never happened, and which, whether likely or not, he did not invent.

> careless was this great poet of future fame, that, though he retired to `afe and plenty, while he was yet lite declined into the vale of years, before he could be disgusted with fatigue, or disabled by infirmity, he made no collection of his works, nor defired to rescue those that had been already published from the depravations that obfcured them, or fecure to the reft a better deftiny, by giving them to the world in their genuine state.

Of the plays which bear the name of Shakespeare in the late editions, the greater part were not published till about feven years after his death, and the few which appeared in his life are apparently thrust into the world without the care of the authour, and therefore probably without his knowledge.

Of all the publishers, clandeftine or profeffed, their negligence and unskilfulness has by the late revifers been fufficiently shown. The faults of all are indeed numerous and grofs, and have not only cor rupted many paffages perhaps beyond recovery, but have brought others into fufpicion, which are only obfcured by obfolete phrafeology, or by the writer's unfkilfulness and affectation. To alter is more eafy than to explain, and temerity is a more common quality than diligence. Those who saw that they

muft

must employ conjecture to a certain degree, were willing to indulge it a little further. Had the authour published his own works, we should have fat quietly down to difentangle his intricacies, and clear his obfcurities; but now we tear what we cannot loose, and eject what we happen not to understand.

The faults are more than could have happened without the concurrence of many caufes. The ftile of Shakespeare was in itself ungrammatical, perplexed and obfcure; his works were tranfcribed for the players by those who may be fupposed to have feldom understood them; they were tranfmitted by copiers equally unfkilful, who still multiplied errours; they were perhaps fometimes mutilated by the actors, for the fake of fhortening the fpeeches; and were at last printed without correction of the press.

In this state they remained, not as Dr. Warburton fuppofes, because they were unregarded, but because the editor's art was not yet applied to modern languages, and our ancestors were accustomed to fo much negligence of English printers, that they could very patiently endure it. At last an edition was undertaken by Rowe; not because a poet was to be published by a poet, for Rowe feems to have thought very little on correction or explanation, but that our authour's works might appear like thofe of his fraternity, with the appendages of a life and recommendatory preface. Rowe has been clamorously blamed

blamed for not performing what he did not undertake, and it is time that justice be done him, by confeffing, that though he seems to have had no thought of corruption beyond the printer's errours, yet he has made many emendations, if they were not made before, which his fucceffors have received without acknowledgement, and which, if they had produced them, would have filled pages and pages with cenfures of the stupidity by which the faults were committed, with displays of the abfurdities which they involved, with oftentatious expofitions of the new reading, and self congratulations on the happiness of discovering it.

Of Rowe, as of all the editors, I have preferved the preface, and have likewise retained the authour's life, though not written with much elegance or fpirit; it relates however what is now to be known, and therefore deferves to pass through all fucceeding publications.

The nation had been for many years content-enough with Mr. Rowe's performance, when Mr. Pope made them acquainted with the true ftate of Shakespeare's text, fhewed that it was extremely corrupt, and gave reason to hope that there were means of reforming it. He collated the old copies, which none had thought to examine before, and restored many lines to their integrity; but, by a very compendious criticism, he rejected whatever he disliked, and thought more of amputation than of cure.

I know not why he is commended by Dr. Warburton for diftinguishing the genuine from the fpurious plays. In this choice he exerted no judgement of his own; the plays which he received, were given by Hemings and Condel, the first editors; and those which he rejected, though, according to the licentiousness of the prefs in those times, they were printed during Shakespeare's life, with his name, had been omitted by his friends, and were never added to his works before the edition of 1664, from which they were copied by the later printers.

This was a work which Pope feems to have thought unworthy of his abilities, being not able to suppress his contempt of the dull duty of of the dull duty of an editor. He underftood but half his undertaking. The duty of a collator is indeed dull, yet, like other tedious tasks, is very neceffary; but an emendatory critick would ill difcharge his duty, without qualities very different from dulnefs. In perufing a corrupted piece, he must have before him all poffibilities of meaning, with all poffibilities of expreffion. Such must be his comprehenfion of thought, and fuch his copioufnefs of language. Out of many readings poffible, he must be able to felect that which beft fuits with the ftate, opinions, and modes of language prevailing in every age, and with his authour's particular caft of thought, and turn of expreffion. Such must be his knowledge, and fuch his tafte. Conjectural criticiẩm demands more than humanity poffeffes, and he that exercifes it

with most praise has very frequent need of indulgence. Let us now be told no more of the dull duty of an editor.

Confidence is the common confequence of fuccefs. They whose excellence of any kind has been loudly celebrated, are ready to conclude, that their powers are univerfal. Pope's edition fell below his own expectations, and he was fo much offended, when he was found to have left any thing for others to do, that he past the latter part of his life in a state of hoftility with verbal criticism.

I have retained all his notes, that no fragment of so great a writer may be loft; his preface, valuable alike for elegance of composition and justnefs of remark, and containing a general criticism on his authour, fo extensive that little can be added, and fo exact, that little can be difputed, every editor has an intereft to fupprefs, but that every reader would demand its infertion.

Pope was fucceeded by Theobald, a man of narrow comprehenfion and small acquifitions, with no native and intrinfick splendour of genius, with little of the artificial light of learning, but zealous for minute accuracy, and not negligent in pursuing it. He collated the ancient copies, and rectified many errors. A man fo anxiously fcrupulous might have been expected to do more, but what little he did was com monly right.

VOL. I.

[D]

In