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which others have neglected or mistaken, fometimes by fhort remarks, or marginal directions, fuch as every editor has added at his will, and often by comments more labɔrious than the matter will seem to deserve; but that which is moft difficult is not always molt important, and to an editor nothing is a trifle by which his author is obfcured.

The poetical beauties or defects I have not been very diligent to obferve. Some plays have more, and fome fewer judicial obfervations, not in proportion to their difference of merit, but because I gave this part of my defign to chance and to caprice. The reader, I believe, is feldom pleased to find his opinion anticipated; it is natural to delight more in what we find or make, than in what we receive. Judgment, like other faculties, is improved by practice, and its advancement is hindered by submiffion to dictatorial decifions, as the memory grows torpid by the ufe of a table-book. Some initiation is however neceffary; of all skill, part is infufed by precept, and part is obtained by habit; I have therefore thewn fo much as may enable the candidate of criticifm to difcover the reft.

To the end of most plays I have added short ftrictures, containing a general cenfure of faults, or praise of excellence; in which I know not how much I have concurred with the current opinion; but I have not, by any affectation of fingularity, deviated from it. Nothing is minutely and particularly examined, and therefore it is to be fuppofed, that in the plays which are condemned there is much to be praised, and in those which are praised much to be condemned.

The part of criticifm in which the whole fucceffion of editors has laboured with the greateft diligence, which has occafioned the most arrogant oftentation, and excited the k.cnelt acrimony, is the emendation of corrupted paflages, to which the publick attention having been firft drawn by

the

the violence of the contention between Pope and Theobald, has been continued by the perfecution, which, with a kind of confpiracy, has been fince raised against all the publishers of Shakspeare.

That many paffages have passed in a state of depravation through all the editions is indubitably certain; of these the reftoration is only to be attempted by collation of copies, or fagacity of conjecture. The collator's province is fafe and eafy, the conjecturer's perilous and difficult. Yet as the greater part of the plays are extant only in one copy, the peril muft not be avoided, nor the difficulty retufed.

Of the readings which this emulation of amendment has Eitherto produced, fome from the labours of every publifter I have advanced into the text; thofe are to be confidered as in my opinion fufficiently fupported; fome I have rejected without mention, as evidently erroneous; fome I have left in the notes without cenfure or approbation, as refting in equipoife between objection and defence; and fome, which feemed fpecious but not right, I have inferted with a fubfequent animadverfion.

Having claffed the obfervations of others, I was at last to try what I could substitute for their mistakes, and how I could fupply their omiffions. I collated fuch copies as I could procure, and wished for more, but have not found the collectors of thefe rarities very communicative. Of the editions which chance or kindness put into my hands I have given an enumeration, that I may not be blamed for neglecting what I had not the power to do.

By examining the old copies, I foon found that the latter publishers, with all their boasts of diligence, fuffered many paffages to ftand unauthorized, and contented themfelves with Rowe's regulation of the text, even where they knew it to be arbitrary, and with a little confideration

might have found it to be wrong. Some of these alterations are only the ejection of a word for one that appeared to him more elegant or more intelligible. Thefe corrup tions I have often filently rectified; for the history of our language, and the true force of our words, can only be preferved, by keeping the text of authors free from adulteration. Others, and those very frequent, fmoothed the cadence, or regulated the measure; on thefe I have not exercifed the fame rigour; if only a word was transposed, or a particle inferted or omitted, I have fometimes fuffered the line to ftand; for the inconftancy of the copies is fuch, as that fome liberties may be easily permitted. But this practice I have not fuffered to proceed far, having reftored the primitive diction wherever it could for any reafon be preferred.

The emendations, which comparison of copies fupplied, I have inferted in the text; sometimes, where the improvement was flight, without notice, and fometimes with an account of the reasons of the change.

Conjecture, though it be fometimes unavoidable, I have not wantonly nor licentiously indulged. It has been my fettled principle, that the reading of the ancient books is probably true, and therefore is not to be difturbed for the fake of elegance, perfpicuity, or mere improvement of the fenfe. For though much credit is not due to the fidelity, nor any to the judgment of the first publishers, yet they who had the copy before their eyes were more likely to read it right, than we who read it only by imagination. But it is evident that they have often made ftrange mistakes by ignorance or negligence, and that therefore fomething may be properly attempted by criticifin, keeping the middle way between prefumption and timidity.

Such criticism I have attempted to practife, and where any paffage appeared inextricably perplexed, have endea

voured to difcover how it may be recalled to fenfe, with least violence. But my first labour is, always to turn the old text on every fide, and try if there be any interstice, through which light can find its way; nor would Huetius himself condemn me, as refufing the trouble of research, for the ambition of alteration. In this modeft industry I have not been unsuccessful. I have rescued many lines from the violations of temerity, and fecured many scenes from the inroads of correction. I have adopted the Roman fentiment, that it is more honourable to fave a citizen, than to kill an enemy, and have been more careful to protect than to attack.

I have preferved the common diftribution of the plays into acts, though I believe it to be in almost all the plays void of authority. Some of those which are divided in the later editions have no divifion in the firft folio, and fomė that are divided in the folio have no divilion in the preceding copies. The fettled mode of the theatre requires four intervals in the play, but few, if any, of our author's compofitions can be properly diftributed in that manner. An act is so much of the drama as paffes without intervention of time, or change of place. A paufe makes a new act. In every real, and therefore in every imitative action, the intervals may be more or fewer, the reftriction of five acts being accidental and arbitrary. This Shakspeare knew, and this he practifed; his plays were written, and at first printed in one unbroken continuity, and ought now to be exhibited with fhort paufes, interpofed as often as the scene is changed, or any confiderable time is required to pass. This method would at once quell a thousand

abfurdities.

In restoring the author's works to their integrity, I have confidered the punctuation as wholly in my power; fór what could be their care of colons and commas, who côr

rupted

rupted words and fentences? Whatever could be done by adjusting points, is therefore filently performed, in fome plays, with much diligence, in others with lefs; it is hard to keep a busy eye steadily fixed upon evanefcent atoms, or a difcurfive mind upon evanefcent truth.

The fame liberty has been taken with a few particles, or other words of flight effect. I have fometimes inferted or omitted them without notice. I have done that fometimes, which the other editors have done always, and which indeed the state of the text may sufficiently justify.

The greater part of readers, instead of blaming us for paffing trifles, will wonder that on mere trifles so much labour is expended, with fuch importance of debate, and fuch folemnity of diction. To these I answer with confidence, that they are judging of an art which they do not understand; yet cannot much reproach them with their ignorance, nor promife that they would become in general, by learning criticifm, more ufeful, happier, or wifer.

As I practifed conjecture more, I learned to truft it. lefs; and after I had printed a few plays, refolved to infert none of my own readings in the text. Upon this caution I now congratulate myself, for every day increases my doubt of my emendations.

Since I have confined my imagination to the margin, it must not be confidered as very reprehenfible, if I have fuffered it to play fome freaks in its own dominion. 'I here is no danger in conjecture, if it be propofed as conjecture; and while the text remains uninjured, thofe changes may be fafely offered, which are not confidered even by hin that offers then as neceffary or fafe.

If my readings are of little value, they have not been oftentatioufy difplayed or importunately obtruded. I could have written longer notes, for the art of writing

notes

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