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Of these editions fome have paffed feveral times through the prefs; but only fuch as vary from cach other are here enumerated.

To this lift might be added, several spurious and mutilated impreffions; but as they appear to have been executed without the smallest degree of skill either in the manners or language of the time of Shakspeare, and as the names of their refpective editors are prudently concealed, it were useless to commemorate the number of their volumes, or the diftinct date of each publication.

Some of our legitimate editions will afford a fufficient fpecimen of the fluctuation of price in books. An ancient quarto was fold for fix-pence; and the folios 1623 and 1632, when firft printed, could not have been rated higher than at ten fhillings each.-Very lately, seven pounds, five fhillings; and seventeen pounds, fix fhillings and fix-pence, have been paid for a quarto; the first folio has been repeatedly fold for twenty-five pounds; and alfo for thirty-five pounds, fourteen fhillings: but what price may be expected for it hereafter, is not very easy to be determined, the confcience of Mr. Fox, bookfeller, in Holborn, having once permitted him to afk no lefs than two guineas for two leaves out of a mutilated copy of that impreffion, though he had several, almost equally defective, in his fhop. The fecond folio is commonly rated at two or three guineas.

And is not worth three fhillings. See an account of it, in the preface to the prefent (i. c. Mr. Malone's) edi

tion. MALONE.

At the late Mr. Jacob Tonfon's fale, in the year 1767, one hundred and forty copies of Mr. Pope's edition of Shakspeare, in fix volumes quarto (for which the fubfcribers paid fix guineas) were difpofed of among the bookfellers at fixteen fhillings per fet. Seven hundred and fifty of this edition were printed.

At the fame fale, the remainder of Dr. Warburton's edition, in eight volumes octavo, printed in 1747, (of which the original price was two pounds eight fhillings and the number printed one thousand,) was fold off: viz. one hundred and feventy-eight copies, at eighteen fhillings each.

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On the contrary, Sir Thomas Hanmer's edition, printed at Oxford in 1744, which was first fold for three guineas, had arifen to nine or ten, before it was reprinted.

It appears, however, from the foregoing catalogue (when all reiterations of legitimate editions are taken into the account, together with five fpurious ones printed in Ireland, one in Scotland, one at Birmingham, and four in London, making in the whole thirty-feven impreffions) that not less than 37,500 copies of our author's works have been difperfed, exclufive of the quartos, fingle plays, and fuch as have been altered for the Stage. Of the latter, as exact a lift as I have been able to form, with the affiftance of Mr. Reed, of Staple-Inn, (than whom no man is more converfant with English publications both See, however, the Advertisement prefixed to this edition, p. XXIX. and Mr. Malone's Preface, here reprinted.

STEEVENS.

ancient and modern, or more willing to affift the literary undertakings of others) will be found in the courfe of the following pages. STEEVENS.

A LIST OF THE MOST AUTHENTICK ANCIENT EDITIONS

O F

SHAKSPEARE'S POEMS.

or

1. Venus and Adonis 1596, small octavo, rather decimo fexto, R. F. for John Harrifon.

This poem, I have no doubt, was printed in quarto in 1593 or 1594, though no copy of the edition is now known to be

extant.

Reprinted in 1600, 1602, 1617, 1620, 1630, &c.

2. Lucrece, quarto, 1594, Richard Field, for John Harrifon.

Reprinted in fmall octavo, 1596, 1598, 1600, 1607, 1616, 1624, 1632, &c.

3. The Paffionate Pilgrim, [being a collection of Poems by Shakspeare, ] fmall octavo, 1599, for W. Jaggard; fold by William Leake. 4. The Paffionate Pilgrime, or certain amorous Sonnets between Venus and Adonis, &c. The third edition, fmall octavo, 1612, W. Jag gard.

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I know not when the fecond edition was

printed.

5. Shakspeare's Sonnets, never before imprinted, quarto, 1609, G. Eld, for T. T.

An edition of Shakspeare's Sonnets, differ ing in many particulars from the original, and intermixed with the poems contained in The Paffionate Pilgrim, and with feveral poems written by Thomas Heywood, was printed in 1640, in small octavo, by Thomas Cotes, fold by John Benson.

MODERN

EDITIONS.

Shakspeare's Poems, fmall octavo, for Bernard
Lintot, no date, but printed in 1710.

The Sonnets in this edition were printed
from the quarto of 1609; Venus and Alonis,
and Lucrece, from very late editions, full of

errors.

The Poems of William Shakspeare, containing is Venus and Adonis, Rape of Lucrece, onnets, Paffionate Pilgrim, and A Lover's 'omplaint, printed from the authentick co

, by Malone, in octavo, in 1780. Do. Send Edition, with the author's plays, crown оста , 1790.

Spurious Editions of Shakspeare's Poems have also been published by Gildon, Sewell, Evans, &c.

MALONE.

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1

PLAYS afcribed to SHAKSPEARE, either by the Editors of the two later Folios, or by the Compilers of ancient Catalogues.

1. Arraignment of Paris, 1584,6 Henry Marfh. 2. Birth of Merlin, 1669, Tho. Johnfon, for Francis Kirkman and Henry Marih.

3. Edward III. 71596, for Cuthbert Burby. 2. 1599, Simon Stafford, for Do.,

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4. Fair Em, 1631, for John Wright..

5. Locrine, 1595, Thomas Creede.

6. London Prodigal, 1605.

7. Merry Devil of Edmonton, 1608, Henry Ballard, for Arthur Johnfon. 2. 1617, G. Eld, for Do. 3. 1626, A. M. for Francis. Falkner. 4. 1631, T. P. for D°. 5. 1655, for W. Gilbertfon.

8. Mucedorus, 1598, for William Jones. for Do. 3. 1615, N. O. for D°.

2. 1610,

4. 1639,

for John Wright. 5. no date, for Francis Coles. 6. 1668, E. O. for Do.

6 It appears from an epifle prefixed to Greene's Arcadia, that The Arraignment of Paris was written by George Peele, the author of King David and fair Bethfabe, &c. 1599.

7 See the preceding extracts from the books at Stationers' hall.

& Fair Em,) In Mr. Garrick's Collection, is a volume, formerly belonging to King Charles II. which is lettered. on the back, "SHAKESPEARE, Vol. I." This vol. confifts of Fair Em, The Merry Devil, &c. Macedorus, &c. There is no other authority for afcribing Fair Em to our

author.

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