Dr. Johnson on Richard Savage’s preoccupation with editing:
‘A superstitious Regard to the Correction of his Sheets was one of Mr Savage’s Peculiarities; he often altered, revised, recurred to his first Reading or Punctuation, and again adopted the Alteration; he was dubious and irresolute without End, as on a Question of the last Importance, and at last was seldom satisfied; the Intrusion or Omission of a Comma was sufficient to discompose him, and he would lament an Error of a single Letter as a heavy Calamity.’