Merchant of Venice. - Repositories

INTROD UCTION
XXV
size of the pages. They were pamphlets measuring on
the average S^ by 5^ inches. It was not until 1623,
seven years after Shakespeare's death, that any effort
was made to print an edition of all his works. In
this year two of his most intimate friends, themselves
formerly actors with him, attempted such an edition,
which is known as the " first folio." The folio measured
about 12 by 8 inches. Some of the plays in this
book had doubtless never been published before, and
were taken directly from Shakespeare's manuscript,
or from stage copies of the manuscripts. Others are
known to have been reprints of quartos. Among this
latter number was The Merchant of Venice. This
was twice issued as a quarto by different printers in
the year 1600, and the text of the second quarto the
editors of the folio virtually copied in their edition.
The Language of the Plays. — Although in some
passages we have not exactly the words written by
Shakespeare, we are not often justified in thinking
that the text as we possess it has mistakes in it.
Furthermore, we must not esteem Shakespeare incorrect
when we find him using words and constructions
contrary to the canons of modern dictionaries and
grammars. The difference that exists between his
language and purs is caused chiefly by the changes
that the English language as a whole has undergone.
Let one glance at a page of Chaucer, written nearly