A green Dragon of the fame, with a tail of Ground

Ivy for the prefent.

N. B. These two not to be fold feparately.

Edward the Black Prince in Cyprefs.

A Laurustine Bear in Bloffom, with a Juniper Hunter in Berries.

A pair of Giants stunted, to be fold cheap.

A Queen Elizabeth in Phyllirea, a little inclining to the green sickness, but of full growth.

Another Queen Elizabeth in Myrtle, which was very forward, but mifcarried by being too near a Savine.

An old Maid of Honour in Wormwood.

A topping Ben Johnson in Laurel.

Divers eminent modern Poets in Bays, fomewhat blighted, to be disposed of a pennyworth.

A quick-fet Hog fhot up into a Porcupine, by being forgot a week in rainy weather.

A Lavendar Pig, with fage growing in his belly. A pair of Maidenheads in Fir, in great forwardnefs.

He also cutteth family pieces of men, women, and children, so that any gentleman may have his lady's effigies in Myrtle, or his own in Hornbeam.

Thy Wife fhall be as the fruitful Vine, and thy Children as Olive-branches round thy Table.

PREFACE

то THE

WORKS OF SHAKESPEAR.

IT T is not my design * to enter into a Criticism upon this Author; though to do it effectually and not fuperficially, would be the best occafion that any

juft

*It is always to be lamented that Pope ever undertook this edition of Shakespear, a task which the course of his readings and studies did not qualify him to execute with the ability and skill which it deserved, and with which it has fince been executed. This Preface, however, is written with tafte, judgment, purity, and elegance; as that of Dr. Johnson is with uncommon fpirit and fplendor. What the latter urges against observing the Unities of Time and Place, in Dramatic Poetry, is unanswerable. But I cannot poffibly affent to his opinion that Shakespear's predominant excellence lay in Comedy, not Tragedy. An Effay has been written on this fubject, which may poffibly, one day, fee the light. It is almoft impoffible to say much on this greatest of our poets, after the many curious researches, unwearied induftry, and accurate remarks, every where vifible in the excellent editions of Malone and Steevens. This edition of Pope had however the accidental merit of making Shakespear more read and acted. Dryden's character of our unrivalled poet, in his Essay on Dramatic Poetry, is exquifitely written, and contains moft

VOL. IX.

FF

of

434

just writer could take to form the judgment and

taste of our nation. Shakespear must be

For of all English Poets,
confeffed to be the fairest

and fulleft fubject for criticism, and to afford the
most numerous, as well as moft confpicuous in-
ftances, both of beauties and faults of all forts.
But this far exceeds the bounds of a Preface,
the bufinefs of which is only to give an account of
the fate of his works, and the difadvantages under
We fhall
which they have been tranfmitted to us.
hereby extenuate many faults which are his, and
clear him from the imputation of many which are

not:

of the topics in his praise, that later critics have only expanded and repeated. Dr. Warburton informs us that he undertook his edition of Shakespear, at the carneft perfuafion of Pope; "who was defirous, (he fays,) that his edition should be melted down into mine." But I do not recollect any edition of any author whatever, that was ever more totally expofed and demolished, on account of its numerous perverfe interpretations, and improbable conjectures, than this edition in queftion, by Mr. Thomas Edwards, in his twenty-five Canons of Criticifm, which were drawn and illuftrated, with equal humour and judgment, In vain was the from Warburton's own notes and remarks.

author thrust into a niche of the Dunciad; thefe Canons will continue to be read with equal pleafure and conviction, as well as the Ode which Akenfide wrote to him on the subject, in which he fays,

Then Shakespear debonnair and mild

Brought that ftrange comment forth to view!
Conceits more deep, he faid and fmil'd,
Than his own fools or madmen knew;
But thank'd a generous friend above,
Who did with free adventurous love
Such pageants from his tomb remove.

not a defign which, though it can be no guide to future criticks to do him juftice in one way, will at least be fufficient to prevent their doing him an injustice in the other.

I cannot, however, but mention fome of his principal and characteristick excellencies, for which (notwithstanding his defects) he is justly and univerfally elevated above all other dramatick Writers. Not that this is the proper place of praifing him, but because I would not omit any occafion of doing it.

If ever any Author deferved the name of an Original, it was Shakespear. Homer himself drew nót his art fo immediately from the fountains of Nature; it proceeded through Egyptian ftrainers and channels, and came to him not without fome tincture of the learning, or fome caft of the models, of those before him. The poetry of Shakespear was infpiration indeed: he is not fo much an Imitator, as an inftrument, of Nature; and it is not fo just to say that he speaks from her, as that she speaks through him.

His Characters are fo much Nature* herself, that it is a fort of injury to call them by fo diftant a name as copies of her. Those of other Poets have a conftant resemblance which fhews that they received > them from one another, and were but multipliers of the fame image; each picture, like a mockrainbow, is but the reflection of a reflection. But every

*See Mrs. Montagu's ingenious Effay on Shakespeare, and her confutations of fome of Voltaire's criticifms.