MALONE. 417 bachelor of arts. In 1763, he became a student in the Inner Temple, and in 1767, was called to the Irish bar, where he gave every promise of future excellence; but, an independent fortune being bequeathed to him, he retired from the bar, and shortly after settled in London, where he devoted the whole of his attention to literary pursuits. He took great pains to strip the poetical works of Rowley of their antique garb, contending strongly, that the poems attributed to him were the productions of Chatterton; and those learned critics Warton and Tyrwhitt, being of the same opinion, the controversy was soon at an end. While Mr. Malone was engaged in his Shakspeare, he received from Mr. Steevens a request of a most extraordi nary nature. To a third edition of Johnson and Steevens's Shakspeare, which had been published under the superin tendance of Mr. Reed, in 1785, Mr. Malone had con tributed some notes in which Mr. Steevens's opinions were occasionally controverted. These he was now desired to retain in his new edition, exactly as they stood before, in order that Mr. Steevens might answer them. Mr. Malone replied, that he could make no such promise; that he must feel himself at liberty to correct his observations, where they were erroneous; to enlarge them, where they were defective ; and even to expunge them altogether, where, upon further consideration, he was convinced they were wrong; in short, he was bound to present his work to the public as perfect as he could make i t . But h e added, that h e was willing t o transmit every note o f that description i n i t s last state t o Mr. Steevens, before i t went t o press; that h e might answer i t i f h e pleased; and that Mr. Malone would even preclude himself from the privi lege o f replying. Mr. Steevens persisted i n requiring that they should appear with a l l their imperfections o n their head; and o n this being refused, declared that a l l communication o n the subject o f Shakspeare was a t a n end between them". I n 1790, Mr. Malone's edition a t • These particulars are collected from the correspondence which passed between them, which Mr. Malone preserved. WOL. I . I . E . E .
