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"The Comedy of Errors;" in which the action is one, the place one, and the time such as even Aristotle himself would allow of the revolution of half a day but even in this play, the change of scene arifes from change of perfons, and by that it is regulated; as are alfo all the other plays that are not divided in the folio: for whoever will take the trouble to examine those that are divided, (and they are pointed out for him in the lift) will fee them conform exactly to the rule above-mentioned; and can then have but little doubt, that it should be applied to all the reft. (11) To have diftinguished thefe divifions,-made (indeed) without the authority, but following the example of the folio,-had been .useless and troublesome; and the editor fully perfuades himself, that what he has faid will be fufficient, and that he shall be excufed by the ingenious and candid for overpaffing them without further notice: whofe pardon he hopes alfo to have for fome other unnoticed matters that are related to this in hand, fuch as-marking the place of action, both general and particular; supplying scenical directions; and due regulating of exits and entrances for of the first, there is no tittle in the old editions; and in both the latter, they are fo deficient and faulty throughout, that it would not be much amifs if we looked upon them as wanting too; and then all these several articles might be confidered as additions, that needed no other pointing out than a declaration that they are fo: the light they throw upon the plays in general, and particularly upon fome parts of them,-fuch as, the battle scenes throughout; C far's paffage to the fenate

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(11) The divifions that are in the folio are religioufly adher'd to, except in two or three inftances, which will be fpoken of in their place; fo that, as is faid before, a perufal of thofe old-divided plays will put every one in a capacity of judging whether the prefent edi

house, and fubfequent affaffination; Antony's death; the furprizal and death of Cleopatra; that of Titus Andronicus; and a multitude of others, which are all directed new in this edition,-will justify these infertions; and may, poffibly, merit the reader's thanks, for the great aids which they afford to his conception.

It remains now to speak of errors of the old copies which are here amended without notice, to wit-the pointing and wrong divifion of much of them refpecting the numbers. And as to the first, it is fo extremely erroneous, throughout all the plays, and in every old copy, that small regard is due to it; and it becomes an editor's duty (instead of being inAuenced by fuch a punctuation, or even casting his eyes upon it) to attend closely to the meaning of what is before him, and to new-point it accordingly: was it the bufinefs of this edition-to make parade of discoveries, this article alone would have afforded ample field for it; for a very great number of paffages are now first set to rights by this only, which before had either no sense at all, or one unfuiting the context, and unworthy the noble penner of it; but all the emendations of this fort, though inferior in merit to no others whatsoever, are configned to filence; fome few only excepted, of paffages that have been much contefted, and whose present adjustment might poffibly be called in question again; these will be spoken of in some note, and a reason given for embracing them: all the other parts of the work have been examined with equal diligence, and equal attention; and the editor flatters himself, that the punctuation

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for has proceeded rightly or no: the current editions are divided in fuch a manner, that nothing like a rule can be collected from any of them.

he has followed, (into which he has admitted fome novelties (12) will be found of fo much benefit to his author, that those who run may read, and that with profit and understanding. The other great mistake in these old editions, and which is very infufficiently rectified in any of the new ones, relates to the poet's numbers; his verse being often wrong divided, or printed wholly as profe, and his profe as often printed like verfe: this, though not fo univerfal as their wrong pointing, is yet fo extenfive an error in the old copies, and so impoffible to be pointed out otherwise than by a note, that an editor's filent amendment of it is surely pardonable at leaft: for who would not be disgusted with that perpetual fameness which must neceffarily have been in all the notes of this fort? Neither are they, in truth, emendations that require proving; every good ear does immediately adopt them, and every lover of the poet will be pleased with that acceffion of beauty which results to him from them it is perhaps to be lamented, that there is yet ftanding in his works much unpleafing mixture of profaic and metrical dialogue, and fometimes in places feemingly improper, as in "Othello," p. 21: and fome others which men of judgment will be able to pick out for themselves: but these blemishes are not now to be wiped away, at least not by an editor, whofe province it far exceeds to make a change of this nature; but muft remain as marks of the poet's negligence, and of the hafte with which his pieces: were compofed: what he manifeftly intended profe, (and we can judge of his intentions only from what appears in the editions that are come down to us) fhould be printed as

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(12) If the use of these new pointings, and alfo of certain marks that he will meet with in this edition, do not occur immediately to the reader, (as we think it will) he may find it explain'd to him at

prose, what verse as verse; which, it is hoped, is now done, with an accuracy that leaves no great room for any further confiderable improvements in that way.

Thus have we run through, in as brief a manner as posfible, all the feveral heads, of which it was thought proper and even neceffary that the publick should be apprized; as well those that concern preceding editions, both old and new; as the other which we have juft quitted,—the method obferved in the edition that is now before them: which though not fo entertaining, it is confefsed, not affording so much room to display the parts and talents of a writer, as fome other topicks that have generally fupplied the place of them; fuch as,-criticisms or panegyricks upon the author, hiftorical anecdotes, effays, and florilegia; yet there will be found fome odd people, who may be apt to pronounce of them-that they are all fuitable to the place they ftand in, and convey all the instruction that should be looked for in a preface. Here, therefore, we might take our leave of the reader, bidding him welcome to the banquet that is set before him, were it not apprehended, and reasonably, that he will expect fome account why it is not ferved up to him at prefent with its accustomed and laudable garniture, of "Notes, Gloffaries." &c. Now though it might be replied, as a reason for what is done,-that a very great part of the world, amongst whom is the editor himself, profess much dislike to this paginary intermixture of text and comment; in works merely of entertainment, and written in the language of the country: as alfo-that he, the editor,

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large in the preface to a little octavo volume, intitled-" Prolufions, or, felect Pieces of ancientt Poetry," publish'd in 1760 by this editor, and printed for Mr. Tonfon.

does not poffefs the secret of dealing out notes by measure, and diftributing them amongst his volumes so nicely that the equality of their bulk fhall not be broke in upon, the thicknefs of a sheet of paper; yet, having other matter at hand which he thinks may excuse him better, he will not have recourfe to these above-mentioned: which matter is no other than his very strong defire of approving himself to the publick a man of integrity; and of making his future present more perfect, and as worthy of their acceptance as his abilities will let him. For the explaining of what is a little wrapped up in mystery at present, we must inform the publick-that another work is prepared, and in great forwardness, having been wrought upon many years; nearly indeed as long as the work which is now before them, for they have gone hand in hand almost from the firft: this work, to which we have given for title "The School of Shakefpeare," confifts wholly of extracts, (with observations upon fome of them, interspersed occafionally) from books that may properly be called-his school; as they are indeed the fources from which he drew the greater part of his knowledge in mythology and claffical matters, (13) his fable, his hiftory, and even the feeming peculiarities of his language: to furnish out thefe materials, all the plays have been pe rufed, within a very small number, that were in print in his time, or some short time after; the chroniclers his cotemporaries, or that a little preceded him; many original poets of that age, and many translators: with effayifts, novelifts, and ftory-mongers in great abundance: every book, in fhort, has been confulted that it was poffible to procure,

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(13) Though our expreffions, as we think, are fufficiently guarded in this place, yet, being fearful of mifconftruction, we defire to be heard further as to this affair of his learning. It is our firm belief

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