The Confessions of William Henry Ireland: Containing the Particulars of His Fabrication of the Shakspeare Manuscripts; Together with Anecdotes and Opinions (hitherto Unpublished) of Many Distinguished Persons in the Literary, Political, and Theatrical World ...

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Ellerton and Byworth, 1805 - Forgery of manuscripts - 317 pages

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Page 53 - Would harrow up thy soul ; freeze thy young blood ; Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres ; Thy knotted and combined locks to part, And each particular hair to stand on end, like quills upon the fretful porpentine ; 20 But this eternal blazon must not be To ears of flesh and blood...
Page 53 - But that I am forbid To tell the secrets of my prison-house, I could a tale unfold whose lightest word Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood, Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres, Thy knotted and combined locks to part And each particular hair to stand on end, Like quills upon the fretful porcupine : But this eternal blazon must not be To ears of flesh and blood.
Page 152 - The conduct of Mr. Kemble was too obvious to the whole audience to need much comment. I must, however, remark, that the particular line on which Mr. Kemble laid such a peculiar stress was, in my humble opinion, the watchword agreed upon by the Malone faction for the general howl.
Page 67 - Having heard it frequently stated that the appearance of such marks on the papers would have greatly tended to establish their validity, I listened attentively to every remark which was made upon the subject, and from thence I at length gleaned the intelligence that a jug was...
Page 285 - Merciful Heaven, Thou rather with thy sharp and sulphurous bolt Split'st the unwedgeable and gnarled oak Than the soft myrtle: but man, proud man, Drest in a little brief authority, Most ignorant of what he's most assured, His glassy essence, like an angry ape, Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven As make the angels weep; who, with our spleens, Would all themselves laugh mortal.
Page 68 - ... water-mark of the reign of Elizabeth: in consequence of which I inspected all the sheets of old paper then in my possession; and having selected such as had the jug upon them, I produced the succeeding manuscripts upon these; being careful, however, to mingle with them a certain number of blank leaves, that the production on a sudden of so many water-marks might not excite suspicion in the breasts of those persons who were most conversant with the manuscripts.
Page 29 - Sir, you are not aware of the loss which the world has sustained. Would to heaven I had arrived sooner !" As my father concluded this ejaculation, Mr. Williams, calling to his wife, who was in an adjoining chamber, and who instantly came into the apartment where we were...
Page 29 - I wish you had arrived a little sooner! Why, it isn'ta fortnight since I destroyed several baskets-full of letters and papers, in order to clear a small chamber for some young partridges which I wish to bring up alive : and as to Shakespeare, why there were many bundles with his name wrote upon them. Why it was in this very fire-place I made a roaring bonfire of them.
Page 92 - Boswell continued for a considerable length of time, constantly speaking in favour of the internal as well as external proofs of the validity of the manuscripts. At length, finding himself rather thirsty, he requested a tumbler of warm brandy and water; which having nearly finished, he then redoubled his praises of the manuscripts ; and at length, arising from his chair, he made use of the following expression : " Well ; I shall now die contented, since I have lived to witness the present day.
Page 209 - A brittle glass that breaketh presently :— " A fleeting good, a gloss, a glass, a flow'r, " Lost, faded, broken, dead, within an hour. " As goods when lost are wond'rous seldom found, " As faded gloss no rubbing can excite. " As flow'rs when dead are trampled on the ground, " As broken glass no cement can unite; " So beauty blemish'd once is ever lost, " In spite of physic, painting, pains, and cost.

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