Page:The Plays and Poems of William Shakspeare (1790) - Vol. 1a.djvu/28

xiv In the original copy of K. Henry IV. P. I. printed in 1598, Act IV. sc. iv. we find— "And what with Owen Glendower’s absence thence,

"(Who with them was a rated sinew too,)" &c. In the fourth quarto printed in 1608, the article being omitted by the negligence of the compositor, and the line printed thus,

"Who with them was rated sinew too,"— the editor of the next quarto, (which was copied by the folio,) instead of examining the first edition, amended the errour (leaving the metre still imperfect) by reading—

"Who with them was rated firmly too."

So, in the same play, Act I. sc. iii. instead of the reading of the earliest copy—

“Why, what a candy deal of courtesy—”

candy being printed in the first folio instead of candy, by the accidental inversion of the letter n, the editor of the second folio correéted the errour by substituting gawdy.

So, in the same play, Act III. sc. i. instead of the reading of the earliest impression,

"The frame and huge foundation of the earth—”

in the second and the subsequent quartos, the line by the negligence of the compositor was exhibited without the word huge: "The frame and foundation of the earth—”

and the editor of the folio, finding the metre imperfect, supplied it by reading,

"The frame and the foundation of the earth.”