 | Henry the Second |  |
Advertisement.
The Editor of the following sheets feels it a duty incumbent upon him, to lay before the public some particulars relative to the manner in which they came into his possession.
A considerable time after the play of Vortigern was produced, he received from the hands of his son about four hundred lines of this play, in his own hand-writing, and with them a solemn declaration, that they were faithfully copied from ancient and original papers; and that the remainder should be transcribed with all convenient speed. The title and two other leaves only were produced of the old MS. and these were asserted to be all that ever would appear in that state; the gentleman, i. e. the supposed original proprietor of the papers, having expressed much dissatisfaction at the objections made by the public to the uncouthness of the orthography.
After frequent and urgent solicitation on the part of the Editor to receive the remainder of the play, and waiting many months, he at length obtained it from his son, with this apology: “that the gentleman who gave them was of a capricious disposition, and would only suffer them to be copied at certain times, when he was in the humour.” With these representations, added to the repeated assurances of their being authentic, the Editor was obliged to remain satisfied, nor can he feel himself disposed to give implicit credit to any assertions that have been since made from the same quarter; as they stand in direct opposition to what had been before solemnly stated as fact.
The Editor here thinks it necessary, in order to prove his right in publishing this play, to state the following quotation
This piece is here given almost verbatim from the MS. which is not divided into Acts, nor in many places is any punctuation attended to. The lines in this play, as well as in Vortigern, are numerated, and in many places erroneously. Of its merits the Editor has never intimated an opinion, but he is encouraged by that of others better enabled to form a judgment, and by their approbation is emboldened to lay it before the public. One circumstance relative to this production he thinks necessary to advert to, as it may possibly at a future day lead to some further knowledge of the true history of this as well as the other papers: Some months after this play was produced, the Editor accidentally met with a passage in the Biographia Dramatica, of which the following is an extract: “Henry I. and Henry II. by Wm. Shakespeare and Rob. Davenport. In the books of the Stationers Company, the 9th of Sept. 1653, an entry is made of the above title; but what species of the drama it was, or whether one or two performances, are facts not ascertained. Whatever it might be, it suffered in the general havoc made by Mr. Warburton's servant.”
The Editor has examined this entry, which was made by Humphry Mosely, a bookseller of that period, and finds it correctly stated, but with the following additional plays entered by the same person, and on the same day, viz. “The History of Cardenio, by Mr. Fletcher and Shakespeare, and The Merry Devill of Edmonton, by Wm. Shakespeare.” On enquiry, he is credibly informed by those who knew Mr. Warburton above-mentioned, that a fire happened at his house in the neighbourhood of Fleet-street,
When the fact above related was mentioned by the Editor to his son, he expressed much surprise and satisfaction; observing that “he presumed the world would now no longer entertain a doubt of the validity of the papers.” This circumstance, added to the general appearance on the face of the MSS. of their having been scorched by fire, gave additional weight to their supposed originality, and fuller confidence to the Editor, in his intention of laying these plays before the world. As this is probably the last time he may ever find occasion to address the public on the subject of these mysterious papers, so long a matter of controversy with them, and of unspeakable inconvenience to himself, he thinks it necessary here to declare, that he has had no intercourse or communication with the cause of all this public and domestic misfortune, for near three years, the period at which the party alluded to quitted his house, except one meeting had at the request and in the presence of Mr. Albany Wallis, of Norfolk-street.
At this meeting for the first time the party above-mentioned declared himself the author of all the papers, and that he was about publishing the same to the world. Of the truth of this declaration the public will form their opinion; but, let that opinion be what it may, the Editor here most solemnly reiterates his protestation, that all sources of information that have ever reached him on the subject of these papers, he has unreservedly communicated to the public; of whom he asks that only to which he feels and knows he is justly and honestly entitled, viz. to be considered by them as in honour and honesty utterly incapable, in every character either as associate or principal, of intentional imposture, or of laying before them papers, as genuine, which, whatever they may be, he did not believe to be of that description.
| Henry the Second | |