A Review of Doctor Johnson's New Edition of Shakespeare: In which the Ignorance, Or Inattention, of that Editor is Exposed, and the Poet Defended from the Persecution of His Commentators

Front Cover
J. Payne, 1765 - 133 pages

From inside the book

Selected pages

Contents

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

Popular passages

Page 72 - These earthly godfathers of heaven's lights, That give a name to every fixed star, Have no more profit of their shining nights, Than those that walk, and wot not what they are.
Page 13 - Where the bee sucks, there suck I; In a cowslip's bell I lie: There I couch when owls do cry. On the bat's back I do fly, After summer, merrily : Merrily, merrily, shall I live now, Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.
Page 99 - ... of the old reading; then by proposing something, which to superficial readers would seem specious, but which the editor rejects with...
Page i - A Review of Dr. Johnson's new edition of Shakespeare; in which the Ignorance or Inattention of that Editor is exposed, and the Poet defended from the Persecution of his Commentators,
Page 99 - I could have written longer notes, for the art of writing notes is not of difficult attainment. The work is performed, first by railing at the stupidity...
Page 112 - Each cast at the other, as when two black clouds, With heaven's artillery fraught, come rattling on Over the Caspian ; then stand front to front, Hovering a space, till winds the signal blow To join their dark encounter in mid air : So frown'd the mighty combatants, that hell Grew darker at their frown...
Page 57 - Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not fo unkind As man's ingratitude ; Thy tooth is not fo keen, Becaufe thou art not feen, Altho
Page xv - I have indeed disappointed no opinion more than my own; yet I have endeavoured to perform my task with no slight solicitude. Not a single passage in the whole work has appeared to me corrupt, which I have not attempted to restore; or obscure, which I have not endeavoured to illustrate.
Page 43 - FOR SEEMLY BEHAVIOUR. First come, first serve.— Then come not late •, And, when arrived, keep your state ; For he, who from these rules shall swerve, Must pay the forfeits.— So, observe.
Page 108 - ... to any end. It is said of a woman, who accepts a worse match than those which she had refused, that ' she has passed through the wood, and at last taken a crooked stick.

Bibliographic information