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was abfolutely ignorant of the Art of Criticifin,
as well as of the Poetry of that Time, and the
Language of his Author. And fo far from a
Thought of examining the firft Editions, that
he even neglected to compare Mr. Pope's, from
which he printed his own, with Mr. Theobald'
whereby he loft the Advantage of
many fine
Lines which the other had recovered from
the old Quartos. Where he trufts to his own
Sagacity, in what affects the Sense, his Conjec-
tures are generally abfurd and extravagant, and
violating every Rule of Criticism. Tho', in this
Rage of Correcting, he was not abfolutely desti-
tute of all Art. For, having a number of my
Conjectures before him, he took as many of them
as he faw fit, to work upon; and by changing
them to fomething, he thought, fynonimous or
fimilar, he made them his own; and fo became
a Critic at a cheap Expence. But how well he hath
fucceeded in this, as likewife in his Conjectures
which are properly his own, will be seen in the
courfe of my Remarks: Tho', as he hath de-
clined to give the Reafons for his Interpolations,
he hath not afforded me so fair a hold of him as Mr.
Theobald hath done, who was lefs cautious. But
his principal Object was to reform his Author's
Numbers; and this, which he hath done, on
every Occafion, by the Infertion or Omiffion
of a fet of harmlefs unconcerning Expletives,
makes up the grofs Body of his innocent Correc-
tions. And fo, in spite of that extreme Negligence
in Numbers, which diftinguishes the first Dra-
matic Writers, he hath tricked up the old Bard,

from

from Head to Foot, in all the finical Exactnefs of a modern Measurer of Syllables.

For the reft, all the Corrections which these two Editors have made on any reasonable Foundation, are here admitted into the Text; and carefully affigned to their respective Authors. A piece of Juftice which the Oxford Editor never did; and which the Other was not always fcrupulous in obferving towards me. To conclude with them in a word, They separately poffeffed those two Qualities which, more than any other, have contributed to bring the Art of Criticism into difrepute, Dulness of Apprehenfion, and Extravagance of Conjecture.

I am now to give fome Account of the present Undertaking. For as to all thofe Things, which have been published under the titles of Eays, Remarks, Obfervations, &c. on Shakespear, (if you except fome critical Notes on Macbeth, given as a Specimen of a projected Edition, and written, as appears, by a Man of Parts and Genius) the reft are abfolutely below a ferious Notice.

The whole a Critic can do for an Author who deferves his Service, is to correct the faulty Text; to remark the Peculiarities of Language; to illuftrate the obfcure Allufions; and to explain the Beauties and Defects of Sentiment or Compofition. And furely, if ever Author had a Claim to this Service, it was our Shakespear: Who, widely excelling in the Knowledge of Human Nature, hath given to his infinitely varied Pictures of it, fuch Truth of Design, such Force of Drawing, fuch Beauty of Colouring, as was hardly

ever equalled by any Writer, whether his Aim was the Ufe, or only the Entertainment of Mankind. The Notes in this Edition, therefore, take in the whole Compafs of Criticism.

I. The first fort is employed in restoring the Poet's genuine Text; but in thofe Places only where it labours with inextricable Nonsense. In which, how much foever I may have given Scope to critical Conjecture, where the old Copies failed me, I have indulged nothing to Fancy or Imagination; but have religiously observed the fevere Canons of literal Criticism; as may be seen from the Reasons accompanying every Alteration of the common Text. Nor would a different Conduct have become a Critic, whofe greatest Attention, in this part, was to vindicate the eftablished Reading from Interpolations occafioned by the fanciful Extravagancies of others. I once intended to have given the Reader a body of Canons, for literal Criticism, drawn out in form; as well fuch as concern the Art in general, as those that arise from the Nature and Circumftances of our Author's Works in particular. And this for two Reasons. Firft, To give the unlearned Reader a juft Idea, and confequently a better Opinion of the Art of Criticism, now funk very low in the popular Efteem, by the Attempts of fome who would needs exercife it without either natural or acquired Talents; and by the ill Succefs of others, who seemed to have loft both, when they came to try them upon English Authors. Secondly, To deter the unlearned Writer from wantonly trifling with an Art he is a Stranger to, at the Expence of his

own

own Reputation, and the Integrity of the Text of established Authors. But thefe Ufes may be well fupplied by what is occafionally faid upon the Subject, in the Course of the following Remarks.

II. The fecond fort of Notes confifts in an Explanation of the Author's Meaning, when, by one, or more of these Causes, it becomes obfcure; either from a licentious Ufe of Terms; or a bard or ungrammatical Conftruction; or laftly, from far-fetch'd or quaint Allufions.

1. This licentious Ufe of Words is almost peculiar to the Language of Shakespear. To common Terms he hath affixed Meanings of his own, unauthorised by Ufe, and not to be juftified by Analogy. And this Liberty he hath taken with the nobleft Parts of Speech, fuch as Mixedmodes; which, as they are moft fufceptible of Abuse, fo their Abuse most hurts the Clearness of the Discourse. The Critics (to whom ShakeSpear's Licence was still as much a Secret as his Meaning, which that Licence had obfcured) fell into two contrary Mistakes; but equally injurious to his Reputation and his Writings. For fome of them obferving a Darkness, that pervaded his whole Expreffion, have cenfured him for Confufion of Ideas and Inaccuracy of reafoning. In the Neighing of a Horfe, (fays Rymer) or in the Growling of a Mastiff there is a Meaning, there is a lively Expreffion, and, may I fay, more Humanity than many times in the tragical Flights of Shakespear. The Ignorance of which Cenfure is of a piece with its Brutality. The Truth is, no one thought

clearer,

clearer, or argued more clofely than this immortal Bard. But his Superiority of Genius lefs needing the Intervention of Words in the Act of Thinking, when he came to draw out his Contemplations into Difcourfe, he took up (as he was hurried on by the Torrent of his Matter) with the first Words that lay in his way; and if, amongst these, there were two Mixed-modes that had but a principal Idea in common, it was enough for him; he regarded them as fynonimous, and would use the one for the other without Fear or Scruple.-Again, there have been others, fuch as the two laft Editors, who have fallen into a contrary Extreme; and regarded Shakespear's Anomalies (as we may call them) amongst the Corruptions of his Text; which, therefore, they have cashiered in great numbers, to make room for a Jargon of their own.

This

hath put me to additional Trouble; for I had not only their Interpolations to throw out again, but the genuine Text to replace, and establish in its ftead; which, in many Cafes, could not be done without fhewing the peculiar Sense of the Terms, and explaining the Causes which led the Poet to fo perverfe an ufe of them. I had it once, indeed, in my Defign, to give a general alphabetic Glossary of thefe Terms; but as each of them is explained in its proper Place, there feemed the lefs Occafion for fuch an Index.

2. The Poet's hard and unnatural Conftruction had a different Original. This was the Effect of mistaken Art and Defign. The Public Taste was in its Infancy; and delighted, (as it

always

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