382 SOME NEW EMENDATIONS IN SHAKESPEARE. 



If we are correct in ascribing to Shakespeare the well-known 

 epitaph on his tombstone cursing any one who should disturb his 

 bones, we cannot but regret that the poet who concerned himself SO' 

 much about the safeguarding of his earthly part, should have taken 

 so little thought about' his literary remains. Never, perhaps, were 

 literary pearls cast before swine more recklessly than by Shakespeare. 

 Referring to the infinite variety of influences which contributed 

 to the corruption of Shakespeare's plays, Johnson truly says, "It 

 is not easy for invention to bring together so many causes con- 

 curring to vitiate a text." Illiterate copyists, blundering printers,, 

 stupid players, all took part in the work of destruction. Small 

 wonder that so large an amount of alloy has come to be mixed up 

 with the pure gold of Shakespeare. The wonder is rather that the 

 mutilation and destruction was not more disastrous and complete. 

 In the work of reverently restoring the original text of our poet, 

 of recovering his lost pearls, all the great English commentators 

 from Rowe and Malone down to our own time have lent their will- 

 ing aid. Specially during the last quarter of a century has the work 

 of restoration been helped forward by such scholarly critics as Dyce 

 and Staunton, to say nothing of the ingenious Collier, of somewhat 

 questionable honesty. 



Although much has been done, still very much remains to be done 

 before the text of Shakespeare can be purified altogether of its dross. 

 There is still no lack of confessedly spurious passages to provoke 

 and reward felicitous conjecture. The present paper is my second 

 contribution to this pious work. 1 The emendations which it con- 

 tains, original so far as I know, will be found, it is hoped, to clear 

 away some of the errors of copyists and printers. The textual 

 changes are for the most part slight, sometimes merely the alteration 

 of two or three letters or the transposition of two consecutive 

 words. 



Turn we to " The Tempest," usually placed first in the old 

 editions of Shakespeare, although it is now universally admitted to- 

 have been one of his latest plays, in Professor Dowden's opinion 

 possibly his very latest. Act II., sc. 11 — Trincnlo loquitur — He 

 has come upon the monster Caliban stretched upon the ground partly 



i A paper on the same subject was read before the Literary and Historical Society off 

 Quebec, and published in the Transactions of the Society for April, 1863. 



