University of Virginia Library

The Editions of Robert Greene's A Quip for an Upstart Courtier (1592)
by
Edwin Haviland Miller

After R. B. McKerrow, in 1906, published the results of his examination of Robert Greene's quarto, A Quip for an Upstart Courtier (1592), it was generally accepted that only two editions of the tract appeared in the year of publication: one (collating A-H4) with the attack on the Harveys, an 'issue' with the cancel of this passage, and other copies in which the collation reads A-F4.[1] An examination of all extant copies of the 1592 edition, however, reveals that at least six editions appeared in that year. Copies in the Westminster Abbey Library, the Harvard University Library, the Huntington Library, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the collection of Dr. A. S. Rosenbach were found to be separate editions. Thus Greene's intemperate criticism of Gabriel Harvey and his two brothers, John and Richard, not only precipitated the vitriolic Harvey-Nashe controversy, which continued for at least the next four years, but also created a great demand for the Quip, which the printer had to meet by rushing editions through the presses.

Since, beginning with the second edition, the collation remains the same, and all copies are paginary reprints, occasionally with the transfer of formes from one edition to another, the tract presents difficult bibliographical problems, especially as to order of printing. However, through scrutiny of variant readings and through a line-by-line examination of type it is possible, I believe, to establish a plausible order.

The collations of the editions of the Quip examined are as follows:

• Q1a A | QVIP FOR AN VP-|ſtart Courtier: | Or, | A quaint diſpute betvveen Veluet breeches | and Cloth-breeches. | Wherein is plainely ſet downe the diſorders | in all Eſtates and Trades. | [woodcut: a courtier and a country gentleman in a rural setting (6.9 x 7.7 cm.)] | LONDON | Imprinted by Iohn Wolfe, and are to bee ſold at his | ſhop at Poules chayne. 1592.

  Collation: 4°: A-H4

  HT (sig. B1)] [orn.: head-piece with animals and satyrs, entwined in vines (1.6 x 7 cm.)] | A quip for an vpſtart | Courtier.

  Contents: A1: Blank. A2: Title (verso blank). A3: Dedication: [orn.: triple row (6) of type-orn. (2.4 x 7.6 cm.)] | a 'To the Right VVoorſhipfull | Thomas Barnabie Eſquire, Robert | Greene wiſheth hartes eaſe, and | heauens bliſſe.' (22 ll., ital.). A3v: Completion of 'The Epiſtle Dedicatorie.' (11 ll., ital.). Signed 'Robert Greene.' | [orn.: lozenge-shaped, with leaves and vines (5.6 x 5.6 cm.)]. A4: [orn.: double A head-piece (1.8 x 7.7 cm.)] | 'To the Gentlemen Rea-|ders health." stet al in rom. (23 ll., rom.). A4v: Completion of 'To the Reader.' (13 ll., rom.), followed by [orn.: square, with Tudor rose (6.2 x 6.4 cm.)]. B1: HT with text: B. L. with quotations in ital. and sidenotes in rom. H3: 'FINIS.' | [orn.: double row (4) of type-orn. (1.7 x 5 cm.)]. H4r-v: Blank.

  RT] A quippe for | an vpſtart Courtier. B1v-H3 (excepting: quippe [with reversed first p] C-E1v, G2v, BF3v.)

  CW] A3 that B3 an C3 (mai-)stership D3 for E3 doth E3v (Sa-)turne E4 (Gen-)tlewoman, F3 ouer-(glased) G3 pence

  Note: On sig. D2 the last line ends 'beseem a pan-', and the first line of the next page begins 'of long profession'. The CW is 'dor of'.

  Sig.: $2 F, H; $3 B, D; $4 A, C, E, G; b. l. caps with arabic numerals, except A3 in ital. caps. E3,4 37 ll.

  Copy used: Huntington Library (STC 12300).

• Q1b [Same as Q1a with these exceptions:] CW] E3 come E3v Deuill E4 should Sig.: E3, E4, b. l. caps with rom. numerals. Note: E3r-v 33 ll. E4 34 ll. E4v 35 ll. Copy used: Bodleian Library.

• Q2 A | QVIP FOR AN VP-|ſtart Courtier: | Or, | A quaint diſpute betvveen Veluet breeches | and Cloth-breeches. | Wherein is plainely ſet downe the diſorders | in all Eſtates and Trades. | [woodcut: same as in Q1a] | LONDON | Imprinted by Iohn Wolfe, and are to bee ſold at his | ſhop at Poules chayne. 1592.

  Collation: 4°: A-F4

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  HT (sig. A3)] A quip for an vpſtart Courtier, stet comma instead of period.

  Contents: A1: Title (verso blank). A2: Dedication: 'To the Right Worſhipful Thomas Burnabie Eſquier | Robert Greene wiſheth hartes eaſe, and | heauens bliſſe.' (26 ll., ital.). Signed 'Robert Greene.' A2v: 'To the Gentlemen Readers health.' (28 ll., rom.). A3: HT with text: B. L. with quotations in ital. F4: 'FINIS.'

  RT] A quippe for | an vpſtart Courtier. A3v-F4 (excepting: A quippe for | for an vpſtart Courtier. CEF2v, BD3v).

  CW] [Catch-words of Q2-Q6 given later in special list.]

  Sig.: [Not cited because of cropping.]

  Notes: BD3v, E4 39 ll. D1, E3 38½ ll. D2v, D3 37 ll.

  Copy used: Westminster Abbey Library.

• Q3 [Same as Q2 with these exceptions:] HT (sig. A3)] A quip for an vpſtart Courtier. RT] A Quip for an | vpſtart Courtier stet no period A3v-A4 A quippe for | an vpſtart Courtier. A4v-F4 (excepting: A quippe for | for an vpſtart Courtier. B1v, EF2v, CD3v; A quippe | an vpſtart Courtier. B4v, D2v). Sig.: $2 F; $3 A, C, D; $4 B, E; b. l. caps with arabic numerals. Notes: [Same as Q2, excepting:] B4 37 ll. E4v 39 ll. Standing type of sheets E and F of Q2 used. Copy used: Huntington Library.
• Q4 [Same as Q2 with these exceptions:] RT] A Quip for an | vpſtart Courtier stet no period A3v-A4 A quippe for | an vpſtart Courtier. A4v-F4 (excepting: A quippe for | for an vpſtart Courtier. B1v). Sig.: $2 F; $3 A, C-E; $4 B. Numeral in D3 placed next to cap. Notes: B3v 39 ll. B4 ll. Standing type of sheets A and B of Q3 used. Copies used: Harvard Library (formerly the White copy, STC 12301) and British Museum (formerly the Ashley copy, P.5785.Ash.833.)[2]

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• Q5 [Same as Q2 with these exceptions:] Contents: A2: 'To the Right Worſhipful Thomas Barnabie Eſquier' RT] A quippe for | an vpſtart Courtier. A3v-F4 (excepting: puippe C2v). Sig.: $2 F; $3 A-E. C3. instead of C3 Note: B4 39 ll. C3 37ll. Standing type of sheets C (i) and F(1v,4) of Q4 used. Copies used: Folger Shakespeare Library and British Museum (P.5785.95. b.19.)[3]
• Q6 [Same as Q2 with these exceptions:] Contents: [Same as Q5] RT] A quippe for | an vpſtart Courtier. A3v-F4 Sig.: $2 F; $3 A, C-E; $4 B. Numeral in C2 inverted. Notes: B3v 39 ll. B4 37 ll. Copy used: Collection of Dr. A. S. Rosenbach.

Because the catch-words in Q2-Q6 are important in determining the number of editions of this tract, and because the differences are often minute, for ease of identification of editions I have listed all significant changes in the table below. (When, because of cropping, I cannot cite catch-words in Q2, I have used question marks.)

     

	Q2	Q3	Q4	Q5	Q6
A3	thus	thus	thus	thu[4]	thus
B3v	?	match	match	Italian	match

                                               

	Q2	Q3	Q4	Q5	Q6
B4	?	only	only	only	onely
C2v	?	Suppose	Suppose	suppose,	suppose
C3	?	through	through[5]	through	through
C3v	?	shauen	shauen	shauen	shaun
C4	?	art	art,	art,	art
D1	hath	hath	mace	hath	hath
D2v	questioned	questioned	brawled?	brawled?	brawled?
D3	worthy	worthy	commodity	commodity	commo-(dity)
D3v	?	Lords	counsaile	counsaile	counsaile
D4v	they	they	that	that	that
E1	for	for	honest	honest	honest
E1v	the	the	stuffe	stuff	stuffe
E2	?	tha	that	that	that
E2v	?	trusse	of	of	of
E3	?	I smild	fat	fat	fat
E3v	?	for	haue	haue	haue
E4	?	of	are	are	are
E4v	conuey	conuey	(con-)uey	(con-)uey	(con-)uey
F1v	therefore	therefore	therefore	therefore	there-(fore)
F2	?	Gentelwomen	Gentlewomen	Gentlewomen	Gentle-(women)
F2v	What	What	What	What	What
F3	?	(commo-)ditie	(commo-)dity	(commo-)dity	(commo-)dity
F3v	?	rest	rest	rest	after

The two states of the first edition of the Quip are easily differentiated by means of the cancel of the attack on the Harveys. Thus in Q1b the last two leaves of E signature were reset,[6] and the lengthy side-note on sig. E4 of Q1a threatening Richard Harvey with ridicule in the theater eliminated. The rest of Q1b has the typesettings of Q1a. In sheet F, however, two alterations were made. On sig. F1, a seventeen-line side-note was added (because of cropping I have had to reconstruct the reading in part):

And the passage on sig. F4v of Q1a reading "And as for you goodman Baker, that delight to be seen where most people resort, euen on the pillory in the cheefe market place. . . ." became in Q1b "And for you goodman Baker, you that are cosine to Christ in brooking the pillorie as hee did the crosse. . . ." Two minor verbal changes before and after the above passage were necessary in order to fill out the lines of type. Since the running-titles are the same in both states in sheet F, these changes were undoubtedly made while Q1a was being run off. We cannot be positive on this point because only one copy of each state is extant.

When demand for the tract necessitated a second printing, the work was reset in entirety: all ornaments and side-notes were eliminated, and the number of gatherings reduced from eight to six. Furthermore, except for the accidental omission of lines and the usual orthographical changes when a work goes through many printings, the text became standardized and is sharply differentiated from Q1a-b because of five deletions made presumably before Greene's death on September 3, 1592.[7] Since all later editions follow Q1b in removing the Harvey attack and in altering the phraseology of the allusion to the bakers, Q1b obviously became the copy-text.[8] It should also be noted that Q2-Q5 have the same title-page and the same typesetting on sig.A2v. Catch-words and signatures, as the collations above indicate, are practically the same in Q2-Q6. In view of these similarities, we may be certain that the different forms of the Quip were run off the presses within a short time.

Because these later editions are paginary reprints, it will not be possible to prove conclusively the order of printing. Nevertheless, we can, I believe, arrive at a hypothetically correct order. First, it is necessary to cite the evidence for Q2 as the second edition:

• (1) As the partial list of variant readings given below reveals, Q2, more frequently than any of the other editions, retains the phraseology of Q1b. (The first citations are from Q1b-Q2, and the line references are from Q2; the latter readings are from Q3-Q6.)
  • A3 l. 4 cleere: cheere 9 me: men

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  • B1v 33 courtiers: country
  • B3 26 seing that: seeing
  • B3v 1 take: takes 32 or other suts: in other sutes
  • B4 24 of hart: of the hart
  • B4v 21 wars: warre
  • D4 2 hides or backes: backs or hides 28 a little heere: heere a little 32 espied: spied
• (2) On sig. A4, l. 11, of Q2, we find the reading: "the the Deuill". This is an easily understood error if we turn to sig. B2 of Q1b, where the catch-word is "the" and the first two words of the next page "the Deuill". The printer probably set up "the" in Q2, turned to the next page in Q1b, and composed "the Deuill". (Although Q1a-b have identical type-settings here, it seems more logical that Q1b was being followed, since, as I have previously noted, Q2 adopts all the emendations of the second issue of the first edition.)

On the basis of this evidence, although it cannot be considered conclusive, Q2 appears to be the second edition of the pamphlet.[9]

To determine the order of the other printings, our best guide is the use of standing type in the various editions. The chart below shows graphically how typesettings were transferred from one edition to another, beginning with Q3. (I have not noted in this chart that sigs. A1 and A2v are identical in Q2-Q5.)

That Q3 is a later edition than Q2 is proven by the fact that in Q3 the

standing type from Q2 has been altered for correction on every page, except on sig. E1, which is a new setting, and on sig F1, which is identical.[10] A line inadvertently omitted on sig. E4v of Q2 is restored in Q3.[11] In addition, the compositor of Q3 followed the settings of signatures C and D in Q2, as illustrated by the unusual appearance of a half line of type on the signature line of sig. D1: The printing history of Q3, then, can be easily reconstructed. When John Wolfe decided to run off a third edition of the Quip, he found the standing type of sheets E and F of Q2. Since the type of sig. E1 had been disturbed, he had that page reset and obvious typographical errors on the other pages corrected.

Then, when the popularity of the tract necessitated a fourth printing, Wolfe found that the standing type of sheets A and B from Q3 was still intact and could be used in Q4. However, because type had been disturbed, sig. B1 in entirety, the running-titles of sigs. B2v and B4v, and the catchword of sig. B4v had to be reset. Although the changes made during the resetting of sig. B1 do not necessarily indicate that Q4 is later than Q3,[12] the number of variant readings introduced in this printing points to this conclusion. Another argument for the correctness of the order of printing outlined here is the appearance of the broken h in "shall" on sig. C2, l. 29, of Q5, the inner forme of this signature being the same in Q4 and Q5.

Q4 and Q5 are even more closely related than the chart above indicates. In sheet A, not only are sigs. A1 and A2v identical settings, but also the same typesetting appears on sig. A2, with the exception of these corrections (the readings from Q4 appear first): l. 1 Burnabie: Barnabie l. 8 theit: their. The second correction indicates the priority of Q4. And, as

the chart illustrates, C(i) and one-half (1v, 4) of F(i) have identical typesettings. ("FINIS" on sig. F4 appears lower on the page in Q5.) In addition, the catch-words in these two editions are the same with these two exceptions (the readings from Q4 appear first): B3v match: Italian; D1 mace: hath. Moreover, a tabulation of the last two words of lines toward the middle of the page (one page from each forme of each signature) reveals differences only on sigs. B4 and C2v. (The compositor of Q5, after referring to Q1b-Q3, restored a line omitted on sig. B4 of Q4.)[13]

Q6 is easily distinguished from the editions we have examined, for on the title-page the setting of "A | QVIP FOR AN VP-| ſtart Courtier:" is different in this printing,[14] and sig. A2v, identical in Q2-Q5, has been reset. In addition, the initial I on sig. A3 has a noticeable break in the upper left-hand corner, not apparent in Q2-Q5. Q6 is also characterized by attempts at perfection of the text in regard to orthography ("ancient" for "antient," for example), consistent capitalization of proper names, new paragraph divisions and proper indentation of the paragraph beginning on l. 16 of sig. B4 (previously not indented), and more logical punctuation throughout the tract. Since catch-words and line-endings are usually the same in Q4-Q6, it is not possible to ascertain whether Q6 follows Q4 or Q5. The line irregularities noted in the collation point to Q4, but, on the basis of the variant readings, Q5 seems the more logical candidate, as in at least twenty-four instances Q6 retains readings which appear first in Q5.

Further proof that the order of printing outlined here is substantially correct is furnished by the transfer of running-titles from edition to edition. If we look at the collations, we see that "A quippe for | for an vpſtart Courtier." appears five times in Q2 and Q3, once in Q4, and not at all in Q5 and Q6. We also find that erroneous running-titles are gradually eliminated, until in Q6 there is complete uniformity.

Thus, on the basis of the transfer of formes and running-titles, the introduction of variant readings, and attempts at perfection, particularly in Q6, the printing history of the Quip in 1592 appears to be clear. Moreover, after careful examination of all extant copies of the tract printed in this year, we have definite evidence that at least six editions, rather than two as heretofore supposed, appeared in 1592. Finally, this bibliographical analysis of the pamphlet demonstrates that it caused no small sensation

in London literary circles, probably because of the vicious attack on the Harveys, and that Greene himself was an unusually popular writer in the Elizabethan era.[15]

Notes