The play was among those discovered in Ireland in the spring of 1906 and sold at Sotheby's on 30 June, when it was purchased for the British Museum at the price of one hundred and ninety-five pounds. Its press-mark is C. 34. i. 25.

The extremely careless typography of the original makes the task of reprinting a difficult one. Ordinary misprints abound, and these have been scrupulously retained, a list of irregularities being added below. It has, however, proved impossible to arrive at any satisfactory method of distinguishing between 'n' and 'u.' In the first hundred lines, which are by no means the worst printed, there are thirty-two cases in which the letter is indistinguishable, eighteen cases of an apparent 'u' which should be 'n,' and seven cases of an apparent 'n' which should be 'u.' When it is further remembered that there are few cases in which it is possible to say for certain that a letter really is what it appears to be, and none in which it may not be turned, some idea of the difficulty in the way of reprinting will be obtained. To have followed the original in this matter would have been to introduce another misprint into at least every fourth line, while even so several hundred cases would have remained which could only have been decided according to the apparent sense of the passage. The only rational course was to treat the letters as indistinguishable throughout, and to print in each instance whichever the sense seemed to require. Again, as the superscript letters 'c,' 'e,' 't,' are seldom distinguishable, the printer has been given the benefit of the doubt. Another difficulty arose in connection with the speakers' names. In the original these have often dropt from their proper places, which can now only be ascertained from the sense and the not very regular indentation. With some hesitation it has been decided to restore them to the positions they should apparently occupy, noting all cases in which they are a line or more out in the original. Lastly it may be remarked that in the speeches which aim at imitating foreign languages the apparent readings of the very indistinct original have been scrupulously reproduced, and no attempt has been made, even in the subjoined list, to suggest any corrections.

In the last sheet some of the pages are cropt at the foot. In most cases nothing more than the catchword has disappeared, and although between lines 768 and 769 something seems to be lost, it is doubtful whether this is due to the cropping, since D1v has already one line too many.

The original is printed in the ordinary black letter of the period, of the body known as English (20 ll. = 94 mm.).

Irregular and Doubtful Readings.

Tit. att his
5. tcowe
7. fleepe(?)
13. nof
24. Weith
25. Iam
27. ofcompariſon
29. ſo (too?)
38. yeth
41. dyſpayre (dyſprayſe)
50. marualufly
52. iu
54. ts
57. ſtander ... nowe
58. ſelte
62. Inlykewiſe
63. Wh en (?) (no catchword)
66. deſyred
70. thouart
74. anſwerrd
75. wellh
76. thou' fagetyue (or ?tagetyue)
80. Thai
84. benefites
95. welth hatg ... freaſure
98. ſtands (the 'ſ' doubtful)
100. cempetent
105. Ye
107. otherwelth
109. Euerywiſe
110. dtſpoſicions
127. ſaue (the 'e' doubtful)
134. woth
137. ſtealeth
144. hit
149. a wreke
150. nf
159. (no catchword)
164. nhw indifferenily
165. me
168. Weith
177. tryaſure
178. yfthey
191. (no catchword)
195. please youto
197. libert
201. werwhy (me, why?)
207. feloweh
214. ſhalde
216. crow
224. beholde (be bolde)
234. wyſe (the 'ſ' doubtful)
ifye (if he?)
237. yllibert
238. notfore
249. lubſtaunce
250. werr
251. whyce
253. luſt (luſty)
257. lybertye
258. H elth (?)
267. ran
270. loboure
275. ofliberty ... ſuter
278. alytle
286. acquanted
289. Dryue (the 'y' doubtful)
290. Wy ll (?) ... C (I)
294. [H]ealth
306. Chriſt
312. kindes
315. Arquaintance
318. fo
319. lybertyeis
320. lyberfye, wili
bebolde (be bolde)
322. Thyrfore
324. lybrtye
328. ano
337. pas (paſt)
364. ther
367. let hym (hem)
373. Wytte (Will)
379. felfe
383. caa
386. thought (ſought)
391. ſrhon (?)
397. be gins
398. ſleminge
400. ſlemminges
wilmar (?)
405. icvell
408. lonck
410. ic compte hore
414. Nae
424. ſſaunders
425. ſleminges
426. theris
433. deuoſe
440. ftyll (?)
443. ſhred wet
445. Wyll ... cun
447. thing
450. geeat actortty
452. hach
453. luſt (iuſt) ... indifference
460. ſhalbe (the 'ſ' doubtful)
470. berter
473. mayay (or ? nayay, reading very doubtful; may ſay?)
475. Forfoth ... vrother
479. in (the 'n' doubtful)
485. wel ... ſlye (flyt?)
498. you
501. vegyled
502. councelll
507. Wy ll (?)
508. fhe (?)
509. chat ... alw ay
511. meaneth (the 't' doubtful)
520. [Liberty?]
531. oardon
534. am be(?) ... well
545. Gngland
547. renlmes
548. thy (they)
551. rm
553. apart ... aceoritie
554. R[e]md
558. for (the 'f' doubtful)
561. prefercing (?)
567. ehis
568. percelue
596. b e (?)
600. yoor (?)
601. tohether
605. exchewe ... Ill
607. tēp
609. ſach
613. [(]wil
616. apare
618. larye
622. chat
624. afryde
629. Hew
630. p=omiſe (the '=' doubtful)
631. ſſtyeſt (ſpyeſt?)
632. lok e
633. crooke (the 'e' doubtful)
636. Wyll. (below l. 637)
tor
653. euey
654. ofhell(?)
662. falfe
666. libertideſpiſe
667. mateer
668. wet, ler ... [Will.]
669. a none
675. thiag
676. Afirr (After)
685. I tis
686. ihe
693. with ... conoenient
695. Wyll. (opposite l. 696)
angey
699. tor
705. he
711. Wytte (opposite l. 712)
716. rhe
719. Wyll. (opposite l. 718)
724. wich
731. welco me
health (opposite l. 730)
734. (no catchword)
735. her (hert ?)
736. v s (?)
740. .abor
742. ſha me (?)
753. H ance (?)
755. Hance (the 'e' doubtful)
756. nothin
757. H ance (?)
760. allaunts ... reale
764. ſelfeloue (?)
deſcone (?)
766. ſubtel tiget
768. (catchword cut off?)
769. [Remedy.] (but a whole line probably missing)
772. Ic ... Remdi (the 'i' doubtful)
773. i (I or ī)
776. fleming (the 'f' doubtful) ... lenger
780. tiberty
782. Health (opposite l. 781)
785. nof (?)
787. affirmity
790. Health (opposite l. 791)
791. maladi (the 'l' doubtful)
796. ye t
798. people (the second 'e' doubtful) ... detelt
799. theroffor (?)
801. A mendes
(catchword cropt)
803. doone (the 'd' doubtful)
804. helfe a mendes
807. neceſlitie (?)
820. thinketh (the second 't' doubtful)
821. herc
822. ve
823. eafe ano
826. warre
828. boyde
830. weae ... uhat hrlth
831. ſaw ſaw
833. tſte
834. (catchword cropt)
836. liuingl
838. abouf (?)
841. blam
842. Co ſtaunder
vndeſrrued
843. drpart
846. ſpy&nardo
847. folse chefe ... Health
849. wiltel
850. ia
851. peca (the 'e' doubtful)
853. meae
856. fheſe
861. contra
863. three
864. I Iyfgo ... them
(there is no lead between Wyll. and Wytte.; the speakers' names to ll. 862-3 are half a line too low, those to ll. 865-7 half a line too high)
866. Remd
867. abd ... (signature and catchword cut off?)
868. ful
871. fpeake
873. feason
881. Remdt
882. thete (?)
887. in continent
888. wif
889. lake
891. behanged
893. ſhalſ
901. ſhrew de
903. althre
907. ſhaibe ... warding
alonge
909. wel
912. remābre ... a nother
917. diſpleſur
918. vngrocious
919. diſſulation
923. devyl
924. liberty= (the '=' doubtful; opposite l. 923)
925. ymanginacien
927. myſcef
928. priſon
933. (catchword cropt)
940. yfye (?)
941. rcſtore
954. Thar (?)
955. remdy
956. deuer
958. riagne
960. rontinue
961. w ([with])

In the 1907 text, the 16th-century first page was reproduced at this point. A sample is shown here along with the 1907 version.