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gible, and done him Wrong, and thus thought Mr. Theobald, who publishes after Mr. Pope's Edition, another Book called, Shakespear Reftor'd, and there he not only endeavours to restore the original Text to Shakespear, but calls upon Mr. Pope to anfwer for many Mistakes, he ftrives to prove upon him, making at the fame Time his own Amendments: This was the true Caufe of their continual being at Variance, and Mr. Theobald bringing forward upon the Stage a Tragedy, called The Double Falfhood, which he would have to be believ'd was Shakespear's, Mr. Pope infinuated to the Town, that it was all, or certainly the greateft Part, not written by Shakespear, he picks out a Line:

None but thyself can be thy Parallel.

Which he calls a marvellous Line of Theobald, " un"lefs, fays he, the Play called The Double Falfhood "be (as he would have thought) Shakespear's; but "whether this Line be his or not, he proves ShakeSpear to have writ as bad."

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And introducing the above Quotation, as if written by fome Author, he goes on in Mr. Theobald's reftoring Way to amend fome few Words, all the While imitating and fneering at the Stile of Mr. Theobald.

The former Annotator feeming to be of Opinion that the Double Falfhood is not Shakespear's; it is but Juftice to give Mr. Theobald's Arguments to the contrary First, that the MS was above fixty Years old; fecondly, that once Mr. Betterton had it, or he hath heard fo; thirdly, that fome-body told him the Author gave it to a Baftard-Daughter of his But fourthly and above all, that he has a great Mind "every Thing that is good in our Tongue should be Shakespear's."

I allow thefe Reafous to be truly critical; but what I am infinitely concerned at is, that fo many Errors have escaped the learned Editor: A few whereof we fhall here amend, out of a much greater Number, as an Instance of our Regard to this dear Relick. ACT I. SCENE I.

I have his Letters of a modern Date,
Wherein by Julio, good Camillo's Son
(Who as he says, fhall follow hard upon,
And whom I with the growing Hour expect).
He doth folicit the Return of Gold,

To purchase certain Horse that like him well.

This Place is corrupted: The Epithet good is a meer infignificant Expletive, but the Alteration of that fingle Word reftores a clear Light to the Context, thus,

I have his Letters of a modern Date,
Wherein, by July, (by Camillo's Son,
Who, as he faith, fhall follow hard upon,
And whom I with the growing Hours expect)
He doth folicit the Return of Gold.

Here you have not only the Perfon specified, by whofe Hands the Return was to be made, but the most neceffary Part, the Time, by which it was required. Camillo's Son was to follow hard upon- -What? Why upon July-Horfe that like him well, is very abfurd: Read it, without Contradiction,

-Horfe that he likes well.

ACT I. at the End..

I must stoop to gain her,

Throw all my gay Comparisons afide,

And turn my proud Additions out of Service:

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Saith Henriquez of a Maiden of low Condition, objecting his high Quality: What have his Comparisons here to do? Correct it boldly,

Throw all my gay Caparifons afide,

And turn my proud Additions out of Service.

ACT 2. SCENE I.

All the Verse of this Scene is confounded with Profe.

O that a Man

Could reafon down this Feaver of the Blood,
Or footh with Words the Tumult in his Heart!
Then Julio, I might be indeed thy Friend.

Read

this ferver of the Blood,

Then Julio I might be in Deed thy Friend..

marking the juft Oppofition of Deeds and Words. ACT 4. SCENE I.

How his Eyes shake Firefaid by Violante, obferving how the luftful Shepherd looks at her. It muft be, as the Senfe plainly demands,

How his Eyes take Fire! And measure every Piece of Youth about me! Ibid. That though I wore Disguises for some Ends.

She had but one Difguife, and wore it but for one End. Reftore it with the Alteration but of two Letters,

That though I were disguised for some End.

Аст 4. SCENE 2.

-To Oaths no more give Credit, To Tears, to Vows; falfe both !— B 3

Falfe

Falfe Grammar I'm fure. Both can relate but to two Things: And fee! how easy a Change fets it right?

To Tears, to Vows, falfe Troth

I could fhew you that very Word Troth, in ShakeSpear a hundred Times.

Ibid. For there is nothing left thee now to look for, That can bring Comfort, but a quiet Grave.

This I fear is of a Piece with None but itself can be its Parallel: For the Grave puts an End to all Sorrow, it can need no Sorrow. Yet let us vindicate Shakespear where we can: I make no Doubt he wrote thus,

For there is nothing left thee now to look for,
Nothing that can bring Quiet, but the Grave.

Which Reduplication of the Word gives a much ftronger Emphasis to Violante's Concern. This Figure is called Anadyplofis. I could fhew you a Hundred juft fuch in him, if I had nothing else to do.

This Double Falfhood was vindicated by Mr. Theobald, who was attacked again in the Art of Sinking in Poetry: Here he endeavours to prove falfe Criticifms, Want of Underftanding Shakespear's Manner, and cavilling, in Mr. Pope, to justify himself and the great Dramatick Poet, and to prove the Tragedy in Question to be in Reality Shakespear's, and not unworthy of him; this he does in a Letter which is fubjoin'd, and concludes with a very confiderable Air of Self-fufficiency, and no fmall Boaft.

Dear SIR,

You

OU defire to know why, in the general Attack which Mr. Pope has lately made against

Writers

Writers living, and dead, he has so often had a Fling of Satire at me. I should be very willing to plead Guilty to his Indictment, and think as meanly of myself as he can poffibly do, were his Quarrel altogether upon a fair and unbiass'd Motive. But he is angry at the Man; and, as Juvenal says,

facit Indignatio Verfum. In my Attempts to restore Shakespear, I laid open fome Defects of his Edition. I endeavoured in my Book to treat him with all the Deference and Tendernefs, that the Circumftance would bear; and no Body, I think, has impeached me of the leaft Failure in this Point. But to fet any Thing right, after Mr. Pope had adjusted the Whole, was a Prefumption not to be forgiven! Hinc illae Lacrymæ. That I have been right, in the Main, in my Corrections, is pretty well agreed on my Side: And I am almoft apt to to think, Mr. Pope has been of the fame Opinion; or he would have fhewn them trifling, and impertinent, by a Confutation, unless it was beneath him to enter the Lifts with fo weak an Adversary.

Inftead of a Reply, or a Juftification of his own Indolence, his Refource is to railing: Or as it were, (after the French Manner of punishing, when a Criminal is out of their Reach) to hang me up in Effigy. But I forgive his arch Talent of Picturing: He shall represent me as an Eel, or a Swallow, a Grub, or a Worm; or in any other Form of Ridicule, that may ferve to allay a future Fit of Spleen. If Infir mity may be thrown off by fuch pretty Exercife, his wayward Humour fhall have the full Scope of Calumny. But as he has been pleased to reflect on me in a few Quotations from a Play, which I had lately the good Fortune to ufher into the World; I am there concern'd in Reputation to enter upon my Defence. There are three Paffages, you'll obferve, in

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