CHAPTER IV.
1778—1781.
Against three such lures—a seat in Parliament, no rivals of note in the courts, and residence in his native country—all irresistible to an ambitious man—his philosophic spirit was proof. Fame might be otherwise secured. Wealth and honours were not worth the slavery endured in the pursuit. Certain feminine temptations might be avoided. And the cultivation of sober, sedentary letters became therefore his deliberate choice.
In January 1778, came out An Attempt to ascertain the Order in which the Plays of Shakspeare were written. A few of his opinions upon this subject were subsequently modified; but the main were republished in the prologomena to his edition of the poet in 1790. He had the satisfaction likewise of securing the assent of such a fastidious judge as Steevens, who thus writes in his second edition:—“By the aid of the registers at Stationers’ Hall, and such internal evidences as the pieces themselves supply, he (Malone) hath so happily accomplished his
