what is put out of the text, how minute and infignificant foever, is always to be met with; what altered, as constantly fet down, and in the proper words of that edition upon which the alteration is formed: and, even in authorized readings, whoever is defirous of knowing further, what edition is followed preferably to the others, may be gratified too in that, by confulting the Various Readings; which are now finished, and will be published, together with the Notes, in fome other volume, with all the speed that is convenient *.

Such are the materials out of which this great poet has raised a structure, which no time fhall efface, nor any envy be ftrong enough to leffen the admiration that is so justly due to it; which if it was great before, cannot fail to receive increase with the judicious, when the account that has been now given them is reflected upon duly: other originals have, indeed, been pretended; and much extraordinary criticism has, at different times, and by different people, been spun out of those conceits; but, except fome few articles in which the writer profeffes openly his ignorance of the fources they are drawn from, and fome others in which he delivers himself doubtfully, what is faid in the preceding leaves concerning these fables may, with all certainty, be relied upon.

*Here Mr. Capell inferts his account of the origin of the Fables of Shakespeare's Plays; to find which, fee note marked *, p. clx.

NOTE.

57, and in "Troilus and Creffida," p. 363 and 371; of the second, in The Comedy of Errors," p. 539, and in "Richard III," p. 514 and 515; and "The Tempeft," p. 72, and King Lear," p. 169, afford inRances of the laft; as may be feen by looking into any modern edition, where all those paffages stand nearly as in the old ones.

How much is it to be wifhed, that fomething equally certain, and indeed worthy to be intitled-A Life of Shakefpeare, could accompany this relation, and complete the tale of those pieces which the publick is apt to expect before new editions? But that nothing of this fort is at present in being, may be faid without breach of candour, as we think, or fufpicion of over much nicenefs: an imperfect and loofe account of his father, and family; his own marriage, and the iffue of it; fome traditional ftories,-many of them trifling in themselves, fupported by small authority, and feemingly ill grounded; together with his life's final period, as gathered from his monument, is the full and whole amount of hiftorical matter that is in any of these writings; in which the critick and effayist swallow up the biographer, who yet ought to take the lead in them. The truth is, the occurrences of this most interesting life (we mean the private ones) are irrecoverably loft to us; the friendly office of registring them was overlooked by those who alone had it in their power, and our enquiries about them now must prove vain and thrown away. But there is another fort of them that is not quite fo hopeless; which befides affording us the profpect of fome good iffue to our endeavours, do alfo invite us to them by the promise of a much better reward for them the knowledge of his private life had done little more than gratify our curiofity, but his publick one as a writer would have confequences more important; a difcovery there would throw a new light upon many of his pieces and where rafhness only is fhewed in the opinions that are now current about them, a judgment might then be formed, which perhaps would do credit to the giver of it. When he commenced a writer for the stage, and in which play; what the order of the reft of them, and (if that be

discoverable) what the occafion; and, laftly, for which of the numerous theatres that were then fubfifting they were feverally written at firft,-are the particulars that should chiefly engage the attention of a writer of Shakespeare's life, and be the principal subjects of his enquiry: to affift him in which, the firft impreffions of thefe plays will do fomething, and their title-pages at large, which, upon that account, we mean to give in another work that will accompany the "School of Shakespeare ;" and fomething the "School" itself will afford, that may contribute to the fame fervice: but the corner-ftone of all, must be the works of the poet himself, from which much may be extracted by a heedful peruser of them; and, for the fake of fuch a perufer, and by way of putting him into the train when the plays are before him, we shall inftance in one of them;—the time in which "Henry V” was written, is determined almost precisely by a paffage in the chorus to the fifth act, and the concluding chorus of it contains matter relative to Henry VI:" other plays might be mentioned, as "Henry VIII and Macbeth ;" but this one may be sufficient to anfwer our intention in producing it, which was to spirit fome one up to this task in fome future time, by fhewing the poffibility of it; which he may be further convinced of, if he reflects what great things have been done, by criticks amongst ourselves, upon subjects of this fort, and of a more removed antiquity than he is concerned in. A life thus conftructed, interspersed with such anecdotes of common notoriety as the writer's judgment shall tell him-are worth regard; together with fome memorials of this poet that are happily come down to us; fuch as, an inftrument in the Heralds Office, confirming arms to his father; a patent, preferved in Rymer, granted by James

the firft; his last will and testament, extant now at DoctorsCommons; his Stratford monument, and a monument of his daughter, which is faid to be there alfo;-such a life would rise quickly into a volume; especially, with the addition of one proper and even neceffary epifode—a brief hiftory of our drama, from its origin down to the poet's death: even the ftage he appeared upon, its form, dreffings, actors fhould be enquired into, as every one of thofe circumstances had some confiderable effect upon what he compofed for it. The subject is certainly a good one, and will fall (we hope) ere it be long, into the hands of fome good writer, by whofe abilities this great want may at length be made up to us, and the world of letters enriched by the happy acquifition of a masterly "Life of Shakefpeare."

O F

QUARTO EDITIONS OF PLAYS

WRITTEN BY

SHAKESPEARE.

I. Hamlet. 1605. J. R. for Thomas Creede, for Thomas N. L. (beft Edit.) 2. 1611. for Pavier. (ADD.) 3. 1608. for John Smethwicke. 3. no date. T. P.]

W.S. for Do. (ADD.) 4. 1637.

R. Young for do.

V & VI. Henry VI. [1600. Valentine Simmes for Thomas

II. Henry IV, ift. p. 1598. Millington. (ADD & IMP.) P. S. for Andrew Wife. (beft 2. 1600. W.W. for Tho. Miledit. ADD.) 2. 1599. S. S. lington. (*DES.) 3. no date. forDo.3.1604.(DES. 4.) 1608. [for T. P.] v. B.

for Mathew Law. (DES.) 5. 1613. W. W. for Do. (ADD.) VII. King John. [1591. for 6. 1622. T. P. Sold by Do. 7. Sampfon Clarke. b. 1. 2. 1611. 1632. John Norton. Sold by Valentine Simmes for John William Sheares. (ADD.) 8. |Helme. 3. 1622. Aug. Ma1639. John Norton. Sold by thewes for Tho. Dewe.] v. C. Hugh Perry.

III. Henry IV, 2d. p. 1600. V. S. for Andrew Wife, and William Afpley. 2. 1600. Do. (DES.) v. A.

IV. Henry V. [1600. Thomas Creede, for Tho. Millington and John Busby. 2. 1602. VOL. I.

VIII. King Lear, 1608. for Nathaniel Butter. (best edit.) 2. 1608. for Do. (ADD. v. D.) 3. 1655. Jane Bell.

IX. Love's Labour's loft. 1598.W.W. for Cuthbert Burby. (beft edit.) 2. 1631. W.S. for John Smethwicke.

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