Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/69

Rh Of the readings which this emulation of amendment has hitherto produced, ome from the labours of every publiher I have advanced into the text; thoe are to be conidered as in my opinion ufficiently upported; ome I have rejcted without mention, as evidently erroneous; ome I have left in the notes without cenure or approbation, as reting in equipoie between objection and defence; and ome, which eemed pecious but not right, I have inerted with a ubequent animadverion.

Having claed the obervations of others, I was at lat to try what I could ubtitute for their mitakes, and how I could upply their omiions. I collated uch copies as I could procure, and wihed for more, but have not found the collectors of thee rarities very communicative. Of the editions which chance or kindnes put into my hands I have given an enumeration, that I may not be blamed for neglecting what I had not the power to do.

By examining the old copies, I oon found that the later publihers, with all their boats of diligence, uffered many paages to tand unauthorized, and contented themelves with Rowe’s regulation of the text, even where they knew it to be arbitrary, and with a little conideration might have found it to be wrong. Some of thee alterations are only the ejection of a word for one that appeared to him more elegant or more intelligible. Thee corruptions I have often ilently rectified; for the hitory of our language, and the true force of our words, can only be preerved, by keeping the text of authors free from