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I have not taken notice of any remarks that have been made on the commentaries which I had the honour of ſubmiting to the publick in my late edition. While I was employed in preparing them for the preſs, I gave the various ſubjects treated of, the ſtricteſt attention. They are before the publick, and by its judgment they muſt ſtand or fall. I ſhall not enter into any diſcuſſion or controverſy with "occaſional criticks" or " criticks by profeſſion," in order to ſupport them.—It is curious that what Dr. Warburton ſaid near fifty years ago, ſhould be ſtill true of the greater part of the criticiſms to which the labours of his ſucceſſors have given riſe: "—as to all thoſe things which have been publiſhed under the titles of Eſſays, Remarks, Obſervations, &c. on Shakſpeare,"—they "are abſolutely below a ſerious notice.[1]"
I have many apologies to make for having taken up ſo much of your time, and will now releaſe you. I cannot, however, conclude, without noticing one other charge brought againſt the late editor of Shakſpeare, which is
- ↑ Mr. Tyrwhitt's Obſervations publiſhed in 1766, and Mr. Maſon's Comments in 1785, are an exception.
