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First acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane, on the 8th of October, 1763.

VOL. III.

B

ADVER

I

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE

HE prefent age, though it has done honour its own difcernment by the applauses paid to Shakespeare, has, at the fame time, too grofsly neglected the other great mafters in the fame fchool of writing. The pieces of Beaumont and Fletcher in particular, (to say nothing of Jonfon, Maflinger, Shirley, &c.) abound with beauties, fo much of the fame colour with thofe of Shakespeare, that it is almoft unaccountable, that the very age which admires one, even to idolatry, thould pay fo little attention to the others; and, while almost every poet or critick, at all eminent in the literary world, has been ambitious of appearing as an editor of Shakespeare, no more than two folitary editions of Beaumont and Fletcher, and one of those of a very late date, have been published in the prefent century.

The truth is, that Nature indeed is in all ages the fame; but modes and customs, manners and languages, are fubject to perpetual variation. Time infenfibly renders writings obsolete and uncouth, and the gradual introduction of new words

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and idioms brings the older forms into difrepube and difufe. But the intrinfick merit of any work though it may be obfcured, muft for ever remains as antique coins, or old plate, though not current or fashionable, ftill have their value, according their weight.

The injuries of modern innovation in the ftate of letters may be in a great measure repaired, by rendering the writings of our old authors familiar to the publick, and bringing them often before them. How many plays are there of Shakespeare; now in conftant acting, of which the directors the theatres would fcarce hazard the reprefenta tion, the long-continued, and, as it were, tra ditional approbation of the publick had not given. a fanction to their irregularities, and familiarized the diction! The language even of our Liturgy and Bible, if we may venture to mention them on this occafion, would perhaps foon become obfolété and unintelligible to the generality, if they were not constantly read in our churches. The ftile of our authors, especially in this play, is often remarkably plain and fimple, and only raised or enriched by the fentiments. It is the opinion of Dryden, that even "Shakespeare's language is a little ob"folete in comparifon of theirs; and that thre

66 English

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