Expofitions of the new Reading, and Self-congratulations on the Happiness of difcovering it.

Of Rowe, as of all the Editors, I have preferved the Preface, and have likewife retained the Anthour's Life, though not written with much Elegance or Spirit; it relates however what is now to be known, and therefore deferves to pass through all fucceeding Publications.

The nation had been for many Years content enough with Mr. Rowe's Performance, when Mr. Pope made them acquainted with the true State of Shakespeare's Text, fhewed that it was extremely corrupt, and gave Reason to hope that there were Means of reforming it. He collated the old Copies, which none had thought to examine before, and reftored many Lines to their Integrity; but, by a very compendious Criticism, he rejected whatever he difliked, and thought more of Amputation than of Cure.

I know not why he is commended by Dr. Warburton for diftinguifhing the genuine from the fpurious Plays. In this Choice he exerted no Judgment of his own; the Plays which he received, were given by Hemings and Condel, the firft Editors; and thofe which he rejected, though, according to the Licentioufnefs of the Prefs in thofe Times, they were printed during Shakespeare's Life, with his Name, had been omitted by his Friends, and were never added to his Works before the Edition of 1664, from which they were copied by the later Printers.

This was a Work which Pope seems to have thought unworthy of his Abilities, bring not able to fupprefs his Contempt of the dull Duty of an Editor. He understood but half his Undertaking. The Duty of a Collator is indeed dull, yet, like other tedious Tafks, is very neceffary; but an emendatory Critick would ill difcharge his Duty, without Qualities very different from Dulnefs. In perufing a corrupted

Corrupted Piece, he must have before him all Poffibities of Meaning, with all Poffibilities of Expreffion. Such must be his Comprehenfion of Thought, and fuch his Copiousness of Language. Out of many Readings poffible, he must be able to felect that which beft fuits with the State, Opinions, and Modes of Language prevailing in every Age, and with his Authour's particular Caft of Thought, and Turn of Expreffion. Such must be his Knowledge, and fuch his Tafte. Conjectural Criticism demands more than Humanity poffeffes, and he that exercises it with moft Praife has frequent Need of Indulgence. Let us now be told no more of the dull Duty of an Editor.

Confidence is the common Confequence of Succefs. They whofe Excellence of any Kind has been loudly celebrated, are ready to conclude, that their Powers are univerfal. Pope's Edition fell below his own Expectations, and he was fo much offended, when he was found to have left any Thing for others to do, that he paffed the latter Part of his Life in a State of Hoftility with verbal Criticifm.

I have retained all his Notes, that no Fragment of fo great a Writer may be loft; his Preface, valuable alike for Elegance of Compofition and Juftnefs of Remark, and containing a general Criticism on his Authour, so extensive that little can be added, and fo exact, that little can be difputed, every Editor has an Intereft to fupprefs, but that every Reader would demand its Infertion.

Pope was fucceeded by Theobald, a Man of narrow Comprehenfion and small Acquifitions, with no native and intrinsick Splendour of Genius, with little of the artificial Light of Learning, but zealous for minute Accuracy, and not negligent in purfuing it. He collated the ancient Copies, and rectified many Errours. A Man fo anxiously fcrupulous might have been

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been expected to do more, but what little he did was commonly right.

In his Reports of Copics and Editions he is not to be trusted, without Examination. He speaks fometimes indefinitely of Copies, when he has only one. In his Enumeration of Editions, he mentions the two firft Folios as of high, and the third Folio as of middle Authority; but the Truth is, that the firft is equivalent to all others, and that the reft only deviate from it by the Printer's Negligence. Whoever has any of the Folios has all, excepting those Diversities which mere Reiteration of Editions will produce. I collated them all at the Beginning, but afterwards ufed only the firft.

Of his Notes I have generally retained thofe which he retained himself in his fecond Edition, except when they were confuted by fubfequent Annotators, or were too minute to merit Prefervation. I have fometimes adopted his Reftoration of a Comma, without inferting the Panegyrick in which he celebrated himself for his Atchievement. The exuberant Excrefcenee of Diction I have often lopped, his triumphant Exultations, over Pope and Rowe I have fometimes fuppreffed, and his contemptible Oftentation I have frequently concealed; but I have in fome Places fhewn him, as he would have fhewn himfelf, for the Reader's Diverfion, that the inflated Emptiness of fome Notes may juftify or excufe the Contraction of the reft.

Theobald, thus weak and ignorant, thus mean and faithlefs, thus petulent and oftentatious, by the good Luck of having Pope for his Enemy, has efcaped, and cfcaped alone, with Reputation from this Undertaking. So willingly does the World support thofe who folicite Favour, againft thofe who command Reverence; and fo cafily is he praifed, whom no Man can envy.

Our

Our Authour fell then into the Hands of Sir Thomas Hanmer, the Oxford Editor, a Man, in my Opinion, eminently qualified by Nature for fuch Studies. He had, what is the firft Requifite to emendatory Criticifm, that Intuition by which the Poet's Intention is immediately discovered, and that Dexterity of Intellect which dispatches its Work by the eafieft Means. He had undoubtedly read much; his Acquaintance with Cuftoms, Opinions, and Traditions, feem to have been large; and he is often learned without Shew. He feldom paffes what he does not underftand, without an Attempt to find or to make a Meaning, and fometimes haftily makes what a little more Attention would have found. He is folicitous to reduce to Grammar, what he could. not be fure that his Authour intended to be grammatical. Shakespeare regarded more the Series of Ideas, than of Words; and his Language, not being defigned for the Reader's Defk, was all that he defired it to be, if it conveyed his Meaning to the Audience.

Hanmer's Care of the Metre has been too violently cenfured. He found the Meafures reformed in fo many Paflages, by the filent Labours of fome Editors, with the filent Acquiefcence of the reft, that he thought himfelf allowed to extend a little further the Licence, which had already been carried fo far without Reprehenfion; and of his Corrections in general, it must be confeffed, that they are often juft, and made commonly with the leaft poffible Violation of the Text.

But, by inferting his Emendations, whether invented or borrowed, into the Page, without any Notice of varying Copies, he has appropriated the Labour of his Predeceflors, and made his own Edition of little Authority. His Confidence indeed, both in himself and others, was too great; he fuppofes all to be right that was done by Pope and Theobald;

he feems not to fufpect a Critick of Fallibility, and it was but reasonable that he should claim what he fo liberally granted.

As he never writes without careful Enquiry and diligent Confideration, I have received all his Notes, and believe that every Reader will with for more.

Of the laft Editor it is more difficult to fpeak. Refpect is due to high Place, Tenderness to living Reputation, and Veneration to Genius and Learning but he cannot be juftly offended at that Liberty of which he has himself fo frequently given an Example, nor very folicitous what is thought of Notes, which he ought never to have confidered as Part of his ferious Employments, and which, I fuppofe, fince the Ardour of Compofition is remitted, he no longer numbers among his happy Effufions.

The original and predominant Errour of his Commentary, is Acquiefcence in his firft Thoughts; that Precipitation which is produced by Conscioufnefs of quick Difcernment; and that Confidence which prefumes to do, by furveying the Surface, what Labour only can perform, by penetrating the Bottom. His Notes exhibit fometimes perverfe Interpretations, and fometimes improbable Conjectures; he at one Time gives the Authour more Profundity of Meaning than the Sentence admits, and at another discovers Absurdities, where the Senfe is plain to every other Reader. But his Emendations are likewife often happy and juft; and his Interpretation of obfcure Paffages learned and faga

cious.

Of his Notes, I have commonly rejected thofe, against which the general Voice of the Publick has exclaimed, or which their own Incongruity immediately condemns, and which, I fuppofe, the Authour himself would defire to be forgotten. Of the reft, to Part I have given the highest Approbation,

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