The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 4 of 9]

by William Shakespeare

Q₃. The | Tragedie of King | Richard the second. | As it hath been publikely acted by the Right | Honourable the Lord Chamberlaine | his seruantes. | By William Shake-speare. | London, | Printed by W. W. for Mathew Law, and are to be | sold at his shop in Paules Church-yard, at | the signe of the Foxe. | 1608. |

The same edition was also issued in the same year with the following title-page:

The | Tragedie of King | Richard the Second: | With new additions of the Parlia-|ment Sceane, and the deposing | of King Richard, | As it hath been lately acted by the Kinges | Maiesties seruantes, at the Globe. | By William Shake-speare. | At London, | Printed by W. W. for Mathew Law, and are to | be sold at his shop in Paules Church-yard, | at the signe of the Foxe. | 1608. |

Q₄. The | Tragedie of King | Richard the Se-|cond: | With new additions of the Parliament Sceane, | and the deposing of King | Richard. | As it hath been lately acted by the Kinges | Maiesties seruants, at the Globe. | By William Shake-speare. | At London, | Printed for Mathew Law, and are to be sold | at his shop in Paules Church-yard, at the | signe of the Foxe. | 1615. |

Each of these Quartos was printed from its immediate predecessor. The third however contains an important addition, found in all the extant copies of Q₃, amounting to 165 lines, viz. IV. 1. 154-318. This is what is meant by 'the new additions of the Parliament scene' mentioned in the title-pages of some copies of Q₃ and in that of Q₄. These 'new additions' are found also in the first and following Folios and in Q₅. The play, as given in the first Folio, was no doubt printed from a copy of Q₄, corrected with some care and prepared for stage representation. Several passages have been left out with a view of shortening the performance. In the 'new additions of the Parliament Scene' it would appear that the defective text of the Quarto had been corrected from the author's MS. For this part therefore the first Folio is our highest authority: for all the rest of the play the first Quarto affords the best text.

The fifth Quarto (Q₅) was printed from the second Folio (F₂), but its readings sometimes agree with one or other of the earlier Quartos, and in a few cases are entirely independent of previous editions. Its title-page is as follows:

The | Life and | Death of King | Richard the | Second. | With new Additions of the | Parliament Scene, and the | Deposing of King Richard. | As it hath beene acted by the Kings Majesties | Servants, at the Globe. | By William Shakespeare. | London, Printed by Iohn Norton. | 1634. |

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3. The First Part of King Henry the Fourth appeared in six successive Quarto editions before the publication of the first Folio. The title-pages of the first five of these editions are given in full below. The version in the first Folio seems to have been printed from a partially corrected copy of the fifth Quarto. In many places the readings coincide with those of the earlier Quartos, which were probably consulted by the corrector. The title of the play in the Folio is, 'The First Part of Henry the Fourth, with the Life and Death of Henry Sirnamed Hotspurre.' As there is no copy of the fourth Quarto in the Capell collection, our collation has been made from the copy in the Bodleian, and verified by that in the Devonshire Library. The deficiencies of Capell's copy of the third Quarto have been supplied by a collation of the Bodleian copy of that edition.

Q₁. The | History of | Henrie the | Fovrth; | With the battell at Shrewsburie, | betweene the King and Lord | Henry Percy, surnamed | Henrie Hotspur of | the North. | With the humorous conceits of Sir | Iohn Falstalffe. | AT LONDON, | Printed by P. S. for Andrew Wise, dwelling | in Paules Churchyard, at the signe of | the Angell. 1598. |