ADVERTISEMENT. THE intention of this advertisement is to point out to the Reader the manner in which the Editors have executed the prefent work. It is not a new plan, but it is an approved one; and, they flatter themselves, it will be no impeachment of their candour, that they fairly acknowledge, they have strictly followed an edition formerly published in this place, which has been esteemed equal, if not fuperior, to any published in Britain. The acts and scenes are divided and num. bered according to the editions of Pope and Warburton. The paffages which were thought moft beautiful by Mr Pope and Mr Warbur ton, are particularly attended to in this edi ii tion; the beauties obferved by the former being marked with a fingle inverted comma, and thofe by the latter with a double one.-Befides thefe, the beauties, as regularly selected from each play by Mr Dodd, are pointed out, p. xlix. et feq. in the order of the volumes and plays, with directions to the pages and lines where each of them occur, together with Mr Warburton's general criticism on his plays. Sufpected paffages or interpolations, upon the authorities of Mr Pope, the Oxford editor, and Mr Warburton, are thrown down to the bottom of the page, with proper marks referring to the places of their infertion.-Some lines in different places are inclosed within hooks or crotchets, as, in Mr Warburton's opinion, foifted into the text by the players, or of fpurious iffue, and noted as fuch at the bottom of the page; and feveral chafms or defects are pointed out by afterisks, with probable conjec tures for fupplying them. iii The Gloffary and Index are extremely copious, free of blunders, and reduced to a strict alphabetical order. It will not be expected, that the Editors fhould enter into a difcuffion of the Author's character as a dramatic writer; but they have prefixed Mr Pope's Preface, Mr Rowe's ac count of his life and writings, and Ben Johnfon's poem to his memory, which will answer that purpose better than any thing they could fay on the fubject. |