.nep.y and common NUISANCE. On the contrary,
We hold that even Shasspeacan critic is entuied
10 fair pl-y aud tast rbe mercy which he may have
denied the Bard and his readers, should be shown
10 hlm.
Accordingly, we are very glad that Mr.. j. Payne
Cohes has succeeded in making out very far
defense of himself against the direct attacks aud
the more damaging innuendoes which bis Annotated
Folio OF 1852 has drawn upon his head. The his
tory of that passage Of literary history must be
fresh in the minds of all our readers, those VINO
really like Shakespeare, and those who like Mrs.
Pepdepnis, "say they like him, but DON'T Mr..
Collier one day beng in the chop of Mr. Thomas
Rodd, bookseller, was shown by MIN copy d tne
Folio of 1852, which had just been sent IN from
the country and which be bought, though Imperfect,
in the hope of fpdiog that he could make good the
DEFICIENCIES Of another copy he had of this edition,
paying therefor the sum Of thirty shtIings Not
fnoipg that it could answer this purpose, ne put 1t
aside and thought no more about IL for two years,
wien, being Oh the eve OF going Into the country,
he bethought himself of this neglected stranger,
and took it with him as the companion OF bis re-
tirement that he might examine more particularly
into its merits. Upon dong this be was surprised
TO hLd that it was fall of marginal corrections,
many Of which, if not most, appeared to hlm OF
angular curiosity and merit, so much so that ne
could account for thsm only On the hypothesis that
th,y weIe made by contemporary Of Shakespeare
from the original prOmpt-bo0ss or from the text as
delivered by actors who had learned 1t from
Shakespeare own manuscript Upon this hint he
prepared for the press his o. Notes and Emeuda-
"tions," which has involved him in warfare such
as only commentators On the Scriptures and on the
classics can wage.
II will be seen that this statement of the way ia
which The volume nto his HANDS was not ABOVE
suspicion 10 the suspicious. The book csme no.
body knew whence. Nobody had ever seen 1t bat
Rood ard Mir Collier; il ~as bought for thirty sui
lnes sDd paid for in cash, so that no record OF the
transaction appeared the publishers books.
Rood. in TIE mean time dies out of the way, and
then Mr. Collier, for the first time, discovers the
enendatioDs, and announces his discovery to the
world. Had no designed to palm of forgeries of
his OVID, he could hardly have devised more in-
gemouf account of how be came oy tee book. the
delay until after the death of Rodd, tue smallness
of the price SAID to be PAID the assumed fact that
the book had never been with anD0tatiOns til
it came into Mr. Golfers hands, and the circum-
stance that be should not have observed the Ms
noiea when be first examined it formed the basis Of
the .upposition that he had MANUFACTURED them
himself. and had attempted thus 10 make his own
corrections of Sbakespeares text pass current By
virtue of this infamous forgery. Bot plain tale
has put down those who trusted in this theory, aud
overthrow the theory with the foundation on wh en-
it rested. For, the copy had been seen, and the
botrs remarked, before it came into Sir. Golfers
pOssessiaD A witness, an entire stranger ~ M'.
Culier, but of the most unlmpsachable character,
comes forward and furnishes exactly the necessary
piece Of te.umODy. The Rev. DR.. Wellesley, the
Principal Of New Inn Hall, Oxford ttstliies that
about the tine specified be saw IN Rodds shop an
imperfect Folio of 1852, " with an aouDdaUce Of
MS notes On the uargID," and that The prics Vss
thrt, stillpgs He should haze taken it himself,
had Let Rood said that it had been purchased by
another person; ano, though he is not positive of
the fact, be believes that he named Mt. Collier Us
trat person Ttls evidence disposes of the most
tuspicious circumstance attending the obtaining of
tie book ard settles any doubt arising from cue
price, WITCH was prOoaoly fair one for an iDper-
feet copy IN bad preservation The fact that Mr.
Collier should have overlooked the notes, though
su lily strange is imuateriai THE fact of their
existence before he bought the book be admitted
Ia addition 10 the circumstantial evidence, thus
overthrow, tending TO throw suspicion upon Mr..
Golfers integrity in this matter, tho world was In
formed neatly year ago tina. certain oi'cOyeres
had been made by the photographers OF the British
Museum, by whom the Folio bad been subjected to
a microscopic examination, watch we're coocusve
OF Ito recenfness Ut the aDnOtasiOns, aud strongly
suoeestye of tier beiOg made py Mr.. Coll ef.