STATE OF THE TEXT, AND CHRONOLOGY, OF THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR.

THE first edition of this play was published in 1602, under the following title: A most pleasaunt and excellent conceited Comedy of Sir John Falstaffe, and the Merry Wives of Windsor. Entermixed with sundrie variable and pleasing humors of Sir Hugh the Welch Knight, Justice Shallow, and his wise Cousin M. Slender. With the swaggering vaine of Ancient Pistoll and Corporall Nym. By William Shakespeare. As it hath bene divers times acted by the Right Honourable my Lord Cham' erlaines Servants; Both before her Majestie and else where. London: Printed by T. C. for Arthur Johnson,' &c. &c. 1602. The same copy was reprinted in 1619. The comedy as it now stands first appeared in the folio of 1623; and the play in that edition contains very nearly twice the number of lines that the quarto contains. The succession of scenes is the same in both copies, except in one instance; but the speeches of the several characters are contains very nearly twice the number of lines that the quarto contains. The succession of scenes is the same in both copies, except in one instance; but the speeches of the several characters are greatly elaborated in the amended copy, and several of the characters not only heightened, but new distinctive features given to them. For example, the Slender of the present comedy-one of the most perfect of the minor characters of Shakspere-is a very inferior conception in the first copy. Our Slender has been worked up out of the first rough sketch, with touches at once delicate and powerful. Again, the Justice Shallow of the quarto is an amusing person-but he is not the present Shallow; we have not even the repetitions which identify him with the Shallow of Henry IV. point out these matters here, for the purpose of shewing that, although the quarto of 1602 was most probably piratically published when the play had been re-modelled, and was reprinted without alteration in 1619 (the amended copy then remaining unpublished), the copy of that first edition must not be considered as an imperfect transcript of the complete play. The differences between the two copies are produced by the alterations of the author working upon his first sketch. The extent of these changes and elaborations can only be satisfactorily perceived by comparing the two copies, scene by scene. We have given a few examples in our foot-notes; and we here subjoin the scene at Herne's Oak, which has no doubt been completely re-written :

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