who can rank themselves but as the fatellites of their authours. How canft thou beg for life, says Achilles to his captive, when thou knoweft that thou art now to fuffer only what must another day be fuffered by Achilles? Dr. Warburton had a name fufficient to confer celebrity on those who could exalt themselves into antagonists, and his notes have raised a clamour too loud to be diftinct. His chief affailants are the authours of the Canons of criticism and of the Review of Shakespeare's text; of whom one ridicules his errours with airy petulance, fuitable enough to the levity of the controverfy; the other attacks them with gloomy malignity, as if he were dragging to justice an affaffin or incendiary. The one ftings like a fly, fucks a little blood, takes a gay flutter, and returns for more; the other bites like a viper, and would be glad to leave inflammations and gangrene behind him. When I think on one, with his confederates, I remember the danger of Coriolanus, who was afraid that girls with spits, and boys with ftones, fhould flay bim in puny battle; when the other croffes my imagination, I remember the prodigy in Macbeth, An eagle tow'ring in his pride of place, Let me however do them juftice. One is a wit, Yand one a scholar. They have both fhewn acuteness fufficient in the difcovery of faults, and have both [D4] advanced advanced fome probable interpretations of obfcure paffages; but when they afpire to conjecture and emendation, it appears how falfely we all eftimate our own abilities, and the little which they have been able to perform might have taught them more candour to the endeavours of others. Before Dr. Warburton's edition, Critical obfervations on Shakespeare had been published by Mr. Upton, a man skilled in languages, and acquainted with books, but who seems 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 oppose 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 fkill. Every cold empirick, when his heart is expanded by a fuccefsful experiment, fwells into a theorist, and the laborious collator at fome unlucky moment frolicks in conjecture. Critical, historical and explanatory notes have been likewife published upon Shakespeare by Dr. Grey, whofe diligent perufal of the old English writers has enabled him to make fome ufeful obfervations. What he undertook he has well enough performed, but as he neither attempts judicial nor emendatory criticism, he employs rather his memory than his fagacity. It were to be wifhed that all would endeayour to imitate his modefty who have not been able to furpass his knowledge. I can fay with great fincerity of all my predecef fors, 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 first claimant, for his right, and his alone, ftands above dispute; the fecond can prove his pretenfions only to himself, nor can himself always distinguish invention, with fufficient certainty, 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 fcholiaft can naturally proceed. The fubjects to be difcuffed by him are of very fmall importance; they involve neither property nor li berty; nor favour the intereft of fect or party. The various readings of copies, and different interpretations of a paffage, feem to be queftions 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 ail con tra trariety of opinion, even in those that can defend it no longer, makes proud men angry; there is often found in commentaries a fpontaneous ftrain of invective and contempt, more eager and venomous than is vented by the most furious controvertist in politicks against those 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 inexiftence, 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 furface, to work that to foam which no art or diligence can exalt to spirit. The notes which I have borrowed or written are either illuftrative, by which difficulties are explained; or judicial, by which faults and beauties are remarked; or emendatory, by which depravations are corrected. The explanations tranfcribed from others, if I do not fubjoin any other interpretation, I fuppofe commonly to be right, at least I intend. by acquiefcence to confefs, that I have nothing better to propofe. After 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 laft explain many lines which the learned will think impoffible to be mistaken, and omit many for which the ignorant will want his help. Thefe are cenfures merely relative, and must be quietly endured. I have endeavoured to be neither fuperfluously copious, nor fcrupulously reserved, and hope that I have made my authour's meaning acceffible to many who before were frighted from perusing him, and contributed fomething to the publick, by diffufing innocent and rational pleasure. The compleat explanation of an authour not systematick and confequential, but defultory and vagrant, abounding in cafual allufions and light hints, is not to be expected from any fingle fcholiaft. All perfonal reflections, when names are fuppreffed, must be in a few years irrecoverably obliterated; and cuftoms, 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 easily retained or recovered. What can be known, will be col |