THE | TRAGEDIE | of King Richard | the third. | Conteining his treacherous Plots against his | brother Clarence: the pitiful murther of his innocent | Nephewes: his tyrannicall vsurpation: with | the whole course of his detested life, and most | deserued death. | As it hath beene lately Acted by the Right honourable| the Lord Chamberlaine his seruants. | By William Shakespeare.| LONDON | Printed by Thomas Creede, for Andrew Wise, | dwelling in Paules Church-yard, at the signe | of the Angell. 1598. |
The third Quarto, our Q3, has the following title-page:
THE | TRAGEDIE | of King Richard | the third. | Conteining his treacherous Plots against his brother | Clarence: the pittifull murther of his innocent Ne-|phewes: his tyrannicall vsurpation: with the | whole course of his detested life, and | most deserued death. | As it hath bene lately Acted by the Right Honourable | the Lord Chamberlaine his seruants. | Newly augmented,| By William Shakespeare. | LONDON | Printed by Thomas Creede, for Andrew Wise, dwelling | in Paules Churchyard, at the signe of the | Angell. 1602.|
Notwithstanding the words ‘newly augmented,’ this edition contains nothing that is not found in the second Quarto, from which it is reprinted, except some additional errors of the press.
The fourth Quarto, our Q4, was printed from the third, by the same printer for a different bookseller, as appears by the title-page:
THE | TRAGEDIE | of King Richard | the third. | Conteining his treacherous Plots against his brother | Clarence: the pittifull murther of his innocent Ne-|phewes: his tyrannicall vsurpation: with the | whole course of his detested life, and | most deserued death. | As it hath bin lately Acted by the Right Honourable | the Lord Chamberlaine his seruants. | Newly augmented, | By William Shake-speare. | LONDON, | Printed by Thomas Creede, and are to be sold by Mathew | Lawe, dwelling in Paules Church-yard, at the Signe | of the Foxe, neare S. Austins gate, 1605. |
There is no copy of Q4 in the Capell collection. We have collated one in the Bodleian which formerly belonged to Malone. It is numbered 880.
The fifth Quarto, Q5, was printed in 1612, not from its immediate predecessor, but from the Quarto of 1602, although it was printed by the same printer and for the same bookseller as that of 1605. The title-page of Q5 is as follows:
THE | TRAGEDIE | of King Richard | the third. | Containing his treacherous Plots against his brother | Clarence: the pittifull murther of his innocent Ne-phewes: his tyrannicall vsurpation: with the | whole course of his detested life, and | most deserued death. | As it hath beene lately Acted by the Kings Maiesties | seruants. | Newly augmented, | By William Shake-speare. | LONDON, | Printed by Thomas Creede, and are to be sold by Mathew | Lawe, dwelling in Pauls Church-yard, at the Signe | of the Foxe, neare S. Austins gate, 1612. |
The edition of 1622 is so rare that its very existence has been called in question†. There is however a copy in the Capell collection, of which the title-page is as follows: