r.
"To whom," says Dennis, "can an Essay upon the Genius and Writings of
Shakespear be so properly address'd, as to him who best understands
Shakespear, and who has most improv'd him? I would not give this just
encomium to the _Jew of Venice_, if I were not convinc'd, from a long
experience of the penetration and force of your judgment, that no
exaltation can make you asham'd of your former noble art."

In 1693 Dennis had published the _Impartial Critick_, a reply to Rymer's
_Short View of Tragedy_; but there is little about Shakespeare in its five
dialogues, their main purpose being to show the absurdity of Rymer's plea
for adopting the Greek methods in the English drama. Dennis had, however,
great respect for Rymer's ability. In the first letter to the _Spectator_
he says that Rymer "will always pass with impartial posterity for a most
learned, a most judicious, and a most useful critick"; and in the
_Characters and Conduct of Sir John Edgar_ he says that "there was a great
deal of good and just criticism" in the _Short View_.

In 1702 he brought out a "corrected" version of the _Merry Wives_ with the
title of the _Comical Gallant or the Amours of Sir John Falstaffe_. The
adaptation of _Coriolanus_, which was the occasion of the _Letters_ given
in this volume, appeared as the _Invader of his country, or the Fatal
Resentment_. It was produced at Drury Lane in November, 1719, but ran for
only three nights. It was published in 1720. An account of it will be
found in Genest's _English Stage_, iii. 2-5. It is the subject of Dennis's
letter to Steele of 26th March, 1719 (see Steele's _Theatre_, ed. Nichols,
1791, ii. pp. 542, etc.).

Alexander Pope.

Pope's edition of Shakespeare was published by Tonson in six quarto
volumes. The first appeared in 1725, as the title-page shows; all the
others are dated "1723."

In the note to the line in the _Dunciad_ in which he laments his "ten
years to comment and translate," Pope gives us to understand that he
prepared his edition of Shakespeare after he had completed the translation
of the _Iliad_ and before he set to work on the _Odyssey_. His own
correspondence, however, shows that he was engaged on Shakespeare and the
_Odyssey_ at the same time. There is some uncertainty as to when his
edition was begun. The inference to be drawn from a letter to Pope from
Atterbury is that it had been undertaken by August, 1721. We have more
definite information as to the date of its com