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The dramatic works of John Ford, with an intr. and notes [by W. Harness?].
The dramatic works of John Ford with an intr and notes - by W. Harness? Author:John Ford Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: INTRODUCTION. In preparing these volumes of Ford for the public, the same excellent guide has been followed, to whom the reader has been so largely indebted i... more »n our previous labours upon Massinger; and indeed a more admirable commentator on the old English dramatists than Mr. Gifford could not easily be found. The extreme vigour and acuteness of his intellects, his unwearied industry and research, and the peculiarity of his personal fortunes, which made him as well acquainted with the phraseology and modes of thinking in common life, as he was conversant with all the courtesies of higher stations, excellently fitted him for seizing and fixing their several texts, and illustrating the usages and customs to which they referred; while the finer faculties of his mind enabled him to appreciate the higher beauties of their style and thoughts, and to catch every shade of feeling, and discriminate every variety of character, which could be found embodied in those noble works of the older time. That high religious feeling, which formed so marked a trait in Mr. Gifford's character, and which Vol. i. b seems indeed almost a necessary accompaniment of genius in its highest sense, was here peculiarly in place ; enabling him, as it did, to walk through the occasional impurities and even profanities of our earlier stage, unpolluted himself, and ever watchful to keep contamination from others. This is not the place to dilate on higher claims, which Mr. Gifford possesses to the reverence of every one, who bears and prides himself in the name of Englishman. When it is recollected, however, that these editions of the old dramatists were with him merely a source of recreation from higher duties and severer studies ; when it is considered how many years and with what ability he presided over a de...« less