Conjectural criticism demands more than humanity possesses, and he that exercises it with most praise has very frequent need of indulgence.

Let us now be told no more of the dull duty of an editor.
Confidence is the common consequence of success.

They whose excellence of any kind has been loudly celebrated, are ready to conclude, that their powers are universal.

_Pope's_ edition fell below his own expectations, and he was so much offended, when he was found to have left any thing for others to do, that he past the latter part of his life in a state of hostility with verbal criticism.
I have retained all his notes, that no fragment of so great a writer may be lost; his preface, valuable alike for elegance of composition and justness of remark, and containing a general criticism on his authour, so extensive, that little can be added, and so exact, that little can be disputed, every editor has an interest to suppress, but that every reader would demand its insertion.
_Pope_ was succeeded by _Theobald_, a man of narrow comprehension and small acquisitions, with no native and intrinsick splendour of genius, with little of the artificial light of learning, but zealous for minute accuracy, and not negligent in pursuing it.

He collated the ancient copies, and rectified many errours.