For Poet’s Pen and passing Wit, could haue no Englishe Peere.
His vaine in Verse was such, so stately eke his stile,
His feate in forging sugred Songs with cleane and curious file;
As all the learned Greekes and Romaines would repine,
If they did live againe, to vewe his Verse with scornefull eine.”
[12] Nature.
[13] Authours, first edition.
[14] Spake, second edition.
[15] Although it is obvious that great pains were taken by Mr Reed and others (to say nothing of Dodsley) in the collation of this dramatic piece, yet they left it in a very imperfect state. In the course of it not less than fifty important variations and errors have been detected, consisting of words omitted, and words accidentally inserted, independently of errors of the press, for which of course an editor was not responsible. It is hoped that it will be now found more uniformly correct, although the editor can scarcely flatter himself that the reprint may not be still found defective.—Collier.
[16] Philosophie, both editions. The alteration by Mr Dodsley. [But Dodsley does not seem to have perceived that by the change he converted the text into nonsense. The original reads—