Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by HARPER & BROTHERS, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. PREFACE. THIS play has been edited on the same plan as its predecessors in the series, but, no "expurgation" being required, the text is given without abridgment. In editing Professor Craik's "English of Shakespeare," which is mainly a "philological commentary" upon Julius Cæsar, I did not allow myself to forget that I was dealing with another man's book. I made no alterations in the text, except to correct a few misprints, and I retained the greater part of the notes without modification or criticism. My own notes were inclosed in brackets, and were prepared as nearly as possible on the same plan as those to which they were a supplement. In the present edition of Julius Cæsar, on the other hand, I have worked on a plan of my own. The text is not that of Professor Craik's book, but is the result of a careful collation of the Folio of 1623 with the modern editions. In the notes I have drawn from Professor Craik as from other authorities, and have invariably given him due credit. I must leave it to the student and to the teacher to decide which of the two books is the better for his purposes. Whichever he may take, he will find the other more or less useful for collateral study and reference. The references to Dyce in the notes are to his second edition (London, 1864-1867), while those in "The English of Shakespeare" are to the first edition. The readings of the two are different in many passages. The references to Hudson are to his first edition (Boston, 1851-1856), not to the revised edition just published. The readings of the first folio are taken from Staunton's photo-lithographic fac-simile (London, 1866). Cambridge, Feb. 10, 1872. |