The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-21


At an auction sale of the library of a
distinguished collector last week was sold
a copy of the Third Folio of Shake
speare," a most valuable book. which has
gone into the library OF J. p. Morgan, for
what price it is not stated. But the
transaction reminds US how great is the
interest which attaches TO the First
Folio Edition Of Shakespeare, an interest
which is shared in a lesser degree by the
other folios, four of which We're issued In
quick succession. The rarity of any Of
these folios is a matter OF increasing inn
portance.
The First Folio" was published by
Isaac Jaggard and Ed Blount' in las
more than seven years after the death OF
Shakespeare; the Second Folio was print
ed in the year 1923; the Third Folio was
dated 1904 and the Fourth Folio 1919
Charles Scribner's Sons now own splendid
copies Of the Second and Third FolIos.
The second Is a fine copy. It was printed
for Tho Cotes, for Robert Allot and
are TO be sold al the signe of the Blacle
Beare i'm PauI's Churchyard, 1852. This
folio contains the Droeshout portrait and
the complimentary verses signed 'B. l."
Third Folio is published according to
the true Original Copies ana contains
Seven plays never before printed in
folio" viz: 'Pericles, Prince of Tyre, q"
"The London Prodigal" THE History of
Thomas. Id. Cromwell" Sir John Old
castle Lord Gotham" THE Puritan
Widow" a Yorkshire Tragedy" and
1.-THE Tragedy OF Locrine." OF these
seven additional plays. "Pericles" is the
only one that has been retained, the
others having been easily detected as
spurious, though they We're still included
in the Fourth Folio, published twenty
one years later.
Shakespeare. more than any other
writer has suffered from the literary inn
posters. though this particular form Of
swindler has always hourished more OF
less. There was Joseph Fella, of Sicily,
who declared that he had discovered sew
enteen of the lost books of Livy in Ara
bic He then set to work and translated
these according 10 his fancy and the
fraud was not discovered until his death
One of the most notable English cases
was that Of Chatterton of course, who
passed OFT his verses-and they were not
had ones-as copies OF the poems OF
Thomas Rowley, supposed to have been
found IN an old chest at St. Mary Rad
cliff Church. Bristol Then there was
Vrain- Denis Lucas. who forged on large
scale letters which he attributed to Pascal
Shakespeare, and Rabelais. Even Horac,
Walpole was not above a little literary
taking and his Castle OF OtrantO' was
foisted on the English public as a wOrA
found in the library of an ancient Cath
Ollie family in the north of England. unC
supposed to have been printed at Maple:
in the black letter, in the year 152e.
These old tricks have not entirely out
lived their usefulness, apparently. as th'
mystery of the manuscript found in
red box year or two ago will testify
Tomorrow, April % marks the bicen
teuary Of that most famous English nov
elist. Henry Fielding. In England III,
day viii fifty be celebrated, but so far al
known there viii be little attention PAL,
10 # on this side Of the water. Fielding
name stands out with marked prominenc,
among the writer's of his age becaus,
his great novel, TON Jones" was epoch
making II was the first definite expires
sion Of the form the English novel wa