Various other inftances of the fame kind might be produced; but that I may not weary my readers, I will only add, that no perfon who wishes to perufe the plays of Shakspeare fhould ever open the Second Folio, or either of the fubfequent copies, in which all thefe capricious alterations were adopted, with many additional errors and inno vations. It may seem strange, that the person to whom the care of fupervifing the fecond folio was configned, fhould have been thus ignorant of our poet's language: but it fhould be remembered, that in the beginning of the reign of Charles the First many words and modes of fpeech began to be difufed, which had been common in the age of Queen Elizabeth. The editor of the fecond folio was probably a young man, perhaps born in the year 1600. That Sir William D'Avenant, who was born in 1605, did not always perfectly understand our author's language, is manifeft from various alterations which he has made in fome of his pieces. The fucceffive Chronicles of English hiftory, which were compiled between the years 1540 and 1630, afford indubitable proofs of the gradual change in our phrafeology during that period. Thus a narrative which Hall exhibits in what now appears to us as very uncouth and ancient diction, is again exhibited by Holinfhed, about forty years afterwards, in somewhat a lefs rude form; and in the chronicles of Speed and Baker in 1611 and 1630, affumes a fomewhat more polifhed air. In the fecond edition of Gascoigne's Poems printed in 1587, the editor thought it neceffary to explain many of the words by placing more familiar terms in the margin, though not much more than twenty years had elapfed from the time of their compofition: fo rapid were at that time the changes in our language. My late friend Mr. Tyrrwhitt, a man of fuch candour, accuracy, and profound learning, that his death must be confidered as an irreparable loss, to literature, was of opinion, that in printing these plays the original fpelling fhould be adhered to, and that we never could be fure of a perfectly faithful edition, unless the firft folio copy was made the standard, and actually fent to the prefs, with fuch corrections as the editor might think proper. By others it was fuggefted, that the notes fhould not be subjoined to the text, but placed at the end of each volume, and that they fhould be accompanied by a complete Gloffary. The former fcheme (that of fending the first folio to the prefs) appeared to me liable to many objections; and I am confident that if the notes were detached from the text, many readers would remain uninformed, rather than undergo the trouble occafioned by perpetual references from one part of a volume to another. In the prefent edition I have endeavoured to obtain all the advantages which would have refulted from Mr. Tyrrwhitt's plan, without any of its inconveniences. Having often experienced the fallaciousness of collation by the eye, I determined, after I had adjusted the text in the best manner in my power, to have every proof-sheet of my work read aloud to me, while I perufed the first folio, for thofe plays which first appeared in that edition; and for all thofe which had been previously printed, the firft quarto copy, excepting only in the instances of The Merry Wives of Windfor, and King Henry V. which, being either sketches or imperfect copies, could not be wholly relied on; and King Richard III. of the earlieft edition of which tragedy I was not poffeffed. I had at the fame time before me a table which I had formed of the variations between the quartos and the folio. By this laborious procefs not a fingle innovation, made either by the editor of the fecond folio, or any of the modern editors, could efcape me. From the Index to all the words and phrafes explained or illustrated in the notes, which I have fubjoined to this work, every use may be derived which the moft copious Gloffary could afford; while those readers who are lefs intent on philological inquiries, by the notes being appended to the text, are relieved from the irksome task of feeking information in a different volume from that immediately before them. If it be afked, what has been the fruit of all this. labour, I answer, that many innovations, transpositions, &c. have been detected by this means; many hundred emendations have been made, and, I trust, • At the time the tragedy of King Richard III. was in the prefs, I was obliged to make use of the Second edition printed in 1598; but have fince been furnished with the edition of 1597, which I have collated verbatim, and the most material variations are noticed in the Appendix. 7 If the explication of any word or phrafe fhould appear unfatisfactory, the reader, by turning to the Gloffarial Index, may know at once whether any additional information has been obtained on the subject. Thus, in Macbeth, Vol. IV. p. 392, Dr. Warburton's erroneous interpretation of the word blood-bolter'd is inferted; but the true explication of that provincial term may be found in the APPENDIX. So of the phrafe, "Will you take eggs for money" in The Winter's Tale; and fome others. 8 Left this affertion fhould be supposed to. be made without evidence, I fubjoin a lift of the restorations made from the original copy, and fupported by contemporary ufage, in two plays only; The Winter's Tale and King John. The lines in the Italick character are exhibited as they appear in the edition of 1778, a genuine text has been formed. Wherever any (as being much more correctly printed than that of 1785,) those in the common character as they appear in the present edition (i. e. Mr. Malone's, in ten volumes). "The doctrine of ill-doing, no, nor dream'd-" P. 295. "The doctrine of ill-doing; nor dream'd-." 3. "As o'er-dy'd blacks, as winds, as waters; 4. "As ornament oft does." P. 302. "As ornaments oft do." P. 130. P. 126. P. 300. P. 130. The original copy, with a difregard of grammar, reads—“ As ornaments oft does.' This inaccuracy has been conftantly corrected by every editor, wherever it occurs; but the correction fhould always be made in the verb, and not in the noun. 5. "Have you not-thought (for cogitation 66 6. " Refides not in the man that does not think it) "My wife is flippery ?" P. 408. "Have you not-thought (for cogitation wifhing clocks more Swift? "Hours, minutes, the noon midnight? and all eyes,—' wifhing clocks more swift? P. 408. "Hours minutes? noon midnight? and all eyes,—" Ay, and thou,-who may'ft fee P. 139. 7. "How I am gall'd—thou might'ft be-fpice a cup,-" P. 309. Ay, and thou,-who may'st see "How I am galled,-might'ft be-fpice a cup,-" P. 140. 9. Relifh as truth like us." P. 317. "Relish a truth like us.' P. 156. 10. "And I beseech you, hear me, who profess-" P. 333. "And I beseech you hear me, who professes" P. 162. 11. This feffion to our great grief," P. 343. "This feffions to our great grief,-" P. 170. 12. "The bug which you will fright me with, I feek." P. 347. "The bug which you would fright me with, I feek." P. 175. P. 349. "You here fhall fwear upon this fword of juftice, 13. "You here fhall fwear upon the fword of justice,—" 14. "The feffion fhall proceed." P. 349. "The feffions fhall proceed." P. 178. P. 177. Of all incertainties—” "Which you knew great, and to the certain hazard "Of all incertainties-" P. 179. Some word was undoubtedly omitted at the prefs; (probably fearful or doubtful;) but I thought it better to exhibit the line in an imperfect ftate, than to adopt the interpolation made by the editor of the second folio, who has introduced perhaps as unfit a word as could have been chofen. 16. Through my dark ruft! and how his piety-"_P. 360. Thorough my ruft! and how his piety" P. 179. The firft word of the line is in the old copy by the mistake of the compofitor printed Through. 17. "O but dear fir," P. 375. 18. "Your difcontenting father I'll ftrive to qualify,—" P. 401. "Your discontenting father strive to qualify,-" P. 224. 19. If I thought it were not a piece of honesty to acquaint the king withal, I would do it." P. 407. "If I thought it were a piece of honefty to acquaint the king withal, I'd not do it." P. 229. |