Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/53

Rh recue thoe that had been already publihed from the depravations that obcured them, or ecure to the ret a better detiny, by giving them to the world in their genuine tate.

Of the plays which bear the name of Shakepeare in the late editions, the greater part were not publihed till about even years after his death, and the few which appeared in his life are apparently thrut into the world without the care of the author, and therefore probably without his knowledge.

Of all the publihers; clandetine or profeed, their negligence and unkilfulnes has by the late reviers been ufficiently hewn. The faults of all are indeed numerous and gros, and have not only corrupted many paages perhaps beyond recovery, but have brought others into upicion, which are only obcured by obolete phraeology, or by the writer’s unkilfulnes and affectation. To alter is more eay than to explain, and temerity is a more common quality than diligence. Thoe who aw that they mut employ conjecture to a certain degree, were willing to indulge it a little further. Had the author publihed his own works, we hould have at quietly down to dientangle his intricacies, and clear his obcurities; but now we tear what we cannot looe, and eject what we happen not to undertand.

The faults are more than could have happened without the concurrence of many caues. The tyle of Shakepeare was in itelf ungrammatical, perplexed, and obcure; his works were trancribed for the players