adverfaries of editors, enjoy one material advantage over editors themfelves. They are at liberty to felect their objects of remark;

ở qua

Defperant tractata nitefcere poffe, relinquunt.

The fate of the editor in form is lefs propitious. He is expected to combat every difficulty from which his auxiliaries and opponents could fecure an honourable retreat. It fhould not therefore be wondered at, if fome of his enterprizes are unfuccefsful.

Though the foregoing Advertisement has run out into an unpremeditated length, one circumftance remains to be mentioned. The form and fubflance of the commentary attending this republication having been materially changed and enlarged fince it firft appeared, in compliance with ungrateful cuftom, the name of its original editor might have been withdrawn : but Mr. Steevens could not prevail on himself to forego an additional opportunity of recording in a title-page that he had once the honour of being united in a tafk of literature with Dr. SAMUEL JOHNSON. This is a diftinction which malevolence cannot obfcure, nor flattery transfer to any other candidate for publick favour.

VOL. I.

}

Ir may poffibly be expected, that a lift of Errata fhould attend fo voluminous a work as this, or that cancels fhould apologize for its more material inaccuracies. Neither of these measures, however, has in the present inftance been adopted, and for reafons now fubmitted to the publick.

*

In regard to errata, it has been cuflomary with not a few authors to acknowledge small mistakes, that they might efcape the fufpicion of greater, or perhaps to intimate that no greater could be detected. Both little and great (and doubtless there may be the ufual proportion of both) are here expofed (with very few exceptions) to the candour and perfpicacity of the reader, who needs not to be told that in fifteen volumes octavo of intricate and variegated printing, gone through in the space of about twenty months, the most vigilant eyes muft occasionally have been overwatched, and the readieft knowledge intercepted. The fight of the editors, indeed, was too much fatigued to encourage their engagement in fo laborious a revifion; and they are likewife convinced that fubflitutes are not always qualified for their task; but inftead of pointing out real miflakes, would have fuppofed the exiftence of fuch as were

the hofpitable door
"Expos'd a matron, to avoid worse rape.

Paradife Loft, B. I. v. 504.

merely founded on their own want of acquaintance with the peculiarities of ancient fpelling and language; for even modern poetry has fometimes been in danger from the chances of their fuperintendance. He whofe business it is to offer this unusual apology, very well remembers to have been fitting with Dr. Johnson, when an agent from a neighbouring prefs brought in the proof fheet of a republication, requefting to know whether a particular word in it was not corrupted. "So far from it, Sir, (replied the Doctor, with some harshness,) that the word you suspect and would difplace, is confpicuously beautiful where it stands, and is the only one that could have done the duty expected from it by Mr. Pope."

As for cancels, it is in the power of every carelefs binder to defeat their purpose; for they are fo feldom lodged with uniformity in their proper places, that they as often ferve to render copies imperfect, as to fcreen an author from the charge of ignorance or inattention. The leaf appropriated to one volume, is fometimes fhuffled into the correfponding page of another; and fometimes the faulty leaf is withdrawn, and, no other fubftituted in its room. Thefe circumftances might be exemplified; but the fubject is fcarcely of confequence enough to be more than generally flated to the reader, whofe indulgence is again folicited on account of blemishes which

in the courfe of an undertaking like this are unavoidable, and could not, at its conclufion, have been remedied but by the hazard of more extensive mifchief; --an indulgence, indeed, that will more readily be granted, and efpecially for the fake of the compofitors, when it is understood, that, on an average, every page of the present work, including fpaces, quadrats, points and letters, is (to fpeak technically) compofed of 2680 diftinct pieces of metal. *

As was formerly therefore obferved, he who waited till the river fhould run dry, did not act with lefs reafon than the editors would do, who fhould fufpend a voluminous and complicated publication, in the vain hope of rendering it abfolutely free from literary and typographical errors.

Number of letters, &c. in a page of Shakspeare, 1793.

The average number in each line The average number in each line (including letters, points, fpaces,

&c.) is 47; the number of lines

(including letters, points, spaces, &c.) is 67; the number of lines in a page 47

67

47

469 268

3149 in a page.

From this calculation it is clear, that a common page, admitting it to confift of 1-3d text, and 2-3ds notes, contains about 2680 diftin& pieces of metal; which multiplied by 16, the number of pages in a fleet, will amount to 42,880-the mifplacing of any one of which would inevitably caufe a blunder.

PLYMSELL.