the entertainment of the queen and prince at Althrop: as alfo for Decker's Supplement to the coronation entertainment, and his Satiromaftix, in answer to the Poetafter of Jonfon. But mine and the public thanks are more particularly due to Mr. Garrick, for enriching this edition with a comedy, unquestionably written by Jonfon, and which was never publifhed in any collection of his works. That comedy is called, The Cafe is Altered, and with corrections and emendations is annexed to the end of the feventh volume. This was really reviving a loft or forgotten play: for it was hardly known, and what I could no where find but in his treasury of our antient dramatic wit. The edition with which he favoured me is a quarto, printed in 1609, and perhaps the only edition that was ever printed. And it seemeth like many of the old quartos, to have been printed from the playhouse copy, without the knowledge of the author. Mr. Garrick hath always fhewn great taste and judgment in doing justice to the genius of our old dramatifts; by the revival of fuch pieces, from which the elegance of the present times could receive an agreeable entertainment. And Jonfon is obliged to him for giving new life to Every Man in his Humour, in which by the proper caft of the feveral parts, and his own

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performance of a principal character, he hath displayed the excellencies of our old comic bard in their fullest and fairest glory. But it is not on the stage only, that this gentleman hath a title to our thanks and our esteem: and in. acknowledging the fervices in which the publick and myself are equal sharers, I must not forget many personal civilities which I have received from him; nor to add, to his ready concurrence in furnishing whatever would adorn this work, his kindness in procuring some names, the most distinguished for quality and tafte, to honour my subscription.

Some other gentlemen, who were occafional contributors in the course of this work, deferve an honourable mention; and the grateful acknowledgment of my fincere thanks. The late ingenious Mr. Sympson and Mr. Seward have both favoured me with their conjectures and remarks on fome paffages of Jonfon. It is unneceffary to say, they are conceived with the fame felicity and judgment, which distinguish their conjectures and corrections in their edition of Beaumont and Fletcher. I am likewise obliged to the learned Dr. Zachary Grey, who communicated to me fome claffical imitations he had obferved in Jonfon, and who hath pointed out fome allusions to the times, with that exact knowledge

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knowledge which he hath fhewn in clearing up the various references of a like kind, which abound in Hudibras. The remarks of these ingenious gentlemen, which will be known by the addition of their names, are, indeed, but few in number; but their excellence will induce the reader to fet a proper value on them, and to wish they had found leisure to have favoured me with more. The late learned Dr. Rawlinfon, who was always ready to encourage and promote every polite and literary exercitation, expressed his usual humanity upon this occafion. From him I received a copy of the warrant by which Jonson was created Poet Laureat, the Catiline in 4to, and the first edition of Sejanus in 4to, printed in 1605. This last was a very fine copy, and had been a presentation-book from the poet to his friend. In a blank leaf, at the beginning, was the following inscription, written in Jonfon's own hand: "To my perfect "friend Mr. Francis Crane, I erect this pillar "of friendship, and leave it as the eternal wit"neffe of my love.

"BEN. JONSON."

It

It was thus the poet fpelt his name, as appears from this, and from other inftances, which we have seen, of his hand-writing. It is fo fpelt in the quarto copies, and in the folio edition of his poems published in 1616. We have thought it neceffary to mention this, in order to justify our departure from the common way of spelling it, in later editions, by an infertion of the letter H: that if the reader should think it a fingularity, he will see it is not our own, but the poet's.

About the time that I was digefting and preparing the notes for the public view, an anonymous pamphlet was published, containing remarks upon the Volpone, the Silent Woman, and the Alchemist. In this the learning and critical penetration of Mr. Upton, are so apparent, as to leave no room for doubting who is the real author of it. I had here the fatisfaction to find the generality of the notes confirmed, which I had made before; and there were observations on fome paffages which had escaped me, as there were others omitted, which I thought deserving a remark. Of this pamphlet I have made fome ufe; and have faithfully given the most material obfervations it contains, having fometimes expreffed my own fentiments and thoughts in his words; and fometimes affixed his name to remarks in which we mutually concurred.

When

When this edition went to the press, I received the 4to impreffion of the Poetafter, the first copy of the New Inn in 1631, 8vo, and the last edition of Jonfon's works, which formerly belonged to Mr. Theobald. In the margin of that copy are corrections and various readings, which Mr. Theobald had noted from a collation of the older copies, with fome conjectural emendations of his own. Yet these were of no great ufe; for the old copies had been collated by me before, and his conjectures were rather fanciful than juft. I have taken notice, however, of the most material in their proper places; fo that the reader will be able to judge and determine of them, as to himself shall seem good.

But although the advantages of this copy were not fo many as I at first expected, it was a fatisfaction to me to find that had Mr. Theobald published an edition of Jonfon's works he would have propofed the fame plan, and executed in the manner that I have done. For most of the paffages which I have illuftrated with notes, were underlined and fcored by him, as wanting the affistance of an explanatory remark.

The method I have obferved in the diftribution of the plays and poems, is different from what hath been obferved in preceding editions. I have here given the plays in the order of time,

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