ment, or which will do; provided He can think of any thing, which he imagines will do better. VII. He may find-out obfolete words, or coin new ones; and put them in the place of fuch, as He does not like, or does not understand. VIII. He may prove a reading, or fupport an explanation, by any fort of reafons; no matter whether good or bad. IX. He may interpret his Author fo; as to make him mean directly contrary to what He fays. X. He should not allow any poetical licences, which He does not understand. XI. He may make foolish amendments or explanations, and refute them; only to enhance the value of his critical skill. XII. He may find out a bawdy or immoral meaning in his author; where there does not appear to be any bint that way. XIII. He needs not attend to the low accuracy of orthography, or pointing; but may ridicule fuch trivial criticisms in others. XIV. Yet, when He pleases to condescend to fuch work, He may value himself upon it; and not only restore loft puns, but point-out fuch quaint nesses, nesses, where, perhaps, the Author never thought of them. XV. He may explane a difficult paffage, by words abfolutely unintelligible. XVI. He may contradict himself; for the fake of Shewing his critical skill on both fides of the question. XVII. It will be necessary for the Professed Critic to bave by him a good number of pedantic and abufive expressions, to throw-about upon proper occafions. XVIII. He may explane his Author, or any former Editor of him; by supplying such words, or pieces of words, or marks, as he thinks fit for that purpose. XIX. He may use the very fame reafons, for confirming his own obfervations; which He has difallowed in his adverfary. XX. As the defign of writing notes is not so much to explane the Author's meaning, as to difplay the Critic's knowlege; it may be proper, to fhew his univerfal learning, that He minutely point out, from whence every metaphor and allufion is taken. XXI. It will be proper, in order to fhew his wit efpecially, if the Critic be a married Man; to take every opportunity of fneering at the Fair Sex. B 3 XXII. XXII. He may mifquote bimfelf, or any body elfe; in order to make an occafion of writing Notes, when He cannot otherwife find one. XXIII. The Profefs'd Critic, in order to furnish bis Quota to the Bookfeller, may write NOTES of Nothing; that is to fay, Notes, which either explane things which do not want explanation; or fuch as do not explane matters at all, but merely fill-up fo much paper. XXIV. He may difpenfe with truth; in order to give the world a higher idea of his parts, or of the value of bis work. XXV. He may alter any Paffage of his author, without reafon and against the Copies; and then quote the paffage fo altered, as an authority for altering any other. INTRO INTRODUCTION To the First Edition. HAKESPEAR, an author of the greatest S genius that our, or perhaps any other, country ever afforded; has had the misfortune to fuffer more from the careleffness or ignorance of his editors, than any author ever did. a The first editions were, as Mr. Pope obferves," printed from the prompter's book, or "the piece-meal parts written-out for the players;" and are very much disfigured by their blunders and interpolations. "At length, fays Mr. Warburton, he had "his appointment of an editor in form. But the bookfeller, whofe dealing was with wits, having learnt of them I know not what filly "maxim, that none but a poet fhould prefume "to meddle with a poet; engaged the ingenious "Mr. Rowe to undertake this employment. A "wit indeed he was; but fo utterly unacquaint"ed with the whole business of criticism; that " he did not even collate or confult the firft edi*tions of the work he undertook to publish:" [I wish this does not appear to be the fault of other editors, befide Mr. Rowe] "but contented Mr. Pope's Pref. p. 41. b Mr. W.'s Pref. p. 8. "himself "himself with giving us a meagre account of "the author's life, interlarded with fome com"mon-place fcraps from his writings." The leaner Mr. Rowe's account was, it certainly stood the more in need of larding; but, meagre as it is, it helps a little to fwell-out Mr. Warburton's edition. The bookfellers however, who from employing Mr. Rowe are henceforth grown to be proprietors; "not difcouraged by their first unfuc cefsful effort, in due time, made a fecond; "and (though they ftill" [foolishly]" stuck to "their poets) with infinitely more fuccefs, in "the choice of Mr. Pope." And what did He do? Why, "by the mere force of an uncommon genius, without any particular study or pro"feffion of this art," he told us which plays he thought genuine, and which spurious; and degraded as interpolations fuch fcenes as he did not like, in those plays which he allowed. He then (that is, after he had by his own judgment determined what was worth mending) "confulted the old editions;" and from them mended a great number of faulty places. Thus far Mr, Pope;" which, it fhould seem, was as far as a poet could go. But alas! "there was a great deal more to be done, before Shakespear could be restored to himself." Sanctius his animal, mentifque capacius altæ Deerat adhuc; et quod dominari in cætera poffit, The poets were to clear-away the rubbish; and then to make way for a more masterly workman, Mr. W.'s Pref. F. 9. |