emendation that has been adopted, is afcribed to When it is confidered that its proper author. 3. Thus leaning on my elbow, 66 66 Thus leaning on mine elbow," P. 457. 4. With them a baftard of the king deceas'd." P. 25. "With them a baftard of the king's deceas'd." P. 464. 5. "That thou haft under-wrought its lawful king." P. 26. "That thou haft under-wrought his lawful king." P. 465. .. Thy promises are like Adonis' gardens, "That one day bloom'd, and fruitful were the next." The old copy reads-garden. In King John, A& LV. fc. ii. that clofe afpect of his "Does fhew the mood of a much-troubled breaft.” The old copy reads Do. --- Ibidem, A& I. fc. i. The old copy, Tis two refpective." &c. Again, in the fame play, we find in the original copy, Against the inuoluerable clouds of heaven.' In King Henry V. A& V. fc. ii. In Cymbeline, A&t III. fc. iv. 66 The handmaids of all women, or, more truly, "Women its pretty felf." It cannot be expected that the page fhould be encumbered with the notice of fuch obvious mistakes of the prefs as are here enumerated. With the exception of errors fuch as thefe, whenever any emendation has been adopted, it is mentioned in a note, and afcribed to its author. there are one hundred thoufand lines in thefe plays, and that it often was neceffary to confult 6. " 66 Say, Shall the current of our right run on?" P. 37. Say, fhall the current of our right roam on?" P. 476. 7. "And now he feafts, mouthing the flesh of men,-" P. 38. "And now he feafts, moufing the flesh of men, 8. 9. 10. II. · P.477• P. 52. "For grief is proud, and makes his owner ftoop." 66 66 งา O, that a man would speak these words to me!" P. 52. O, that a man should speak these words to me !" P. 497 "Is't not amifs, when it is truly done? P. 64. "Is not amifs, when it is truly done." P. 504. "Then, in defpight of broad-ey'd watchful day," P. 72. "Then, in defpight of brooded watchful day,-" P.512. 13. A whole armado of collected fail." P. 74. 12. 14. 15. 16. "A whole armado of convicted fail." P. 514. And bitter Shame hath spoil'd the fweet world's tafte." P. 79. "And bitter shame hath spoil'd the fweet word's taste.” P. 81. P. 519. Strong reafons make ftrong actions." "Strong reafons make ftrange actions." P. 522. Muft make a ftand at what your highnefs will." P. 89. "Doth make a ftand at what your highness will," 17. "Had none, my lord! why, did not you provoke me?” 18. P. 96. "Had none, my lord! why, did you not provoke me?" P. 536. "Mad'ft it no confcience to deftroy a king. "Made it no confcience to deftroy a king." P. 537. 19. Sir, fir, impatience has its privilege." P. 102. Sir, fir, impatience has his privilege." P. 541. Or, when he doom'd this beauty to the grave,- P. "Or, when he doom'd this beauty to a grave, fix or feven volumes, in order to afcertain by 21. 22. "To the yet-unbegotten fins of time.". P. 102. "To the yet-unbegotten fin of times." P. 541. "And breathing to this breathless excellence,-" P. 102. "And breathing to his breathlefs excellence," P. 542. 23. And your fupplies, which you have wish'd fo long,—” P. 121. "And your fupply, which you have wifh'd fo long. 24. P. 561. "What's that to thee? Why may I not demand—” P. 122. What's that to thee? Why may not I demand—” 25. " P. 562. 26." Death, having prey'd upon the outward parts, 66 Against the mind, - P. 124. P. 563. Death, having prey'd upon the outward parts, 27. The falt of them is hot. Two other restorations in this play I have not fet down: "Before we will lay down our just-borne arms "Be these sad signs confirmers of thy word. because I pointed them out on a former occafion. It may perhaps be urged that fome of the variations in thefe lifts, are of no great confequence; but to preserve our poc'ts genuine text is certainly important; for otherwife, as Dr. Johnfon has juftly obferved, "the hiftory of our language will be loft;" and as our poet's words are changed, we are conftantly in danger of lofing his meaning alfo. Every reader must wish to perufe what Shakspeare wrote, fupported at once by the authority of the authentick copies, and the ufage of his contemporaries, rather than what the editor of the fecond folio, or Pope, or Hanmer, or Warburton, have arbitrarily fubftituted in its place. which of the preceding editors, from the time of the publication of the fecond folio, each emendation was made, it will easily be believed, that this was not effected without much trouble. Whenever I mention the old copy in my notes, if the play be one originally printed in quarto, I mean the first quarto copy; if the play appeared originally in folio, I mean the firft folio; and when I mention the old copies, I mean the first quarto and firft folio, which, when that expreffion is used, it may be concluded, concur in the fame reading. In like manner, the folio always means the firft folio, and the quarto, the earlieft quarto, with the exceptions already mentioned. In general, however, the date of each quarto is given, when it is cited. Where there are two quarto copies printed in the fame year, they are particularly diftinguifhed, and the variations noticed. The two great duties of an editor are, to exhibit the genuine text of his author, and to explain his obfcurities. Both of thefe objects have been so conftantly before my eyes, that, I am confident, one of them will not be found to have been neglected for the other. I can with perfect truth fay, with Dr. Johnson, that "not a fingle paffage in the whole work has appeared to me obfcure, which Let me not, however, be mifunderstood. All the fe variations have not been difcovered by the prefent collation, fome of them having been pointed out by preceding editors; but fuch as had been already noticed were merely pointed out the original readings are now established and fupported by the ufage of our poet himfelf and that of his contemporaries, and reftored to the text, inftead of being degraded to the bottom of the page. I have not endeavoured to illuftrate." I have examined the notes of all the editors, and my own former remarks, with equal rigour; and have endeavoured as much as poffible to avoid all controverfy, having conftantly had in view a philanthropick observation made by the editor above mentioned: "I know not (fays that excellent writer,) why our editors fhould, with fuch implacable anger, per fecute their predeceffors. Οι νεκροὶ μὴ δάκνυσιν, the dead, it is true, can make no refiftance, they may be attacked with great fecurity; but fince they can neither feel nor mend, the fafety of mauling them feems greater than the pleasure: nor perhaps would it much mifbefeem us to remember, amidst our triumphs over the nonfenfical and the fenfeless, that we likewife are men; that debemur morti, and, as Swift obferved to Burnet, fhall foon be among the dead ourfelves." I have in general given the true explication of a paffage, by wltomfoever made, without loading the page with the preceding unfuccefsful attempts at elucidation, and by this means have obtained room for much additional illuftration: for, as on the one hand, I truft very few fuperfluous or unneceffary annotations have been admitted, fo on the other, I believe, that not a fingle valuable explication of any obfcure paffage in these plays has ever appeared, which will not be found in the following volumes. The admirers of this poet will, I truft, not merely pardon the great acceffion of new notes in the prefent edition, but examine them with fome degree of pleasure. An idle notion has been propagated, that Shakspeare has been buried under his' |
