editions of the best English writers, that they, very lately, in their publick capacity, undertook one of this very author by fubfcription. And if the editor hath not discharged his task 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 fpeculative men, whether defigned for the use or entertainment of the world, there are none of fo much importance, or what are more our immediate concern, than thofe which let us into the knowledge of our nature. Others may exercife the reason, or amufe the imagination; but thefe only can improve the heart, and form the human mind to wifdom. Now, in this science, 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. Thefe 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 sense in modern times, even amidft the cruel inroads that art and fashion have made upon nature and the fimplicity of wif dom. 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.

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poet,

pect, 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 ftudy, of almost every curious and learned foreigner, so as to be thought even a part of literary accomplishment. This must needs make it deferving of a critical attention: and its being yet deftitute of a teft or standard 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 finished 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 phrafcology 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 "efle 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 diftinguished abilities and learning. But this interval of good fente, 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 design, of giving a more correct edition of Spenfer; and, without doubt, would have performed it well; but he was diffuaded from his purpofe by his friends, as beneath the dignity of a profeflor of the occult fciences. Yet thefe very friends, I fuppofe, would have thought it had added luftre to his high ftation, 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 stand in a worse situation than that for which I now apologize. For I hardly think there ever appeared, in any learned language, fo exe

crable

crable a heap of nonsense, under the name of commentaries, as hath been lately given us on a certain fatirick poet, of the laft age, by his editor and coadjutor.

I am fenfible how unjustly the very best claffical criticks have been treated. It is faid, that our great philofopher fpoke with much contempt of the two fineft fcholars of this age, Dr. Bentley and Bifhop Hare, for fquabbling, as he expreffed it, about an old play-book; meaning, I suppose, Terence's comedies. But this ftory is unworthy of him; though well enough fuiting the fanatick turn of the wild writer that relates it; fuch cenfures are amongst the follies of men immoderately given over to one fcience, and ignorantly undervaluing all the reft. Thofe learned criticks might, and perhaps did, laugh in their turn (though ftill, fure, with the fame indecency and indifcretion) at that incomparable man, for wearing out a long life in poring through a telefcope. Indeed, the weakneffes of fuch are to be mentioned with reverence. But who can bear, without indignation, the fashionable cant of every trifling writer, whofe infipidity paffes, with himself, for politenefs, for pretending to be fhocked, forfooth, with the rude and favage air of vul gar criticks; meaning fuch as Muretus, Scaliger, Cafaubon, Salmafius, Spanheim, Bentley. When, had it not been for the deathlefs labours of fuch as thefe, the western world, at the revival of letters, had foon fallen back again into a ftate of ignorance and barbarity, as deplorable as that from which Providence had juft redeemed it.

To conclude with an obfervation of a fine writer and great philofopher of our own; which I would gladly bind, though with all honour, as a phylactery, on the brow of every awful grammarian, to teach him at once the use and limits of his art: WORDS ARE THE MONEY OF FOOLS, AND THE COUNTERS OF WISE men.

ADVERTISEMENT

TO THE

READER.

[Prefixed to Mr. STEEVENS'S Edition of Twenty of the old Quarto Copics of SHAKESPEARE, &c. in 4 Vols, 8vo. 1766.]

HE plars of SHAKESPEARE have been fo often republished, with every feeming advantage which the joint labours of men of the firft abilities could procure for them, that one would hardly imagine they could ftand in need of any thing beyond the illuftration of fome few dark paffages. Modes of expreffion must remain in obfcurity, or be retrieved from time to time, as chance may throw the books of that age into the hands of criticks who fhall make a proper ufe of them. Many have been of opinion that his language will continue difficult to all thofe who are unacquainted with the provincial expreffions which they fuppofe him to have ufed; but, for my own part, I cannot believe but that those which are now local may once have been univerfal, and must have been the language of thofe perfons before whom his plays were reprefented. However, it is certain that the inftances of obfcurity from this fource are very few.

Some have been of opinion that even a particular fyntax prevailed in the time of Shakespeare; but, as I do not recollect that any proofs were ever brought in fupport of that fentiment, I own I am of the contrary opinion.

In his time indeed a different arrangement of fyllables had been introduced in imitation of the Latin, as we find in Af

cham;

cham; and the verb was very frequently kept back in the fentence; but in Shakespeare no marks of it are discernible: and though the rules of fyntax were more ftrictly observed by the writers of that age than they have been fince, he of all the number is perhaps the moft ungrammatical. To make his meaning intelligible to his audience feems to have been his only care, and with the ease of conversation he has adopted its incorrectnefs.

The paft editors, eminently qualified as they were by genius and learning for this undertaking, wanted industry; to cover which they published catalogues, transcribed at random, of a greater number of old copies than ever they can be fuppofed to have had in their poffeffion; when, at the fame time, they never examined the few which we know they had, with any degree of accuracy. The laft editor alone has dealt fairly with the world in this particular; he profeffes to have made ufe of no more than he had really feen, and has annexed a lift of fuch to every play, together with a complete one of thofe fuppofed to be in being, at the conclufion of his work, whether he had been able to procure them for the service of it or not.

For thefe reafons I thought it would not be unacceptable to the lovers of Shakespeare to collate all the quartos I could find, comparing one copy with the reft, where there were. more than one of the fame play; and to multiply the chances of their being preferved, by collecting them into volumes, inftead of leaving the few that have efcaped, to fhare the fate of the reft, which was probably haftened by their remaining in the form of pamphlets, their use and value being equally unknown to those into whofe hands they fell:

Of fome I have printed more than one copy; as there are many perfons, who, not contented with the poffeflion of a finished picture of fome great mafter, are defirous to pro-. cure the first sketch that was made for it, that they may have the pleasure of tracing the progrefs of the artist from the first light colouring to the finishing ftroke. To fuch the earlier editions of King John, Henry the Fifth, Henry the Sixth, The Merry Wives of Windfor, and Romeo and Juliet, will, I apprehend, not be unwelcome; fince in these we may dif cern as much as will be found in the hafty outlines of the pencil, with a fair profpect of that perfection to which he brought every performance he took the pains to retouch. The general character of the quarto editions may more

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