his whole Life, the darling and over-ruling Paffion of his Soul, which work'd off, and fhew'd it self on all Occafions both in Difcourse and Composition. Sophocles and Euripides were his Idols, whom he look d upon with a fort of religious Veneration, and took a Pride in making Converts to his Opinion, by displaying their hidden Glories to the rest of Mankind. This intimate Acquaintance with these great Originals, made him an excellent Judge of what deviated from their Standard. Great modern Names and Authorities were never his Guides, but a Conformity to the juft Rules of the best antient Critics, and the first Writers. For this Reason the Reader will find him in the Course of the Remarks, bearing very hard on Mr. Dryden, tho at the fame time that he condemn'd the Critic, he admir'd the Poet. THE fame cannot be faid of his Style, as his Sense; his Expreffion being often dark, his Sentences long, unequal, and crouded with Words of the fame Signification. A depreffion of Fortune, want of Health and Leifure, allow'd him no Time for the Filings, and Polishings of a correct Writer. And yet with all his Imperfections, there is great Matter of Improve ment to be picked out of his Effay, and Remarks. Cum flueret Lutulentus, erat quod tollere velles. Others I must not here leave Mr. Gildon without taking notice of an Argument he has brought to prove these Poems genuine; which is the Ufe of the Compound and Decompound Epithets, as if this was in a manner peculiar to SHAKESPRAR. have carried the matter further, and from thence argu'd SHAKESPEAR into an Understanding of the Greek Language, from whence they are deriv'd. Any one who is acquainted with old English Books, may see they were in ufe before our Author's Time, and as for their being taken from the Greeks, that will appear ridiculous, when we confider how easily thofe Epithets are form'd. For allow but any Number adopted into our Tongue, and a hundred may be coin'd in as many Minutes. For a 2 Instance, Instance, if I read far-fhooting from the Greek, could not I prefently compound Fire-darting, and twenty others? BUT fince we are upon this Subject, let us examine it a little more closely. I wish the Patrons of this Practice would give us any Reason for flinging in this unnatural foreign Mixture into our Language, when we have Words of Signification, and Sound fufficient to answer our Ideas. What occafion is there for Adulteration, when we have current Coin enough of our own? All our beft and modeft Writers have ftretch'd no farther than the Compound, and those sparingly, and in Tranflation, where they will beft bear. If the Compounds may be bore with Patience, the Decompounds are mere Monsters; as these of our Author, the Hot-fcent-fmelling Hounds, the Dewbe-dabled Morn, &c. They offend the Ear, and cannot be repeated without uneafiness. The Genius of every Tongue is different; and tho the Greek abounds with thefe beautifully extravagant Liberties, neither the severe Chastity of the Latin, nor our own will allow of them. Vida an excellent Critic is of the fame Opinion as to the Latin; and as his Words may have some Influence, I fhall give a Translation of a Paffage or two to this Purpose. "Multa tamen Graiæ fert Indulgentia Linguæ, Unnumber'd Liberties may Greece become, But he is fuller foon after; as here, "Verba etiam tum Bina juvat conjungere in unum, « Verùm Plura nefas vulgo congefta coire, “Ipfaque 66. Ipfaque Quadrifidis fubniti corpora membris. "Invitus per-terricrepas per Carmina Voces. Two Single Words in pleafing Union join, A grumbling Thrice-re-gurgling Word along. OUR Language, as it now ftands, bears a near Affinity to the Latin, and moft of its Rules are become our own. Writers should therefore confider first what our Tongue will bear, know its Original, how it has been improv'd, and from whence it has borrowed, before they begin with fuch bold Innovations. A fingle Authority is neither a Rule, nor a Guide. Cafaubon de Lingua Anglica vetere will fhow them the Excellence, Force, Power and Compass of our Mother English; after which they will hardly feek out for harsh and unnatural Imitations of a Dead Language. BUT enough of this. It is not my Province to speak of SHAKESPEAR's Plays; only I cannot but obferve that fome of them do not answer their Titles. In Julius Cæfar for Inftance, there is little of the Man, or his memorable Exploits, unless what is faid after his Death; and if any one were to form an Idea of him from what SHAKESPEAR makes him speak, he would would make but an indifferent Figure for the Foremost of Mankind. Hear only his Character from Tully, an Enemy "Fuit in "illo Ingenium, Ratio, Memoria, Litteræ, Cura, Cogitatio, Diligentia res bello gefferat, quamvis Reipublicæ calamitofas, attamen Magnas. Multos annos regnare elt meditatus: mag“ no labore, magnis periculis, quod cogitaverat, effecerat: mune"ribus, monumentis, congiariis, epulis multitudinem impe"ritam deliniebat: fuos præmiis, adverfarios Clementiæ Specie "devinxerat. Quid multa? attulerat jam liberæ Civitati, par"tim metu, partim patienti, Confuetudinem Serviendi." A Cæfar thus qualified, and shown in all these Lights, were fit for the Pen of an Addison, or a Congreve; and then we might cry out with Anthony, Here was a Cæfar- when comes fuch Another ? I THOUGHT to fay no more to his Plays; but the Character my Lord Shaftesbury gives them is too confiderable to be omitted. He was himself a fine Writer, and an excellent Judge of Nature, fo that his Testimony will bear a just sway with the Reader. His words are, "Our old Dramatic Poet, SHAKESPEAR, may witness for our good Ear and manly Relish. Notwithstanding his natural Rudeness, his unpolifh'd Style, his antiquated "Phrase and Wit, his want of Method and Coherence, and his De ficiency in almost all the Graces and Ornaments of this kind of Writing; yet by the Juftness of his MORAL, the Aptness of many of his Defcriptions, and the plain and natural Turn of "several of his Characters, he pleases his Audience, and often gains their Ear, without a fingle Bribe from Luxury or Vice. "That Piece of his, (the Tragedy of HAMLET) which appears to have most affected English Hearts, and has perhaps "been oftneft acted of any which have come upon our Stage, " is almost one continu'd Moral: a Series of deep Reflections, drawn from one Mouth, upon the Subject of one fingle Acci"dent and Calamity, naturally fitted to move Horror and Com paflion. paffion. It may be properly faid of this Play, if I mistake not, that it has only ONE Character or principal Part. It " contains no Adoration or Flattery of the Sex: no ranting at "the Gods: no bluftering Heroifm: nor any thing of that cu"rious mixture of the Fierce and Tender, which makes the hinge of modern Tragedy, and nicely varies it between the "Points of Love, and Honour." I HAVE already run this Preface to a great length, otherwise I should have taken notice of fome beautiful Paflages in the Poems; but a Reader of Tafte cannot miss them. FOR my own part, as this Revisal of his Works obliged me to look over SHAKESPEAR'S Plays, I can't but think the Pains I have taken in correcting, well recompensed by the Pleasure I have receiv'd in reading: And if after this, I should attempt any thing Dramatic in his Vein and Spirit, be it owing to the Flame borrow'd from his own Altar! Hampstead 1724. VENUS |