PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. THE of the of Shakespeare: he HE AUTHOR of the following ESSAY was fol hath however, in his own capacity, little reason to complain of occafional Criticks, or Criticks by profeffion. The very FEw, who have been pleased to controvert any part of his Doctrine, have favoured him with better manners, than arguments; and claim his thanks for a further opportunity of demonstrating the futility of Theoretick reafoning against Matter of Fact. It is indeed strange, that any real Friends of our immortal POET should be ftill willing to force him into a fituation, which is not tenable: treat him as a learned Man, and what fhall excufe the most grofs violations of History, Chronology, and Geography? Οὐ πείσεις, ἐδ ̓ ἢν πείσης is the Motto of every Polemick: like his Brethren at the Amphitheatre, he holds it a merit to die hard; and will not fay, Enough, though the Battle be decided. "Were it fhewn, fays fome one, that the old Bard borrowed all his allufions from English books then published, our Elayit might have poffibly established his System.' In In good time! This had fcarcely been attempted by Peter Burman himself, with the Library of Shakespeare before him." Truly, as Mr. Dogberry lays, for mine own part, if I were as tedious as a King, I could find in my heart to bestow it all on this Subject:" but where fhould I meet with a Reader? When the main Pillars are taken away, the whole Building falls in courfe: Nothing hath been, or can be, pointed out, which is not easily removed; or rather, which was not virtually removed before: a very little Analogy will do the business, I fhall therefore have no occafion to trouble myself any further; and may venture to call my Pamphlet, in the words of a pleasant Declaimer against Sermons on the thirtieth of January," an Anfwer to every thing that shall hereafter be written on the Subject." But "this method of reasoning will prove any one ignorant of the Languages, who hath written when Tranflations were extant.' Shade of Burgerfdicius! does it follow, because Shakespeare's early life was incompatible with a course of Education-whofe Contemporaries, Friends and Foes, nay, and himself likewife, agree in his want of what is usually called Literature-whose mistakes from equivocal Tranflations, and even typographical Errors, cannot poffibly be accounted for otherwife, that Locke, to whom not one of these circumstances is applicable, underftood no Greek?-I fufpect, Rollin's Opinion of our Philofopher was not founded on this argument. Shakespeare wanted not the Stilts of Languages to raise him above all other men. The quotation from · Lilly in the Taming of the Shrew, if indeed it be his, ftrongly proves the extent of his reading: had he known Terence, he would not have quoted erroneously from from his Grammar. Every one hath met with men in common life, who, according to the language of the Water-poet, "got only from Poffum to Poffet," and yet will throw out a line occafionally from their Accidence or their Cato de Moribus with tolerable propriety. If, however, the old Editions be trufted in this paffage, our Author's memory fomewhat failed him in point of Concord. The rage of Parallelifms is almost over, and in truth nothing can be more abfurd. "THIS was ftolen from one Claffick,-THAT from another;"and had I not stept in to his rescue, poor Shakespeare had been stript as naked of ornament, as when he first held Horfes at the door of the Playhouse. The late ingenious and modeft Mr. Dodsley declared himself "Untutor'd in the lore of Greece or Rome:" Yet let us take a paffage at a venture from any of his performances, and a thousand to one, it is ftolen. Suppofe it be his celebrated Compliment to the Ladies, in one of his earliest pieces, The Toy-fhop: "A good Wife makes the cares of the World fit eafy, and adds a sweetness to its pleasures; fhe is a Man's beft Companion in Profperity, and his only Friend in Adverfity; the carefulleft preferver of his Health, and the kindeft Attendant in his Sickness; a faithful Advifer in Diftrefs, a Comforter in Afflic tion, and a prudent Manager in all his domestic Affairs."-Plainly, from a fragment of Euripides preferved by Stobaus. σε Γυνὴ γὰρ ἐν κακοῖσι καὶ νόσοις πέσει Par. 4to. 1623. Malvolia 1 Malvolio in the Twelfth-Night of Shakespeare hath fome expreffions very fimilar to Alnafchar in the Arabian Tales: which perhaps may be fufficient for fome Criticks to prove his acquaintance with Arabic! It seems however, at laft, that "Tafte fhould determine the matter." This, as Bardolph expreffes it, is a word of exceeding good command: but I am willing, that the Standard itself be somewhat better ascertained before it be opposed to demonstrative Evidence. Upon the whole, I may confider myself, as the Pioneer of the Commentators: I have removed a deal of learned Rubbish, and pointed out to them Shakefpeare's track in the ever-pleafing Paths of Nature. This was neceffarily a previous Inquiry; and I hope I may affume with fome confidence, what one of the firft Criticks of the Age was pleased to declare on reading the former Edition, that "The Question is now for ever decided." I may just remark, left they be mistaken for Errata, that the word Catherine in the 47th page is written, according to the old Orthography, for Catharine; and that the paffage in the 51ft page is copied from Upton, who improperly calls Horatio and Marcellus in Hamlet," the Centinels.” In p. 23. 1. 23. for had probably read might have &c. In p. 2. 1. 11. for Effay of, read on Shakespeare. In p. 37. 1.26. after Henderson, add, or Henryfen, according to other In p. 52. at the bottom, read, Tullius of olde age, printed with the AN |