l performance of Temple's was a
contribution to the futile controversy over the relative merits of the
ancients and moderns, which is now only of interest as having given
occasion to Bentley to display his great scholarship in his "Dissertation
on the Epistles of Phalaris," (1698), and to Swift to show his powers of
irony in "The Battle of the Books" (1704).

[9] Preface to the "Plays of Shakspere," 1765.

[10] Prologue, spoken by Garrick at the opening of Drury Lane Theater,
1747.

[11] "The Tragedies of the Last Age Considered and Examined," 1678.

[12] "Shakspere Illustrated," 1753.

[13] See Dryden's "Grounds of Criticism in Tragedy" and "Defence of the
Epilogue to the Conquest of Granada."

[14] "Essay on the Genius and Writings of Shakspere," 1712.

[15] "The Art of Poetry," pp. 63 and 99. _Cf_. Pope, "Epistle to
Augustus":

"Shakspere (whom you and every play-house bill
Style the divine, the matchless, what you will)
For gain, not glory, winged his roving flight,
And grew immortal in his own despite."

[16] Pope's "Shakspere," 1725.

[17] For a fuller discussion of this subject, consult "A History of
Opinion on the Writings of Shakspere," in the supplemental volume of
Knight's Pictorial Edition. Editions of Shakspere issued within a
century following the Restoration were the third Folio, 1664; the fourth
Folio, 1685; Rowe's (the first critical edition, with a Life, etc.) 1709
(second edition, 1714); Pope's, 1725 (second edition, 1728); Theobald's,
1733; Hanmer's 1744; Warburton-Pope's, 1747; and Johnson's 1765.
Meanwhile, though Shakspere's plays continued to be acted, it was mostly
in doctored versions. Tate changed "Lear" to a comedy. Davenant and
Dryden made over "The Tempest" into "The Enchanted Island," turning blank
verse into rhyme and introducing new characters, while Shadwell altered
it into an opera. Dryden rewrote "Troilus and Cressida"; Davenant,
"Macbeth." Davenant patched together a thing which he called "The Law
against Lovers," from "Measure for Measure" and "Much Ado about Nothing."
Dennis remodeled the "Merry Wives of Windsor" as "The Comical Gallant";
Tate, "Richard II." as "The Sicilian Usurper"; and Otway, "Romeo and
Juliet," as "Caius Marius." Lord Lansdowne converted "The Merchant of
Venice" into "The Jew of Venice," wherein Shylock was played as a comic
character down to the time of Macklin and Kean. Durfey tinkered
"Cymbeline." Cibber metamorphosed