It is worth noting the extent to which previous investigators dealing
with Compositor B in the Folio and working without the ability to
distinguish E from B as well as without reference to copy have determined
B's preferential spellings as they are revealed in the Paviers. Four of the
five test words proposed by Willoughby as means of identifying B are in
fact strong B preferences.[21]
Twenty-one of the forms proposed by Alice Walker as characteristic B
spellings have been studied in the Paviers, and seventeen of the twenty-one
are strong preferential spellings there. Two conclusions can be drawn from
these results. First, the limited amount of text set by E and the closeness of
his overall spelling pattern to that of B have not obscured B's spellings
from previous investigators. Second, the fact that seventeen of B's Folio
habits are confirmed in the Paviers indicates the extent to which set habits
remained fixed. Although it will be necessary for
later investigations to analyze B's Folio spellings fully, the preliminary
indications are that the Paviers give an excellent idea of B's spellings. This
is not to say, however, that any one individual B spelling as observed in the
Paviers can be assumed to be his fixed preferential spelling. The general
texture of B's spellings in the Paviers, however, should be reflected in his
work in the Folio.
It is also important to note that the various words here discussed
display all of the various logical possibilities for a compositor's treatment
of variant spellings. B is seen to display strong preferences for one, two,
and even three variant spellings of given words and can display indifference
which appears neither to be influenced by a weak preference nor to depend
on copy forms.
