THE TEXTUAL APPENDIX
A textual appendix, detailing actual or proposed departures from the copy-text, is incorporated. The Textual Appendix records:
(a) obvious misprints;
(b) lections from 1590 or 1609 which seem preferable;
(c) lections from 1590 or 1609 which throw light on the spelling,
punctuation or sense of 1596;
(d) illuminating conjectures or suggestions made by Spenserian
scholars and editors.
The four main sources for the text are quoted as follows:
1590: the 1590 quarto edition (Books I-III) 1596: the 1596 quarto edition (Books I-VI) 1609: the 1609 folio edition (Books I-VII) FE: the corrigenda (Faults Escaped in the Print) which accompany 1590 (Books I-III)
In the Textual Appendix, all original text is shown in "roman" type, except where it occurs in italic type in the sources. All editorial comment in the Textual Appendix is shown in "italic" type.
Examples
(a) Departures from the text of 1596
Elfe > Elfe, 1596
The lection from 1590 and 1609 is to be preferred, since 1596 (with an extraneous comma) appears to be in error.
sawe > saw 1596, 1609
The lection from 1590 is to be preferred.
there > their 1590, 1596
The lection from 1609 is to be preferred.
that > omitted from 1596
The word has been supplied from the lection of 1590 and 1609.
who > omitted from 1596 and 1609
The word has been supplied from 1590.
has > omitted from 1590 and 1596
The word has been supplied from 1609.
wite > wote 1590 etc.; this correction is generally agreed.
All three editions contain a blatant error, which has been corrected by editorial conjecture.
those > these 1590 etc.: FE
All three editions are in error and the word has been supplied from FE.
Harrow > Horrow 1590, 1596: FE
The error occurs in 1590 and 1596, and was corrected in 1609 from
FE.
(b) Variants on the text of 1596
in her sight > to her might 1590
The variant occurs in 1590, but not in 1596 or 1609.
traile > trayle 1609
The variant occurs in 1609, but not in 1590 or 1596.
fair > fayre, 1590; Faire 1609
These two variants occur in 1590 and 1609, so that the word in question is different in all three editions.
hand > hond sugg. Morris
Morris (see Bibliography) suggested this alternative to the given text.
So that any reader will be able to start anywhere and understand any stanza immediately, I have glossed even the common archaisms throughout (e.g. "gan", "eftsoons", "wont"). Occasionally, however, as with "squire", or "palmer", or "foster", when repetitious glossing would be locally irritating, I have glossed the word once or twice only at the beginning of each canto. Thus it is possible that you will alight somewhere and find an unknown word unglossed.
If this should happen, you will almost certainly be able to find the word glossed in at least one other place earlier in the canto. Or, if it is does not seem to be glossed at all, you will find it in any competent concise English dictionary.