The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-08-09
OUR LITERARY BUDGET.
The 0bSCuritieS and Faults in The Text Of
Shakespeare.
ONLY SCHOLARS EMPHASIZE THEN.
The Bard Of Avon fought Impurturbeble
Charity aud Respectful Forbearance To-
wards tho World OF Man--Other Items.

Far too much stress has, think, been laid
upon the difficulties and obscurities of Shake
spearos text. IL is mainly the scholars who
emphasize these blemishes 10 US simple folks
the meaning in many a disputed passage IS as
plan Is the way to tie parish church. and
when We listen to the play on the stage. ana
the plays were written TO be thus listened TO-
there is not a difficulty from the first scene to
the last. However, ii there IS one lesson
deeper than another which Shakespeare
teaches us. it is imperturbabe charity and
respectful forbearance toward the uni,
versal world of man. Wherefore if learned
men delight TO bark and bite over commas. we
certainly can afford e. look on with smile;
and-at a respectful distance. To understand
why 50 much importance is attached
10 the Interpretation OF phrases IN SHAKE
speare, we have but b remember how dear
his words axe TO every heart. and 10 under
stand why his text Is open at all 70 discussion,
We must remember the state in which that
text has come down 10 US. In Shakespeares
day everv company of actors included one or
more playwrghts whose duty it was % pro-
vide new plays for the company. These
plays. thus provided. were the property OF the
company: he produced them for his employer,
huu W MN lUfl btAOLktA ITO UNIV -
playwright explains to my mind, what has
been termed Shakespeare's indifference to the
fate and fame of his PLAYS. His sterling
honesty forbade him - claim them. 1hey
were no longer his. but belonged to his follow
actors This is TO me an all-suihclng explana-
ton. / think, however, that another explRnh,,
ton might also be suTmised, ana
this IS that Shakespeare was conscious OF
more power than he ever put forth. / doubt
if he ever felt that he had done his very best
To him, these dramas must have been tar
from being the miracles they are to MS and
may not. hence, have arisen his indifference
70 their fate. BE this, however. as 1t may,
certain it is that these plays were held 70 be
the property Of the company Tor whose Bone
fit they were written. This fact. however. dld
not prevent an INSCRIPTIONS and eDterprl5-
ing bookseller from publishing play when
happened TO have 4 run Of extraordinary
popularity: and about twenty OF SHAKESPEARE >
PLAYS were thus published. How the book
seller procured copy for these publications
we cannot exactly know. Il has been sup;
posed that it was taken down by shorthand
during a performance OF that after the play
was over the actors were brlbed by mugs 81
beer at neighbOring tavorns 70 repeat ther
part or a stage copy may have been stolen
outright These single plays, which were
published during Shakespeare lifetime. hul
without his authority. remember, we're cheap,
common affairs often printed with old de-
laced type, on poor paper. They were about
SIX or eight inches square and were sold Tor a
siXpence. From the shape IN which the paper
was folded they have received their name
the quartOs These little pamphlets, cheap
and common enough in their day. have
become the most costly books in the world.
In no ono library IS there O complete
set. and never will be, unless additional
copies be discovered hereafter. Seven years
after Shakespeare death, two Of his friends
and fellow-actOr5 gathered together AL ms
manuscripts, 50 they said. and published
them in 1923 III one large volume. which IS
called the First Folio Ii is this volume
which is always accepted rs the chief edition
Of Shakespeare. and Il Is SO accepted because
its editors said in the preface that IT was
printed from Shakespeares manuscripts. II
this were really so perhaps not breath OF
opposition 10 the text OF this FIRST follo
would be tolerated. but we know that this As
sertiOn by Heminge and COndell was grace
snatched beyond the bounds OF truth. In
several PLAYS the text OF the FIRST tOilO Is an
exact reprint Of q Quarto, and as a quarto
has no intrinsic authority the folio
in this case has no more. In point
of fact. ] think, a little charity will
diminish the Nervousness OF the untruth which
Heminge and COndell uttered when they said
they printed from Shakespeare's manuscript.
They printed from copies which had been IN
use on the stage tor many years. There had
doubtless been stage copies. originally IN
Shakespeare handwriting, but as time had
rendered them much worn. OF even worn out.
they had been replaced by copies Of the
printed quartos, and as the correct. original
text had been perhaps copied from worn-out
manuscript into the printed quartO, Shakes
peares friends deemed themselves honest and
true when they said that they had printed
from Shakespeare's own handwriting.
Howard II. Furness, in Poet-Lore.