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IV. Presentation of Evidence
The analysis of individual quires was based on evidence from several sources:
1. Skeleton-formes and center rules. Appendix A summarizes information about the components of the two skeleton-formes
2. Identified types and rules. Although not included here, tables were prepared in which were listed by an identifying number all recurring types and rules not a part of the skeleton-forme (excluding center rules) and their locations by page, column, and line. A total of 562 types and 37 independent rules were found to recur, some as few as two times, some as many as eighteen — that is, in nearly every quire and sometimes twice within a single quire.[24]
3. Graphs and supporting lists. For each quire of Section 2 except the first a graph was prepared to show the sources within the Folio of the recognizable types which reappear within the quire and consequently the case or cases from which various parts of the quire were set. The basic idea of such an array was Hinman's (as was the term "graph" to name it), but these graphs differ in a number of particulars from his because of several technical differences between Jaggard's and Wilson's work and because of the different formats of the two books, the Shakespeare Folio being in sixes and the Beaumont and Fletcher Folio in fours. The identity of the types and rules represented in each graph was indicated in a supporting list.
The graph for Quire G is fairly typical and may serve as an example. Before it was prepared, the evidence relating to presswork was considered. Skeleton I imposed G2v:3 and G1v:4; Skeleton II imposed G2:3v and G1:4v. In Skeleton I Rule 10 bends left at 16.2 cm. (from the top) on G1v and subsequently but not on G2v, showing that G2v:3 was machined before G1v:4. In Skeleton II Rule 15 is turned on G1, Rule 17 bends left at 23.7 cm. on G1 and H1 but not on G2, Rule 18 bends slightly right at 2.9 cm. on G1 and H1 but not on G2 (from the left or top, as appropriate), all of which indicates that G2:3v was run before G1:4v. G1 and G3, as will be shown in a moment, have types in common. Thus the order of printing was probably:
Skeleton: | I | II | I | II |
Forme: | 2v:3 | 2:3v | 1v:4 | 1:4v |
Because the unit of distribution and sometimes of composition seems to have been the column, the graph was organized according to columns, the horizontal headings indicating columns of Quire G and the vertical headings indicating the sources, by columns, of the recognizable types found in Quire G. In the body of the graph one sees on line 5, for instance, that types previously observed in F3a are found in three columns of G — two in G3va, four in G3vb, and two in G4a. Just which types these are is revealed in a supporting list, omitted here. Lines 1 through 19 of the graph for Quire G display what may be thought of as the primary typographical evidence, types from material undistributed when the composition of Quire G began. There are two exceptions. F3va and F3vb (lines 1 and 2) were distributed before Quire F was completely composed; their types reappear in F1b, the last column of Compositor A's stint in that quire. That other types from these sources were found in Quire G is of considerable significance because of the assurance they provide that the parts of Quire G containing them were set from the same case as the part of Quire F already attributed to Compositor A. The fact that F3va and F3vb were distributed before work started on Quire G is indicated by the notation (d).
The linkage seen here between a part of Quire F and parts of Quire G operates on a slightly different basis throughout Quire G. F1v types (lines 3 and 4) are found in conjunction with F3v types in G3a but by themselves in G3b. The inference is clear, however, that
The clusters, however, are not entirely distinct: one F1vb type (line 4) is found in G1va and one F1a type (line 7) is found in G4vb. According to the graph, F1vb and F1a were distributed into Case A but G1va and G4vb were set from Case B, and these two types in theory have no business being where they are. Both are anomalous, having actually made their way into Case B through an accident or having apparently done so because of an error in identification, and they are not the only types represented that have gone astray. F4vb (line 18) was, according to evidence to be discussed shortly, distributed before the setting of G1v, but one of its types appears earlier, on G2a, in the right cluster but at the wrong time. Similarly, G3a (line 19) was apparently not distributed until after the composition of Quire H was underway, but one of its types appears in G4va. Such anomalies, as it has been pointed out, are more the rule than the exception, and since many are inexplicable no special effort was made to account for them. The chance of one's being thrown off by their appearance is always present but usually of little concern, for, as is the case in Quire G, the numerical weight of the evidence forces a certain conclusion, and anomalies can be recognized as such by their small number and their lack of accord. Small numbers, however, do not always signify stray types. There is only one F4b type to mark the distribution of that column at G2b (line 16), yet here, because F4a was clearly distributed at this point, the inference is that the single F4b type gives quite genuine testimony of distribution.
The order in which the columns of Quire G are listed at the head of the graph is the order of composition from each case as indicated by the order of printing and the order of distribution. It is to the second
Because latent types are less reliable than the others, they are treated as secondary evidence and given separate listing. Lines 20 through 22 show latent types previously found in material known to have been distributed into Case A, and lines 23 through 26 latent types previously found in material known to have been distributed into Case B (hence the "A" and "B" designations to the right of the indications of source). When convenient, pages rather than columns are given as sources; thus on line 20 types from E2a and E2b are listed, because both of these columns were distributed into Case A during the composition of Quire F. There are in Quire G fewer anomalies among the latent types than were often encountered — only two, in fact. The two E1v (A) types which appear on G2 should not be there,
4. Spelling charts. By "spelling" is meant not only the usual sense of the term but all characteristics, including such features as abbreviations, spacing, and so on, which serve to distinguish the work of one compositor from that of another. A spelling chart was prepared for each quire and was represented with the graph for the same quire. A basic list of variants was tested throughout Section 2; the absence from any chart of one of these forms indicates that it does not occur in the quire. The basic variants are
A Forms | B Forms | Remarks |
again | agen | "againe" not distinctive |
— | bin | "been (e)" not distinctive |
heart(ily) | hart(ily) | B tolerates "heart" |
hour(e) | hower/howre | B tolerates "hour(e)" |
money | mony | B tolerates "money" |
near(e) | neer(e) | A tolerates "neere" and B has only slight preference |
murther | — | "murder" not distinctive |
only | onely | |
— | peice/peece | "piece" not distinctive |
— | pre'thee | "prethee" not distinctive |
— | stirr | "stir(re)" not distinctive |
sweet | sweete | B tolerates "sweet" |
warre | warr |
A Forms | B Forms | Remarks |
short-form contractions | long-form contractions | e.g., "wee'l", "we'll", "we'le", "hee'l", "he'l", "shee'l', etc as against "weele", "weel'e", "weell", "shee'll", etc. Chart rubrics "short pro." and "long pro." |
periods lacking after numerals preceding nouns | periods used | e.g., "2 Merchant" as against "2. Merchant." Stage directions and speech-prefixes only; not distinctive in text. Chart rubrics "2 noun" and "2. noun" ("2" indicating any numeral). A tolerates "2. noun." |
S.D.'s with internal periods | e.g., Enter Cozen. his Wife. [E3vb]. Normal stage directions not distinctive. Chart rubric "odd s.d." |
In The Custome of the Countrey: | ||
Manuel | Mannuel(l) | |
Duart | Duarte | |
Arn. | Ar. | speech-prefix |
In The Noble Gentleman: | ||
Cous. | Co. | speech-prefix |
Duch. | Dutch. | speech-prefix |
In The Captaine: | ||
Fath. | Fa. | speech-prefix |
scene heads | scene heads | i.e., with reference to the |
set close | set open | amount of white space above and below the head |
In Beggars Bush: | ||
Florez | Floriz | |
Hemskirk(e) | Hemskir(i)ck | |
In The False One: | ||
Ægypt | Egypt |
As the listing indicates, two more-or-less distinct patterns were discerned. The validity of these patterns will be discussed under "Conclusions"; it need be remarked here only that the function of the spelling charts is to permit identification of the compositors working at the cases previously indicated by typographical evidence. Returning
5. Tables of substituted types. In most quires substitutions were made for certain types whose numbers were unequal to the demands of the material being composed. As has been mentioned, substitutions do not always provide very reliable evidence, but sometimes their testimony allows one to adjust or confirm inferences drawn from other evidence. In Quire G, F's were substituted for F's (because many F's were needed for the speech-prefixes of Franke, Father, Fabricio, and Fredericke) and VV's for W's. It happens that the shortages occurred only in the material set by Compositor A, in the following pattern, in which the numbers in brackets represent the types returned to the case by distribution. No attempt is made here to show the order in the column in which one finds the regular and the substituted type:
Distributed: | [F1v] | [F3] | [F1] | [G3b] | ||||||||
G3a | G3b | G3va | G3vb | G4a | G4b | G1a | G1b | |||||
F/F: | [0] | 7/0 | 10/0 | [1] | 7/0 | 6/2 | 1/19 | [0] | 1/16 | 0/5 | [10] | 8/1 |
W/VV: | [11] | 9/0 | 8/0 | [11] | 9/0 | — | 9/0 | [3] | 4/6 | 3/7 | [8] | 3/0 |
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