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Of all the remaining plays the most authentick edition is the folio 1623; yet that of 1632 is not without value; for though it be in fome places more incorrectly printed than the preceding one, it has likewife the advantage of various readings, which are not merely fuch as reiteration of copies will naturally produce. The curious examiner of Shakspeare's text, who poffeffes the first of these, ought not to be unfurnifhed with the fecond. As to the third and fourth impresfions (which include the feven rejected plays) they are little better than wafte paper, for they differ only from the preceding ones by a larger I had inadvertently given

accumulation of errors.

a fimilar character of the folio 1632; but take this opportunity of confeffing a mistake into which I was led by too implicit a reliance on the affertions of others.

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FOLIO EDITIONS.

I. Mr. William Shakspeare's Comedies, Hiftories, and Tragedies. Publifhed according to the true original Copies, 1623. Fol. Printed at the Charges of W. Jaggard, Ed. Blount, J. Smethweeke, and W. Afpley.

It seems, from such a partnership, that no fingle publisher was at that time willing to rifque his money on a complete collection of our author's plays."

Every poffible adulteration has of late years been practifed in fitting up copies of this book for fale.

When leaves have been wanting, they have been reprinted with battered types, and foifted into vacancies, with

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II. D*. 1632. Fol. Tho. Cotes, for Rob. Allot.
III. Do. 1664. Fol. for P. C.

out notice of fuch defects and the remedies applied to them.

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When the title has been loft, a fpurious one has been fabricated, with a blank space left for the head of Shakfpeare, afterwards added from the fecond, third, or fourth impreffion. To conceal thefe frauds thick vermillion lines have been ufually drawn over the edges of the engravings, which would otherwife have betrayed themselves when let into a fupplemental page, however craftily it was lined at the back, and difcoloured with tobacco-water till it had affumed the true jaune antique.

Sometimes leaves have been inferted from the fecond folio, and, in a known inftance, the entire play of Cymbeiine; the genuine date at the end of it (1632) having been altered into 1623.

Since it was thought advantageous to adopt fuch contrivances while the book was only valued at fix or seven guineas, now it has reached its prefent enormous price, may not artifice be fill more on the ftretch to vamp up copies for the benefit of future catalogues and auctions? Shakspeare might fay of thofe who profit by him, what Antony has obferved of Enobarbus

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my fortunes have "Corrupted honeft men."

Mr. Garrick, about forty years ago, paid only 11. 163. to Mr. Payne at the Meufe Gate for a fine copy of this folio. After the death of our Rofcius, it fhould have accompanied his collection of old plays to the British Museum; but had been taken out of his library, and has not been heard of fince.

Here I might particularize above twenty other copies; but as their defcription would not always meet the wishes or interefts of their owners, it may be as well omitted. Perhaps the original impreffion of the book did not amount to more than 250; and we may fuppofe that different fires in London had their fhare of them. Before the year 1649 they were fo fcarce, that (as Mr. Malone

has obferved) King Charles I. was obliged to content himself with a folio 1632, at prefent in my poffeffion.

IV. D. 1685. Fol. for H. Herringman, E. Brewster and R. Bentley.

MODERN EDITIONS.

Octavo, Rowe's, London, 1709, 7 Vols.
Duodecimo, Rowe's, ditto, 1714, 9 D°.

Of all volumes, thofe of popular entertainment are fooneft injured. It would be difficult to name four folios that are oftener found in dirty and mutilated condition, than this firft affemblage of Shakspeare's plays God's Revenge against Murder- the Gentleman's Recreation

and Johnfon's Lives of the Highwaymen.

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Though Shakspeare was not, like Fox the Martyrologift, depofited in churches, to be thumbed by the congres gation, he generally took poft on our hall tables; and that a multitude of his pages have "their effect of gravy, may be imputed to the various eatables fet out every morning on the fame boards. It fhould feem that moft of his readers were fo chary of their time, that (like Piftol, who gnaws his leek and fwears all the while,) they fed and ftudied at the fame inftant. I have repeatedly met with thin flakes of piecruft between the leaves of our author. Thefe unctuous fragments, remaining long in clofe confinement, communicated their greafe to feveral pages deep on each fide of them. It is eafy enough to conceive how fuch accidents might happen;-how aunt Bridget's maftication might be difordered at the fudden entry of the Ghoft into the Queen's clofet, and how the half chewed morfel dropped out of the gaping 'Squire's mouth, when the vifionary Banquo feated himself in the chair of Macbeth. Still, it is no fmall elogium on Shakspeare, that his claims were more forcible than thofe of hunger.-Moft of the firft folios now extant, are known to have belonged to ancient families refident in the country.

Since our breakfafts have become lefs grofs, our favourite authors have efcaped with fewer injuries; not that (as a very nice friend of mine obferves) thofe who read with

Quarto, Pope's, ditto, 1725, 6 Do.
Duodecimo, Pope's, ditto, 1728, 10 D°.
Octavo, Theobald's, ditto, 1733, 7 Do.
Duodecimo, Theobald's, ditto, 1740, 8 Do.
Quarto, Hanmer's, Oxford, 1744, 6 Do.
Octavo, Warburton's, London, 1747, 8 D°.
Do. Johnson's, ditto, 1765, 8 Do.
Do. Steevens's, ditto, 1766, 4 Do.
Crown 8vo. Capell's, 1768, 10 Do.
Quarto, Hanmer's, Oxford, 1771, 6 Do.
Octavo, Johnson and Steevens, London, 1773.
10 Do.

Do. fecond edition, ditto, 1778, 10 Do.
D°. (published by Stockdale) 1784, 1 Do.
Do. Johnfon and Steevens, 1785, third Edition,
revised and augmented by the Editor of
Dodfley's Collection of old Plays, (i. e. Mr.
Reed,) 10 D°. •

Duodecimo (published by Bell,) London, 1788, 20 vols.

Octavo, (published by Stockdale,) 1790, 1 D°. Crown 8vo. Malone's, ditto, 1790, 10 Do. Octavo, fourth edition, Johnson and Steevens, &c. ditto, 1793, 15 Do.

The dramatick works of Shakspeare, in 6 vols.

a coffee-cup in their hands, are to be numbered among the contributors to bibliothecal purity.

on

I claim the merit of being the firft commentator Shakspeare who ftrove, with becoming ferioufnefs, to account for the frequent ftains that difgrace the earliest folio edition of his plays, which is now become the moft expenfive fingle book in our language; for what other English volume without plates, and printed fince the year 1600, is known to have fold, more than once, for thirty-five pounds, fourteen fhillings? STEEVENS.

octavo, with notes by Jofeph Rann, A. M. Vicar of St. Trinity, in Coventry.-Oxford.

Vol. 1.

Vol. 2.

Vol. 3.

Vol. 4.

1786.

1787.

1789.

1791.

The remaining two volumes are not yet published.

The reader may not be difpleafed to know the exact fums paid to the different editors of Shakfpeare. The following account is taken from the books of the late Mr. Tonson.

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For correcting the prefs and making an index to Mr. Rowe's 12mo. edition.

For affiftance to Mr. Pope in correcting the prefs.

9 For the fame fervices.

2 For correcting the fheets of Mr. Pope's 12mo.

3 Of Mr. Theobald's edition no lefs than 12,860 have been printed.

4 From the late Mr. Tonfon's books it appears, that Dr. Johnfon received copies of his edition for his fubfcribers, the first coft of which was 3751. and afterwards 1051. in money. Total 480l. MALONE.

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