The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-09-13
FIRST FOLIO SHAKESPEARE.
Perfect Ccpy Brought to London ha Native Of
Eegum Sails for $500.

Mr.. Sidney Lee gives an interesting
account in The Athenaeum" OF the
copy of first folio Shakespeare that was
sold lately in London auction room
for the record price OF $500. "he copy
was unknown before and turns OUT 10
be perfect. The purchaser was an Eng
lishman, whose name Mr.. Lee wuuh-
holds, though he allowed Mr.. Lee 10
make very careful examination Oh tne
book. The following are the points VI
genaal interest described by him;
The recently purchased copy Oh Vne
first folio, apart from the pecunietS
value now attaching 10 III, possesses
numerous points of first rate interest,".
Until it's appearance in Christles sales-
rooms It's existence was pracucalIy uh'
known. 1t was brought thithsr py a
native OF Belgium, who stated that ~
had been in possession or ms iaIilIy
for more than a century. More thah
uwo centuries probably elapsed between
its departure from and its return 10
our shores. Very slight examination
was made OF the volume before the re-
cenL sale Experts readily perceived
however that 10 was not merely per-
feet hut had never suffered any kind
of restoration. Though the outer mar
gins OF a few pages are torn away the
text is at all points intact, the fy-leaf
containing Ben Jonsons verses Is un-
touched and the portrait ON the tltie
mage is in admirable preservation. The
binding dates from the last years or
the nth century The new owner OF
the rare volume has kindly given me
opportunities OF making full exami-
nation Of his prize. and the results or
my inspection will probably prove OK
interest TO students OF Shakespeare.
The measurements OF the copy are
1915 inches by sax inches. A few taller
copies are known. This Toovey copy
was somewhat larger. 1895 inches by
So inches. The BARONESS Burdett-
Coutt's Daniel copy is IL inches high
the Duke OF Devonshire's 1874 inches.
But the dimensions Of the newly pur-
chased volume are exactly identical
with those of the admiral copy in the
Grenvllle collection at the British Siu-
scum. The great majority Of extant
copies are shorter and narrower by at
least half an inch i'm each direction. The
Brayton-Ives copy. which fetched $50
at New York In 1891. measured IL 3-1S
inches by 1916 inches
I'm the newly recovered copy very
many passages are scored at the side
with line IN INK. IL is dlfficult TO de-
tect any principle I'm the process. Some
OF the scored passages are such as ac-
tors might be inclined TO omit in the
atrical representations. but others are
Of the highest dramatic value. The
only fact Of the definite interest TO be
noted in this connection is that the
faded ink is i'm all cases more than two
centuries old, and may possibly come
from the pen of a contemporary OF the
dramatist.
More important are the manuscript
notes which are scattered at intervals
the volume Two handwrit-
ings are apparent. both belonging to
the seventeenth century A few entries
may be dated well before 1850: the bulk
may be dated n little after the that
year. The annotations number some
70 I'm all. Most OF them aim at remov-
ing obscurities Of phrase and typo
Traphical confusions Occasionally
comment Of a more ambitious literary
character is attempted. Once or twice
an efortAs made TO improve the metSr
Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet wero
obviously read by early owners of this
ccoy with closer attention than tho
other plays, but manuscript comments
are not infrequent elsewhere"