1. Hamlet, William Shakespeare, J. R. for N. L. 1604. 2. Hamlet, William Shakespeare, 1605, I. R. for N. L. 3. D. William Shakefpeare, 1611, for John XIX. * Smethwicke. XX. 4. Do. William Shakespeare, no Date, W. S. for D°. 5. Do. William Shakespeare, 1637, R. Young, for Do. 6. D°. R. Bentley, 1695. 1. Othello, William Shakespeare, no Date, Thomas Walkely. 2. D°. William Shakespeare, 1622, N. O. for Thomas Walkely. 3. D°. William Shakespeare, 1630, A. M. for Richard Hawkins. 4. Do. William Shakespeare, 1655, for William Leake. Of all the remaining plays the most authentic edition is the folio 1623; yet that of 1632 is not without value; for though it be in fome places more incorrectly printed than the preceding one, it has likewife the advantage of various readings, which are not merely fuch as reiteration of copies will naturally produce. The curious examiner of Shakespeare's text, who poffeffes the first of these, ought not to be unfurnished with the fecond. As to the third and fourth impreffions, (which include the feven rejected plays) they are little better than waste paper, for they differ only from the preceding ones by a larger accumulation of errors. I had inadvertently given a fimilar character of the folio 1632; but take this opportunity of confeffing a mistake into which I was led by too implicit a reliance on the affertions of others. FOLIO EDITIONS. I. Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Hiftories, and Tragedies. Published according to the true original Copics. 1623. Fol. Ifaac Jaggard and Ed. Blount. II. D°. 1632. Fol. Tho. Cotes, for Rob. Allot. IV. D°. 1685. Fol. for H. Herringman, E. Brewster, and R. Bentley. MODERN EDITIONS. Octavo, Johnfon and Steevens, London, 1773, 10 Do. The reader may not be displeased to know the exact fums paid to the different Editors of Shakespeare. The following account is taken from the books of the late Mr. Tonfon. Of these editions fome have paffed feveral times through the prefs; but only fuch as vary from each other are here enumerated. To this lift might be added several spurious and mutilated impreffions; but as they appear to have been executed without For correcting the prefs and making an index to Mr. Rowe's 12mo edition. For affiftance to Mr. Pope in correcting the prefs. For the fame fervices. § For correcting the sheets of Pope's 12mo. Of Mr. Theobald's edition no less than 11360 have been printed. the the fmalleft degree of skill either in the manners or language of the time of Shakespeare; and as the names of their refpective editors are prudently concealed, it were ufelefs to commemorate the number of their volumes, or the diftinct date of each publication. Some of our legitimate editions will afford a sufficient fpecimen of the fluctuation of price in books.-An ancient quarto was fold for fix pence; and the folios 1623 and 1632, when firft printed, could not have been rated higher than at ten fhillings each.-Very lately, one, and two guineas, have been paid for a quarto; the firft folio is ufually valued at feven or eight: but what price may be expected for it hereafter, is not very eafy to be determined, the confcience of Mr. Fox, bookfeller in Holborn, having lately permitted him to afk no less than two guineas for two leaves out of a mutilated copy of that impreffion, though he had several, almost equally defective, in his fhop. The fecond folio is commonly rated at two or three guineas. At the late Mr. Jacob Tonfon's fale, in the year 1767, one hundred and forty copies of Mr. Pope's edition of Shakespeare, in fix volumes quarto (for which the fubfcribers paid fix guineas) were difpofed of among the bookfellers at fixteen fhillings per fet. Seven hundred and fifty of this edition were printed. At the fame fale, the remainder of Dr. Warburton's edition, in eight volumes 8vo. printed in 1747 (of which the original price was two pounds eight fhillings, and the number printed 1000) was fold off: viz. 178 copies, at eighteen fhillings each. On the contrary, Sir Thomas Hanmer's edition, printed at Oxford in 1744, which was firft fold for three guineas, had arifen to nine or ten, before it was reprinted. It appears however from the foregoing catalogue (when all reiterations of legitimate editions are taken into the account, together with five fpurious ones printed in Ireland, one in Scotland, one at Birmingham, and four in London, making in the whole thirty-five impreffions) that not less than 35,000 copies of our author's works have been difperfed, exclufive of the quartos, fingle plays, and such as have been altered for the ftage. Of the latter, as exact a lift as I have been able to form, with the affiftance of Mr. Reed of Staple Inn, (than whom no man is more converfant with Englifh publications both ancient and modern, or more willing to affift the literary undertakings of others) will be found in the courfe of the following pages. VOL. I. OLD OLD EDITIONS of SHAKESPEARE'S POEMS. II. D°. 1640. 8vo. Tho. Cotes, fold by John Benfon. III. Paffionate Pilgrim, Poems by Do. 1599, 8vo. small, for W. Jaggard, fold by W. Leake. IV. Rape of Lucrece, a Poem, 1594, 4to, Richard Field, for John Harrison. V. Do. 1598, 8vo. P. S. for Do. VI. D°. 1607, 8vo. N. O. for Do. VII. D°. 12mo. (Newly revised) T. S. for Roger Jackfon, 1616. VIII. Venus and Adonis, a Poem, 1620, 8vo. for J. P. IX. Do. 12mo. by J. H. fold by Francis Coules, 1636. X. The Rape of Lucrece, whereunto is annexed the Banishment of Tarquin, by John Quarles, 12mo, 1665. MODERN EDITIONS. Shakespeare's Poems, 8vo. for Bernard Lintot, no date, 8vo. by Gildon, 1710. 4to. and 12mo. by Sewell, 1728. PLAYS afcribed to SHAKSPEARE, either by the Editors of the Two later Folios, or by the Compilers of ancient Catalogues. 1. Arraignment of Paris, 1584 +, Henry Marth. 2. Birth of Merlin, 1662, Tho. Johnson, for Francis Kirkman and Henry Marth. 3. Edward lil. 1596, for Cuthbert Burby. 2. 1599, Simon Stafford, for DP. 4. Fair Em§, 1631, for John Wright. 5. Locrine, 1595, Thomas Creede. 6. London Sce the following Extract of Entries in the books of the Stationers' Company. It appears from an epistle prefixed to Greene's Arcadia, that the Arraignment of Paris was written by George Peele, the author of King David and Fair Bethfabe, &c. 1599. See the following extracts from the books at Stationers' hall. Fair Em] In Mr. Garrick's Collection, is a volume, formerly belonging to King Charles I. which is lettered on the back, SHAKESPEARE, vol. I. This vol, confifts of Fair Em, The Merry Devil, &c. Mucedorus, &c. There is no other authority for afcribing Fair Em to our author. The title-page of this play offers no fufficient evidence to convict Shakespeare of having been its author, as it only fays, "newly fet foorth, overfeene and corrected by W. S." Suppofing W. S. to have been meant for W. Shakespeare; as the manager of a theatre, 6. London Prodigal, 1605. 7. Merry Devil of Edmonton*, 1608, Henry Ballard, for Arthur Johnfon., 2. 1617. G. Eld, for Do. 3. 1626, A. M. for Francis Falkner. 4. 1631. T. P. for Do. 5. 1655, for W. Gilbertfon. 8. Mucedorus +. 1598, for William Jones. 2. 1610, for Do. 3. 1615. N. O. for D°. 4. 1639, for John Wright. 5. No Date, for Francis Coles. 6. 1668, E. O. for Do. 9. Pericles ‡, 1609, for Henry Goffon. 2. 1619, for T. P. 3. 1630. J. N. for R. B. 4. 1635. Tho. Cotes. 10. Puritan, 1600 §, and 1607. G. Eld. 11. Sir John Oldcastle, 1600, for T. P. 12. Thomas Lord Cromwell, 1613. Tho. Snodham. 13. Two Noble Kinfmen, 1634, Tho. Cotes, for John Waterfon. 14. Yorkshire Tragedy, 1608. R. B. for T. Pavyer. Do. 1619. for T. P. This theatre, or as a friend to the author, he might have condescended to correct what his genius could not have ftoop'd to write. piece likewife exhibits feveral antiquated and affected words never ufed by Shakespeare; as lore for leffon, foure for tumult, virent for green, and occifion for flaughter; befides equalize, rofiall, mavortial, Eos, Fames (a perfonification of Hunger,) Puriphlegeton, macerate, venerean, fufpires (for fighs fubft.) frumps, arcane for fecret, feer for wife, exequies for obfequies, &c. alfo a Spanish quotation and many Latin verfes; and is full of thofe inexplicable dumb fhews which Shakespeare has ridiculed in Hamlet. It contains Whoever was the author of Locrine, it could not have been printed till after the 17th of November 1595, when Queen Elizabeth entered into the 38th year of her reign, as at the conclufion of it is the following prayer for her Majesty: "So let us pray for that renowned Maid "That eight and thirty years the fceptre fway'd, &c." The story of this play is taken from Gower, or in part from the ancient romance of Kynge Appolyn of Thyre, which was tranflated from the French by Robert Copland, who had worked under Caxton. I have a copy of it printed by Wynkyn de Worde in 1510. * See the following extracts from the books at Stationers' hall. + See, &c. Ben Jonfon, in an ode published at the end of his New Inn, has the following farcafm on this piece: "No doubt fome mouldy tale "Like Pericles, and ftale "As the fhrieves crufts, &c.". || See, &c. [Q] LIST |