very

himself to works of established reputation; not to teach the world to admire, which, in thofe circumftances, to say 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 fubje& in queftion: for though it be true, as Mr. Pope hath obferved, that Shakespeare is the faireft and fulleft fubject for criticism, yet it is not fuch a fort 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, because it was an original, it hath given rife to a deluge of the worst fort of critical jargon; I mean that which looks moft 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 extenfive, 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 discourse.

Thefe, fuch, as they are, were among my younger amufements, when many years ago, I used to turn over these fort of writers to unbend myself 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 last editors, and the perfuafions of dear Mr. Pope; whofe 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 confefling 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 should be unjust to several deferving men of a reputable and useful profeífion, if I did not, on this occafion, acknowledge the fair dealing I have always found amongst them; and profefs my fenfe of the unjuft 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, arifen from the clamours of profligate fcribblers, ever ready, for a piece of money, to prostitute their bad fenfe for or against any caufe prophane or facred; or in any fcandal publick or private: thefe 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 fupport their importunities by false 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 confufion 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, 1 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 easier terms. "It is only to write no more."-Good gentlemen! and fhall I not oblige them? They would gladly obftruct 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 fame 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 amusements; which, if I am not much mistaken, may be excused by the best and fairest 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 sense, Aristophanes's best 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 fondness 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 taste and language peculiar to grammarians of a certain order, hath decreed, that the history and chronology of Greek words is the moft SOLID entertainment of a man of letters.

I fly then to a higher example, much nearer home, and ftill more in point, the famous university 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

editions of the best English writers, that they, very lately, in their publick capacity, undertook one of this very author by subscription. And if the editor hath not discharged his talk with fuitable abilities for one fo much honoured by them, this was not their fault, but his, who thrust himself into the employment. After fuch an example, it would be weakening any defence to feek further for authorities. All that can be now decently urged, is the reafon of the thing; and this I fhall do, more for the fake of that truly venerable body than my own.

Of all the literary exercitations of speculative men, whether defigned for the ufe or entertainment of the world, there are none of fo much importance, or what are more our immediate concern, than those which let us into the knowledge of our nature. Others may exercise the reason, or amufe the imagination; but thefe only can improve the heart, and form the human mind to wifdom. Now, in this fcience, our Shakespeare is confeffed to occupy the foremost place; whether we confider the amazing fagacity with which he investigates every hidden fpring and wheel of human action; or his happy manner of communicating this knowledge, in the juft and living paintings which he has given us of all our paffions, appetites, and purfuits. These afford a leffon which can never be too often repeated, or too conftantly inculcated; and, to engage the reader's due attention to it, hath been one of the principal objects of this edition.

As this fcience (whatever profound philofophers may think) is, to the reft, in things; fo, in words, (whatever fupercilious pedants may talk) every one's mother tongue is to all other languages. This hath ftill been the fentiment of nature and true wifdom. Hence, the greatest men of antiquity never thought themselves better employed, than in cultivating their own country idiom. So Lycurgus did honour to Sparta, in giving the first complete edition of Homer; and Cicero to Rome, in correcting the works of Lucretius. Nor do we want examples of the fame good fenfe in modern times, even amidst the cruel inroads that art and fashion have made upon nature and the fimplicity of wifdom. Menage, the greatest name in France for all kinds of philologick learning, prided himself in writing critical notes on their beft lyrick poet Malherbe: and our greater Selden, when he thought it might reflect credit on his country, did not difdain even to comment a very ordinary VOL. I.

[L]

poet,

poet, one Michael Drayton. But the English tongue, at this juncture, deferves and demands our particular regard. It hath, by means of the many excellent works of different kinds compofed in it, engaged the notice, and become the fudy, of almoft every curious and learned foreigner, so as to be thought even a part of literary accomplishment. This muft needs make it deferving of a critical attention: and its being yet deftitute of a teft or ftandard to apply to, in cafes of doubt or difficulty, fhews how much it wants that attention. For we have neither GRAMMAR nor DICTIONARY, neither chart nor compafs, to guide us through this wide fea of words. And indeed how fhould we? fince both are to be compofed and finifhed on the authority of our best eftablished writers. But their authority can be of little use, till the text hath been correctly fettled, and the phrafeology critically examined. As then, by thefe aids, a Grammar and Dictionary, planned upon the beft rules of logick and philofophy (and none but fuch will deferve the name) are to be procured; the forwarding of this will be a general concern: for, as Quintilian obferves, "Verborum proprietas ac "differentia omnibus, qui fermonem curæ habent, debet "effe communis." By this way, the Italians have brought their tongue to a degree of purity and ftability, which no living language ever attained unto before. It is with pleafure I obferve, that these things now begin to be understood among ourselves; and that I can acquaint the publick, we may foon expect very elegant editions of Fletcher and Milton's Paradife Loft from gentlemen of diftinguifhed abilities and learning. But this interval of good fenfe, as it may be fhort, is indeed but new. For I remember to have heard of a very learned man, who, not long fince, formed a defign, of giving a more correct edition of Spenfer; and, without doubt, would have performed it well; but he was diffuaded from his purpose by his friends, as beneath the dignity of a profeffor of the occult fciences. Yet these very friends, I fuppofe, would have thought it had added luftre to his high flation, to have new-furbished out fome dull northern chronicle, or dark Sibylline ænigma. But let it not be thought. that what is here faid infinuates any thing to the difcredit of Greek and Latin criticifm. If the follies of particular men were fufficient to bring any branch of learning into difrepute, I do not know any that would ftand in a worse fituation than that for which I now apologize. For I hardly think there ever appeared, in any learned language, fo exe

crable