 | The Comedy of Errors |  |
PREFACE.
Dr. Sewell, in his remarks on Shakspere's plays, speaks thus of the Comedy of Errors.
“This play is exactly regular, as any one may see, who will examine it by the rules. The place is part of one town, the time within the artificial day, and the action, the finding the lost brother, &c. Allowing for the puns, which were the vice of the age he lived in, it is extremely diverting, the incidents are wonderfully pleasant, and the catastrophe very happy, and strongly moving,”
Such this comedy always appeared to me; and I was proud to find my slender opinion, (which might, perhaps, be termed little more than conjecture,) confirmed by so solid a judgment as that of our learned commentator. The catastrophe, always peculiarly affected me, though, I must confess, not without some degree of admiration, that in so strange, and unexpected a turn of good fortune as that of Ægeon, Æmilia, and their sons, there should not have been the slightest congratulation, or expression of delight between the parties. To account for this, I have been apt to conjecture some small portion of the original text has been lost; for it appears rather improbable, that so nice and complete a master of the human heart, as Shakspeare, should have restrained his genius, on such an interesting occasion. This reflection first induced me to think of an alteration, and the reader may find, by the liberty I have presumed to take with the fifth act in particular, where I thought such a deficiency lay. For the erasion I have made of some old quibbles, or too frequent jingle, so unsuitable to our modern taste, I may, perhaps, be easily forgiven by those readers who are acquainted with the original.
In respect to the additional lines and speeches, which are occasionally interspersed through the piece, I throw myself, with great deference, on the candour of the reader. My sole pride has been, an endeavour to restore to the public eye, a neglected, and almost forgotten comedy of our inimitable bard. This the various talents of my brethren of the theatre, have enabled me to do in a very satisfactory manner. The repeated and highly applauded representations of this piece, have sufficiently justified this assertion; and it is with the truest pleasure and gratitude I acknowledge the obligation.
| The Comedy of Errors | |