I have in my possession a very remarkable set of the different editions of Shakespeare's plays in folio; of which I propose to give a description, so far as they vary from the collation in Lowndes' Bibliographer's Manual, printed in 1824. Taking his account as a guide, I will note where any additions or corrections are to be made. In a few instances, when he is not sufficiently explicit, some further details will be given in order to distinguish one edition from another. My copies are of large size and in fine condition;—every leaf of them is genuine.

FIRST EDITION, 1623.

Of this edition I have two copies. One of them belonged originally to John Lichfield, Esqr., and is mentioned by Dr. Dibdin in his Library Companion, page 811. It is also referred to by Lowndes as the Baker copy. He states that it has the title-page with the date 1622, and, in addition, two cancelled leaves in the play of "As you like it." It is 12 inches tall, and 84 inches wide. There are two copies of the leaf with Ben Jonson's verses; one is a perfect leaf without any watermark-the other has the verses perfect, and with the watermark of a crown, but the verses are inlaid.

1. The title reads as follows: Mr. William | Shakespeares | Comedies, | Histories, & | Tragedies. Published according to the True Originall Copies. (The Portrait) | London | Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed. Blount. 1622.

2. The same in all respects except the date, which is 1623.

This

3. A fac-simile of the Portrait by Harris. The versos of all the titles are blank. Lowndes says, 66 The way to discover the genuine state (of the Portrait) is by observing the shading in the face to be expressed by single lines, without any crossing whatever." remark is inaccurate; it should read thus: the genuine portrait is known by observing that the cross lines do not occur on the right side of the face. The copper-plate in this state served for the first three editions, but in the third it is much worn:-the cross lines were added for the fourth edition.

The title-page with the date 1622 is inlaid at the bottom, below the imprint: if by this means the last figure has been tampered with, the alteration is very successfully concealed.

There are seven preliminary leaves which fol

In "As you like it " pages 193, 194 are double. One correctly numbered 193 and the signature R correct.

Another marked 203 and the signature R2 incorrect.

In the same play, pages 203, 204 are double. One incorrectly numbered 194, and in the 1st

column 10th line the words, "a ripe age" &c., are given to Orlando instead of the Clown, and William's speech immediately following is given to the Clown.

Another correctly marked 204, and the errors in the text corrected.

In the Taming of the Shrew, pages 213, 214 are double.

One has page 214 correctly numbered-in the other it is 212.

In the same play, pages 229, 230 are double. In the one 229 the signature V is correct-in the other Vv incorrect.

In "All's well that ends well," pages 237, 238 are double. In one, page 237 is correctly numbered-in the other it is 233.

In Richard the Second, pages 37, 38 (the second series of pagination) are double. In one, page 37 is correctly numbered-in the other it is 39. In all the copies of this edition, the following

errors occur:

Merchant of Venice, page 170. The last line

of the 2d column, "How shall I know if I doe choose the right?" is repeated as the first line of page 171.

Richard the Second, page 26, second series of pagination, "The flye flow houres shall not determinate" for "flye slow." The fl and fl being joined together in the old printing, the one has been used for the other. Henry the Eighth, page 229. Lowndes in his enumeration of the mistakes and omissions in the signatures, does not notice that x', the signature of this leaf is omitted.

The reprint in 1807 of this edition corresponds generally with Lowndes' collation of the original. The pages are numbered a second time throughout in the centre at the bottom, and in 2s from 1 to 223', a blank leaf completing the last signature. The date occurs only in the watermark, and is best seen on the portrait and last leaf. This mark is Shakespeare | J. Whatman | 1806 | and sometimes 1807. The printer's name is on the verso of the title-page at the bottom-Printed by E. and J. Wright, St. John's Square. And at the bottom of the last page, J. Wright, Printer, No. 38, St. John's Square.

SECOND EDITION, 1632.

This edition also begins with a leaf, the recto blank, and Ben Jonson's verses on the verso. There are two mistakes in Lowndes' transcript of these verses :-the word "Brasse" in the 6th line should be spelt with a final e, and the word "Reader" is omitted in the 9th line. since he cannot, Reader, looke❞

"But,

I have six different copies of the title-page. They are as follows:

1. M: William Shakespeares | Comedies, Histories, and | Tragedies. Published according to the true Originall Copies. The second Impression. (the Portrait-and below,) London, | Printed by Tho. Cotes, for Robert Allot, and are to be sold at the signe | of the Blacke Beare in Pauls Church-yard. 1632. |

In the 7th line the I is long, running below the line thus, the double ss not joined together.

2. The same in all respects as No. 1, except that the words "at his shop" are inserted in the second line of the imprint, which reads thus, Printed by Tho. Cotes, for Robert Allot, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe, | &c.

3. Another, probably cancelled, with these variations from No. 2

In the 4th line, there is no comma after "Histories"

6th line," according " is printed "accodring." 7th line, the word "Impression" begins with

a short I, and the ss are joined together at the top,

1st line of the imprint, there is no period after "Tho"

Last line of the imprint, "blacke" with a small b-Pauls in italics-no hyphen between "Church" and "yard," and a comma after "yard," not a period.

4. Another title-page like No. 1, but the imprint below the portrait stands thus,-London, Printed by Tho. Cotes, for William Aspley, and are to be sold at the signe | of the Parrat in Pauls Church-yard. 1632. |

The s in this name is long, and joined to the p.

5. Another, like No. 1, but the imprint reads London, | Printed by Tho. Cotes, for Richard Hawkins, and are to be sold at his shop | in Chancery Lane, neere Serjeants Inne. 1632.

The C in Cotes is long, passing below the line. 6. Another, like No. 5, except the imprint, which reads thus-London, | Printed by Tho. Cotes, for John Smethwick, and are to be sold at his shop in Saint Dunstans Church-yard. 1632. Size of my volume-138 by 87 inches.

There are eight preliminary leaves;—the versos of the following are blank: A3 (marked A*) "To the great variety of Readers."

A* (not marked) "Upon the Effigies &c" and an Epitaph." These verses are not in the first edition.

Much Adoe about Nothing, pages 119, 120 are double

On page 119, 1st col. 10th line, ‘Rightly rea

soned' correct, and on page 119, 1st col. 10th line from the bottom, "I thanke you" correct Another reads in these places, 'Righthly' and 'It thanke you.'

Love's Labour's Lost, pages 143, 144 are double. On page 143, 2d col. lines 39, 40, one reads correctly

Change not your offer made in heate of blood: If frosts, and fasts, hard lodging, and thin weedes

Another has, 'you offer' and 'thine weedes.' Merchant of Venice, pages 173, 174 are double. Page 174, 1st col. I. 40, one reads 'than thou' correctly, the other then thau.' The same play, pages 175, 176 are double-one correctly numbered 176-the other is 276. As you like it, pages 205, 206 are double-one correctly marked 205-the other is 208. The Taming of the Shrew, pages 219, 220 are double. The running title of 219 is in one The Taming of the Shrew-in the other, Taming of the Shrew.

The same play, pages 223, 224 are double-one correct 223, the other marked 213.

The First Part of Henry the Fourth, pages 49, 50 are double-one page 49 correct - the other 45.

The Epilogue to the Second Part of Henry the Fourth, page 101 (not marked) is doubleone has the signature i2 correct-in the other i3,

Third Part of Henry the Sixth, pages 163, 164 are double-one correct 164-the other 194. Henry the Eighth, pages 205, 206 are double. In one the running title of page 206 is correct, ‘The Life of Henry the Eight—in the other it is, The Life and Death of Richard the Third.

Troilus and Cressida, pages 29, 30 are doubleone page 29 has the signature bb3-in the other, the sig. is omitted.

Romeo and Juliet, pages 83, 84 are double. Page 83, 2d col. 7th line from the bottom, one reads 'Saint-seucing-the other 'Saint-seuncing' -both a mistake for Saint-seducing. Pages 85, 86 are also double-one correct, 85 -the other 58.

Timon of Athens, pages 125, 126 are doublein one page 125, the signature 113 correct—in the other 13.

Macbeth, pages 269, 270 are double-in one 269 is correctly marked, in the other it is 209. Measure for Measure, page 70, 2d col. 1. 8 from the bottom, reads

For thine owne bowels which doe call thee, fire.

This mistake of fire for sire is noticed in the Notes and Queries. A long f is joined to the ¿, instead of a long 8. The same mistake occurs elsewhere, e. g. in the 1st col. of the same page, 25th line, the fi in easie are joined in the same way. But I have two leaves, in one of which the word in the last mentioned line is correctly printed eafie, in the other it is eafie.

In the same play, page 171, 1st col. 1st line, the last line of page 170 is repeated, as in the first edition, but in this instance incorrectly, the second I being omitted-'do' is printed without the final e. The line stands thus, How shall I know if do choose the right. As you like it, page 196, 1st col. 12 and 13 lines, the words, "have your parishiones withall, and never cri' de are repeated: but in the first case, the two words are printed 'parishioners,' and 'cride.'

The Taming of the Shrew, the running title on pages 213 and 223 is The Taming of a the Shrew.

Richard the Second, page 26, 2d col. line 31 is said to read, in some copies, 'The flye flow houres shall not determinate,' as in the first edition-but the cross piece of the f in the word flye is in those instances either broken, or not very distinct.

Hamlet, page 294, the running title is, The Tragedy of King Lear, instead of The Tragedy of Hamlet. In the 2d col. 7th line, the question of the King,' Will you know them then' wants the? at the end. In the 8th line 'ope my armes' is 'hope.' In the 11th line, the phrase, 'what noyse is that?' is transferred

from Laertes' speech in the 19th line, and the words 'you speak' are omitted. Cymbeline, page 416, 1st col. last line reads, My Daught for My Daughter.'

The enumeration of errors of less importance might be greatly increased: and the same remark applies to all the editions. I have only noted those which are most remarkable, or which have been continued in the later editions.

THIRD EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, 1663.

My copy of this volume commences with a leaf entirely blank, followed by another, the recto of which is blank. On the verso are Ben Jonson's verses in type (commonly called double English) as large as that used for the same lines in the first and second editions, but of a thinner face, and more spaced out. The same words are in italics as those in Lowndes' description of the verses under the Portrait in the second issue of 1664. Some of the capital letters differ, especially the W in the fourth line, which is printed thus, VV. Similar characters, both italic and upright, are employed in the Dedication, and Address to the readers of this edition.

There are two title-pages, one with a space left for the Portrait:-the other with the Portrait inserted in its place. At the top of both is this title,

M'. William Shakespeares | Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. | Published according to the true Original Copies. | The Third Impres sion. and at the bottom-London, | Printed for Philip Chetwinde, 1663. |

The four leaves described above have the same watermark, a large crowned escutcheon, with a scroll below, containing the letters DVD. The leaf of the second issue containing the Portrait with the verses below has a watermark, a crowned escutcheon, but it is much smaller, and has no letters at the bottom.

There are eight preliminary leaves, printed in the large italic, or the upright type of the verses before the title-page, and all the leaves are printed on both sides. Size of the volume 133 by 87 inches.

THIRD EDITION, SECOND ISSUE, 1664.

This volume has the portrait with the verses below, printed on the verso of the leaf which precedes the title-page. The title thus: Mr. William Shakespear's* | Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. Published according to the true Original Copies. | The third Impression.t | And unto this Impression is added seven Playes,

*Without the final e and an apostrophe before the s.

+ This line in larger type than in the previous issue, and a small t in third. The two ss are both long: in the first issue, one is long, and the other short.

never before Printed in Folio. | viz. | Pericles Prince of Tyre. | The London Prodigall. | The History of Thomas Ld Cromwell. | Sir John Oldcastle Lord Cobham. | The Puritan Widow. | A York-shire Tragedy. | The Tragedy of Locrine. Vignette - Two Snakes entwined around a circular band, on which are the words Ad Ardua per Aspera Tendo-in the centre, an eagle perched upon a small circle-London, Printed for P. C. 1664. |

The preliminary leaves correspond with those in the first issue—indeed, except the addition of the seven plays to the second, the two issues correspond. Lowndes remarks, "The same errors in the pagination do not occur in all copies, as it is evident several were corrected during the time the volume was passing through the press." The following differ from his list in the two issues:

In Much Ado About Nothing, 1663, page 109 is correct; in 1664 it is 111.

In Much Ado About Nothing, 1663, page 120 is correct; in 1664 it is 119.

2d part of Henry the 6th, 1663, page 478, is paged on the wrong side; in 1664 it is paged on the proper side.

Romeo and Juliet, in 1663, pages 650, 651, are correct-in 1664 misprinted 649, 650. Romeo and Juliet, in 1663, pages 662, 663 are misprinted 660, 661; in 1664, pages 662, 663 are misprinted 646, 655.

Cymbeline, page 877 is correctly numbered in both. Lowndes says that it is sometimes marked 881.

In the London Prodigall, pages 12, 13 are double-in one they are correctly numberedin the other they are marked 4, 5. Lord Cromwell, pages 27, 28 are double-in one, 27 correct-in the other 30. Lord Cromwell, pages 29, 30 are double--in one, 30 correct-in the other 27. Signatures. Lowndes says they run from A to Aaa in 6s-it should be to Aa in 6s--then Bb in 8s, &c. TB3 is misprinted TВ.

In the Merchant of Venice, pages 170, 171, the line is not repeated.

In Hamlet, page 752, the error "hope" for ope" is corrected the other mistakes re

main.

The error in Cymbeline, page 874, Daught for Daughter, is corrected.

In Richard the second, page 330, 2d column, the mistake of the first edition is restored. "The flye flow hours shall not determinate."

FOURTH EDITION, 1685.

This edition begins with a leaf, on the verso of which is the Portrait with cross lines on both sides of the face, and below, the verses as described by Lowndes.

A black line across the page. The Fourth Edition. | Another line across the page. Vig

nette-A Fleur de lis in an ornament. Another line across. London, | Printed for H. Herringman, E. Brewster, and R. Bentley, at the Anchor in the New Exchange, the Crane in St. Pauls Church-Yard, and in | Russel-Street Covent-Garden. 1685.

The second title is similarly arranged, but the type differs, and there is no period after Mr -The vignette is square, and appears to be made up of small printer's marks the imprint is as follows:

London, Printed for H. Herringman, and are to be sold by Joseph Knight | and Francis Saunders, at the Anchor in the Lower Walk | of the New Exchange. 1685. |

Size 14 by 9 inches.

The introductory matter is in four leavesthe fourth to the seventh page inclusive printed in double columns-the eighth page is blank. The pagination agrees with Lowndes' collation. The following pages are double:

Henry the Fifth, page 88, second series, correctly marked, another misprinted 87. Henry the Fifth, page 93, one correct-the other is 92.

In Henry the 8th, page 225 is correct-Lowndes says 224.

*

The signatures Aaa to Eee, in Coriolanus to Romeo and Juliet, should have a prefixed to them, except Eee and Eee2

The whole signature Oo, pages 145 to 156, in the second part of Henry the Sixth, has probably been reprinted-different capital letters are used, and words are differently spelt. The following variations are the most obvious: Page 145, in one the signature Oo is correctin the other it is Pp.

On pages 147, 148, signature Oo2, and 153, 154, signature Oo (not marked) the leaves are counterparts, and there is no discoverable difference.

On pages 149, 150, and 151, 152, in one copy, there are rules at the sides and the bottom as

upon all the other pages-in the other these rules are omitted, leaving those at the top and between the columns. The running titles on these pages vary in the following manner: In one page 149, it is, The Second part, &c., a long f

The other, it is, The Second part, &c., capital S. On pages 151 and 152, in one, The Second Part, &c.

In the other, The Second part, &c.

On page 155, in one, The Second part, &c.
In the other, The Second Part, &c.

On page 156 in one, the catchword THE stands above the centre of the blank space at the lower part of the page, and between two

black lines which run across the page. In the other, the catchword is higher up there are three black lines across the page, and THE is between the first and second of them.

In Richard the Second, page 23, column 2d, the mistake of the first and third editions is continued. "The flye flow Hours shall not determinate." L.

NEW YORK, April, 1861.

Lowndes states that a copy of the edition of 1632 is in existence dated 1631, but I have never seen it.