Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/59

Rh to be grammatical. Shakepeare regarded more the eries of ideas, than of words; and his language, not being deigned for the reader’s dek, was all that he deired it to be, if it conveyed his meaning to the audience.

Hanmer’s care of the metre has been too violently cenured. He found the meaure reformed in o many paages, by the ilent labours of ome editors, with the ilent acquiecence of the ret, that he thought himelf allowed to extend a little further the licence, which had already been carried o far without reprehenion; and of his corrections in general, it mut be confeed, that they are often jut, and made commonly with the leat poible violation of the text.

But, by inerting his emendations, whether invented or borrowed, into the page, without any notice of varying copies, he has appropriated the labour of his predeceors, and made his own edition of little authority. His confidence indeed, both in himelf and others, was too great; he uppoes all to be right that was done by Pope and Theobald; he eems not to upect a critick of fallibility, and it was but reaonable that he hould claim what he o liberally granted.

As he never writes without careful enquiry and diligent conideration, I have received all his notes, and believe that every reader will wih for more. Of