Of this Knowledge every Man has fome, and none has much; but when an Authour has engaged the publick Attention, those who can add any Thing to his Illuftration, communicate their Discoveries, and Time produces what had eluded Diligence.

To Time I have been obliged to refign many Paffages, which, though I did not underftand them, will perhaps hereafter be explained; having, I hope, illuftrated fome, which others have neglected or miftaken, fometimes by fhort Remarks, or marginalDirections, fuch as every Editor has added at his Will, and often by Comments more laborious than the Matter will feem to deferve; but that which is moft difficult is not always most important, and to an Editor nothing is a Trifle by which his Authour is obfcured.

The poetical Beauties or Defects I have not been very diligent to obferve. Some Plays have more, and fome fewer judicial Obfervations, not in Proportion to their Difference of Merit, but because I gave this Part of my Defign to Chance and to Caprice. The Reader, I believe, is feldom pleafed to find his Opinion anticipated; it is natural to delight more in what we find or make, than in what we receive. Judgment, like other Faculties, is improved by Practice, and its Advancement is hindered by Submiffion to dictatorial Decifions, as the Memory grows torpid by the Ufe of a Table-book, Some Initiation is however neceffary; of all Skill Part is infufed by Precept, and Part is obtained by Habit; I have therefore fhewn fo much as may enable the Candidate of Criticism to discover the reft.

To the End of moft Plays I have added fhort Strictures, containing a general Cenfure of Faults, or Praife of Excellence; in which I know not how much I have concurred with the current Opinion; but I have not, by any Affectation of Singularity, deviated from it. Nothing is minutely and particu-,

larly

Jarly examined, and therefore it is to be fuppofed, that in the Plays which are condemned there is much to be praifed, and in those which are praised much to be condemned.

The Part of Criticism in which the whole Succeffion of Editors has laboured with the greateft Diligence, which has occafioned the moft arrogant Oftentation, and excited the keeneft Acrimony, is the Emendation of corrupted Paffages, to which the publick Attention having been firft drawn by the Violence of the Contention between Pope and Thenbald, has been continued by the Perfecution, which, with a Kind of Confpiracy, has been fince raised againft all the Publishers of Shakespeare.

That many Paffages have paffed in a State of Depravation through all the Editions, is indubitably certain; of thefe the Reftoration is only to be attempted by Collation of Copies, or Sagacity of Conjecture. The Collator's Province is fafe and eafy, the Conjecturer's perilous and difficult. Yet, as the greater Part of the Plays are extant only in one Copy, the Peril must not be avoided, nor the Difficulty refufed.

Of the Readings which this Emulation of Amendment has hitherto produced, fome from the Labours of every Publifher I have advanced into the Text; thofe are to be confidered as in my Opinion fufhciently fupported: Some I have rejected without Mention, as evidently erroneous; fome I have left in the Notes without Cenfure or Approbation, as refting in Equipoife between Objection and Defence; and fome, which feemed fpecious, but not right, I have inferted with a fubfequent Animadverfion.

Having claffed the Obfervations of others, I was at laft to try what I could fubftitute for their Miftakes, and how I could fupply their Omiffions. I collated fuch Copies as I could procure, and wifhed

for

for more; but have not found the Collectors of thefe Rarities very communicative. Of the Editions which Chance or Kindness put into my Hands, I have given an Enumeration, that I may not be blamed for neglecting what I had not the Power to do.

By examining the old Copies, I foon found that the late Publishers, with all their Boafts of Diligence, fuffered many Paffages to ftand unauthorised, and contented themfelves with Rowe's Regulation of the Text, even where they knew it to be arbitrary, and with a little Confideration might have found it to be wrong. Some of these Alterations are only the Ejection of a Word for one that appeared to him more elegant, or more intelligible. These Corruptions I have often filently rectified; for the Hiftory of our Language, and the true Force of our Words, can only be preferved by keeping the Text of Authours free from Adulteration. Others, and thofe very frequent, fmoothed the Cadence, or regulated the Meafure; on these I have not exercised the fame Rigour ; if only a Word was tranfposed, or a Particle inferted or omitted, I have fometimes fuffered the Line to ftand; for the Inconftancy of the Copies is fuch, as that fome Liberties may be eafily permitted. But this Practice I have not fuffered to proceed far, having restored the primitive Diction wherever it could for any Reafon be preferred.

The Emendations, which Comparison of Copies fupplied, I have inferted in the Text; fometimes where the Improvement was flight, without Notice; and sometimes with an Account of the Reasons of the Change.

Conjecture, though it is fometimes unavoidable, I have not wantonly not licentiously indulged. It has been my fettled Principle, that the Reading of the ancient Books is probably true; and therefore is not to be disturbed for the Sake of Elegance, Perspicuity, or mere Improvement of the Senfe. For,

though

though much Credit is not due to the Fidelity, nor any to the Judgment of the first Publishers; yet they who had the Copy before their Eyes were more likely to read it right, than we who only read it by Imagination. But it is evident that they have often made ftrange Miftakes by Ignorance or Negligence; and that therefore fomething may be properly attempted by Criticism, keeping the middle Way between Prefumption and Timidity.

Such Criticism I have attempted to practife; and, where any Paffage appeared inextricably perplexed, have endeavoured to discover how it may be recalled to Sense with least Violence. But my first Labour is, always to turn the old Text on every Side, and try if there be any Interftice, though which Light can find its Way; nor would Huetius himself condemn me, as refufing the Trouble of Research, for the Ambition of Alteration. In this modeft Induftry I have not been unsuccessful. I have refcued many Lines from the Violation of Temerity, and fecured many Scenes from the Inroads of Correction. I have adopted the Roman Sentiment, that it is more honourable to fave a Citizen, than to kill an Enemy, and have been more careful to protect than to attack.

I have preferved the common Distribution of the Plays into Acts, though I believe it to be in almost all the Plays void of Authority. Some of those which are divided in the later Editions have no Division in the firft Folio, and fome that are divided in the Folio have no Divifion in the preceding Copies. The fettled Mode of the Theatre requires four Intervals in the Play; but few, if any, of our Authour's Com, pofitions can be properly diftributed in that Manner. An Act is fo much of the Drama as paffes without Intervention of Time, or Change of Flace. A Paufe makes a new Act. In every real, and therefore in every imitative Action, the Intervals may bu

more

more or fewer, the Reftriction of five Acts being accidental and arbitrary. This Shakespeare knew, and this he practifed: His Plays were written, and at first printed, in one broken Continuity, and ought now to be exhibited with fhort Paufes, interpofed as often as the Scene is changed, or any confiderable Time is required to pafs. This Method would at once quell a thousand Abfurdities,

In restoring the Author's Works to their Integrity, I have confidered the Punctuation as wholly in my Power: For what could be their Care of Colons and Commas, who corrupted Words and Sentences; Whatever could be done by adjufting Points is therefore filently performed, in fome Plays with much Diligence, in others with lefs: It is hard to keep a bufy Eye ftedfaftly fixed upon evanefcent Atoms, or a difcurfive Mind upon evanefcent Truth.

The fame Liberty has been taken with a few Particles, or other Words of flight Effect. I have fometimes inferted or omitted them without Notice. I have done that fometimes, which the other Editors have done always, and which indeed the State of the Text may fufficiently juftify.

The greater Part of Readers, inftead of blaming us for paffing Trifles, will wonder that on mere Trifles fo much Labour is expended, with fuch Importance of Debate, and fuch Solemnity of Diction. To thefe I anfwer with Confidence, that they are judging of an Art which they do not understand; yet cannot much reproach them with their Ignorance, nor promife that they would become in general, by learning Criticifm, more ufeful, happier, or wifer.

As I practifed Conjecture more, I learned to truft it lefs; and after I had printed a few Plays, refolved to infert none of my own Readings in the Text. Upon this Caution i now congratulate myself, for every Day encreafes my Doubt of my Emendations.