Chapter I: Preface

The five plays contained in this volume are here printed in the order in which they occur in the Folios.

1. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. The first edition of this play is a Quarto, of which the title is as follows:

Much adoe about | Nothing. | _As it hath been sundrie times publikely_ | acted by the right honourable, the Lord | Chamberlaine his seruants. | _Written by William Shakespeare._ | London | Printed by V. S. for Andrew Wise, and | William Aspley. | 1600.

The First Folio edition of this play was obviously printed from a copy of the Quarto belonging to the library of the theatre, and corrected for the purposes of the stage. Some stage directions of interest occur first in the Folio, but as regards the text, where the Folio differs from the Quarto it differs almost always for the worse. The alterations are due however to accident not design.

‘Davenant’s version,’ to which reference is made in the notes, is his play ‘The Law against Lovers.’

2. LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST was published for the first time in Quarto, with the following title:

A | Pleasant | Conceited Comedie | called, | Loues labors lost. | As it was presented before her Highnes | this last Christmas. | Newly corrected and augmented | _By W. Shakespere._ | Imprinted at London by _W. W._ | for _Cutbert Burby_. | 1598.

The Folio edition is a reprint of this Quarto, differing only in its being divided into Acts, and, as usual, inferior in accuracy. The second Quarto (Q2) is reprinted from the First Folio.

It bears the following title:

Loues Labours lost. | A wittie and | pleasant | comedie, | As it was Acted by his Maiesties Seruants at | _the_ Blacke-Friers _and the_ Globe. | _Written_ | By William Shakespeare. | London, | Printed by W. S. for _John Smethwicke_, and are to be | sold at his Shop in Saint _Dunstones_ Church-yard vnder the Diall. | 1631.

3. A MIDSUMMER-NIGHT’S DREAM. Of this play also the first edition is a Quarto, bearing the following title:

A | Midsommer nights | dreame. | As it hath beene sundry times pub|_lickcly acted, by the Right honoura_|ble, the Lord Chamberlaine his | _seruants_. | _Written by William Shakespeare._ | Imprinted at London, for _Thomas Fisher_, and are to | be soulde at his shoppe, at the Signe of the White Hart, | in _Fleetestreete_. 1600.

The copy of this Quarto in the Capell collection was formerly in the possession of Theobald, and bears this note in his handwriting: “Collated with the other Old Quarto with the same Title, printed by James Roberts in 1600, L. T.” The results of the collation are recorded in the margin. We have called this Q1.

In the same year another edition appeared, also in Quarto, with this title:

A | Midsommer nights | dreame. | As it hath beene sundry times pub|_likely acted, by the Right Honoura_|ble, the Lord Chamberlaine his | _seruants_. | _Written by William Shakespeare._ | _Printed by Iames Roberts_, 1600.

On comparing these two Quartos we find that they correspond page for page, though not line for line, except in the first five pages of sheet G. The printer’s errors in Fisher’s edition are corrected in that issued by Roberts, and from this circumstance, coupled with the facts that in the Roberts Quarto the ‘Exits’ are more frequently marked, and that it was not entered at Stationers’ Hall, as Fisher’s edition was, we infer that the Roberts Quarto was a pirated reprint of Fisher’s, probably for the use of the players. This may account for its having been followed by the First Folio. Fisher’s edition, though carelessly printed, contains on the whole the best readings, and may have been taken from the author’s manuscript.

The First Folio edition was printed from Roberts’s Quarto, which we have quoted as Q2.

4. THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Two Quarto editions of this play were published in the same year; (1) that generally known as the ‘Roberts Quarto,’ our Q1, bearing the following title-page:

The | excellent [History of the Mer|_chant of Venice._| With the extreme cruelty of _Shylocke_ | the Iew towards the saide Merchant, in cut|_ting a iust pound of his flesh. And the obtaining_ | of _Portia,_ by the choyse of | _three Caskets_.| Written by W. Shakespeare. | Printed by _J. Roberts_, 1600.

and (2) that known as the ‘Heyes Quarto,’ which we have called Q2, whose title-page is as follows:

The most excellent | Historie of the _Merchant_ | _of Venice_. | With the extreame crueltie of _Shylocke_ the Iewe | towards the sayd Merchant, in cutting a iust pound | of his flesh: and the obtayning of _Portia _| by the choyse of three | chests. | _As it hath beene diuers times acted by the Lord_ | _Chamberlaine his Servants_.| Written by William Shakespeare. At London, | Printed by I. R. for Thomas Heyes, | and are to be sold in Paules Church-yard, at the | signe of the Greene Dragon. | 1600. |

Different opinions have been entertained as to the respective priority of these two editions. Johnson and Capell both speak of the Heyes Quarto as the first. On the other hand, in the title-page of the Roberts Quarto, now at Devonshire House, J. P. Kemble, to whom the whole collection of Dramas belonged, has written ‘First edition.’ ‘Collated and perfect, J. P. K. 1798.’ And on the opposite page he has copied the following ‘entry on the Stationers’ Registers.’ ‘July 22, 1598. (James Roberts) A booke of the Merchaunt of Venyse, otherwise called the Jewe of Venyse. Provided that it be not printed by the said James Roberts or any other whatsoever without leave first had from the ryght honourable, the Lord Chamberlen—39. b.’ This shows that he had examined the question. He possessed moreover a copy of the Heyes Quarto, also collated by him and found perfect.

Mr Bolton Corney in _Notes and Queries_ (2nd ser. Vol. X. p. 21), has shown that there is at least a strong probability in favour of the precedence of the Roberts Quarto. We have therefore decided to call the Roberts Quarto Q1, and the Heyes Q2.

In a critical point of view the question is of little or no consequence. After a minute comparison of the two, we have come to the conclusion that neither was printed from the other. We are indebted sometimes to one and sometimes to the other for the true reading, where it is very improbable that the printer should have hit upon the correction. For example, Act II. Sc. 8, line 39, the Roberts Quarto, sig. E. 1. recto, has ‘Slubber not business...’ while the Heyes Quarto, sig. D. 4. recto, has ‘Slumber....’ On the other hand, Act III. Sc. 1, line 6, the Heyes Quarto, sig. F. 2. recto, has ‘gossip report,’ the true reading, while the Roberts Quarto, sig. F. 2. verso, has ‘gossips report.’ Other instances might be brought to prove that neither edition is printed from the other. But there is reason to think that they were printed from the same MS. Their agreement in spelling and punctuation and in manifest errors is too close to admit of any other hypothesis. We incline to believe that this common MS. was a transcript made from the author’s. It is certain, for instance, that the MS. had ‘veiling an Indian beauty’ (Act III. Sc. 2, line 99), and it is equally certain that ‘beauty’ was not the word Shakespeare meant. Other examples of common errors derived from the MS. will be found in our footnotes, and our readers may investigate the question for themselves.

Q1 seems to have been printed by a more accurate printer or ‘overseen’ by a more accurate corrector than Q2, and therefore _cœteris paribus_ we have preferred the authority of Q1.

The First Folio text is a reprint of the Heyes Quarto, which had doubtless belonged to the theatre library, and, as in other cases, had had some stage directions inserted.

The third Quarto, Q3, is also reprinted from Q2. It was published with the following title-page:

The most excellent | Historie of the Merchant | of Venice. | With the extreame crueltie of _Shylocke_ | the Iewe towards the said Merchant, in | cutting a just pound of his flesh: and the obtaining of PORTIA by the choice | _of three Chests_. | As it hath beene divers times acted by the | _Lord Chamberlaine his Servants_. | Written by William Shakespeare. | London, | Printed by _M.P._ for _Laurence Hayes_, and are to be sold | at his Shop on Fleetbridge. 1637.

The so-called Fourth Quarto differs from Q3 only in having a new title-page. We might have suppressed ‘Q4’ altogether, but having made the collation we allow the record to stand. The title-page of Q4 is as follows:

The most excellent | Historie | of the | Merchant of Venice: | With the extreame cruelty of _Shylocke_ | the _Jew_ towards the said Merchant, in cutting a | just pound of his flesh; and the obtaining | of _Portia_ by the choyce of three Chests. | As it hath beene diverse times acted by the | _Lord Chamberlaine his Servants_. | Written by William Shakespeare. | London: | Printed for _William Leake_, and are to be solde at his shop at the | signe of the Crown in _Fleetstreet_, between the two | Temple Gates. 1652.

The ‘Lansdowne version,’ which we have quoted in the notes, is the adaptation of _The Merchant of Venice_, published by Lord Lansdowne in 1701 under the title of _The Jew of Venice_.

5. AS YOU LIKE IT was printed for the first time in the First Folio; at least if any previous edition was ever published, no copy of it is known to be extant. This alone, of all the plays contained in the present volume, is divided into scenes in the Folio. In this play an unusual number of certain and probable emendations are due to the Second Folio.

The ‘De Quincey (or ‘Quincy’) MS.’ is an annotated copy of the Fourth Folio, quoted by Mr Grant White and Mr Halliwell.

In addition to those mentioned in the preface to the first volume, to whom we beg here to repeat our acknowledgments, we have to thank the Countess of Ellesmere and the Duke of Devonshire for the liberality with which they have thrown open to us the treasures of their libraries. We have to thank the Duke of Devonshire also for the interest which he has taken in our work and the help he has been kind enough to render in person. And on the same score we owe a debt of gratitude to Dr Kingsley, Mr Howard Staunton, Mr H. J. Roby, and Professor Craik, whose excellent volume _The English of Shakespeare_ is too well known to need any commendation from us.

One act of kindness deserves an especial record. Dr Leo of Berlin, who had himself prepared an edition of _Coriolanus_, was meditating a complete edition of Shakespeare on the plan we have adopted, but gave up the scheme when he found we had anticipated him. Reading in the preface to our first volume an expression of regret that there was no index to Mr Sidney Walker’s _Shakespeare Criticisms_, Dr Leo copied out and sent us an index which he had made for his own use. It has been of the greatest service to us, and we here beg to thank him most cordially for his generous aid.

W. G. C. W. A. W.

Mr Glover’s removal from Cambridge having compelled him to relinquish his part as Editor, Mr Wright, who was already engaged on the Glossary, has taken his place. This arrangement will, it is hoped, continue to the end.

W. G. C.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ[1].

DON PEDRO, prince of Arragon. DON JOHN, his bastard brother. CLAUDIO, a young lord of Florence. BENEDICK, a young lord of Padua. LEONATO, governor of Messina. ANTONIO, his brother. BALTHASAR, attendant on Don Pedro. CONRADE, follower of Don John. BORACHIO, ” ” ” FRIAR FRANCIS. DOGBERRY, a constable. VERGES, a headborough. A Sexton. A Boy.

HERO, daughter to Leonato[2]. BEATRICE, niece to Leonato. MARGARET, gentlewoman attending on Hero. URSULA, ” ” ”

Messengers, Watch, Attendants, &c.

SCENE—_Messina._

~~~~~ Footnotes:

1: DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.] First given by Rowe.

2: See note (I). ~~~~~

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.