fidence that their own intrinsic merit is of golden | we at liberty to transcribe her graphic narweight." Then follow twenty-four lines copied from Troilus and Cressida, Act 1st, Scene 3d, as we discovered on reference to the Concordance, for neither the passage nor play are noticed in the letter. The passage is a glowing and glorious one, and the tract is followed by this sentence: "The Italian patriots might take worthy comfort from these lines, just now." rative of all she encountered and endured, in sickness and in health, and the ingenuity of the plan she pursued, we will venture to say that a more interesting paper has seldom been laid before the public. When it is mentioned that the Concord ex-ance contains eight hundred and sixty pages, of three columns each, each column containing one hundred and twenty lines, or three hundred and sixty lines on every page, and that the entire volume has the astonishing number of three hundred and nine thousand six hundred lines! (309,600,) our readers may form some idea, although a faint one, of the labor incurred. There is not a word throughout Shakespeare, which line in which such word occurs is given, and at the end of the line we have the name of the play, and the act, and the scene! It will, therefore, appear to the least reflective that this was indeed a gigantic task; yet, momentous as it was, this lovely woman triumphantly accomplished it. As may easily be imagined, she was encouraged and sustained during the undertaking, by the endearing sympathy of a most affectionate husband of congenial taste, to whom she was happily united at the very time she commenced the work. Never did a happier union take place; for we lately learned from a friend, who knew both previous to their marriage, that amongst their friends they are called "the married lovers." The letter was dated the 11th October, 1849; and if the Italian patriots might take comfort from the glowing sentiments of the godlike Shakespeare then, they will apply as forcibly still, and much more, ay, ten-fold more, to the is not alphabetically arranged; the whole cause of that inspired man, Kossuth, now among us, and his prostrate country; but we trust in God a good time is coming, both for Italy, Hungary, France, and all Europe. The letter was forwarded and duly received. Elated and charmed with the sweetness of disposition so charmingly manifested by the fair writer, we took leave, in pure gratitude, to transmit to her, as an emblem of herself, a handsome gold pen, saying, if there was any thing in America that would be a desideratum, if she would condescend to address a line to the American Enthusiast, New-York, it would come to hand quite safe. We were in some doubt whether such a letter would be noticed; but we mentioned the circumstance to that most obliging gentleman, Mr. William Taylor, of the post of fice, and, to our great joy, in due course, he handed us another charming letter, addressed as indicated. This led to others; and as the lady afterwards honestly and artlessly admitted, "her Eve-ish curiosity could hold out no longer." She called on our friend, wishing to know her unknown correspondent's proper name. At the very moment our friend happened to have a letter of ours at his elbow, and handed it to the darling daughter of Eve. And so the mystery was explained. But it was not the winning kindness of Mrs. Clarke's correspondence, nor the purity of her mind, nor her truthfulness, artlessness, or playful wit, that induced us to think of a Testimonial; it was the unwearied industry, the indomitable perseverance, with which she had, through a long series of years, pursued her labor of love. Were We had been erroneously informed that each line of the Concordance was written on a separate slip of paper, and put into baskets alphabetically arranged! Had this been so, we opine it would have required buck-baskets as large as that into which fat Jack was so unceremoniously thrust, and a room to hold them as capacious as St. George's Hall, in Windsor Castle. Far different and more ingenious was the mode pursued; and if ever the lady shall be induced to favor the world with her method, of which she favored us with a sketch, they will more and more admire the ingenuity and business-like tact which brought her almost endless task to a happy termination. Before being stereotyped, the work was read over three different times and compared with the three most correct editions—a wonderful labor in itself. In a work so extraordinarily voluminous, one would expect to find, notwithstanding all this care, a consid-| friend in Massachusetts. His reply came erable list of errata; yet, out of 309,600 immediately, and was as follows:lines, there are but twelve errata, and these quite inconsiderable; in fact, they are not properly errata, but omissions. Full of admiration at the fine qualities of head and heart, which Mrs. Clarke displayed in her wonderful work, on returning from Mr. Burton's Shakespearian banquet-at which, by the way, her health and happiness had been enthusiastically drunk with HIGHLAND HONORS*-we sat down and drew up the following circular: "A few devoted admirers of Shakespeare have considered it would be a well-deserved compliment to present to MRS. COWDEN CLARKE some testimonial of their approbation. This most amiable lady spent TWELVE long years in writing out her CONCORDANCE, and FOUR more in correcting the press; an instance of perseverance and devotion unequaled in the world, even among men. As some acknowledgment for such a noble performance, it has been proposed to present to Mrs. Clarke a handsome carved rosewood library-chair, with writing and reading-desk attached; and it is hoped the lovers of Shakespeare in America, who are constantly deriving benefit from Mrs. Clarke's labor, will have gallantry sufficient to present a testimonial while it can be enjoyed, rather than wait, as is too often the case, till the lapse of time shall render it unavailing. "After life's fitful fever," are of small consequence. Mr. George P. Putnam, bookseller, Broadway, will receive subscriptions; and if you approve the intention, you are respectfully requested to remit to him. It is not expected that any subscription shall exceed five dollars, but the carving and decorations of the chair will be in accordance with the amount received." Feeling it would be proper that the circular should be authenticated by the names of one or two gentlemen known to the public, we obtained those of WILLIAM C. BRYANT, Editor of the "Evening Post;" HENRY E. RAYMOND, then Speaker of the Legislature; WILLIAM E. BURTON, proprietor of the Theatre, Chambers street; and ALFRED PELL. The circular was printed, and addressed to various friends, well-known lovers of literature. The very first issued was to a dear This hearty Scottish custom of drinking a health" with Highland honors," is performed by each guest standing on his chair, placing his right foot on the table, holding his glass above his head, extended at full arm's length, and then, after the name, drink the bumper without spilling a drop; and it requires a strong and steady head, hand, and foot to accomplish it properly. "MY DEAR SIR:-Your most welcome favor was received at the right moment. Your favorite correspondent, Miss M. S. Q., chanced to be with us when the music and poetry arrived, and I thought into her fair hands. She was happy to disengage it no more than justice to put the prophetic roll the tape and open the diplomatic parcel, and read to us the stirring and sweet contents. We admired them as much as you could desire, and more than my pen is able to tell, since it is difficult to embody tones, martial sharps, and the mystic breathings of the minor key in a letter. We thank you for introducing your unknown 'angel' to us, Mrs. Mary Cowden Clarke. We have not seen her Concordance, but hope to possess the valuable desideratum. I went to a book-store and brought home three numbers of her original work, the Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines; and we immediately read the sweet development of the early years of Portia. The ladies-M. S. Q., Miss S. A. G., and Mrs. T.-were charmed with the ingenuity, imagination, tact, and excellent principles of the character. If the writer discovers equal invention, power, and attractive detail in the other Shakespearian lassies, she will confer a substantial benefit upon readers of the MYRIAD-MINDED MAN. We were so much pleased with this single effort, that (what is most unusual for us) I opened a bottle of champagne, and we drank the health of M. C. C., hoping her American chair might be as easy and commodious to her as her Concordance and charac teristic creations were delightful to her readers; and for the construction of said chair, we have the pleasure of contributing ten dollars-five from Brown's Square, and five from your friend M. S.Q. We are enjoying the brightest sunshine, after the rain of last night. I am," &c. &c. This admirable letter, from a gentleman of the finest taste, himself a distinguished author, was a happy commencement, and we went gayly on, addressing circulars to distant friends before we touched the "home circle." Other replies were equally encouraging, although it must be admitted that some took no notice of the application; (and we may here remark, en passant, there are some men of mark to whom circulars were sent, who will probably regret their-forgetfulness, when they read the roll which accompanies this.) It would, of course, have been altogether impossible to have omitted addressing a letter to him who has, on all occasions, (to borrow the phrase of one of his most attached personal friends,) "proved himself to be the Magnus Apollo of America, in every thing to which he turns his mind, be it great or small." After this, we need hardly say we refer to America's greatest statesman, en dowed with the most enlarged and poetical mind of any man of the present day, our admired Secretary of State, THE HONORABLE DANIEL WEBSTER. To that patriotic man we wrote, soliciting the favor that he would condescend to head the subscription; and the following is a copy of his characteristic reply: "Washington, July 11, 1851. "DEAR SIR:-I had the pleasure of receiving your highly valued letter of the 19th of last month, at the moment of leaving this city for a visit to Virginia. On my return, I looked up the letter, but do not find the circular. "I shall most heartily concur, my dear Sir, in a testimonial of approbation to the lady to whom you refer, and am quite ready to sign the subscription, first, or last, or any where. Her work is a perfect wonder, surprisingly full and accurate, and exhibiting proof of unexampled labor and patience. She has treasured up every word of Shakespeare, as if he were her lover, and she were his. "I expect to be at the Astor House about the middle of next month. Pray give me an opportunity to place my name among the contributors to the testimonial. "I am, dear Sir, yours, with entire regard, "DANIEL WEBSTER. This delightful letter was so encouraging, that we no longer felt any doubt as to the final result. The chair was ordered. The lady so obligingly referred to immediately sent her subscription. Mr. Putnam also received a letter from one of his friends in Boston, so very gratifying, that we are sure its perusal will give great pleasure: "DEAR SIR:-I enclose five dollars for the Testi monial to Mrs. Cowden Clarke. I feel that I owe it to her to add, that I have used her Concordance to Shakespeare unceasingly from the day when I first saw a copy of it, and that it has never failed in a single instance to satisfy my wants; that I have recommended it in every way that I could with propriety, and have received only thanks, wherever I have made it known; and that, from its extraordinary fulness and accuracy, I am convinced that it will never be superseded. Twiss, Ayscough, Dolby, &c., which I have long had, are entirely useless, and will necessarily remain so. I have not the smallest knowledge of Mrs. Clarke, except such as her pleasant stories of the Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines, which you have printed so beautifully, give me, and this Concordance. My gratitude to her is, therefore, wholly free from the prejudices that would spring from personal regard. Yours, faithfully, GEO. TICKNOR." 66 other We were also favored with many letters from different States at vast distances from each other, and it would be highly gratifying to lay them before the reader; but we shall confine them to one more, short and sweet, and characteristic of the distinguished poet who wrote it: "DEAR SIR:-It gives me very great pleasure to add my name to the list of those gentlemen who propose to present a chair to Mrs. Cowden Clarke. It is a very pleasant compliment, and one well deserved; and the chair itself should 'Match the royal rich array, "HENRY W. LONGFELLOW." It may perhaps appear invidious to omit many other charming letters, particularly one from Colonel Grayson, of Detroit, Michigan, written just before the subscription closed. He had then accidentally heard of it, and wrote to inquire whether he was yet in time to record his approbation and sympathy in the undertaking. But we trust we have given enough to show the feeling which has animated so many generous hearts, living thousands of miles apart from each other, incontestably proving the truth of Mrs. Clarke's sentiment, that the fame of Shakespeare is indeed "world-wide," and begets among mankind a sort of free-masonry, by which all true lovers of his works feel towards each other as brothers. We will, however, notice a painful and extraordinary deviation from this feeling. A certain well-known dramatic critic and editor, who was about commencing a new edition of Shakespeare, which, with extraor dinary facilities for the task, he would fain have had the public believe was to be the only correct one, made a severe attack on all former editions, in a pamphlet entitled "Reasons for a New Edition of Shakespeare's Works." He there calls their inaccuracies "culpable carelessness," " remarkable ignorance," "wilful corruptions," "criminal inattention," "unpardonable," &c. &c. In a postscript to the sixth volume of Mr. Knight's Pictorial Edition, he rebukes, in a mild and gentlemanly manner, the use of such strong terms, in these words: "We whose labors are in association with the works of the most charitable of created beings, ought to banish the word unpardonable from our vocabulary." Throughout the whole of Mr. Knight's edi out his works. Our first informant, who was himself an Irishman, assured us it was a fact! We thought it singular, and pondered to consider whether there was cause; we mentioned it to others, who concurred in the same belief; but on reference to Mrs. Clarke's invaluable Concordance, we found, to our surprise, that Ireland, Irish, and Irishmen, occur no less than forty-three times, in as many lines, with a reference to the play, act, and scene. This shows the great value of Mrs. Clarke's work. tion, the sharp-sighted critic could discover | a popular error, in regard to a word in Shakebut one trifling error, copied from former speare. Strange to say, there is a prevalent editions. Mr. Knight accounts for it thus: belief, that IRELAND does not occur through"It occurs in the Winter's Tale, act 5, scene 1, where DAME is printed inaccurately for name." The critic calls it a "wilful corruption." It is nothing but a printer's error of the commonest kind. The box or partition in the compositor's case,' which holds the d, is immediately above the n; a d falls into the lower partition, and n-ame becomes d-ame; dame makes a sense, although an imperfect one, and so the error escapes all eyes, and is perpetuated through many editions." Mr. Knight continues-and we would call particular attention to the passage-" Errors such as these, I take the liberty of thinking, scarcely deserve the application of such strong terms. In a portion of the text of MEASURE FOR MEASURE, in the very latest reprint I have seen, there is a deviation from the text of the first folio which is highly injurious to the sense, but which, pervading all modern editions, with one exception, has been overlooked by an editor whose care might be expected to produce something immaculate. In the second act, when Isabella is coming to ask her brother's pardon, Angelo thus soliloquizes: "Why does the blood thus muster to my heart, How cold, how meaningless would be, The true reading of the folio is given in my edition alone"-(the Pictorial.) "The false reading is found in all modern editions of the play; and it is also found in Collier's specimen, consisting of but thirty lines of the text of his new edition," prefixed to his Reasons for a new one! After this, what can be said? It is indeed what our old friend Joe Ritson would have called the quip modest, and returning the great critic measure for measure with a vengeance. The postscript was published in a separate form, and we believe may still be had. We have been induced to give the extract, to prove that Mr. Knight's edition of Shakespeare was edited with consummate care, and is, beyond all question, the most accurate, as well as the most beautiful and useful, that has ever issued from the press. To return to the Testimonial Chair: we would mention that the ornamental parts of it were carved from drawings executed by a lady. In the centre of the top there is a head of Shakespeare, front face, carved in ivory, from the monumental bust at Stratford-on-Avon. It was executed by Mr. Rhodé, a German artist in New-York; and great credit is due to his skill, for the beauty with which it is carved. The head is encircled by a wreath of oak leaves and laurel, carved in the wood. It was intended that the head should have been in the centre of a star, of frosted silver, and one was executed for the purpose; but owing to a mistake on the part of the silversmith, it was made too small, and could not be used. The head is placed between two swans, carved in alto-relievo, each having a wing extended, meeting in the centre directly over it, as a protecting canopy. On the lower rail of the chair, just below the cushion, are masks of Tragedy and Comedy, beautifully carved by Mr. Eisenbach. All the other parts of the chair are elaborately carved, particularly the sides, which are peculiarly rich in delicate filigree work, cut out of the solid wood. The readingdesk moves on a silver-plated crane, and, for the sake of convenience, silver-plated eyes are on both sides of the chair, so that the desk may be placed on the right or the left arm of it. The material with which the chair is covered, both front and back, is composed of French satin brocade, beautifully figured, and the effect is singularly rich and elegant. It was at first intended that the cover should have been of crimson Genoa velvet; but the While on the subject, we may here notice | ladies who kindly undertook to make the selection, considered that crimson velvet, al-ed that it should be covered with green though regal, was become somewhat old- morocco leather; but to leather a lady's chair fashioned; and there was no disputing with would have been rather preposterous! The them, considering that the chair was for a inscription on the silver gilt plate, placed lady. One gentleman, who had, at first, immediately under the beautiful head of taken some interest in the Testimonial, insist- Shakespeare, is as follows: TO MRS. MARY COWDEN CLARKE, THIS CHAIR IS PRESENTED, BY A FEW LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF AMERICA, AS A TRIBUTE OF GRATITUDE FOR THE UNEQUALLED INDUSTRY HER CONCORDANCE TO SHAKESPEARE. |