Preface To The Works Of Shakespeare (1734) Part 4

To these, I must add the indefatigable Zeal and Industry of my most ingenious and ever-respected Friend, the Reverend Mr. _William Warburton_ of _Newark_ upon _Trent_. This Gentleman, from the Motives of his frank and communicative Disposition, voluntarily took a considerable Part of my Trouble off my Hands; not only read over the whole Author for me, with the exactest Care; but enter'd into a long and laborious Epistolary Correspondence; to which I owe no small Part of my best Criticisms upon my Author.

The Number of Pa.s.sages amended, and admirably Explained, which I have taken care to distinguish with his Name, will shew a Fineness of Spirit and Extent of Reading, beyond all the Commendations I can give them: Nor, indeed, would I any farther be thought to commend a Friend, than, in so doing, to give a Testimony of my own Grat.i.tude.

How great a share soever of Praise I must lose from my self, in confessing these a.s.sistances; and however my own poor Conjectures may be weaken'd by the Comparison with theirs; I am very well content to sacrifice my Vanity to the Pride of being so a.s.sisted, and the Pleasure of being just to their Merits. I beg leave to observe to my Readers, in one Word, here, that from the Confession of these successive Aids, and the Manner in which I deriv'd them, it appears, I have pretty well fill'd up the _Interval_, betwixt my first _Proposals_ and my _Publication_, with having my Author always in View, and at Heart.

Some Hints I have the Honour to owe to the Informations of Dr.

_Mead_, and the late Dr. _Friend_: Others to the Kindness of the ingenious _Martin Folkes_, Esq; who likewise furnish'd me with the first _folio_ Edition of _Shakespeare_, at a Time when I could not meet with it among the Booksellers; as my obliging Friend _Thomas c.o.xeter_, Esq; did with several of the old 4to single Plays, which I then had not in my own Collection. Some few Observations I likewise owe to _F. Plumptree_, Esq; Others to the Favour of anonymous Persons: for all which I most gladly render my Acknowledgments.

[Sidenote: The Editor's particular Pains taken.]

As to what regards my self singly, if the Edition do not speak for the Pains I have taken about it, it will be very vain to plead my own Labour and Diligence. Besides a faithful Collation of all the printed Copies, which I have exhibited in my _Catalogue_ of _Editions_ at the End of this Work; let it suffice to say, that, to clear up several Errors in the Historical Plays, I purposely read over _Hall_ and _Holingshead_'s Chronicles in the Reigns concern'd; all the Novels in _Italian_, from which our Author had borrow'd any of his Plots; such Parts of _Plutarch_, from which he had deriv'd any Parts of his _Greek_ or _Roman_ Story: _Chaucer_ and _Spenser_'s Works; all the Plays of _B. Jonson_, _Beaumont_ and _Fletcher_, and above 800 old _English_ Plays, to ascertain the obsolete and uncommon Phrases in him: Not to mention some Labour and Pains unpleasantly spent in the dry Task of consulting Etymological _Glossaries_.

But as no Labour of Mine can be equivalent to the dear and ardent Love I bear for _Shakespeare_, so, if the Publick shall be pleas'd to allow that He owes any Thing to my Willingness and Endeavours of restoring Him; I shall reckon the Part of my Life so engag'd, to have been very happily employ'd: and put Myself, with great Submission, to be try'd by my Country in the Affair.