[Footnote 1: Alfred Jackson, "Rowe's edition of Shakespeare," _Library_ X (1930), 455-473; Allardyce Nicoll, "The editors of Shakespeare from first folio to Malone," _Studies in the first Folio_, London (1924), pp. 158-161; Ronald B. McKerrow, "The treatment of Shakespeare's text by his earlier editors, 1709-1768," _Proceedings of the British Academy_, XIX (1933), 89-122; Augustus Ralli, _A history of Shakespearian criticism_, London, 1932; Herbert S. Robinson, _English Shakespearian criticism in the eighteenth century_, New York, 1932.] [Footnote 2: Nicoll, _op. cit._, pp. 158-161; McKerrow, _op. cit._, p. 93.] [Footnote 3: London _Gazette_, From Monday March 14 to Thursday March 17, 1708, and From Monday May 30 to Thursday June 2, 1709. For descriptions and collations of this edition, see A. Jackson, _op. cit._; H.L. Ford, _Shakespeare 1700-1740_, Oxford (1935), pp. 9, 10; _TLS_ 16 May, 1929, p. 408; Edward Wagenknecht, "The first editor of Shakespeare," _Colophon_ VIII, 1931. According to a writer in _The Gentleman's Magazine_ (LVII, 1787, p. 76), Rowe was paid thirty-six pounds, ten shillings by Tonson.] [Footnote 4: Identified and described by McKerrow, _TLS_ 8 March, 1934, p. 168. See also Ford, _op. cit._, pp. 11, 12.] [Footnote 5: The best discussion of the Curll and Lintot Poems is that of Hyder Rollins in _A new variorum edition of Shakespeare: the poems_, Philadelphia and London (1938) pp. 380-382, to which I am obviously indebted. See also Raymond M. Alden, "The 1710 and 1714 texts of Shakespeare's poems," _MLN_ XXXI (1916), 268-274; and Ford, _op. cit._, pp. 37-40.] [Footnote 6: For example, he dropped out Rowe's opinion that Shakespeare had little learning; the reference to Dryden's view as to the date of Pericles; the statement that _Venus and Adonis_ is the only work that Shakespeare himself published; the identification of Spenser's "pleasant Willy" with Shakespeare; the account of Jonson's grudging attitude toward Shakespeare; the attack on Rymer and the defence of _Othello_; and the discussion of the Davenant-Dryden _Tempest_, together with the quotation from Dryden's prologue to that play.] [Footnote 7: Edmond Malone, _The plays and poems of William Shakespeare_, London (1790), I, 154. Difficult as it is to believe that so careful a scholar as Malone could have made this error, it is none the less true that he observed the omission of the passage on "pleasant Willy" and stated that Rowe had obviously altered his opinion by 1714.] [Footnote 8: Beverley Warner, _Famous introductions to Shakespeare's plays_, New York (1906), p. 6.] [Footnote 9: Gerald E. Bentley, _Shakespeare and Jonson_, Chicago (1945). Vol. I.] [Footnote 10: D. Nichol Smith, _Eighteenth century essays on Shakespeare_, Glasgow (1903), pp. xiv-xv.] The writer wishes to express his appreciation of a Research Grant from the University of Minnesota for the summer of 1948, during which this introduction was written.