late Mr. Gildon was one attached to Rymer by a fimilar way of Thinking and Studies. They were both of that Species of Criticks, who are defirous of difplaying their Powers rather in finding Faults, than in confulting the Improvement of the World; the hypercri tical Part of the Science of Criticifm.

I had not mentioned the modelt Liberty I have here and there taken of animadverting on my Author, but that I was willing to obviate in Time the fplenetick Exaggerations of my Adverfaries on this Head. From past Experiments I have Reafon to be confcious, in what light this Attempt may be placed: and that what I call a modeft Liberty, will, by a little of their Dexte rity, be inverted into downright Impudence. From a hundred mean and difhoneft Artifices employ'd to difcredit this Edition, and to cry down its Editor, I have all the Grounds in Nature to beware of Attacks. But tho' the Malice of Wit, joined to the Smoothness of Verfification, may furnish fome Ridicule; Fact, I hope, will be able to ftand its Ground against Banter and Gaiety.

It has been my Fate, its feems, as I thought it my Duty, to discover fome Anachronisms in our Author; which might have flept in Obfcurity but for this Reftover, as Mr. Pope is pleas'd affectionately to ftile me: as, for Inftance, where Ariftotle is mentioned by Hector in Troilus and Creffida: and Galen, Cato, and Alexander the Great in Coriolanus. Thefe in Mr. Pope's Opinion, are Blunders, which, the Illiteracy of the first publishers of his Works has father'd upon the Poet's Memory: it not being at all credible, that These could be the Errors of any Man who had the leaft Tincture of a School, or the leaft Converfation with Such as bad. But I have fufficiently proved, in the course of my Notes, that fuch Anachronisms were the Effect of Poetic Licence, rather than of Ignorance in our Poet. And if I may be permitted to ask a modest Question by the way, Why may not I reftore an Anachronism g 4

really

really made by our Author, as well as Mr. Pope, takę the Privilege to fix others upon him, which he never had it in his Head to make; as I may venture to affirm he had not, in the Inftance of Sir Francis Drake, to which I have spoke in the proper Place?

But who fhall dare make any Words about this Freedom of Mr. Pope's towards Shakespear, if it can' be prov'd, that, in his Fits of Criticifi, he makes nọ more Ceremony with good cor himich? To try, then, a Criticifm of his own advancing, in the oth Book of the Odyfey, where Demodocus lings the Fpifode of the Loves of Mars and Venus; and that, upon their being taken in the Net by Vulcan,

..

"The God of Arms

Must pay the Penalty for lawless Charms; Mr. Pope is fo kind gravely to inform us,

"That Ho

mer in This, as in many other Places, feems to al¬ "lude to the Laws of Athens, where Death was the "Punishment of Adultery." But how is this fignificant Obfervation made out? Why, who can poffibly object any Thing to the contrary? Does not Paufanias relate, that Draco the Lawgiver to the Athenians granted Impunity to any Perfon that took Revenge upon an Adulterer? And was it not also the Inftitution of Solon, that if Any One took an Adulterer in the Fact, he might use him as be pleas'd? Thefe Things are very true, and to see what a good Memory and found Judgment in Conjunction can atchieve! Tho' Homer's Date is not determin'd down to a single Year, yet 'tis pretty generally agreed that he liv'd above 300 Years before Draco and Solon: And that, it seems, has made him feem to allude to the very Laws, which thefe Two Legillators propounded above 300 Years after. If this Inference be not fometimes like an Anachronfm or Prelepfis, I'll look once more into my Lexicons for the true Meaning of the words. It appears to me, that fomebody befides Mars and Venus has

1

been

been caught in a Net by this Epifode: and I could call in other Inftances to confirm what treacherous Tackle this Net-work is, if not cautiously handled.

How juft, notwithstanding, I have been in detecing the Anachronisms of my Author, and in defending him for the Ufe of them, our late Editor feems to think, they fhould rather have flept in Obfcurity; and the having difcovered them is fneer'd at, as a Sort of wrong headed Sagacity.

The numerous Corrections, which I made of the Poet's Text in my SHAKESPEAR Reftor'd, and which the Publick have been fo kind to think well of, are, in the Appendix of Mr. Pope's laft Edition, flight. ingly call'd Various Readings, Gueffes, &c. He confeffes to have inferted as many of them as he judg'd of any the leaft Advantage to the Poet; but fays, that the whole amounted to about 25 Words: and pretends to have annexed a compleat Lift of the reft, which were not worth his embracing. Whoever has read my Book, will at one Glance fee, how in both thefe Points Veracity is train'd, fo an Injury might but be done. Malus, etfi obeffe non poteft, tamen, cogitat.

Another Expedient, to make my Work appear of a trifling Nature, has been an Attempt to depreciate Literal Criticifm. To this End, and to pay a fervile Compliment to Mr. Pope, an Anonymous Writer has, like a Scotch Pedlar in Wit, unbraced his Pack on the Subject. But, that his Virulence might not seem to be levelled fingly at me, he has done me the Honour to join Dr. Bentley in the Libel, I was in hopes, we fhould have been both abus'd with Smartness of Satire, at leaft; tho' not with Solidity of Argument: that it might have been worth fome Reply in Defence of the Science attacked. But I may fairly fay of this Author, as Falstaffe does of Poins; Hang him, Baboon! bis Wit is as thick as Tewksbury Mustard; there is no more Conceit in him, than is in a MALLET.

If

it

it be not Prophanation to fet the Opinion of the divine Longinus againft fuch a Scribler, he tells us exprefly, "That to make a Judgment upon Words and (Writ"ings) is the moft confummate Fruit of much Expe"rience." ἡ γαρ τῶν λόγων κρίσις πολλῆς ἐσι πείρας τελευταῖον ἐπιγέννημα. Whenever Words are depraved, the Senfe of Course must be corrupted; and thence the Readers betray'd into a falfe Meaning.

If the Latin and Greek Languages have receiv'd the greatest Advantages imaginable from the Labours of the Editors and Criticks of the two laft Ages; by whofe Aid and Affiftance the Grammarians have been enabled to write infinitely better in that Art than even the preceding Grammarians, who wrote when thofe Tongues flourish'd as living Languages: I should account it a peculiar Happiness, that, by the faint Affay I have made in this Work, a Path might be chalk'd out, for abler Hands, by which to derive the fame Advantages to our own Tongue: a Tongue, which, tho' it wants none of the fundamental Qualities of an univerfal Language, yet, as a noble Writer fays, lifp, and ftammers as in its Cradle; and has produced little more towards its polifhing than Complaints of its Barbarity.

Having now run thro' all thofe Points, which I intended fhould make any Part of this Differtation, and having in my former Edition made publick Acknowledgments of the Affiftances lent me, I fhall conclude with a brief Account of the Methods taken in This.

It was thought proper, in order to reduce the Bulk and Price of the Impreflion, that the Notes, whereever they would admit of it, might be abridg'd: for which Reafon I have curtail'd a great Quantity of Such, in which Explanations were too prolix, or Authorities in Support of an Emendation too numerous: and Many I have entirely expung'd, which were judg'd rather Verbose and Declamatory, (and, fo, Notes merely of Oftentation;) than neceffary, or inftructive.

The

The few literal Errors, which had efcap'd Notice, for want of Revifals, in the former Edition, are here reform'd: and the Pointing of innumerable Paffages is regulated, with all the Accuracy I am capable of.

I fhall decline making any farther Declaration of the Pains I have taken up in my Author, because it was my Duty, as his Editor, to publifh him with my best Care and Judgment: and becaule I am fenfible, all fuch Declarations are conftrued to be laying a fort of a Debt on the Publick. As the former Edition has been received with much Indulgence, I ought to make my Acknowledgments to the Town for their favourable Opi nion of it: and I fhall always be proud to think That Encouragement the best Payment I can hope to receive from my poor Studies.

Sir