The Works of Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher in Ten Volumes

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Beaumont Francis. The Works of Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher in Ten Volumes

NOTE

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE PHILIP

TO THE READER

The Stationer to the Readers

To the Stationer

IN MEMORY OF Mr. JOHN FLETCHER

On Mr John Fletcher, and his Workes, never before published

On Mr Fletchers Works

VERSES

COMMENDATORY

THE STATIONER

Отрывок из книги

The first collected edition of the plays of Beaumont and Fletcher was published in 1647, in folio (12 1/2 ins. x 8 1/8 ins. is the measurement of the copy used for the purpose of collation). The title-page runs thus:—

Never printed before, | And now published by the Authours | Originall Copies. | Si quid habent veri Vatum præsagia, vivam.|London, | Printed for Humphrey Robinson, at the three Pidgeons, and for | Humphrey Moseley at the Princes Armes in St Pauls.

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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.'

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