G RICHARD THE THIRD. WITH ›DUCTION, AND NOTES EXPLANATORY AND CRITICAL. FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES. BY THE REV. HENRY N. HUDSON, PROFESSOR OF SHAKESPEARE IN BOSTON UNIVERSITY. BOSTON. 16604 HARVAD 53*122 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1880, by HENRY N. HUDSON, n the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. INTRODUCTION. History of the Play. HIS play was preceded by at least two others on the same subject. The first of these was in Latin, written Dr. Thomas Legge, Master of Caius College, Cambridge, is said to have been acted at the University as early as 79. Sir John Harrington, in his Apology for Poetry, 1591, eaks of this play as one that "would move Phalaris the ant, and terrify all tyrannous-minded men." There is no son for thinking that Shakespeare ever saw it, or nad any owledge of it. The other was an English drama, printed 1594, and called "The True Tragedy of Richard the ird: Wherein is shown the death of Edward the Fourth, h the smothering of the two young Princes in the Tower." e have no certain knowledge as to when this piece was tten; though no one doubts that the writing was several ars previous to 1594. Shakespeare's drama indicates no quaintance with it except in two or three slight particulars; d even here the similarity infers no more knowledge than ght well enough have been caught in the hearing. Other emblances there are indeed, but only such as would natu blank-verse, interspersed with pentameter couplets and g stanzas, and with passages of fourteen-syllable lines. be well to add, for the curiosity of the thing, that, ichard is killed, Report enters, and holds a dialogue Page, to give information of divers things not exhibfter which, two Messengers come in, and unfold what done and who is to reign, all the way from Richard en Elizabeth, the whole winding up with an elaborate ic on the latter. espeare's drama was entered in the Stationers' registhe 20th of October, 1597, and was published the ear, but without the author's name. The play was ed in 1598, with "by William Shakespeare" added title-page. There was a third issue in 1602, a fourth 5, and a fifth in 1613; the last three all claiming to wly augmented," though in truth merely reprints of ner two. The play reappeared in the folio of 1623, any slight alterations of text, with some omissions, h a few additions, the latter extending in one place five consecutive lines. Editors differ a good deal ne comparative merits of the quarto and folio texts; all admit that each makes some damaging omissions he other must be drawn upon to supply. Mr. White ecidedly to the folio; while Dyce, in his latest ediefers the quarto text, on the whole. For myself, I dly speak further than that my preference goes someith the one, sometimes with the other. As the addithe folio do not amount to a general enlargement piece, it does not well appear what ground or pretext rto of 1602 may have had for claiming to be "newly ted." Perhaps it was but a publisher's trick, to in very marked diversities of style and workmanship, some is relishing strongly of the Poet's earlier, others as strongly is middle period; and I suspect the claim aforesaid may e referred, disingenuously indeed, to changes made in piece before the issue of 1597. The great popularity of this play is shown in the number editions called for, wherein it surpasses any other of the et's dramas. For, besides the five quarto issues already ntioned, there were also three others in quarto, after the o appeared; which proves that there was still a good dend for it in a separate form. It was also honoured beyond of its fellows by the notice of contemporary writers. Is mentioned by Meres in his Palladis Tamia, 1598. xt, we have a very remarkable allusion to it in a poem lished in 1614, and entitled The Ghost of Richard the Erd. The author of the poem gave only his initials, . B."; who he was is not positively known; some say arles Best, others Christopher Brooke: but the strong mendatory verses upon him, which have come down to from such pens as Ben Jonson, Chapman, and Wither, w him to have been a writer of no little distinction. The ost of Richard is made to speak as follows: To him that imp'd my fame with Clio's quill, He that from Helicon sends many a rill, Whose necter'd veins are drunk bu thirsty men • |