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

Romeo and Juliet" reached four
editions; Titus Andronicus" and
"Pericles" Ia doubtful play) reach
ed three editions; Henry W. and
'Troilus and Cressida" reached two;
and seven others reached only one
edition. The publication of quartos
did not, of course, cease with Shake
speare's death, quarto edition of
Hamlet for example, appearing as
| late as 1851; but most of these late
quartos were merely reprints, often
inaccurate, of earlier editions. The
value of the quarto texts varies wide
ly, as might be expected: but some
idea of their Importance may be
gathered from the fact that what is
commonly regarded as the best text of
Hamlet" by many reputed to be
Shakespeare's greatest play, is the
second quarto text.
The Work OF Loyal Friends.
But unscrupulOusness. fortunately,
was not the only means through which
Shakespeare's plays were to come to
light. Friendship of deep and loyal
sort, perhaps even high appreciation
of literary worth, played a part too.
1t is well that it is so. Almost all
conditions, in and out of the theater,
even customs among authors them
selves, operated against the preserva-
tion of plays. Out of a total of some
three thousand plays that were put
on the stage in the reigns of Queen
Elizabeth and James |, only some six
hundred ever saw the printing press,
and most of these are lost. Dramatists
of the day, even if they lived to have
the leisure for the task, did not col
lect and publish their own works. Not
until the year of Shakespeare's death
was the custom broken by Ben jon
son, when he put out his plays in folio
form. There are those who think that
Shakespeare, in his closing years of
retirement at Stratford. was prepar-
ing his plays for publication; but
there is nothing authentic to support
the conjecture. This work was done,
not as well of course as if Shake
speare himself had done it, but rather
as one could wish it to have been
done, by the loyal hands of two of
Shakespeares friends and fellow
actors, John Heminges and Henry
Condell. This tribute of devotion anc
friendship assumed the form, in 1923,
of the famous First Folio. a book of
SURPRISING and inestimable value.
THE FIRST Folio" says Sir Sidney Lee,
"is intrinsically the most valuable
volume in the whole range of English
literature, and extrinsically is only ex-
ceeded in value by some half-dozen
volumes of far earlier date and ex-
ceptional typographical interest" The
later Folios, known respectively as
the Second, Third, and Fourth, appear
ed in 1882, 1663-64, and 1855. The
Second is a reprint of the First, the
Third of the Second, and the Fourth of
the Third. Each is of less value than
the preceding one in terms of the
multiplied errors and mistakes.
Plays in the First Folio.
The First Folio included thirty-six
plays. No less than twenty of Shake
speare's best and most treasured plays
here first saw the light: nine of the
fourteen comedies. five Of the ten his
tories, and six of the twelve tragedies:
and for several of the plays that had
already appeared in print the First
Folio afforded text manifestly
superior. The plays in this volume
were arranged under three headings;
Comedies" Histories" and "Trage-
dies" This arrangement. in part as
a matter of sentiment. is still pre-