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that occafion in fuch terms, as I cannot repeat without vanity. I was obliged to Sir Richard Steele for a very early recommendation of my undertaking to the publick. Dr. Swift promoted my intereft with that warmth with which he always serves his friend. The humanity and franknefs of Sir Samuel Garth are what I never knew wanting on any occafion. I must alfo acknowledge with infinite pleasure, the many friendly offices, as well as fincere criticifms of Mr. Congreve, who had led me the way in tranflating fome parts of Homer. I muft add the names of Mr. Rowe and Dr. Parnell, though I fhall take a further opportunity of doing juftice to the laft, whofe good-nature (to give it a great panegyrick) is no lefs extenfive than his learning. The favour of thefe gentlemen is not entirely undeferved by one who bears them so true an affection. But what can i fay of the honour fo many of the Great have done me, while the first names of the age appear as my fubfcribers, and the most diftinguished patrons and ornaments of learning as my chief encouragers. Among these it is a particular pleasure to me to find, that my highest obligations are to fuch who have done most honour to the name of Poet: That his Grace

the Duke of Buckingham was not displeased I fhould undertake the author to whom he has given (in his excellent Essay) fo complete a Praise.

Read Homer once, and you can read no more;
For all Books else appear fo mean, so poor,
Verse will feem Profe: but ftill perfift to read,
And Homer will be all the Books you need.

That the Earl of Hallifax was one of the first to favour me, of whom it is hard to fay whether the advancement of the polite arts is more owing

to

to his generofity or his example. That fuch a Genius as my Lord Bolingbroke, not more diftinguished in the great scenes of business, than in all the useful and entertaining parts of learning, has not refused to be the critick of these sheets, and the patron of their writer. And that the noble author of the Tragedy of Heroic Love, has continued his partiality to me, from my writing Paftorals, to my attempting the Iliad. I cannot deny myself the pride of confeffing, that I have had the advantage not only of their advice for the conduct in general, but their correction of feveral particu lars of this tranflation.

I could fay a great deal of the pleasure of being diftinguished by the Earl of Carnarvon, but it is almost abfurd to particularize any one generous action in a perfon whofe whole life is a continued feries of them. Mr. Stanhope, the prefent Secretary of State, will pardon my defire of having it known that he was pleased to promote this affair. The particular zeal of Mr. Harcourt (the fon of the late Lord Chancellor) gave me a proof how much I am honoured in a fhare of his friendship. I must attribute to the fame motive that of several others of my friends, to whom all acknowledgments are rendered unneceffary by the privileges of a familiar correfpondence: And I am fatisfy'd I can no way better oblige men of their turn, than by my filence.

In fhort, I have found more patrons than ever Homer wanted. He would have thought himself happy to have met the fame favour at Athens that has been shewn me by its learned rival, the Univerfity of Oxford. And I can hardly envy him those pompous honours he received after death, when I reflect on the enjoyment of fo many agreeable obligations, and eafy friendships, which make

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the fatisfaction of life. This diftinction is the more to be acknowledged, as it is fhewn to one whofe pen has never gratified the prejudices of particular parties, or the vanities of particular men. Whatever the fuccefs may prove, I fhall never repent of an undertaking in which I have experienced the candour and friendship of fo many perfons of merit ; and in which I hope to pafs fome of thofe years of youth that are generally loft in a circle of follies, after a manner neither wholly unuseful to others, nor disagreeable to myself.

PREFACE

PREFACE

TO THE

I

Works of SHAKESPEAR.

T is not my defign to enter into a criticism up

on this author; tho' to do it effectually and not fuperficially, would be the beft occafion that any juft writer could take, to form the judgment and taste of our nation. For of all English poets Shakespear must be confeffed to be the faireft and fulleft fubject for criticism, and to afford the most numeroys, as well as moft confpicuous inftances, both of beauties and faults of all forts. But this far exceeds the bounds of a Preface, the business of which is only to give an account of the fate of his works, and the disadvantages under which they have been tranfmitted to us. We fhall hereby extenuate many faults which are his, and clear him from the imputation of many which are not: A defign, which though it can be no guide to future criticks to do him justice 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 characteristic excellencies, for which (not

(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 deserved the name of an Original, it was Shakespear. Homer himself drew not his art fo immediately from the fountains of Nature; it proceeded thro' Ægyptian ftrainers and channels, and came to him not without fome tincture of the learning, or fome caft of the models, of thofe before him. The poetry of Shakespear was inspiration indeed: he is not fo much an Îmitator, as an Inftrument, of Nature; and 'tis not so just to say that he speaks from her, as that fhe fpeaks thro' him.

His Chara&teas are fo much Nature herself, that 'tis a fort of injury to call them by fo diftant a name as copies of her. Thofe of other Poets have a conftant refemblance, which fhews that they received them from one another, and were but multipliers of the fame image: each picture like a mock-rainbow is but the reflexion of a reflexion. But every fingle character in Shakespear is as much an individual, as thofe in life itself; it is as impoffible to find any two alike; and fuch as from their relation or affinity in any refpect appear moft to be twins, will upon compaifon be found remarkably diftinct. To this life and variety of character, we must add the wonderful prefervation of it; which is fuch throughout his Plays, that, had all the speeches been printed without the very names of the perfons, I believe one might have applied them with certainty to every Speaker

The Power over our Paffions was never poffefs'd in a more eminent degree, or difplayed in fo dif

ferent

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