ys were in the _fleeting_, and thus
_crying_ 'for the Lord's sake' out at an iron window.'

NOTE XX.

IV. 3. 83. In order to avoid the unmetrical line 83, as given in the
Folios and by all Editors to Johnson inclusive, the lines 82-85 have
been arranged as five, thus:

_If ... Let ... In secret ... Ere ... To the under_ ... Capell.
_If ... Let ... Both ... The sun ... The under_ ... Steevens.
_If ... Let ... Both ... Ere ... To yonder_ ... Collier.
_If ... Let ... Both ... The sun ... To yond_ ... Singer.

Perhaps the best arrangement, because requiring the least change from
the printing of the Folio, would be to put the words 'And Claudio' in a
line by themselves. Many examples of such a broken line in the middle of
a speech may be found (e.g. V. 1. 448), and it would add to the emphasis
with which the Duke commends Claudio to the Provost's care. The long
line V. 1. 465, might be similarly reduced by reading

'His name
Is Barnardine.'

NOTE XXI.

IV. 5. 1. Mr Spedding suggests that Act V. should begin here. Dr Johnson
says: "This play has two Friars, either of whom might singly have
served. I should therefore imagine that 'Friar Thomas,' in the first
Act, might be changed without any harm to 'Friar Peter:' for why should
the Duke unnecessarily trust two in an affair which required only one?
The name of Friar Thomas is never mentioned in the dialogue, and
therefore seems arbitrarily placed at the head of the scene."

NOTE XXII.

V. 1. 131. Mr Sidney Walker, in his _Shakespeare's Versification_, pp.
80 sqq. suggests that in this and other passages we should read
'_this_,' because '_This is_ is not unfrequently, like _That is_, &c.
contracted into a monosyllable.' For the reason assigned in Note (III)
to _The Tempest_, I. 2. 173, we have preferred the more familiar
spelling _this's_.

* * * * *
* * * *
* * * * *

Sources:

The editors' Preface (e-text 23041) discusses the 17th- and
18th-century editions in detail; the newer (19th-century) editions
are simply listed by name. The following editions may appear in the
Notes. All inset text is quoted from the Preface.

Folios:
F1 1623; F2 (no date given); F3 1663; F4 1685.
"The five plays contained in this volume occur in the first Folio
in the same order, and ... were there printed for the f