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"A Most pleasaunt and excellent conceited Comedie, of Syr Iohn Falstaffe, and the merrie Wiues of Windsor. Entermixed with sundrie variable and pleasing humors, of Syr Hugh the Welch Knight, Iustice Shallow, and his wise Cousin M. Slender. With the swaggering vaine of Auncient Pistoll, and Corporall Nym. By William Shakespeare. As it hath bene diuers times Acted by the right Honorable my lord Chamberlaines seruants. Both before her Maiestie, and else-where. London Printed by T. C. for Arthur Johnson, and are to be sold at his shop in Powles Church-yard, at the signe of the Flower de Leuse and the Crowne. 1602." 4to. 27 leaves.

"A Most pleasant and excellent conceited Comedy, of Sir Iohn Falstaffe, and the merry Wiues of Windsor. With the swaggering vaine of Ancient Pistoll, and Corporall Nym. Written by W. Shakespeare. Printed for Arthur Johnson, 1619." 4to. 28 leaves.

The 4to. of 1630, was 66 'printed by T. H. for R. Meighen." &c. In the folio, 1623, "The Merry Wiues of Windsor" occupies twentytwo pages, viz. from p. 39 to p. 60 inclusive, in the division of "Comedies." It also stands third in the three later folios.

INTRODUCTION.

THIS comedy was printed for the first time in a perfect state in the folio of 1623 it had come out in an imperfect state in 1602, and again in 1619, in both instances for a bookseller of the name of Arthur Johnson: Arthur Johnson acquired the right to publish it from John Busby, and the original entry, and the assignment of the play, run thus in the Registers of the Stationers' Company.

"18 Jan. 1601. John Busby] An excellent and pleasant conceited commedie of Sir John Faulstof, and the Merry wyves of Windesor

"Arth. Johnson] By assignment from Jno. Busbye a. B. An excellent and pleasant conceited comedie of Sir John Faulstafe, and the mery wyves of Windsor "

January 1601, according to our present mode of reckoning the year, was January 1602, and the "most pleasaunt and excellent conceited comedie of Syr John Falstaffe, and the merrie Wives of Windsor," (the title-page following the description in the entry) appeared in quarto with the date of 1602. It has been the custom to look upon this edition as the first sketch of the drama, which Shakespeare afterwards enlarged and improved to the form in which it appears in the folio of 1623. After the most minute examination, we are not of that opinion: it has been universally admitted that the 4to. of 1602 was piratical; and our conviction is that, like the first edition of "Henry V." in 1600, it was made up, for the purpose of sale, partly from notes taken at the theatre, and partly from memory, without even the assistance of any of the parts as delivered out by the copyist of the theatre to the actors. It is to be observed, that John Busby, who assigned "The Merry Wives of Windsor" to Arthur Johnson in 1602, was the same bookseller who, two years before, had joined in the publication of the undoubtedly surreptitious "Henry V."

An exact reprint of the 4to. of 1602 has recently been made by the Shakespeare Society, under the care of Mr. J. O. Halliwell; and any person possessing it may easily institute a comparison between that very hasty and mangled outline, and the complete and authorised comedy in the folio of 1623, printed from the play-house manuscript in the hands of Heminge and Condell: on this comparison we rely for evidence to establish the position, that the 4to. of 1602 was not only published without the consent of the author, or of the company

for which it was written, but that it was fraudulently made up by some person or persons who attended at the theatre for the purpose. It will be found that there is no variation in the progress of the plot, and that although one or two transpositions may be pointed out, of most of the speeches, necessary to the conduct and development of the story, there is some germ or fragment: all are made to look like prose or verse, apparently at the mere caprice of the writer, and the edition is wretchedly printed in a large type, as if the object had been to bring it out with speed, in order to take advantage of a temporary interest.

That temporary interest perhaps arose more immediately out of the representation of the comedy before Queen Elizabeth, during the Christmas holidays preceding the date of the entry in the Stationers' Registers the title-page states, that it had been acted "by the Lord Chamberlain's servants" before the Queen" and elsewhere:" "elsewhere," was perhaps at the Globe on the Bankside, and we may suppose, that it had been brought out in the commencement of the summer season of 1600, before the death of Sir Thomas Lucy. If the "dozen white luces" in the first scene were meant to ridicule him, Shakespeare would certainly not have introduced the allusion after the death of the object of it. That it continued a favourite play we can readily believe, and we learn that it was acted before James I., not long after he came to the throne: the following memorandum is contained in the accounts of the "Revels at Court" in the latter end of 1604.

"By his Majesties plaiers. The Sunday followinge A Play of the Merry Wiues of Winsor'."

This representation occurred on "the Sunday following" Nov. 1st.,

1604.

What has led some to imagine that the surreptitious impression of 1602 was the comedy as it first came from the hands of Shakespeare, is a tradition respecting the rapidity with which it was composed. This tradition, when traced to its source, can be carried back no farther than 1702: John Dennis in that year printed his "Comical Gallant," founded upon "The Merry Wives of Windsor," and in the dedication he states, that "the comedy was written at the command of Queen Elizabeth, and by her direction; and she was so eager to see it acted, that she commanded it to be finished in fourteen days.” Dennis gives no authority for any part of this assertion, but because he knew Dryden, it is supposed to have come from him; and because Dryden was acquainted with Davenant, it has been conjectured that the latter might have communicated it to the former. We own that

1 See Mr. Peter Cunningham's "Extracts from the Accounts of the Revels at Court," (printed for the Shakesp. Society) p. 203. We had no previous extrinsic knowledge of any early performance of "The Merry Wives of Windsor."

we place little or no reliance on the story, especially recollecting that Dennis had to make out a case in favour of his alterations, by shewing that Shakespeare had composed the comedy in an incredibly short period, and consequently that it was capable of improvement. The assertion by Dennis was repeated by Gildon, Pope, Theobald, &c., and hence it has obtained a degree of currency and credit to which it seems by no means entitled.

It has been a disputed question in what part of the series of dramas, in which Falstaff is introduced, "The Merry Wives of Windsor" ought to be read: Johnson thought it came in between "Henry IV." part ii. and “Henry V.:" Malone, on the other hand, argued that it should be placed between the two parts of "Henry IV.;" but the truth is, that almost insuperable difficulties present themselves to either hypothesis, and we doubt much whether the one or the other is well founded. Shakespeare, having for some reason been induced to represent Falstaff in love, considered by what persons he might be immediately surrounded, and Bardolph, Pistol, Nym, and Mrs. Quickly, naturally presented themselves to his mind: he was aware that the audience, with whom they had been favourite characters, would expect them still to be Falstaff's companions; and though Shakespeare had in fact hanged two of them in "Henry V.," and Mrs. Quickly had died, he might trust to the forgetfulness of those before whom the comedy was to be represented, and care little for the consideration, since so eagerly debated, in what part of the series "The Merry Wives of Windsor" ought to be read: Shakespeare might sit down to write the comedy without reflecting upon the manner in which he had previously disposed of some of the characters he was about to introduce. Any other mode of solving the modern difficulty seems unsatisfactory, and we do not believe that it ever presented itself to the mind of our great dramatist.

The earliest notice of any of the persons in "The Merry Wives of Windsor " is contained in Dekker's play called "Satiromastix," 1602, where one of the characters observes, "We must have false fires to amaze these spangle-babies, these true heirs of master Justice Shallow." This allusion must have been made soon after Shakespeare's comedy had appeared, unless, indeed, it were to the Justice Shallow of "Henry IV." part ii.

With regard to the supposed sources of the plot, they have all been collected by Mr. Halliwell in the appendix to his reprint of the imperfect edition of "The Merry Wives of Windsor," in 1602: the tale of "The Two Lovers of Pisa," the only known English version of the time, is also contained in "Shakespeare's Library," Vol. ii. ; but our opinion is, that the true original of the story (if Shakespeare did not himself invent the incidents) has not come down to us.

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WILLIAM PAGE, a Boy, Son to Mr. Page.

Sir HUGH EVANS, a Welsh Parson.

Dr. CAIUS, a French Physician.

Host of the Garter Inn.

BARDOLPH,

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ANNE PAGE, her Daughter, in love with Fenton. Mrs. QUICKLY, Servant to Dr. Caius.

Servants to Page, Ford, &c.

SCENE, Windsor; and the Parts adjacent.

1 A list of characters was first printed by Rowe.

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