12463.22 B JAN 17 1907 Gift of J. E. Chase TRANSFERRED TO NARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY 1940 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877, by In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. St. Louis: Press of G. I. Jones and Company. INTRODUCTION. SECTION I. - SCOPE AND CHARACTER OF THE PRESENT WORK. It may be reasonably required of an author to save his readers, as far as he is able, from disappointment. The study of Shakespeare has developed into numerous specialties; many who pursue one branch of it with zeal disregard, or even despise, its other branches; such persons generally do not want to be troubled with any work which lies outside of their particular direction. The present book undertakes to give a special phase of the Shakespearian Drama. Lest the reader should expect something not contained in it, at the beginning I wish to tell him what he need not look for, and also to give a general statement of its purport. That realm of learning which pertains to the language of Shakespeare the philological element has been entirely omitted. Grammatical, metrical, textual, and other similar researches, have accumulated to an enormous extent around the works of the Poet; this is a great field of erudition by itself. Now, it is absolutely necessary to have such a literature; linguistic study, up to a certain point, is the foundation of all solid knowledge of Shakespeare. Still, language itself is only a means for a higher object; hence these researches must |