e spared the castigation justly
merited, we see by late occurrences to what it may lead; and your
correspondent, in my judgment, is conferring a favour on all true lovers of
our great poet by exposing pretension and error, from whatever quarter it
may come,--a duty which has been sadly neglected in some late partial
reviews of MR. COLLIER's "clever" corrector. MR. ARROWSMITH's
communications have been so truly _ad rem_, that I think I shall be
expressing the sentiments of all your readers interested in such {4}
matters, in expressing an earnest desire for their continuance.

S. W. SINGER.

Mickleham.

* * * * *

ON THE PASSAGE FROM "KING LEAR."

(Vol. vii., p. 592.)

Will you allow me to suggest to your ingenious Leeds correspondent (whose
communications would be read with only the more pleasure if they evinced a
little more respect for the opinions of others) that before he asserts the
existence of a certain error which he points out in a passage in _King
Lear_ to be "undeniable," it would be desirable that he should support this
improved reading by other passages from Shakspeare, or from cotemporary
writers, in which the word he proposes occurs? For my own part, I think
A. E. B.'s suggestion well worthy of consideration, but I cannot admit that
it "demonstrates itself," or "that any attempt to support it by argument
would be absurd," for it would unquestionably strengthen his case to show
that the verb "recuse" was not entirely obsolete in Shakspeare's time.
Neither can I admit that there is an "obvious opposition between _means_
and _defects_," the two words having no relation to each other. The
question is, which of two words must be altered; and at present I must own
I am inclined to put more faith in the authority of "the old corrector"
than in A. E. B.

Having taken up my pen on this subject, allow me to remark upon the manner
in which MR. COLLIER's folio is referred to by your correspondent. I have
carefully considered many of the emendations proposed, and feel in my own
mind satisfied that _so great a number_ that, in the words of your
correspondent, _demonstrate themselves_, could not have been otherwise than
adopted from some authority. Even in the instance of the passage from Henry
V., "on a table of green friese," which A. E. B. selects, I presume, as
being especially absurd, I think "the old corrector" right; although I had
frequently cited Theobald's correction as pa