ton, a Man fkilled in Languages, and acquainted with Books, but who feems to have had no great Vigour of Genius or Nicety of Tafte. Many of his Explanations are curious and useful, but he likewife, though he profeffed to oppofe the licentious. Confidence of Editors, and adhere to the old Copies, is unable to reftrain the Rage of Emendation, though his Ardour is ill feconded by his Skill. Every cold Emperick, when his Heart is expanded by a fuccefsful Experiment, fwells into a Theorift, and the laborious Collator at fome unlucky Moment frolicks in Conjecture.

Critical, Hiftorical, and Explanatoay Notes have been likewife published upon Shakespeare by Dr. Grey, whofe diligent Perufal of the old English Writers has enabled him to make some useful Observations. What he undertook was well enough performed, but as he neither attempts judicial nor emendatory Criticism, he employs rather his Memory than his Sagacity. It were to be wifhed that all would endeavour to imitate his Modefty who have not been able to furpafs his Knowledge.

I can fay with great Sincerity of all my Predeceffors, what I hope will hereafter be faid of me, that not one has left Shakespeare without Improvement, nor is there one to whom I have not been indebted for Affiftance and Information. Whatever I have taken from them it was my Intention to refer to its original Authour, and it is certain, that what I have not given to another, I believed when I wrote it to be my own. In fome perhaps I have been anticipated; but if I am ever found to encroach upon the Remarks of any other Commentator, I am willing that the Honour, be it more or lefs, fhould be transferred to the firft Claimant, for his Right, and his alone, ftands above Difpute; the Second can prove his Pretenfions only to himself, nor can him

7

felf

elf always diftinguish Invention, with fufficient Cerainty, from Recollection.

They have all been treated by me with Candour, which they have not been careful of obferving to one another. It is not easy to discover from what Cause the Acrimony of a Scholiaft can naturally proceed. The Subjects to be difcuffed by him are of very fmall Importance; they involve neither Property nor Liberty; nor favour the Intereft of Sect or Party. The various Readings of Copies, and different Interpretations of a Paffage, feem to be Questions that might exercife the Wit, without engaging the Paffions. But, whether it be, that, fmall Things make mean Men proud,' and Vanity catches fmall Occafions; or that all Contrariety of Opinion, even in thofe that can defend it no longer, makes proud Men angry; there is often found in Commentaries 2 fpontaneous Train of Invective and Contempt, more eager and venomous than is vented by the most furious Controvertist in Politicks against whom he is hired to defame.

Perhaps the Lightness of the Matter may conduce to the Vehemence of the Agency; when the Truth to be investigated is fo near to Inexistence, as to escape Attention, its Bulk is to be enlarged by Rage and Exclamation: That to which all would be indifferent in its original State, may attract Notice when the Fate of a Name is appended to it. A Commentator has indeed great Temptations to fupply by Turbulence what he wants of Dignity, to beat his little Gold to a fpacious Surface, to work that to Foam which no Art or Diligence can exalt to Spirit.

The Notes which I have borrowed or written are either illustrative, by which Difficulties are explained; or judicial, by which Faults and Beauties are remarked; or emendatory, by which Depravations are corrected.

The

The Explanations tranfcribed from others, if I do not fubjoin any other Interpretation, I fuppofe commonly to be right, at leaft I intend by Acquiefcence to confefs that I have nothing better to propofe.

After the Labours of all the Editors, I found many Paffages which appeared to me likely to obftruct the greater Number of Readers, and thought it my Duty to facilitate their Paffage. It is impoffible for an Expofitor not to write too little for fome, and too much for others. He can only judge what is neceffary by his own Experience; and how long foever he may deliberate, will at last explain many Lines which the Learned will think impoffible to be mistaken, and omit many for which the Ignorant will want his Help. These are Cenfures merely relative, and must be quietly endured. I have endeayoured to be neither fuperfluously copious, nor fcrupulously referved, and hope that I have made my Authour's Meaning acceffible to many who before were frighted from perufing him, and contributed fomething to the Publick, by diffufing innocent and rational Pleasure.

The complete Explanation of an Authour not fyftematick and confequential, but defultory and vagrant, abounding in cafual Allufions and light Hints, is not to be expected from any fingle Scholiaft. All perfonal Reflections, when Names are fuppreffed, must be in a few Years irrecoverably obliterated; and Customs, too minute to attract the Notice of Law, fuch as Modes of Drefs, Formalities of Converfation, Rules of Vifits, Difpofition of Furniture, and Practices of Ceremony, which naturally find Places in familiar Dialogue, are fo fugitive and unfubftantial, that they are not eafily retained or recovered. What can be known, will be collected by Chance, from the Receffes of obfcure and obfolete Papers, perufed commonly with fome other View.

Of

Of this Knowledge every Man has fome, and none has much; but when an Authour has engaged the publick Attention, those who can add any Thing to his Illuftration, communicate their Difcoveries, and Time produces what had eluded Diligence.

To Time I have been obliged to refign many Paffages, which, though I did not underftand them, will perhaps hereafter be explained; having, I hope, illuftrated fome, which others have neglected or miftaken, fometimes by fhort Remarks, or marginal Directions, fuch as every Editor has added at his Will, and often by Comments more laborious than the Matter will feem to deferve; but that which is most difficult is not always moft important, and to an Editor nothing is a Trifle by which his Authour 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 pleafed 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 infused by Precept, and Part is obtained by Habit; I have therefore fhewn fo much as may enable the Candidate of Criticifm to discover the reft.

To the End of moft Plays I have added fhort Strictures, containing a general Cenfure of Faults, or Praife of Excellence; in which I know not how much I have concurred with the current Opinion; but I have not, by any Affectation of Singularity, deviated from it. Nothing is minutely and particu

larly

larly examined, and therefore it is to be fuppofed, that in the Plays which are condemned there is much to be praised, and in thofe which are praised much to be condemned.

The Part of Criticism in which the whole Succeffion of Editors has laboured with the greatest Diligence, which has occafioned the most arrogant Oftentation, and excited the keeneft Acrimony, is the Emendation of corrupted Paffages, to which the publick Attention having been first drawn by 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 Shakespeare.

That many Paffages have paffed 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 Sagacity 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 refufed.

Of the Readings which this Emulation of Amendment has hitherto produced, fome from the Labours of every Publisher I have advanced into the Text; thofe are to be confidered as in my Opinion sufficiently fupported: Some I have rejected without Mention, as evidently erroneous; fome I have left in the Notes without Cenfure or Approbation, asrefting 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 laft to try what I could fubftitute for their Miftakes, and how I could fupply their Omiflions. I collated fuch Copies as I could procure, and wifhed.

for