AND INCOMPARABLE PAIRE OF BRETHREN, WILLIAM Earle of PEMBROKE, &c. Lord Chamberlaine to the Kings most excellent Majeflie. AND PHILIP Earle of MONTGOMERY, &c. Gentleman of his Majefties Bed-Chamber. Both Knights of the most Noble Order of the Garter, and our fingular good LORDS. Right Honourable, W WHILST we ftudy to be thankefull in our particular, for the many favors we have received from your L. L. we are falne upon the ill fortune, to mingle two the most divers things that can be, feare, and rafhneffe; rafhneffe in the enterprize, and feare of the fucceffe. For, when we value the places your H. H. sustaine, wee cannot but know their dignity greater, than to defcend to the reading of thefe trifles: and, while we name them trifles, we have depriv'd ourselves of the Defence of our Dedication. But fince your L. L. have been pleas'd to thinke thefe trifles fomething, heretofore and have profequuted both them, and their Author living, with fo much favour: we hope, (that they out-living him, and he not having the fate, common VOL. 1. ว with with fome, to be Exequutor to his owne writings) you will ufe the fame indulgence toward them, you have done unto their parent. There is a great difference, whether any Booke choose his Patrones, or finde them: This hath done both. For, fo much were your L. L. likings of the feverall parts, when they were acted, as before they were published, the Volumne afk'd to be yours. We have but collected them, and done an office to the dead, to procure his Orphanes, Guardians; without ambition either of felfe-profit, or fame: onely to keepe the memory of fo worthy a Friend, and Fellow alive, as was our SHAKESPEARE, by humble offer of his Playes, to your most Noble Patronage. Wherein, as we have justly observed, no man to come neere your L. L. but with a kind of religious addreffe; it hath been the height of our care, who are the Prefenters, to make. the Prefent worthy of your H. H. by the Perfection. But, there we must also crave our abilities to be confidered, my Lords. We cannot goe beyond our owne powers. Countrey hands, reach forth Milke, Creame, Fruits, or what they have and many Nations (we have heard) that had not Gummes and Incense, obtained their requests with a leavened Cake; It was no fault to approach their gods, by what meanes they could: And the moft, though meaneft, of things, are made more precious, when they are dedicated to Temples. In that name therefore, we moft humbly confecrate to your H. H. these remaines of your fervant SHAKESPEARE; that what delight is in them, may be ever your L. L. the reputation his, and the faults ours, if any be committed, by a paire fo carefull to fhew their gratitude both to the living, and the dead, as is Your Lordships most bounden JOHN HEMINGE. THE PREFACE OF THE PLAYER S. To the great variety of Readers. F ROM the most able, to him that can but spell: There you are number'd, we had rather you were weigh'd. Efpecially, when the fate of all Bookes depends upon your capacities and not of your heads alone, but of your Purfes. Well, it is now publike, and you will stand for your priviledges, we know to reade, and cenfure. Doe fo, but buy it first. That doth best commend a Booke, the Stationer fayes. Then, how odde foever your braines be, or your wifedomes, make your licence the fame, and fpare not. Judge your fixe-penny'orth, your fhillings worth, your five fhillings worth at a time, or higher, fo you rife to the juft rates, and welcome. But, whatever you doe, buy. Cenfure will not drive a Trade, or make the Jacke goe. And though you be a Magistrate of wit, and fit, on the Stage at BlackFryers, or the Cock-pit, to arraigne Playes dayly, know, thefe Playes have had their triall already, and ftood out all Appeales; and doe now come forth quitted rather by a Decree of Court, than any purchas'd letters of commendation. It had been a thing, we confeffe, worthy to have been wifhed, that the Author himfelfe had liv'd to have fet forth, and overseene his owne writings; But fince it hath been ordain'd otherwife, and he by death departed from that right, we pray you doe not envy his Friends, the office of their care, and paine, to have collected and publifh'd them; and fo to have publishe them, as where (before) you were abus'd with divers ftolne, and furreptitious Copies, maimed and deformed by the frauds and ftealths of injurious Impoftors, that expos'd them even thofe, are now offer'd to your view cured, and perfect of their limbes; and all the reft, abfolute in their numbers as he conceived them. Who, as he was a happy imitator of Nature, was a moft gentle expreffer of it. His minde and hand went together: And what he thought, he uttered with that eafineffe, that we have scarce received from him a blot in his papers. papers. But it is not our Province, who onely gather his workes, and give them you, to praise him. It is yours that reade him. And there we hope, to your divers capacities, you will finde enough, both to draw, and hold you: for his wit can no more lie hid, then it could be loft. Reade him, therefore; and againe, and againe: And if then you doe not like him, furely you are in fome manifeft danger, not to understand him. And fo we leave you to other of his Friends, who, if you need, can be your guides: if you neede them not, you can leade yourfelves, and others. And fuch Readers we with him. JOHN HEMINGE. HENRY CONDELL. MR. POPE's MR. POPE's PREFA C E. T is not my defign to enter into a Criticism upon this Author; tho' to do it effectually and not fu I perficially, would be the beft occafion that any juft Writer could take, to form the judgment and taste of our nation. For of all English Poets Shakefpear muft be confeffed to be the fairest and fulleft fubject for Criticism, and to afford the most numerous, as well as moft confpicuous inftances, both of Beauties and Faults of all forts. But this far exceeds the bounds of a Preface, the business of which is only to give an account of the fate of his Works, and the difadvantages under which they have been tranfmitted to us. We fhall hereby extenuate many faults which are his, and clear him from the imputation of many which are not: A defign, which tho' it can be no guide to future Criticks to do him juftice in one way, will at least be fufficient to prevent their doing him an injuftice in the other. I cannot however but mention fome of his principal and characteristic Excellencies, for which (notwithftanding his defects) he is juftly and univerfally elevated above all other Dramatick Writers. Not that this is the proper place of praifing him, but because I would not omit any occafion of doing it. If ever any Author deferved the name of an Original, it was Shakespear. Homer himself drew not his |