is a stranger to, at the expence of his own reputation, and the integrity of the text of established authors. But thefe ufes may be well fupplied by what is occafionally faid upon the subject, in the course of the following remarks.

II. The fecond fort of notes confifts in an explanation of the author's meaning, when, by one or more of these causes, it becomes obfcure; either from a licentious ufe of terms, or a hard or ungrammatical conftru&tion; or lastly, from far-fetched or quaint allufions.

1. This licentious ufe of words is almoft peculiar to the language of Shakespeare. To common terms he hath affixed meanings of his own, unauthorized by ufe, and not to be juftified by analogy. And this liberty he hath taken with the nobleft parts of fpeech, fuch as mixed modes; which, as they are most fufceptible of abuse, so their abuse most hurts the clearness of the difcourfe. The criticks (to whom Shakespeare's licence was still as much a fecret as his meaning, which that licence had obfcured) fell into two contrary mistakes; but equally injurious to his reputation and his writings. For fome of them, obferving a darkness that pervaded his whole expreffion, have cenfured him for confufion of ideas and inaccuracy of reafoning. In the neighing of a horfe (fays Rymer) or in the growling of a mafliff, there is a meaning, there is a lively expreffion, and, may I jay, more humanity than many times in the tragical flights of Shakespeare. The ignorance of which cenfure is of a piece with its brutality. The truth is, no one thought clearer, or argued more closely than this immortal bard. But his fuperiority of genius lefs needing the intervention of words in the act of thinking, when he came to draw out his contemplations into discourse, he took up (as he was hurried on by the torrent of his matter) with the first words that lay in his way; and if, amongst thefe, there were two mixed modes that had but a principal idea in common, it was enough for him; he regarded them as fynonymous, and would ufe the one for the other without fear or fcruple.Again, there have been others, fuch as the two lak editors, who have fallen into a contrary extreme; and regarded Shakespeare's anomalies (as we may call them) amongst the corruptions of his text; which, therefore, they have cafhiered in great numbers, to make room for a jargon of their own. This hath put me to additional trouble; for I had not only their interpolations to throw out again, but the genuine text to replace, and establish in its flead; which, in many cafes, could not be done without fhewing

fhewing the peculiar fenfe of the terms, and explaining the caufes which led the poet to fo perverse an use of them. I had it once, indeed, in my defign, to give a general alphabetick gloffary of thofe terms; but as each of them is explained in its proper place, there feemed the lefs occafion for fuch an index.

2. The poet's hard and unnatural conftruction had a different original. This was the effect of miftaken art and defign. The publick tafte was in its infancy; and delighted (as it always does during that ftate) in the high and turgid; which leads the writer to difguife a vulgar expreffion with hard and forced conftruction, whereby the fentence frequently becomes cloudy and dark. Here his criticks fhew their modefty, and leave him to himself. For the arbitrary change of a word doth little towards difpelling an obfcurity that arifeth, not from the licentious ufe of a fingle term, but from the unnatural arrangement of a whole fentence. And they rifqued nothing by their filence. For Shakespeare was too clear in fame to be fufpected of a want of meaning; and too high in fashion for any one to own he needed a critick to find it out. Not but, in his best works, we must allow, he is often fo natural and flowing, fo pure and correct, that he is even a model for ftile and language.

3. As to his far-fetched and quaint allufions, these are often a cover to common thoughts; juft as his hard conftruction is to common expreffion. When they are not fo, the explanation of them has this further advantage, that, in clearing the obfcurity, you frequently difcover fome latent conceit not unworthy of his genius.

III. The third and last fort of notes is concerned in a critical explanation of the author's beauties and defects; but chiefly of his beauties, whether in ftile, thought, fentiment, character, or compofition. An odd humour of finding fault hath long prevailed amongst the criticks; as if nothing were worth remarking, that did not, at the fame time, deferve to be reproved. Whereas the publick judgment hath lefs need to be affifted in what it fhall reject, than in what it ought to prize; men being generally more ready at spying faults than in difcovering beauties. Nor is the value they fet upon a work, a certain proof that they underftand it. For it is ever feen, that half a dozen voices of credit give the lead: and if the public chance to be in good humour, or the author much in their favour, the people are fure to follow. Hence it is that the true critick hath fo frequently attached

himfelf

himself to works of established reputation; not to teach the world to admire, which, in thofe circumftances, to fay the truth, they are apt enough to do of themselves; but to teach them how, with reafon to admire: no eafy matter, I will affure you, on the fubject in queftion: for though it be very true, as Mr. Pope hath obferved, that Shakespeare is the faireft and fulleft fubject for criticifm, yet it is not such a sort of criticifm as may be raised mechanically on the rules which Dacier, Rapin, and Boffu have collected from antiquity; and of which, fuch kind of writers as Rymer, Gildon, Dennis, and Oldmixon, have only gathered and chewed the hufks: nor on the other hand is it to be formed on the plan of thofe crude and fuperficial judgments, on books and things, with which a certain celebrated paper fo much abounds; too good indeed to be named with the writers laft mentioned, but being unluckily mistaken for a model, becaufe it was an original, it hath given rife to a deluge of the worst fort of critical jargon; I mean that which looks most like fenfe. But the kind of criticifm here required, is fuch as judgeth our author by thofe only laws and principles on which he wrote, NATURE, and COMMON-SENSE.

Our obfervations, therefore, being thus extensive, will, I prefume, enable the reader to form a right judgment of this favourite poet, without drawing out his character, as was once intended, in a continued difcourfe.

Thefe, fuch, as they are, were among my younger amusements, when many years ago, I used to turn over these fort of writers to unbend myfelf from more ferious applications: and what, certainly, the publick, at this time of day, had never been troubled with, but for the conduct of the two laft editors, and the perfuafions of dear Mr. Pope; whose memory and name,

femper acerbum,

Semper honoratum (fic Dî voluiftis) habebo.

He was defirous I fhould give a new edition of this poet, as he thought it might contribute to put a stop to a prevailing folly of altering the text of celebrated authors without talents or judgment. And he was willing that his edition fhould be melted down into mine, as it would, he said, afford him (fo great is the modefty of an ingenuous temper) a fit opportunity of confeffing his mistakes. In memory of See his Letters to me.

our

our friendship, I have, therefore, made it our joint edition. His admirable preface is here added; all his notes are given, with his name annexed; the fcenes are divided according to his regulation; and the most beautiful paffages diftinguished, as in his book, with inverted commas. In imitation of him, I have done the fame by as many others as I thought moft deferving of the reader's attention, and have marked them with double commas.

If, from all this, Shakespeare or good letters have received any advantage, and the publick any benefit, or entertainment, the thanks are due to the proprietors, who have been at the expence of procuring this edition. And I fhould be unjust to feveral deferving men of a reputable and useful profeffion, if I did not, on this occafion, acknowledge the fair dealing I have always found amongst them; and profess my sense of the unjust prejudice which lies against them; whereby they have been, hitherto, unable to procure that fecurity for their property, which they fee the rest of their fellow-citizens enjoy. A prejudice in part arifing from the frequent piracies (as they are called) committed by members of their own body. But fuch kind of members no body is without. And it would be hard that this fhould be turned to the difcredit of the honeft part of the profeffion, who fuffer more from fuch injuries than any other men. It hath, in part too, arisen from the clamours of profligate fcribblers, ever ready, for a piece of money, to proftitute their bad fenfe for or against any cause prophane or facred; or in any fcandal publick or private: these meeting with little encouragement from men of account in the trade (who, even in this enlightened age, are not the very worst judges or rewarders of merit) apply themselves to people of condition; and support their importunities by falfe complaints against bookfellers.

But I fhould now, perhaps, rather think of my own apology, than bufy myself in the defence of others. I fhall have fome Tartuffe ready, on the first appearance of this edition, to call out again, and tell me, that I fuffer myself to be wholly diverted from my purpose by these matters lefs fuitable to my clerical profeffion. "Well, but (fays a friend) why not "take fo candid an intimation in good part? Withdraw yourself again, as you are bid, into the clerical pale: "examine the records of facred and prophane antiquity; and, on them, erect a work to the confusion of infide-. lity." Why, I have done all this, and more: and hear.

66

now

now what the fame men have faid to it. They tell me, have wrote to the wrong and injury of religion, and furnished out more handles for unbelievers. "Oh! now the fecret is out; "and you may have your pardon, I find, upon eafier terms. "It is only to write no more."Good gentlemen! and fhall I not oblige them? They would gladly obftru&t my way to those things which every man, who endeavours well in his profeffion, muft needs think he has fome claim to, when he fees them given to those who never did endeavour; at the same time that they would deter me from taking thofe advantages which letters enable me to procure for myfelf. If then I am to write no more (though as much out of my profeffion as they may please to reprefent this work, I fufpect their modefty would not infift on a scrutiny of our feveral applications of this prophane profit and their purer gains) if, I say, I am to write no more, let me at least give the publick, who have a better pretence to demand it of me, fome reafon for my prefenting them with thefe amufements; which, if I am not much mistaken, may be excufed by the beft and faireft examples; and, what is more, may be justified on the furer reafon of things.

The great Saint CHRYSOSTOM, a name confecrated to immortality by his virtue and eloquence, is known to have been fo fond of Ariftophanes, as to wake with him at his ftudies, and to fleep with him under his pillow: and I never heard that this was objected either to his piety or his preaching, not even in thofe times of pure zeal and primitive religion. Yet, in refpect of Shakespeare's great fenfe, Aristophanes's beft wit is but buffoonery; and, in comparison of Ariftophanes's freedoms, Shakespeare writes with the purity of a veftal. But they will fay, St. Chryfoftom contracted a fondnefs for the comick poet for the fake of his Greek. To this, indeed, I have nothing to reply. Far be it from me to infinuate fo unfcholarlike a thing, as if we had the fame ufe for good English, that a Greek had for his Attick elegance. Critick Kufter, in a tafte and language peculiar to grammarians of a certain order, hath decreed, that the history and chronology of Greek words is the maft SOLID entertainment of a man of letters.

I fly then to a higher example, much nearer home, and ftill more in point, the famous univerfity of OXFORD. This illuftrious body, which hath long fo juftly held, and with fuch equity difpenfed, the chief honours of the learned world, thought good letters fo much interested in correct

editions