"have reflected on themfelves, had thefe brangling "critics fociably united; and, instead of putting them"felves in a pofture of defence against one another,

jointly taken the field, and united all their efforts, "to refcue fo inimitable an author from the Gothic outrage of dull players, duller printers, and ftill duller editors?"

Amidst such a variety of editors, and fuch different characters of them, no one could be implicitly followed. We have therefore confulted them all; and, of the various readings and conjectures, thofe only have been adopted, and inferted in the text, that seemed to agree beft with the meaning of the author. No scope has been given to conjecture or imagination; not a fingle line, not even a fingle word, is inferted, but what is warranted by the authority of preceeding edi tors. No regard has been had to the Oxford editor's reformation of SHAKESPEAR'S numbers, or to his other almoft innumerable conjectures and interpolations, far ther than as fome of the latter have received the fanction of fucceeding critics. But the reader will fee from a lift fubjoined to the Indexes in the last volume, what conjectures or alterations of the critics are adopted in this edition; and perhaps it may not be loft las bour to confult the various readings in that lift, as it may give thofe who have not feen former editions, fome idea of the art of literal criticism, fo long hack neyed among the learned; and they may reject to prefer as they judge proper. The utmost care has been taken to print this edition correctly, especially with refpect to the pointing. As to which, due regard has always been had to the feveral inftances of falle or depraved pointing, whereby the fenfe was marred, and fome paffages rendered almoft quite unintelligible, as obferved by Meff. Theobald and Warburton. And tho' it is not intended to affirm, that this edition is free from faults, yet fuch care has been taken, that 'tis thought it may well vie with any of thofe hitherto pu blifhed in England; at leaft, we flatter ourselves, it will not be found inferior either in beauty or correct, nefs.

The

The acts and fcenes are divided according to Pope's and Warburton's editions; and not according to Theobald's or Hanmer's, the former of whom has not numbered the fcenes.

In Pope's edition, the paffages which he thought the most beautiful and ftriking, are diftinguifhed with inverted commas. In imitation of him, Mr. Warburton did the fame by as many others as he thought most deferving of the readers attention. All these have been attended to in this edition; the Beauties obferved by Mr. Pope being marked with a fingle comma, and thofe by Mr. Warburton with a double one. Befides thefe, the Beauties, as regularly felected from each play by Mr. Dodd, are pointed out, p. xlix. & feqq. Thefe beauties are here marked in the order of the volumes and plays; and the reader is directed to the pages and lines where every one of them occur. Upon examination; he will find many of them coincide with thofe which had been before obferved by Pope and Warburton. Mr. Dodd's titles of the beauties are likewife given, generally in his own words, and fome notes are added.

Sufpected paffages or interpolations are degraded to the bottom of the page, with proper marks referring to the places of their infertion. The greatest part are fo ftigmatized on the authority of Mr. Pope; and a few on that of the Oxford editor, and Mr. Warburton. Some lines in different places are inclosed within hooks or crotchets, as, in Mr. Warburton's opinion, foifted into the text by the players, or of fpurious iffue, and noted as fuch at the bottom of the page; and a few chafs or defects. are pointed out by afterifks, with probable conjectures for fupplying fome of them.

Several short notes are put at the bottom of the pages in all the volumes, tending to explain licentious terms, uncouth phrafes, quaint allufions, antiquated customs, and obfcure paffages. Thefe have been chiefly taken from Pope, Hanmer, and Warburton; and but a very few from Theobald and Dodd. Though most of them are given in the words of the authors; yet fome have

been

been abridged, in order to adapt them to this edition, in which brevity has been all along ftudied.

The Gloffary annexed, is confiderably improved, by the addition of many words and phrases; errors are corrected, and falfe interpretations thrown out. Words not to be met with in SHAKESPEAR; but evidently the editor's interpolations into the text, have been difcarded, and additions made to the meanings of words ftill retained. Warburton's and Pope's notes have been confulted for that purpose; and fome aflistance has been got from Mr. Dodd's notes on the beauties.

The Index, befides being here reduced to a strict alphabetical order, and put into a quite different form, has been confiderably enlarged, efpecially in the first fection, and cleared from feveral blunders. To all which is added, an Index of the Beauties as felected: by Mr. Dodd, more full and correct than his own.

This preface fhall be concluded with prefenting to the reader a few of the many encomiums bestowed up on our author by his critics; from which a perfon unacquainted with his writings, may form fome judgment of his merit.

"As in great piles of building, (fays Mr. Theobald), "fome parts are often finished up to hit the taste of "the connoiffeur; others more negligently put toge"ther, to strike the fancy of a common and unlearn"ed beholder: fome parts are made ftupendiously "magnificent and grand, to furprife with the vaft de "fign and execution of the architect; others are con "tracted, to amufe you with his neatnefs and ele-gance in little: So, in SHAKESPEAR, we find traits "that will ftand the test of che fevereft judgment; and strokes as carelessly hit off, to the level of the more ordinary capacities: fome defcriptions raised "to that pitch of grandeur, as to aftonifh you with "the compafs and elevation of his thought; and o"thers copying nature within fo narrow, fo confined a circle, as if the author's talent lay only at draw

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ing in miniature.In how many points of light "must we be obliged to gaze at this great poet! in "how many branches of excellence to confider and "admire him! Whether we view him on the fide of "art or nature, he ought equally to engage our at "tention: whether we respect the force and greatness "of his genius, the extent of his knowledge and read, ing, the power and addrefs with which he throws out and applies either nature or learning, there is ample fcope both for our wonder and pleasure. "If his diction and the cloathing of his thoughts at "tract us, how much more muft we be charmed with "the richness and variety of his images and ideas! "If his images and ideas fteal into our fouls, and strike upon our fancy, how much are they improved in price, when we come to reflect with what propriety " and justness they are applied to character! If we "look into his characters, and how they are furnished "and proportioned to the employment he cuts out "for them, how are we taken up with the mastery of "his portraits! What draughts of nature! what va"riety of originals, and how differing each from the "other! How are they dreffed from the ftores of his "own luxurious imagination; without being the apes "of mode, or borrowing from any foreign wardrobe! "Each of them are the standards of fashion for them,

felves; like gentlemen that are above the direction "of their tailors, and can adorn themselves without "the aid of imitation. If other poets draw more than one fool or coxcomb, there is the fame refemblance " in them; as in that painter's draughts, whỏ was "happy only at forming a rofe; you find them all

younger brothers of the fame family, and all of them "have a pretence to give the fame creft. But SHAKE"SPEAR'S clowns and fops come all of a different "houfe; they are no farther allied to one another, "than as man to man, members of the fame fpecies; "but as different in features and lineaments of char racter, as we are from one another in face or com "plexion."

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"SHAKESPEAR, (fays Mr. Warburton), widely ex

celling

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celling 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 wri"ter, whether his aim was the ufe, or only the en"tertainment of mankind.-And (fays he) 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 66 more our immediate concern, than those which let us into the knowledge of our nature. Others 'may "exercife the reafon, or amufe the imagination; but "thefe only can improve the heart, and form the "human mind to wifdom. Now, in this fcience, our "SHAKESPEAR is confeffed to occupy the foremost

place; whether we confider the amazing fagacity "with which he inveftigates 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 paf"fions, appetites, and purfuits. Thefe afford a leffon which can never be too often repeated, or too "conftantly inculcated."

"I fhall not (fays Mr. Dodd) attempt any laboured "encomiums on SHAKESPEAR, or endeavour to fet "forth his perfections, at a time when fuch univerfal "and juft applaufe is paid him, and when every tongue "is big with his boundless fame. He himself tells us, "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily. "To throw a perfume on the violet, "Tofmooth the ice, or add another hue "Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light

"To feek the beauteous eye of heav'n to garnish, "Is wasteful and ridiculous excess. vol. 3. p. 338. "And wafteful and ridiculous indeed it would be, to fay any thing in his praife, when prefenting the "world with fuch a collection of BEAUTIES, as perhaps is no where to be met with, and, I may very fafely affirm, cannot be parallelled from the productions of any other single author, ancient or mo

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