Warburton's Edition of 1747

William Warburton was born the son of a Newark attorney.  In 1723 he took orders in the Church of England.  He was awarded the M. A. degree by Cambridge in 1728, and was subsequently curate, vicar, King's Chaplain, Lincoln's Inn Preacher, Prebendary, Dean and Bishop of Gloucester.  He had an intense interest in both theology and Shakespeare.  Early he formed an alliance with Theobald, and there is a voluminous correspondence between the two, recorded in John Nichols' Illustrations of the literary history of the eighteenth century. : Consisting of authentic memoirs and original letters of eminent persons; and intended as a sequel to the Literary anecdotes, vol. II.  1817.  Theobald relied heavily on Warburton's insights into the texts of Shakespeare, and even more so on his taste as an experienced author.  Theobald's Preface is much better for the suggestions made by Warburton.  As seems inevitable among the close world of eighteenth century Shakespeare scholars, Warburton quarreled with Theobald, feeling his contributions to Theobald's 1733 edition were not sufficiently acknowledged (and indeed, though Theobald included a handsome prefatory acknowledgment, he did not acknowledge Warburton's contributions in the detailed notes).  They became estranged.  In reaction, Warburton formed a close alliance with Pope, Theobald's arch enemy and editor of the 1725 edition of the Works that Theobald had taken to task in Shakespeare Restored.... (1726). 

In 1747 Warburton brought out his own edition of Shakespeare.  He is known to have been working on the edition from 1738, when he prepared sample materials which appeared in the General Dictionary, Historical and Critical (1734-1741) edited, in part, by Dr. Thomas Birch.  As can be seen from Warburton's Preface, given below, his attack on the then deceased Theobald was petty, if not cruel.  Popes name appears on the title page of Warburton's edition, perhaps not without spite towards the memory of Theobald.  Warburton's edition is not thought highly of.  "His changes to the text were legion and he frequently emended passages which were, in the original, perfectly intelligible" (Murphy, Shakespeare in Print, p. 77).  Just as Pope had been called to account by Theobald in 1726, Warburton received less generous criticism (though presented sardonically as praise) in Thomas Edwards' A Supplement to Mr. Warburton's Edition...  (1748). 

Links to Warburton's Edition of 1747

The works of Shakespear in eight volumes. The genuine text (collated with all the former editions, and then corrected and emended) is here settled ; being restored from the blunders of the first editors and the interpolations of the two last: with a comment and notes, critical and explanatory. By Mr. Pope and Mr. Warburton, London, J. & P. Napton, 1747; from Google Book Search, full text and PDF and Internet Archive, in various formats.  The "Blunders of the first Editors" refers collectively to the editors of the quarto and folio editions, and Rowe, who was safely dead by this time.  "The last two" refer to the editions of Theobald (1733) and Hanmer (1743-44).  Warburton had criticized Pope's edition, but having become an ally of Pope's by the time of this edition, does not mention it unfavorably.  His former ally, now enemy, Theobald, however, comes in for notable criticism.

Unfortunately not all of the volumes to the 1747 edition could be found at GBS.  Vol. VI could only be found at Internet Archive, which does not allow for linking into the volumes, so I could not create a separate link to each play contained therein; and Vol. II could not be found at all.  Both GBS and IA, as I have frequently noted, have difficulty in presenting multi-volume works in accessible fashion.

• Volume the First
  • Dedication to Mrs. Allen
  • Warburton's Preface
  • Mr. Pope's Preface
  • Some Account of the Life, &c. of Mr. William Shakespear. Written by Mr. Rowe
  • "The following instrument..." (the document relating to John Shakespeare's Coat of Arms).
  • To the memory of my Beloved the Author, Mr. William Shakespear and What He Hath Left Us (Ben Jonson)
  • A Table of the Several Editions of Shakespear's Plays...
  • Warburton's Four Classes
  • The Tempest
  • A Midsummer-Night's Dream
  • The Two Gentlemen of Verona
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor
  • Measure for Measure
• Volume the Second (I have not yet been able to locate this volume at GBS or IA.  Please contact me if you do.)
  • Much Ado About Nothing
  • Love's Labour's Lost
  • The Merchant of Venice
  • As you Like It
  • The Taming of the Shrew
• Volume the Third [IA]
  • All's Well That Ends Well
  • Twelfth-Night : or, What You Will
  • The Comedy of Errors
  • The Winter's Tale
  • The Life and Death of King John
• Volume the Fourth
  • The Life and Death of Richard the Second
  • The First Part of Henry IV.  With the Life and Death of Henry, Sirnam'd Hot-Spur.
  • The Second Part of Henry IV.  Containing His Death : and the Coronation of King Henry V.
  • The Life of Henry V.
  • The First Part of Henry VI.
• Volume the Fifth [IA]
  • The Second Part of K. Henry VI.
  • The Third Part of K. Henry VI. With the Death of the Duke of York.
  • The Life and Death of Richard III.
  • The Life of Henry VIII.
• Volume the Sixth (Internet Archive only - Internet archive does not permit linking into works)
  • King Lear
  • Timon of Athens
  • Titus Andronicus
  • Macbeth
  • Coriolanus
• Volume the Seventh
  • Julius Caesar
  • Antony and Cleopatra
  • Cymbeline. A Tragedy.
  • Troilus and Cressida
• Volume the Eighth
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
  • Othello The Moor of Venice
  • Index of the Characters, Sentiments, Similies, Speeches and Descriptions in Shakespeare

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