ment; fuch corrections, I am perfuaded, will need no indulgence.

And whenever I have taken a greater latitude and liberty in amending, I have conftantly endeavoured to fupport my corrections and conjectures, by parallel paffages and authorities from himself, the fureft means of expounding any author whatsoever. Cette voje d'interpreter un autheur par luimême eft plus fure que tous les commentaires, fays a very learned French critick.

As to my notes, (from which the common and learned readers of our author, I hope, will derive some fatisfaction) I have endeavoured to give a variety in fome proportion to their number. Wherever I have ventured at an emendation, a note is conftantly subjoined to juftify and affert the reason of it. Where I only offer a conjecture, and do not disturb the text, I fairly set forth my grounds for such conjecture, and fubmit it to judgment. Some remarks are spent in explaining paffages, where the wit or fatire depends on an obscure point of hiftory: others, where allufions are to divinity, philofophy, or other branches of fcience. Some are added to fhew where there is a fufpicion of our author having borrowed from the ancients: others to fhew where he is rallying his contemporaries, or where he himself is rallied by them and fome are neceffarily thrown in, to explain an obfcure and obfolete term, phrase, or idea. I once intended to have added a complete and copious Glossary; but as I have been importuned, and am prepared, to give a correct edition of our author's POEMS, (in which many terms occur that are not to be met with in his Plays) I thought a Gloffary to all Shakespeare's Works more proper to attend that volume.

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In reforming an infinite number of paffages in the pointing, where the fense was quite loft, I have frequently subjoined notes to fhew the depraved, and to prove the reformed, pointing a part of labour, in this work, which I could yery willingly have spared myfelf. May it not be objected, Why then have you burdened us with these notes? The anfwer is obvious, and, if I mistake not, very material. Without fuch notes, these paffages in fubfequent editions would be liable, through the ignorance of printers and correctors, to fall into the old confufion: whereas, a note on every one hinders all poffible return to depravity; and for ever secures them in a state of purity and integrity not to be loft or forfeited.

Again, as fome notes have been neceffary to point out the detection of the corrupted text, and establish the restoration of the genuine readings, fome others have been as necessary for the explanation of paffages obfcure and difficult. To underftand the neceffity and ufe of this part of my task, some particulars of my author's character are previously to be explained. There are obscurities in him, which are common to him with all poets of the fame fpecies; there are others, the iffue of the times he lived in; and there are others, again, peculiar to himself. The nature of comic poetry being intirely fatirical, it bufies itself more in expofing what we call caprice and humour, than vices cognizable to the laws. The English, from the happiness of a free conftitution, and a turn of mind peculiarly fpeculative and inquifitive, are obferved to produce more bumourifts, and a greater variety of original characters, than any other nation whatsoever: and thefe owing their immediate birth to the peculiar genius of each age, an infinite number of things alluded to, glanced at, and expofed, muft needs become obfcure, as the eba

racters themselves are antiquated and difufed. An editor, therefore, fhould be well verfed in the history and manners of his author's age, if he aims at doing him a service in this respect.

Befides, wit lying moftly in the affemblage of ideas, and in the putting those together with quickness and variety, wherein can be found any resemblance or congruity, to make up pleasant pictures, and agreeable vifions in the fancy; the writer, who aims at wit, muft of course range far and wide for materials. Now the age in which Shakespeare lived, having, above all others, a wonderful affection to appear learned, they declined vulgar images, fuch as are immediately fetched from nature, and ranged through the circle of the sciences to fetch their ideas from thence. But as the refemblances of fuch ideas to the subject must neceffarily lie very much out of the common way, and every piece of wit appear a riddle to the vulgar; this, that should have taught them the forced, quaint, unnatural tra& they were in (and induce them to follow a more natural one) was the very thing that kept them attached to it. The oftentatious affectation of an abftrufe learning, peculiar to that time, the love that men naturally have to every thing that looks like mystery, fixed them down to this habit of obfcurity. Thus became the poetry of Donne (though the wittiest man of that age) nothing but a continued heap of riddles. And our Shakespeare, with all his eafy nature about him, for want of the knowledge of the true rules of art, falls fre quently into this vicious manner.

The third species of obfcurities, which deform our author, as the effects of his own genius and character, are those that proceed from his peculiar manner of thinking, and as peculiar a manner of cloathing those thoughts. With regard to

his thinking, it is certain, that he had a general knowledge of all the sciences: but his acquaintance was rather that of a traveller than a native, Nothing in philofophy was unknown to him; but every thing in it had the grace and force of novelty. And as novelty is one main source of admiration; we are not to wonder that he has perpetual allutions to the most recondite parts of the fciences: and this was done not fo much out of affectation, as the effect of admiration begot by novelty. Then, as to his style and diɛtion, we may much more justly apply to Shakespeare what a celebrated writer has said of Milton; Our language funk under bim, and was unequal to that greatness of foul which furnished him with fuch glorious conceptions. He therefore frequently uses old words, to give his diction an air of folemnity; as he coins others, to exprefs the novelty and variety of his ideas.

Upon every distinct species of these obscurities I have thought it my province to employ a note, for the fervice of my author, and the entertainment of my readers. A few tranfient remarks too I have not scrupled to intermix, upon the poet's negligences and omissions in point of art; but I have done it always in such a manner, as will testify my deference and veneration for the immortal author. Some cenfurers of Shakespeare, and particularly Mr. Rymer, have taught me to diftinguish betwixt the railer and critick. The outrage of his quotations is so remarkably violent, fo pushed beyond all bounds of decency and fober reasoning, that it quite carries over the mark at which it was levelled. Extravagant abuse throws off the edge of the intended disparagement, and turns the madman's weapon into his own bofom. In short, as to Rymer, this is my opinion of him from his criticisms on the tragedies of the laft age. He writes with great vivacity, and

appears to have been a scholar; but, as for his knowledge of the art of poetry, I can't perceive it was any deeper than his acquaintance with Boffu and Dacier, from whom he has tranfcribed many of the best reflexions. The late Mr. Gildon was once attached to Rymer by a similar way of thinking and ftudies. They were both of that species of criticks, who are defirous of displaying their powers rather in finding faults, than in consulting the improvements of the world: the bypercritical part of the science of criticism.

I had not mentioned the modeft liberty I have here and there taken of animadverting on my author, but that I was willing to obviate in time the splenetick exaggerations of my adverfaries on this head. From paft experiments I have reafon to be conscious, in what light this attempt may be placed; and that what I call a modeft liberty, will, by a little of their dexterity, be inverted into downright impudence. From a hundred mean and dishonest artifices employed to difcredit this edition, and to cry down its editor, I have all the grounds in nature to beware of attacks. But though the malice of wit, joined to the smoothness of verfification, may furnish some ridicule, fact, I hope, will be able to ftand its ground against banter and gaiety.

It has been my fate, it seems, as I thought it my duty, to discover some anachronisms in our author, which might have slept in obscurity but for this reftorer, as Mr. Pope is pleased affectionately to ftile me: as, for inftance, where Aristotle is mentioned by Hector in Troilus and Creffida; and Galen, Cato, and Alexander the Great, in Coriolanus. Thefe, in Mr. Pope's opinion, are blunders, which the illiteracy of the first publishers of his works has fathered upon the poet's memory: It not being at all credible that these could be the errors of any man rubo bad the least tincture of a school, or the leaft