Thefe, fuch as they are, were amongst my younger amufements, when, many years ago, I used to turn over these fort of Writers to unbend myself from more ferious applications: And what, certainly, the Public, at this time of day, had never been troubled with, but for the conduct of the two laft Editors, and the perfuafions of dear Mr. POPE; whofe memory and name, femper acerbum, Semper honoratum (fic Di voluiftis) habebo. He was defirous I fhould give a new Edition of this Poet, as he thought it might contribute to put a stop to a prevailing folly of altering the Text of celebrated Authors without Talents or Judgment. And he was willing that his Edition fhould be melted down into mine, as it would, he said, afford him (fo great is the modesty of an ingenuous temper) a fit opportunity of confeffing his Mistakes. In memory of our Friendthip, I have, therefore, made it our joint Edition. His admirable Preface is here added; all his Notes are given, with his name annexed; the Scenes are divided according to his regulation; and the most beautiful paffages diftinguifhed, as in his book, with inverted commas. In imitation of him, I have done the fame by as many others as I thought most deferving of the Reader's attention, and have marked them with double commas. tion. If, from all this, Shakespear or good Letters have received any advantage, and the Public any benefit, or entertainment, the thanks are due to the Proprietors, who have been at the expence of procuring this EdiAnd I fhould be unjuft to feveral deferving Men of a reputable and ufeful Profeffion, if I did not, on this occafion, acknowledge the fair dealing I have always found amongst them; and profefs my fenfe of the unjust Prejudice which lies against them; whereby *See his Letters to me. they they have been, hitherto, unable to procure that security for their Property, which they fee, the rest of their Fellow-Citizens enjoy. A prejudice in part arising from the frequent Piracies, (as they are called) committed by Members of their own Body. But fuch kind of Members no Body is without. And it would be hard that this fhould be turned to the difcredit of the honeft part of the Profeffion, who fuffer more from fuch Injuries than any other men. It hath, in part too, arisen from the clamours of profligate Scriblers, ever ready, for a piece of Money, to proftitute their bad fenfe for or against any Caufe prophane or facred; or in any Scandal public or private: Thefe meeting with little encouragement from Men of account in the Trade, (who even in this enlightened Age are not the very worft Judges or Rewarders of merit) apply themselves to People of Condition; and fupport their importunities by falfe complaints against Bookfellers. But I fhould now, perhaps, rather think of my own Apology, than bufy myfelf in the defence of others. I fhall have fome Tartuffe ready, on the first appearance of this Edition, to call out again, and tell me, that I fuffer myself to be wholly diverted from my purpofe by these matters lefs fuitable to my clerical Profeffion. "Well, but, fays a Friend, why not take fo candid an intimation in good part? Withdraw yourself, "again, as you are bid, into the clerical Pale; exa"mine the Records of facred and prophane Anti"quity; and, on them, erect a Work to the con"fufion of Infidelity." Why, I have done all this, and more: And hear now what the fame Men have faid to it. They tell me, I have wrote to the wrong and injury of Religion, and furnished out more bandles for Unbelievers. Oh now the fecret's out; and you "may have your pardon, I find, upon eafier terms. "'Tis only, to write no more."Good Gentlemen! and fhall I not oblige them? They would glad ly obftruct my way to thofe things which every Man, who endeavours well in his Profeffion, muft needs think he has fome claim to, when he fees them given to those who never did endeavour; at the fame time that they would deter me from taking those advantages which Letters enable me to procure for myself. If then I am to write no more; (tho' as much out of my Profeffion as they may pleafe to reprefent this Work, I fufpect their modefty would not infift on a fcrutiny of our several applications of this prophane profit and their purer gains) if, I fay, I am to write no more, let me at least give the Public, who have a better pretence to demand it of me, fome reafon for my prefenting them with thefe amufements. Which, if I am not much mistaken, may be excused by the best and fairest Examples; and, what is more, may be justified on the furer reafon of things. The great Saint CHRYSOSTOM, a name confecrated to immortality by his Virtue and Eloquence, is known to have been fo fond of Aristophanes as to wake with him at his ftudies, and to fleep with him under his pillow and I never heard that this was objected either to his Piety or his Preaching, not even in thofe times of pure Zeal and primitive Religion. Yet, in refpect of Shakespear's great fenfe, Aristophanes's beft wit is but buffoonry; and, in comparison of Aristophanes's Freedoms, Shakespear writes with the purity of a Veftal. But they will fay, St. Chryfoftom contracted a fondnefs for the comic Poet for the fake of bis Greek. To this, indeed, I have nothing to reply. Far be it from me to infinuate fo unfcholarlike a thing, as if We had the fame Ufe for good English that a Greek had for his Attic elegance. Critic Kufter, in a taste and language peculiar to Grammarians of a certain order, hath decreed, that the History and Chronology of Greek Words is the mot SOLID entertainment of a Man of Letters. I fly, then, to a higher Example, much nearer home, and still more in point, The famous Univerfity of OXFORD. This illuftrious Body, which hath long so justly held, and, with fuch equity, difpenfed, the chief honours of the learned World, thought good Letters fo much interested in correct Editions of the beft English Writers, that they, very lately, in their public Capacity, undertook one, of this very Author, by fubfcription. And if the Editor hath not difcharged his Tafk with fuitable abilities for one fo much honoured by them, this was not their fault but his, who thrust himself into the employment. After such an example, it would be weakening any defence to feek further for Authorities. All that can be now decently urged is the reafon of the thing; and this I fhall do, more for the fake of that truly venerable Body than my own. Of all the literary exercitations of fpeculative Men, whether defigned for the ufe or entertainment of the World, there are none of fo much importance, or what are more our immediate concern, than those which let us into the Knowledge of our Nature. Others may exercise the Reafon or amufe the Imagination; but these only can improve the Heart, and form the human Mind to Wisdom. Now, in this Science, our Shakespear is confeffed to occupy the foremost place; whether we confider the amazing fagacity with which he investigates every hidden fpring and wheel of human Action; or his happy manner of communicating this knowledge, in the juft and living paintings which. he has given us of all our Paffions, Appetites and Purfuits. These afford a leffon which can never be too often repeated, or too conftantly inculcated: And, to engage the Reader's due attention to it, hath been one of the principal objects of this Edition. As this Science (whatever profound Philofophers may think) is, to the reft, in Things; fo, in Words, (whatever fupercilious Pedants may talk) every one's e 3 mother mother tongue is to all other Languages. This hath ftill been the Sentiment of Nature and true Wisdom. Hence, the greatest Men of Antiquity never thought themselves better employed than in cultivating their own country idiom. So Lycurgus did honour to Sparta, in giving the first compleat Edition of Homer; and Cicero, to Rome, in correcting the Works of Lucretius. Nor do we want Examples of the fame good fenfe in modern Times, even amidst the cruel inrodes that Art and Fashion have made upon Nature and the fimplicity of Wisdom. Menege, the greatest name in France for all kinds of philologic Learning, prided himself in writing critical Notes on their best lyric Poet, Malherbe: And our greater Selden, when he thought it might reflect Credit on his Country, did not difdain even to comment a very ordinary Poet, one Michael Drayton. But the English tongue, at this Juncture, deferves and demands our particular regard. It hath, by means of the many excellent Works of different kinds compofed in it, engaged the notice, and become the study, of almoft every curious and learned Foreigner, fo as to be thought even a part of literary accomplishment. This muft needs make it deferving of a critical attention: And its being yet deftitute of a Teft or Standard to apply to, in cafes of doubt or difficulty, fhews how much it wants that attention. For we have neither GRAMMAR nor DICTIONARY, neither Chart nor Compafs, to guide us through this wide fea of Words. And indeed how fhould we? fince both are to be composed and finished on the Authority of our best established Writers. But their Authority can be of little ufe till the Text hath been correctly fettled, and the Phrafeology critically examined. As, then, by these aids, a Grammar and Dictionary, planned upon the beft rules of Logic and Philofophy, (and none but fuch will deferve the name) are to be procured; the forwarding of this will be a general concern: For, as Quintilian obferves, "Verborum pro "prietas |