J. Berkenhead.

Later collected editions of the works were published in 1711 (7 vols.);
1750, edited by Lewis Theobald, Thomas Seward and J. Sympson (10 vols.);
1778, edited by George Colman (10 vols.); 1812, edited by Henry Weber (14
vols.); 1843, edited by Alexander Dyce (11 vols.). It is unnecessary to
refer in detail to these later editions which, very widely as they differ
among themselves, agree in presenting an eclectic text, a text formed
partly by a collation of the various old editions and partly by the
adoption of conjectural emendations. During the progress of work upon
the present issue another edition has been announced, under the general
editorship of Mr A. H. Bullen, and the first volume was published last
year. It follows the lines of its predecessors in presenting a modernised
text, giving 'a fuller record than had been given by Dyce of _variæ
lectiones_,' and pleading, in its prospectus, that, 'for the use of
scholars, there should be editions of all our old authors in old
spelling.'

The objects of the present edition, in accordance with the scheme of the
series of ENGLISH CLASSICS of which it is a part, are to provide (i) a
text in which there shall be no deviation from that adopted as its basis,
in the matter of spelling, punctuation, the use of capitals and italics,
save as recorded, and to give (ii) an apparatus of variant readings as an
Appendix, comprising the texts of all the early issues, that is to say,
of all editions prior to and including the Second Folio. Within these
limits, and apart from mere variations in spelling and punctuation, every
variation, whether deemed important or not, is recorded in the Appendixes
to these volumes.

Of the 52 Plays in the Second Folio only 5 were published before the