<dern. There is fcarcely a topic, common with o"ther writers, on which he has not excelled them all; "there are many nobly peculiar to himself, where

he fhines unrivalled, and, like the eagle, properest " emblem of his daring genius, foars beyond the com"mon reach, and gazes undazzled on the fun. His

flights are fometimes fo bold, frigid criticism almost "dares to difapprove them; and those narrow minds "which are incapable of elevating their ideas to the "fublimity of their author's, are willing to bring "them down to a level with their own. Hence ma

ny fine paffages have been condemned in SHAKE◄ "SPEAR, as rant and fuftian, intolerable bombaft, and "turgid nonfenfe; which, if read with the leaft glow "of the fame imagination that warmed the writer's "bosom, would blaze in the robes of fublimity, and "obtain the commendations of a Longinus. And un"lefs fome little of the fame fpirit that elevated the 66 poet, elevate the reader too, he must not prefume "to talk of taste and elegance; he will prove but a

66

languid reader, an indifferent judge, but a far more "indifferent critic and commentator." And again (fays he) "I doubt not every reader will find [in

SHAKESPEAR's beauties] fo large a fund for obfer. "vation, so much excellent and refined morality, and, "I may venture to fay, fo much good divinity, that "he will prize the work as it deferves, and pay, with me, all due adoration to the manes of SHAKESPEAR,”

82

"Longinus (continues Mr. Dodd) tells us, that the "moft infallible teft of the true fublime, is the impref"fion a performance makes upon our minds, when "read or recited. "If, fays he, a perfon finds, that "a performance tranfports not his foul, nor exalts his thoughts; that it calls not up into his mind ideas more enlarged than the mere founds of the words convey, but on attentive examination its dignity lef-" "fens and declines, he may conclude, that whatever pierces no deeper than the ears, can never be the true fublime. That, on the contrary, is grand and lofty, which the more we confider, the greater i"deas we conceive of it; whofe force we cannot pof

66

66

fibly withstand; which immediately finks deep, and " and makes fuch impreffion on the mind, as cannot eafily be worn out or effaced. In a word, you may "pronounce that fublime, beautiful, and genuine, "which always pleafes, and takes equally with all "forts of men. For when perfons of different hu"mours, ages, profeffions, and inclinations, agree in "the fame joint approbation of any performance, then "this union of affent, this combination of fo many

દ

different judgments, ftamps an high and indifput"able value on that performance, which meets with "fuch general applaufe." This fine obfervation of Longinus is moft remarkably verified in SHAKE"SPEAR for all humours, ages, and inclinations, "jointly proclaim their approbation and cfteem of "hin; and will, I hope, be found true in most of "the paffages which are here collected from him: I

fay, most, because there are fome, which I am con"vinced will not ftand this teft. The old, the grave, and the fevere, will difapprové, perhaps, the more foft, (and as they may call them), trifling love-tales, fo elegantly breathed forth, and fo emphatically extolled by the young, the gay, and the paffionate; "while thefe will efteem as dull and languid, the fo"ber faws of morality, and the home-felt observati"ons of experience. However, as it was my bufinefs "to collect for readers of all taftes and all complexi"ons, let me defire none to disapprove what hits not "with their own humour; but to turn over the page, and they will furely find fomething acceptable and engaging."

But a further account of our author is to be met with in Mr. Pope's excellent preface, and likewife in Mr. Rowe's account of his life and writings, and in Ben Johnfon's poem; all which are given entire, together with Mr. Warburton's general criticifm on his plays; by which the reader will fee his opinion of the rank and precedence of each, as reduced to certain claffes.

Mr.

I

MR. POPE'S PREFACE.

Tis not my defign to enter into a criticifin upon this author; though to do it effectually, and not fuperficially, would be the beft occafion that any juft writer could take, to form the judgment and tafle of our nation. For of all English poets Shakespear must be confeffed to be the fairest and fullest subject for criticism, and to afford the most numerous, as well as most confpicuous inftances, both of beauties and faults of all forts. But this far exceeds the bounds of a preface; the bufinefs of which is only to give an account of the fate of his works, and the difadvantages under which they have been tranfmitted to us. We fhall hereby extenuate many faults which are his, and clear him from the imputation of many which are not: A defign which, though it can be no guide to future critics to do him justice in one way, will at least be fufficient to prevent their doing him an injuftice in the other.

I cannot however but mention fome of his principal and characteristic excellencies, for which (notwithftanding his defects) he is juftly and univerfally elevated above all other dramatic writers. Not that this is the proper place of praifing him, but becaufe I would not omit any occafion of doing it."

If ever any author deferved the name of an original, it was Shakespear. Homer himself drew not his art fo immediately from the fountains of nature; it proceeded through Egyptian ftrainers and channels, and came to him not without fome tincture of the learning, or fome caft of the models, of thofe before him. The poetry of Shakespear was infpiration indeed: he is not fo much an imitator, as an inftrument, of Nature; and it is not fo juft to fay, that he speaks from her, as that the speaks through him.

His characters are fo much Nature herfelf, that it is a fort of injury to call them by fo diftant a name as copies of her. Thofe of other poets have a conitant resemblance, which thews that they received them from one another, and were but multipliers of the fame VOL. I.

b

image:

image: each picture, like a mock-rainbow, is but the reflection of a reflection. But every fingle character in Shakespear is as much an individual as those in life itfelf; it is as impoffible to find any two alike; and fuch as from their relation or affinity in any refpect appear inoft to be twins, will upon comparifon be found remarkably distinct. To this life and variety of character, we must add the wonderful prefervation of it; which is fuch throughout his plays, that had all the fpeeches been printed without the very names of the perfons, I believe one might have applied them with certainty to every speaker.

The power over our paffions was never poffeffed in a more eminent degree, or difplayed in fo different inflances. Yet all along there is feen no labour nor pains to raise them; no preparation to guide our guess to the effect, or be perceived to lead toward it but the heart fwells, and the tears burst out, juft at the proper places. We are furprised the moment we weep; and yet upon reflection find the paffion fo juft, that we fhould be furprised if we had not wept, and wept at that very moment.

How aftonishing is it again, that the paffions directly oppofite to thefe, laughter and spleen, are no lefs at his command! that he is not more a master of the great than of the ridiculous in human nature; of our nobleft tenderneffes, than of our vaineft foibles; of our ftrongest emotions, than of our idleft fenfations!

Nor does he only excel in the paflions: in the coolnefs of reflection and reafoning he is full as admirable. His fentiments are not only in general the most pertinent and judicious upon every fubject; but by a talent very peculiar, fomething between penetration and felicity, he hits upon that particular point on which the bent of each argument turns, or the force of each motive depends. This is perfectly amazing, from a man of no education or experience in thofe great and public fcenes of life which are ufually the fubject of his thoughts fo that he feems to have known the world. by intuition, to have looked through human nature at one glance, and to be the only author that gives ground for a very new opinion, That the philofopher,

:

and

and even the man of the world, may be born, as well as the poet.

It must be owned, that with all thefe great excellencies, he has almost as great defects; and that as he has certainly written better, fo he has perhaps written worfe than any other. But I think I can in fome meafure account for thefe defects from feveral caufes and accidents; without which it is hard to imagine, that fo large and fo enlightened a mind could ever have been fufceptible of them. That all thefe contingencies fhould unite to his disadvantage, feems to me almost as fingularly unlucky, as that fo many various (nay contrary) talents fhould meet in one man, was happy and extraordinary.

It must be allowed, that ftage-poetry, of all other, is more particularly levelled to please the populace, and its fuccefs more immediately depending upon the common fufferage. One cannot therefore wonder, if Shakefpear, having at his first appearance no other aim in his writings than to procure a fubfiftence, directed his endeavours folely to hit the taste and humour that then prevailed. The audience was generally compos fed of the meaner fort of people; and therefore the images of life were to be drawn from thofe of their own rank. Accordingly we find, that not our author's only, but almost all the old comedies, have their fcene among tradefmen and mechanics: and even their historical plays ftrictly follow the common old ftories or vulgar traditions of that kind of people. In trage dy, nothing was fo fure to furprise, and cause admiration, as the moft ftrange, unexpected, and confequently most unnatural events and incidents; the most exaggerated thoughts; the moft verbofe and bombaft expreffion; the most pompous rhymes, and thundering verfification. In comedy, nothing was fo fure to please, as mean buffoonry, vile ribaldry, and unmannerly jets of fools and clowns. Yet even in these our author's wit buoys up, and is borne above his fubject: his genius in thofe low parts, is like fome prince of a romance in the difuife of a fhepherd or peafant; a cer tain greatnefs and fpirit now and then break out, which manifeft his higher extraction and qualities.