Page 215 - King Lear: The Cambridge Dover Wilson Shakespeare

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NOTES

All significant departures from F are recorded, in-
significant ones and irregularities in verse-lining being
generally ignored. Q readings are only cited when they
have been accepted by us, or by The (old) Cambridge
Shakespeare, that is the standard text of the late nine-
teenth aud early twentieth centuries, or when they have
some other bearing upon the present text. Readings
common to F and Q are cited in F spelling. Readings
other than those of F and Q are, when cited, followed
by the name (within round brackets and usually in an
abridged form) of the text or editor responsible. Round
brackets are similarly used when the actual words of an
authority are quoted in the commentary; square brackets
implying a more general acknowledgement. The initials
G.I.D. or J.D.W. denote a new emendation or con-
jecture by one or other of the present editors, while
these initials followed by < and the name of an earlier
editor imply the revival of a reading or conjecture hot
since generally accepted. The sign < means 'derived
from' and > 'followed by*. Formulae like '(+most)'
or '(+Camb.)' signify that most editors or at least all
those who follow the old Cambridge Shakespeare accept
a certain reading. Finally '1949 ed.'=Shakespeare's
1
'King Lear ', by G. I. Duthie (1949), upon which the
present text is immediately based.
F stands for First Folio (1623); F 2, F 3, F 4 for the
Folios of 1632,1663,1685; Q for First Quarto; Qun-
corr. and Q corr. for variant readings in different copies
of Q 1 (see pp. 122ff.); Q 2 for Second Quarto, etc.;
G. for Glossary; S.D. for Stage-direction; S.H. for
Speech-heading; Sh. for Shakespeare or Shakespearian;
sp.=spelling or spelt. Common words (for example,