University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1916-04-23

the Fourth Folio, some two hundred
editions of Shakespeare have ap-
peared in Great Britain and ireland
alone, besides scores of others in
America and other lands, and thous-
ands of separate plays. Editions of
Shakespeare begin, early in the
eighteenth century, with that Of
Nicholas Rowe, Shakespeare's first
editor. He was dramatist of Queen
Anne's reign, and poet laureate to
George l. His edition appeared in
1903. In teXtual value this edition is
almost negligible, for Rowe followed
the Fourth Folio. the least authentic
of them all. But he rendered practi-
cal service in several ways: he pre-
fixed a list of dramatiS personae to
each play, marked the exits and the
entrances of characters, and indicated
divisions into acts and scenes.
Pope, His Second Editor.
Shakespeares second editor was a
more illustrious figure. Alexander
Pope, the poet. Pope brought out his
edition, published in six large, hand
some quarto volumes. in 1925. About
! this edition there centers one of the
most interesting and productive quar-
rels in literary history. In his pre-
face, Pope promised to collate the
texts-something that as yet had not
been done. But, while he recognized
some aspects of Shakespeare's genius,
Pope was not scholar. and he shar-
ed in the common ignorance of the
time about the Elizabethan age. Les
lie Stephen goes so far as to call Pope
"a liar and hypocrite." The lang
uage is perhaps not too strong to
cover all Pope's literary crimes; but
so far as his edition of Shakespeare
is concerned it is sufficient to say that
he did not live up to his promises. He
did not collate the texts carefully; he
scarcely collated them at all. More
over, just as he modernized Homer, so
he modernized Shakespeare, making
many unauthorized changes, believing
that Shakespeare was often deficient
in artistic sense.
Made Light of POpe's Edition.
This edition of Pope's was review
ed by Lewis Theobald, a poor poet,
but scholar, and the originator of
more felicitous emendations to the
text of Shakespeare than can be laid
to the credit of any other critic or
editor. Theobald. commonly derisive-
ly called "Tibbald," put out a review,
in which he made merry with Pope's
edition, exposing its shortcomings, in
1928. 1t was entitled: Shakespeare
Restored, or a specimen of the many
errors as we'll committed as unamend-
ed by Mr.. Pope in his late edition of
this poet, designed not only to correct
the said edition but to restore the
true reading of Shakespeare in all the
editions yet published" This publ
cation was rich in astute cOnjectural
readings and happy emendations. |
Probably the most famous of all these |
is one that is now found printed in
practically all editions of Shake |
speare. In Henry v" II, iii, Il, in
the passage descriptive of the death |
of Falstaff, the First Folio reads: !
His nose was as sharp as a pen and !
table of green fields" For this |
meaningless passage, Theobald |
Though he is said not to claim the |
credit for HIMSELF happily conjectur
ed that Shakespeare wrote: His nose /
was as sharp as a pen and a (he) |
babbled of green fields" Falstaff,
despite the fact that his laughter was
as irresistible as it was unquench-
able, was a sham and a reprobate.
But every one has felt, and rightly
f 1t, that this single phrase. carrying
the imagination back as it does to the
days of his innocent childhood. re-
deems him of all his sins and reclaims
him to the bosom of critical human
ity. But the caustic title of Theo-
bald's work, as well as the actual
revelations of intellectual insincerity
and ignorance displayed by Pope,
were well designed to get under
his sensitive skin. They did. In
revenge. Pope made Theobald the hero
Of the ''Dunciad." that Incompatible
satire on ounces. Theobald was him
self preparing an edition of Shake
speare, and he published notes from
time to time in "Mist's Journal" Pope
showed how deeply he was stung by