Art and Genius, which each has given us; They are the Authors of other Works very unworthy of them: But with this Difference; that in Johnson's bad Pieces we don't discover one fingle Trace of the Author of the Fox and Alchymift: but in the wild extravagant Notes of Shakespear, you every now and then encounter Strains that recognize the divine Compofer. This Difference may be thus accounted for. Johnfon, as we faid before, owing all his Excellence to his Art, by which he fometimes ftrain'd himself to an uncommon Pitch, when at other times he unbent and play'd with his Subject, having nothing then to fupport him, it is no wonder he wrote fo far beneath himself. ButShakespear, indebted more largely to Nature, than the Other to acquired Talents, in his moft negligent Hours could never so totally diveft himself of his Genius, but that it would frequently break out with aftonishing Force and Splendor.

As I have never propos'd to dilate farther on the Character of my Author, than was neceffary to explain the Nature and Use of this Edition, I fhall proceed to confider him as a Genius in Poffeffion of an everlasting Name. And how great that Merit muft be, which could gain it against all the Difadvantages of the horrid Condition in which he has hitherto appear'd! Had Homer, or any other admir'd Author, first started into Publick fo maim'd and deform'd, we cannot determine whether they had not funk for ever under the Ignominy of fuch an ill Appearance. The mangled Condition of Shakespear has been acknowledg'd by Mr. Rowe, who publifh'd him indeed, but neither corrected his Text, nor collated the old Copies. This Gentleman had Abilities, and fufficient Knowledge of his Author, had but his Industry been equal to his Talents. The fame mangled Condition has been acknowledg'd too by Mr. Pope, who publish'd him likewife, pretended to have collated the old Copies, and yet feldom has corrected the Text but to its In

jury.

jury. I congratulate with the Manes of our Poet,' that this Gentleman has been fparing in indulging his private Senfe, as he phrafes it; for He, who tampers with an Author, whom he does not underfland, muft do it at the Expence of his Subject. I have made it evident throughout my Remarks, that he has frequently inflicted a Wound where he intended a Cure. He has acted with regard to our Author, as an Editor, whom LIPSIUS mentions, did with regard to MARTIAL; Inventus eft nefcio quis Popa, qui non vitia ejus, Jed ipfum excidit. He has attack'd him like an unhandy Slaughterman; and not lopp'd off the Errors,

but the Poet.

When this is found to be the Fact, how abfurd must appear the Praises of fuch an Editor? It feems a moot Point, whether Mr. Pope has done moft Injury to Shakespear as his Editor and Encomiaft; or Mr. Kymer done him Service as his Rival and Cenfurer. They have Both fhewn themselves in an equal Impuiffance of fufpecting, or amending, the corrupted Paflages: and tho' it be neither Prudence to cenfure, or commend, what one does not understand; yet if a man must do one when he plays the Critick, the latter is the more ridiculous Office: And by That Shakespear fuffers most. For the natural Veneration, which we have for him, makes us apt to fwallow whatever is given us as his, and fet off with Encomiums; and hence we quit all Sufpicions of Depravity: On the contrary, the Cenfure of fo divine an Author fets us upon his Defence; and this produces an exact Scrutiny and Examination, which ends in finding out and difcriminating the true from the fpurious.

It is not with any fecret Pleasure, that I fo frequently animadvert on Mr. Pope as a Critick; but there are Provocations, which a Man can never quite forget. His Libels have been thrown out with fo much Inveteracy, that, not to difpute whether they should come from a Chriftian, they leave it a Question whether they

could

could come from a Man. I fhould be loth to doubt, as Quintus Serenus did in a like Cafe,

Sive homo, feu fimilis turpiffima beftia nobis,
Vulnera dente dedit.

The Indignation, perhaps, for being reprefented a Blockhead, may be as ftrong in us as it is in the Ladies for a Reflexion on their Beauties. It is certain, I am indebted to Him for fome flagrant Civilities; and I fhall willingly devote a Part of my Life to the honest Endeavour of quitting Scores: with this Exception however, that I will not return thofe Civilities in his peculiar Strain, but confine myself, at least, to the Limits of common Decency. I fhall ever think it better to want Wit, than to want Humanity: and impartial Pofterity may, perhaps, be of my Opinion.

But, to return to my Subject; which now calls upon me to inquire into thofe Caufes, to which the Depravations of my Author originally may be affign'd. We are to confider him as a Writer, of whom no authentic Manufcript was left extant; as a Writer, whose Pieces were difperfedly perform'd on the feveral Stages then in Being. And it was the Cuftom of thofe Days for the Poets to take a Price of the Players for the Pieces They from time to time furnish'd; and thereupon it was fuppos'd, they had no farther Right to print them without the Consent of the Players. As it was the Intereft of the Companies to keep their Plays unpublish'd, when any one fucceeded, there was a Contest betwixt the Curiofity of the Town, who demanded to see it in Print, and the Policy of the Stagers,* who wish'd to fecrete it within their own Walls. Hence, many Pieces were taken down in Short-hand, and imperfectly copied by Ear, from a Representation: Others were printed from piece-meal Parts furreptitiously obtain'd from the Theatres, uncorrect, and without the Poet's Knowledge. To fome of these Caules we owe the Train of Blemishes, that deform thofe Pieces

which ftole fingly into the World in our Author's Life-time.

There are ftill other Reafons, which may be fuppos'd to have affected the whole Set. When the Players took upon them to publish his Works intire, every Theatre was ranfack'd to fupply the Copy; and Parts collected, which had gone thro' as many Changes as Performers, either from Mutilations or Additions made to them. Hence we derive many Chasms and Incoherences in the Senfe and Matter. Scenes were frequently tranfpofed, and fhuffled out of their true Place, to humour the Caprice, or fuppos'd Convenience, of fome particular Actor. Hence much Confufion and Impropriety has attended, and embarras'd the Business and Fable. To thefe obvious Caufes of Corruption it must be added, That our Author has lain under the Difadvantage of having his Errors propagated and multiplied by Time: becaufe, for near a Century, his Works were publish'd from the faulty Copies, without the Affiftance of any intelligent Editor: which has been the Cafe likewife of many a Claffic Writer.

The Nature of any Diftemper once found has generally been the immediate Step to a Cure. ShakeSpear's Cafe has in a great Meafure refembled That of a corrupt Claffic; and, confequently, the Method of Cure was likewife to bear a Refemblance. By what Means, and with what Succefs, this Cure has been effected on ancient Writers, is too well known, and needs no formal Illustration. The Reputation, confequent on Tasks of that Nature, invited me to attempt the Method here; with this view, the Hopes of restoring to the Publick their greatest Poet in his original Purity: after having fo long lain in a Condition that was a Difgrace to common Senfe. To this end I have ventur'd on a Labour, that is the firit Affay of the kind on any modern Author whatsoever. For the late Edition of Milton by the Learned Dr. Bentley is, in the main, a Performance of another Species.

Species. It is plain, it was the Intention of that Great Man rather to correct and pare off the Excrefcencies of the Paradife Loft, in the Manner that Tucca and Varius were employ'd to criticize the Encis of Virgil, than to reftore corrupted Paffages. Hence, therefore, may be feen either the Iniquity or Ignorance of his Cenfurers, who, from fome Expreffions, would make us believe, the Doctor every where gives us his Corrections as the original Text of the Author; whereas the chief Turn of his Criticifin is plainly to fhew the World, that if Milton did not write as He would have him, he ought to have wrote fo.

I thought proper to premife this Obfervation to the Readers, as it will fhew that the Critic on Shakespear is of a quite different Kind. His genuine Text is for the most part religiously adher'd to, and the numerous Faults and Blemishes, purely his own, are left as they were found. Nothing is alter'd, but what by the clearest Reasoning can be proved a Corruption of the true Text; and the Alteration, a real Restoration of the genuine Reading. Nay, fo ftrictly have I ftrove to give the true Reading, tho' fometimes not to the Advantage of my Author, that I have been ridiculously ridicul'd for it by Thofe, who either were iniquitoully for turning every thing to my Difadvantage; or elfe were totally ignorant of the true Duty of an Editor,

The Science of Criticifim, as far as it affects an Editor, feems to be reduced to thefe three Claffes; the Emendation of corrupt Pallages the Explanation of obscure and difficult ones, and an Inquiry into the Beauties and Defects of Compofition. This Work is principally confin'd to the two former Parts: tho there are fome Specimens inte:fpers'd of the latter Kind, as feveral of the Emendations were beft fupported, and feveral of the Difficulties beft explain'd, by taking notice of the Beauties and Defects of the Compofition peculiar to this Immortal Poet. But This was but occafional, and for the fake only of VOL. I.

per