The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-10
NEW BOOKS.
Brief Reviews of Important ana Interesting
New Publication.

Historical Tales from shakespeare lChhries
Scribner's sons. says that In emitting from
his rehearsal most Of tho plays which Charles
and Mary Lamb considered In their Tales
from Shakespeare" II has not been his In
tention TO round of and furnish anything that
may properly bo considered "a a com pletion to
their performance. Here he puts the histor-
ical plays into narrative form. 1t seems TO
him that Shakespeare, In those OF his plays
which deal particularly with history. maj be a
little too profound. little too subtle. a little too
archaic. a little too exalted and difficult In his
habit OF language to awaken and hold the In
terest OF the young. OF course. II that Is true
Of the historical plays. It is no more than
reasonable to think that 1t might apply 10
the others: but this is q matter out
side OF the particular consideration. Let us
turn to the play OF Julius Caesar" and see
what Mark antony, In his Grafton over Cpsnr's
body. has to say in this rendering, Friends.
Romans. countrymen." he begins, Il nm hero
to bury Caesar. not to praise him. The evil
which men do survives them the good Is often
laid away under earth with their bones" The
question arises whether the young will like this
better than the original. viii it storm their
imagination better2 Is IL better music7 In
the play II is made to appear that the Romans
had ears to lend, We know very well. who
have ever attended the ordinary school excr.
cises In eloquence and rhetoric. that the school,
boy Of this day. no less than the ancient Ro.
mans. has ears to lend. in case the evidences
OF the occasion appear to him to be sufficient.
We have an idea that he Is a friend
OF measure, and that he likes rotun.
dity Of phrase. IIc loves to hear
Of a day Of triumph at Capua. Of Lentulus re.
turning with victorious eagles. OF the dance OF
the moon on Monan's ril same where the
stag at eve had drunk his nIl. He readily be.
comes q friend Of Milton. lie 10 appreciative OF
the great ilend striding over the burning mari
with a shield like the moon and a spear as long
as the mainmast Of the ship OF an admiral. II
has been his habit to recite the Grafton OF
Antony among other ~favorite things, and we
cannot help questioning whether no will like
Nh. Quiller-Couch's rendering better than the
original, or whether all this reduction to the
commonplace will lure him beyond the power
OF the forms which he has always instinctively
loved. Let us. as patiently as We can, hear Mr..
Quiler-Couch's Mark antony a little further;
He was ambitious. the noble Brutus has
told you. II that were so, il was q
grievous fault, ard CPsdr has paid
for it grievously. Here. by leave Of BrltuS and
the rest-for Bru'us ia q man OF honor. and SO
are they all. all men of honor-I am come
merely to speak the last words over myfriend."
Will the young. any more than the old. lean at
the opportunity Of this2 What Is the drawback
In Shakespeare Is 1t the truth that he is no
longer vivid enough2 Do we require this new
salt to make him tolerable TO our advanced and
particular palates? As the words OF Mark
.iptOny to be more easily swallowed, are they
made TO be less Of boluses. are they sugar.
coated and agreeably bewitchei, by the process
which Mr., Quiller-Couch has applied to them2
Let us hear still a little more OF the new. OF the
more obvious. Of the improved Mark Antony,
For he was my friend. and to mo
faithful and just: though BrutuS-who
Is "A man OF honor-says he was
ambitions. lie brought, in his time. many
~captives home TO this city and poured their
ransoms into tho public Offices. When the
poor have cried. Cesar has went for them. IL
Is hard TO detect ambition in all this: but
Brufns. who Is a man OF ~honor-says he was
ambitious. You all saw how at the Lupercalia
| thrice offered him q kingly crown and how
he refused IL thrice. Was this ambition
BrutuS says so; and to be sure. he il a man Of
honor. But | am not here to disprove what
BrUtus told you. | am here merely to tell you
what | know. You all loved him once-not
without cause. Can you not mourn for him r.
1t has been asked concerning Walt Whitman's
phrase. might OF the large few stars" what 1t
would have amounted TO il there had been q
slight transposition. and II il had read. night
OF the few large stars" Certainly words
are remarkable things, and the use Of them
seems to be q matter Of sOme importance. We
have known men who have quite z~ealously
contendrd. as the supreme outcome Of their
literary inquiry. that one word was better than
two. These would have justified Mr.. CUTLER
Couch's survives" in place OF Shakespeare's
lives after" Still we cannot think that they
wouli have approved the good is often laid
away under earth with their bones.' because
this is a very violent application and more
over II breaks the metre. which is a cirnurn-
stance that. somehow, notwithstanding the
philanthropy OF II. We are not qualified to like.
Those who are called Students OF Shakes |
peare unhappily DO not appear to US az per.
sons necessarily to be veneratei. They, like
plenty OF others. and Notwithstanding
the well-advertised 'exal.ation of their pur-
suit, seem to be subject 10 their limita-
tons, We have no doubt that Shakes
peare would have had distinguished fun
with them, II by some hocus- pocus they could |
have been made prior 10 him, 1t Is queer that
Mr.. Quiller-Couch does not seem to have
recognized that rhythm Is among the nrst ~ |
well as among the most benclcent things that
come into the heads Of children. He speaks Of |
the necessity OF breaking up the rhythm OF
Shakespeare's majestic lines. and Of reducing |
them 10 ordinary prose. There was really no
necessity. Next to the wisdom Of Mother |
Goose" IL is not difficult 10 suppose that IL IL
the rhythm OF that superior anthology which
has kept It alive in the estimation Of children.
Shak espeare had n way Of putting things.
That way has recommended him. His
plots were borrowed. but his language
was his own. To assume that his
plots we're the thing, and that
his language Ia something OF q handicap in.
wolves a curious twist Of the undcrs'anding
Think OF the enterprise which starts out 70
make Shakespeare FriStdF and Jtlius CrSGr
interesting. Think OF the attempt to recon-.
mend these two by putting another language
into their mouths. Moreover. llr. CUTLER
Couch is not q humorist. He Is a serious
worker. In his work he has never depended
upon mere flashes Of the Imagination. SO far
as seriousness may be a recommendation he
has the advantage even Of Charles and Mary
Lamb We have n melancholy feeling. and wo
are conscious OF no wish to set forth further
our appreciation OF this singularly adventurous
volume.
In The Scarlet Stigma" by james Edgar
Smith. We haven dramatic story founded upon
Uawthorne's Scarlet Letter" This little play