The Tempest was altered by Dryden and D’Avenant, and published as The Tempest; or the Enchanted Island, in 1669. We mark the emendations derived from it: ‘Dryden’s version.’ D’Avenant, in his Law against Lovers fused Measure for Measure and Much ado about Nothing into one play. We refer to his new readings as being from ‘D’Avenant’s version.’
[1.] A third editor was afterwards added. Mr Luard’s election to the office of Registrary compelled him to relinquish his part, at least for the present; and the first volume, consequently, is issued under the responsibility of two editors only.
[2.] See [page xxi].
[3.] A passage in the Return from Parnassus compared with one in Bale’s preface to his Image of Both Churches puts this almost beyond a doubt.
[4.] Mr Wright in his preface to Bacon’s Essays mentions that he has collated ten copies of the edition of 1625, ‘which though bearing the same date, are all different from each other in points of no great importance.’
[5.] Mr Bohn is mistaken in saying that the Capell copy has both titles. It has that of 1664 only, with the portrait, and B. J.’s verses underneath on the opposite page.
[6.] Capell’s copy now before us contains the following note in Capell’s hand-writing: ‘This copy of Mr Theobald’s edition was once Mr Warburton’s; who has claim’d in it the notes he gave to the former which that former depriv’d him of and made his own, and some Passages in the Preface, the passages being put between hooks and the notes signed with his name. E. C.’ The passage quoted from Theobald’s Preface is one of those between hooks.
[7.] Thomas Rymer, whose book, called A short View of Tragedy of the last Age, 1693, gave rise to a sharp controversy.
[8.] Capell, who might be supposed to write ‘sine ira et studio,’ denies to Theobald even this merit: ‘His work is only made a little better [than Pope’s] by his having a few more materials; of which he was not a better collator than the other, nor did he excel him in use of them.’ The result of the collations we have made leads us to a very different conclusion.
[9.] Notwithstanding this claim of identity, Warburton seems to have used Theobald’s text to print from. Capell positively affirms this, (Preface, p. 18).