Compositors' spelling
The F text seems to have been distributed as follows between
compositors A and B:-[7]
| A H1r—h2r col.
a |
(pp. 69-71a) |
I Prol.—I.ii.135 |
| B h2r col. b—h4r col.
a |
(pp. 71b—75a) |
I.ii.136—II.ii.179 |
| A h4r col. b—i4r
|
(pp. 75b—87) |
II.ii.180—IV.iv.43 |
| B i4v—i5r
|
(pp. 88-89) |
IV.iv.44—IV.vii.142 |
| A i5v—i6r
|
(pp. 90-91) |
IV.vii.143—V.i.34 |
| B i6v col. a |
(p. 92a) |
V.i.34—V.ii.11 |
| A i6v col. b—k2r
|
(pp. 92b—95) |
V.ii.12—end |
Both compositors normally alter certain spellings of their
copy-text to suit their own preferences. But, especially in the
case of a printed text, they occasionally adopt the spelling of
that copy. Thus, for example, we find compositor A, in his first
stint, departing from his known habits to follow the Q spellings in
such words as:-
|
Normal A spelling
|
F Henry V
|
Q Henry V
|
| I.ii.96 clayme |
claim |
claim |
| 155 bene, beene |
bin |
bin Q1,3 (bene Q2) |
| 30 belieue |
beleeue |
beleeue |
| 177 thieues |
theeues |
theeues |
Even allowing for the occasional use of shorter spellings (
e.
g. bin) which might have been introduced to "justify" a line,
there is a marked series of such variations in the work of both
compositors —variations characterized by the consistent adoption
of the Q spelling.
The whole point may be neatly illustrated from their use of
speech-prefixes, and in particular that for Gower. I have not seen
it noticed that A consistently uses a longer form of prefix than B.
Thus B can be identified immediately on the evidence of such forms
as War., Suf., Mes., Con.; while A prefers Warw.,
Suff.,
Mess., Const. For Gower, A uses the full name, while B prefers
Gow. Each, however, departs from his normal practice once
(apart from an exceptional Gour. at V.i.36). All the quartos
are inconsistent, and use several forms of the prefix. But in both
the F variants, A and B adopt precisely that form which their
quarto copy happened to favour at that point, A taking his
Gow. from Q2 at IV.1.81, and B his Gower.
from
Q3 at
IV.vii.19, quite contrary to their habitual forms.
