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PREFACE

SINCE these volumes, containing separate plays, are independent
of each other, it seems necessary that a statement of the plan on
which they are edited should accompany each issue. This state-
ment, however, in the present instance shall be as concise as pos-
sible; it is to be presumed that those who are interested in this
edition are, by this time, tolerably familiar with its scope.

The attempt is here made to present, on the same page with the
text, all the various readings of the different editions of King Lear,
from the earliest Quarto to the latest critical edition of the play,
together with all the notes and comments thereon which the Edi-
tor has thought worthy of preservation, not only for the purpose of
elucidating the text, but at times as illustrations of the history of
Shakespearian criticism.

In the APPENDIX will be found essays on THE TEXT, THE DATE
OF COMPOSITION, THE SOURCE OF THE PLOT, DURATION OF THE
ACTION, INSANITY, ACTORS, COSTUME, TATE'S VERSION, selections
from ENGLISH and GERMAN CRITICISMS, a list of THE EDITIONS
COLLATED, with the abbreviations used to denote them, the BIBLI-
OGRAPHY of the Play, and an INDEX.

We have two sources for the text of Lear, the Quartos and the
Folios, both from independent manuscripts. Although we may not
have in the Folio the very text, absolute in its numbers,' as Shake-
speare conceived it,' yet with all its defects it is much better than
that of the Quarto, which is evidently one of those 'stolne and sur-
'reptitious' copies denounced by Heminge and Condell. Wherefore,
in this edition the text of the FIRST FOLIO has been virtually fol-

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lowed, but without, it is to be trusted, an absolute surrender to that
'modern Manicheeism, the worship of the Printer's devil.' Where

the Folio is clearly defective the Quartos have been called in aid.

Moreover, since the Quartos, maimed and deformed' though they

be by the frauds and stealthes of injurious impostors,' do never-

theless contain lines, and even a whole scene, which do not appear

in the Folio, but are nevertheless Shakespeare's, it has not been

deemed fitting to omit these; they have been retained in the text

and their presence indicated by asterisks, a modification of the

Italic of the old editors, which is due to Dr SCHMIDT's admirable

edition.

Happily, the day is fast declining when it is thought necessary

to modernise Shakespeare's text. Why should it be modernised?
We do not so treat SPENser. IS SHAKESPEARE's text less sacred?
A step was made when 'it' was boldly retained instead of modern-
ising the possessive case to its. In the present edition such words
as moe,' and' (when it is equivalent to if), vilde,' 'strook,'
and others, have been retained when found in the Folio. The ab-
breviated 'th' has also been copied from the same edition. It is
a source of regret that it did not occur to the Editor, until too
late, that the modern substitution of 'than,' for then of the Folio,
is equally uncalled for, a substitution which shall not occur in
future volumes of this edition.

My thanks are gladly given to Mr NORRIS for the BIBLIOGRAPHY
of English works; to my father, the Rev. Dr FURNESS, for his
translations of GERMAN CRITICISMS; and to one other, without
whose constant encouragement even this much of my long and
at times most weary task would not have been accomplished; to
her I am indebted for the INDEX.

H. H. F.

KING LEAR

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Knights of Lear's train, Captains, Messengers, Soldiers, and

Attendants.

SCENE: Britain.

5

10

15

20.

* DRAMATIS PERSONE] Substantially by Malone. First given by Rowe.

7. GLOUCESTER.] Thus spelled by Staunton; all before him, GLOSTER, or GLO'STER.

14, 18. OSWALD...Cornwall.] Omitted by Rowe +.

18. Capell reads thus: Servants to Cornwall, three. Officers in the Troop of Albany, four. Messengers, two.

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