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

by William Shakespeare

Q₂. The | History of | Henrie the | Fovrth; | With the battell at Shrewsburie, | betweene the King and Lord Henry | Percy, surnamed Henry Hot-|spur of the North. | With the humorous conceits of Sir | Iohn Falstalffe. | Newly corrected by W. Shakespeare. | AT LONDON, | Printed by S. S. for Andrew Wise, dwelling | in Paules Churchyard, at the signe of | the Angell. 1599. |

Q₃. The | History of | Henrie the fourth, | With the battell at Shrewsburie, | betweene the King, and Lord | Henry Percy, surnamed Henry Hot-|spur of the North. | With the humorous conceits of Sir | Iohn Falstaffe. | Newly corrected by W. Shakespeare. | London | Printed by Valentine Simmes, for Mathew Law, and | are to be solde at his shop in Paules Churchyard, | at the signe of the Fox. | 1604. |

Q₄. The | History of | Henry the fourth, | With the battell at Shrewseburie, | betweene the King, and Lord | Henry Percy, surnamed Henry | Hotspur of the North. | With the humorous conceites of Sir | Iohn Falstalffe. | Newly corrected by W. Shake-speare. | London, | Printed for Mathew Law, and are to be sold at | his shop in Paules Church-yard, neere vnto S. | Augustines gate, at the signe of | the Foxe. 1608. |

Q₅. The | History of | Henrie the fourth, | With the Battell at Shrewseburie, betweene | the King, and Lord Henrie Percy, sur-| named Henrie Hotspur of the North. | With the humorous conceites of Sir | Iohn Falstaffe. | Newly corrected by W. Shakespeare. | London, | Printed by W. W. for Mathew Law, and are to be sold | at his shop in Paules Church-yard, neere vnto S. | Augustines Gate, at the signe of the Foxe. | 1613. |

Subsequent editions in Quarto were printed in 1622 (Q₆) by T. P. for Mathew Law, in 1632 (Q₇) by John Norton for William Sheares, and in 1639 (Q₈) by John Norton for Hugh Perry. In all these the title-page is substantially the same. Each Quarto appears to have been printed from its predecessor.

The 'Dering MS.' quoted in our foot-notes was discovered in the muniment room at Surrenden by the Rev. Lambert B. Larking in 1844, and published in the following year for the Shakespeare Society under the editorship of Mr Halliwell. It contains a large portion of the First Part of Henry IV. and some scenes of the Second Part. Mr Halliwell believes it to have been written in the early part of the 17th century, certainly earlier than 1640, for the purpose of private theatrical performance. Some additions and corrections were made by the hand of 'Sir Edward Deryng, the first baronet, who died in 1644.' (Introduction, p. xii. ed. 1845.)

We are of opinion that this MS. was copied from the fifth Quarto of the First Part, and from a complete Quarto of the Second Part. The writer seems to have been both illiterate and careless. His punctuation is singularly bad, and his spelling peculiar to himself. We have noticed such various readings as seemed in any way remarkable.

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4. The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth was first published in Quarto in 1600 with the following title-page: