being thus neglected, were soon destroyed; and though the capital authors were preserved, they were preserved to languish without regard. How little Shakspeare himself was once read, may be understood from Tate, who, in his dedication to the altered play of King Lear, speaks of the original as of an obfcure piece, recommended to his notice by a friend; and the author of the Tatler having occafion to quote a few lines out of Масbeth, was content to receive them from D'Avenant's alteration of that celebrated drama, in which almost

* In the year 1707 Mr. N. Tate published a tragedy called Injured Love, or the Cruel Husband, and in the title-page calls himself " Author of the tragedy called King Lear."

In a book called The Actor, or a Treatise on the Art of Playing, 12mo. published in 1750, and imputed to Dr. Hill, is the following pretended extract from Romeo and Juliet, with the author's remark on it:

"The faints that heard our vows and know our love,

Seeing thy faith and thy unspotted truth,

" Will fure take care, and let no wrongs annoy thee.

Upon my knees I'll ask them every day

"How my kind Juliet does; and every night,
"In the severe distresses of my fate,

"As I perhaps shall wander through the defert,
"And want a place to rest my weary head on,
"I'll count the stars, and bless 'em as they shine,

"And court them all for my dear Juliet's fafety."

"The reader will pardon us on this and fome other occafions, that where we quote passages from plays, we give them as the author gives them, not as the butcherly hand of a blockhead prompter may have topped them, or as the unequal genius of fome bungling critic may have attempted to mend them. Who+ ever remembers the merit of the player's speaking the things we celebrate them for, we are pretty confident will with he spoke them alsolutely as we give them, that is, as the author gives them."

Perhaps it is unnecessary to inform the reader that not one of the lines above quoted, is to be found in the Romeo and Juliet of Shakspeare. They are copied from the Caius Marius of Otway. STEEVENS.

every original beauty is either aukwardly disguised, or arbitrarily omitted. So little were the defects or peculiarities of the old writers known, even at the beginning of our century, that though the custom of alliteration had prevailed to that degree in the time of Shakspeare, that it became contemptible and ridiculous, yet it is made one of Waller's praises by a writer of his life, that he first introduced this practice into English verfification.

It will be expected that some notice should be taken of the last editor of Shakspeare, and that his merits should be estimated with those of his predecessors. Little, however, can be said of a work, to the completion of which, both a large proportion of the commentary and various readings is as yet wanting. The Second Part of King Henry VI. is the only play from that edition, which has been confulted in the course of this work; for as several passages there are arbitrarily omitted, and as no notice is given when other deviations are made from the old copies, it was of little consequence to examine any further. This circumstance is mentioned, lest such accidental coincidences of opinion, as may be discovered hereafter, should be interpreted into plagiarifm.

It may occafionally happen, that some of the remarks long ago produced by others, are offered again as recent discoveries. It is likewise abfolutely impoffible to pronounce with any degree of certainty, whence all the hints, which furnish matter for a commentary, have been collected, as they lay scattered in many books and papers, which were probably never read but once, or the particulars which they contain received only in the course of common conversation; nay, what is called plagiarism, is often no more than the result of having thought alike with others on the fame subject.

The dispute about the learning of Shakspeare being now finally settled, a catalogue is added of those translated authors, whom Mr. Pope has thought proper to call

"The classicks of an age that heard of none."

The reader may not be displeased to have the Greek and Roman poets, orators, &c. who had been rendered acceffible to our author, exposed at one view;2 especially as the lift has received the advantage of being corrected and amplified by the Reverend Dr. Farmer, the substance of whose very decisive pamphlet is interspersed through the notes which are added in this revisal of Dr. Johnson's Shakspeare.

To those who have advanced the reputation of our poet, it has been endeavoured, by Dr. Johnson, in a foregoing preface, impartially to allot their dividend of fame; and it is with great, regret that we now add to the catalogue, another, the confequence of whose death will perhaps affect not only the works of Shakspeare, but of many other writers. Soon after the first appearance of this edition, a disease, rapid in its progress, deprived the world of Mr. Jacob Tonson; a man, whose zeal for the improvement of English literature, and whose liberality to men of learning, gave him a just title to all the honours which men of learning can bestow. To suppose that a person employed in an extensive trade, lived in a state of indifference to loss and gain, would be to 'conceive a character incredible and romantick; but it may be justly faid of Mr. Tonson, that he had enlarged his mind beyond folicitude about petty losses, and refined it from the defire of unreasonable profit. He was willing to admit those with whom he contracted, to the just advantage of their own labours; and had never learned to confider the author as an under-agent to the bookseller. The wealth which he inherited or acquired, he enjoyed like a man confcious of the dignity of a profession subservient to learning. His domestick life was elegant, and his charity was liberal. His manners were soft, and his conversation delicate: nor is, perhaps, any quality in him more to be cenfured, than that reserve which confined his acquaintance to a small number, and made his example less useful, as it was less extensive. He was the last commercial name of a family which will be long remembered ; and if Horace thought it not improper to convey the SOSII to pofterity; if rhetorick fuffered no difhonour from Quintilian's dedication to TRYPHO; let it not be thought that we disgrace Shakspeare, by appending to his works the name of TONSON.

To this prefatory advertisement I have now subjoined 3 a chapter extracted from the Guls Hornbook, (a fatirical pamphlet written by Decker in the year 1609) as it affords the reader a more complete idea of the customs peculiar to our ancient theatres, than any other publication which has hitherto fallen in my way. See this performance, page 27.

• This addition to Mr. Steevens's Advertisement was made in 1778. MALONE.

"CHAP. VI.

# How a Gallant should behave himself in a Playhouse.

"The theatre is your poet's Royal Exchange, upon which, their muses (that are now turn'd to merchants) meeting, barter away that light commodity of words for a lighter ware than words, plaudities and the breath of the great beast, which (like the threatnings of two cowards) vanish all into aire. Plaiers and their factors, who put away the stuffe and make the best of it they poffibly can (as indeed 'tis their parts so to doe) your gallant, your courtier, and your capten, had wont to be the foundest pay-masters, and I thinke are still the surest chapmen: and these by meanes that their heades are well stockt, deale upon this comical freight by the grosse; when your groundling, and gallery commoner buyes his sport by the penny, and, like a hagler, is glad to utter it againe by retailing.

"Sithence then the place is so free in entertainment, allowing a stoole as well to the farmer's sonne as to your Templer: that your stinkard has the self fame libertie to be there in his tobacco fumes, which your sweet courtier hath: and that your carman and tinker claime as strong a voice in their fuffrage, and fit to give judgment on the plaies' life and death, as well as the proudest Momus among the tribe of critick; it is fit that hee, whom the most tailors' bils do make room for, when he comes, should not be basely (like a vyoll) cas'd up in a corner.

"Whether therefore the gatherers of the pub