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props of this new king's throne were-Fletcher, Shirley, Middleton, Maflinger, Broome, and others; and how unequal they all were, the monarch and his fubjects too, to the poet they came after, let their works teftify: yet they had the vogue on their fide, during all thofe bleffed times that preceded the civil war, and Shakespeare was held in difefteem. The war, and medley government that followed, fwept all these things away: but they were reftored with the king; and another stage took place, in which Shakespeare had little fhare. Dryden had then the lead, and maintain'd it for half a century: though his government was fometimes disputed by Lee, Tate, Shadwell, Wycherley, and others; weakened much by "The Rehearsal ;" and quite overthrown in the end by Otway and Rowe: what the caft of their plays was, is known to every one: but that Shakespeare, the true and genuine Shakespeare, was not much relish'd, is plain from the many alterations of him, that were brought upon the stage by fome of thofe gentlemen, and by others within that period.

But, from what has been faid, we are not to conclude→→ that the poet had no admirers: for the contrary is true; and he had in this interval no inconfiderable party amongst men of the greatest understanding, who both faw his merit, in spite of the darkness it was then wrapt up in, and spoke

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along with them;-that London, in Shakespeare's time, had a multitude of play-houfes; erected fome in inn-yards, and fuch like places, and frequented by the loweft of the people; fuch audiences as might have been feen fome years ago in Southwark and Bartholomew, and may be feen at this day in the country; to which it was alfo a custom for players to make excurfion, at wake times and feftivals: and for fuch places, and fuch occafions, might these pieces be compofed in the author's early time; the worst of them fuiting well enough to the parties they might be made for :-And this, or fomething nearly of this fort, may have been the cafe too of fome plays in his great collection, which shall be spoken of in their place.

loudly in his praise; but the stream of the publick favour ran the other way. But this too coming at the time we are speaking of, there was a demand for his works, and in a form that was more convenient than the folios: in confequence of which, the gentleman laft mentioned was fet to work by the book fellers; and, in 1709, he put out an edition in fix volumes octavo, which, unhappily, is the basis of all the other moderns: for this editor went no further than to the edition nearest to him in time, which was the folio of 1685, the laft and worft of those impreffions: this he republish'd with great ex &tnefs; correcting here and there fome of its groffeft mistakes, and dividing into acts and scenes the plays that were not divided before.

But no fooner was this edition in the hands of the publick, than they faw in part its deficiencies, and one of another fort began to be required of them; which accordingly was fet about fome years after by two gentlemen at one, Mr. Pope and Mr. Theobald. The labours of the first came out in 1725, in fix volumes quarto: and he has the merit of having first improved his author, by the infertion of many large paflages, fpeeches, and fingle lines, taken from the quartos, and of amending him in other places, by readings fetched from the fame: but his materials were few, and his collation of them not the most careful; which, joined to other faults, and to that main one-of making his predecessor's the copy himself follow'd, brought his labours into difrepute, and has finally funk them in neglect.

His publication retarded the other gentleman, and he did not appear 'till the year 1733, when his work too came out in feven volumes octavo. The oppofition that was between them feems to have enflared him, which was heightened by other motives, and he declaims vehemently against the work

of his antagonist: which yet served him for a model; and his own is made only a little better, by his having a few more materials, of which he was not a better collator than the other, nor did he excel him in use of them; for, in this article, both their judgments may be equally called in question: in what he has done that is conjectural, he is rather more happy; but in this he had large affistances.

But the gentleman that came next, is a critick of another ftamp; and pursues a track, in which it is greatly to be hoped he will never be followed in the publication of any authors whatsoever: for this were, in effect, to annihilate them, if carry'd a little further; by destroying all marks of peculiarity and notes of time, all eafinefs of expreffion and numbers, all justness of thought, and the nobility of not a few of their conceptions. The manner in which his author is treated, excites an indignation that will be thought by fome to vent itself too ftrongly; but terms weaker would do injuftice to my feelings, and the cenfure fhall be hazarded. Mr. Pope's edition was the ground-work of this overbold one; fplendidly printed at Oxford in fix quarto volumes, and published in the year 1744: The publisher disdains all collation of folio or quarto; and fetches all from his great felf, and the moderns his predeceffors: wantoning in very licence of conjecture; and sweeping all before him, (without notice, or reason given) that not suits his tafte, or lies level to his conceptions. But this juftice fhould be done him-as his conjectures are numerous, they are oftentimes not unhappy; and fome of them are of that excellence, that one is ftruck with amazement to see a person of so much judgment as he shews himself in them, adopt a method of publishing that runs counter to all the ideas that VOL. I.

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wife men have hitherto entertain'd of an editor's province and duty.

The year 1747 produced a fifth edition, in eight octavo volumes, publish'd by Mr. Warburton; which though it is faid in the title-page to be the joint work of himself and the fecond editor, the third ought rather to have been mention'd, for it is printed from his text. The merits of this performance have been fo thoroughly difcuffed in two very ingenious books, "The Canons of Critici m," and "Revifal of Shakespeare's Text," that it is needless to say any more of it: this only shall be added to what may be there met with, that the edition is not much benefitted by fresh ac'quifitions from the old ones, which this gentleman feems to have neglected. (8)

Other charges there are, that might be brought against these modern impreffions, without infringing the laws of truth or candour either: but what is faid, will be fufficient, and may fatisfy their greateft favourers,—that the fuperstructure cannot be a found one, which is built upon fo bad a foundation as that of Mr. Rowe's; which all of them, as we fee, in fucceffion, have yet made their cornerftone: the truth is, it was impoffible that fuch a beginning fhould end better than it has done: the fault was in the fetting-out; and all the diligence that could be used, joined to the difcernment of a Pearce or a Bentley, could never purge

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(8) It will perhaps be thought strange, that nothing fhould be faid in this place of another edition that came out about a twelvemonth ago, in eight volumes, octavo; but the reafons for it, are thefe:There is no ufe made of it, nor could be; for the prefent was finish'd, within a play or two, and printed too in great part, before that appear'd: the first feet of this work (being the firff of volume 2.) went to the prefs in September 1762: and this volume was follow'd by volumes 8, 4, 9, 1, 6, and 7; the laft of which was printed off in Auguft 1765. In the next place, the merits and demerits of it are unknown to the

their author of all his defects by their method of proceeding.

The editor now before you was apprized in time of this truth; faw the wretched condition his author was reduced to by these late tamperings, and thought seriously of a cure for it, and that fo long ago as the year 1745; for the attempt was first suggested by that gentleman's performance, which came out at Oxford the year before: which when he had perused with no little astonishment, and confider'd the fatal confequences that must inevitably follow the imitation of fo much licence, he refolved himself to be the champion ; and to exert to the uttermost such abilities as he was mafter of, to fave from further ruin an edifice of this dignity, which England muft for ever glory in. Hereupon he poffeffed himself of the other modern editions, the folios, and as many quartos as could prefently be procured; and, within a few years after, fortune and industry helped him to all the reft, fix only excepted: (9) adding to them withal twelve more, which the compilers of former tables had no knowledge of. Thus furnish'd, he fell immedi tely to collation, which is the first step in works of this nature; and, without it, nothing is done to purpose,-first of moderns with moderns, then of moderns with ancients, and afterwards of ancients with others more ancient: 'till, at the last, a ray of light broke forth upon him, by which he

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prefent editor even at this hour: this only he has perceived in it, having looked it but flightly over, that the text it follows is that of its neareft predeceffor, and from that copy it was printed.

(9) But of one of these fix, (a" 1. Henry IV," edition 1604) the editor thinks he is poffeffed of a very large fragment, imperfect only in the first and laft fheet; which has been collated, as far as it goes, along with the others: and of the twelve quarto editions, which he has had the fortune to add to those that were known before, fome of them are of great value; as may be feen by looking into the table.

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