Loues Labours lost. | A wittie and | pleasant | comedie, | As it was Acted by his Maiesties Seruants at | _the_ Blacke-Friers _and the_ Globe. | _Written_ | By William Shakespeare. | London, | Printed by W. S. for _John Smethwicke_, and are to be | sold at his Shop in Saint _Dunstones_ Church-yard vnder the Diall. | 1631. 3. A MIDSUMMER-NIGHT’S DREAM. Of this play also the first edition is a Quarto, bearing the following title: A | Midsommer nights | dreame. | As it hath beene sundry times pub|_lickcly acted, by the Right honoura_|ble, the Lord Chamberlaine his | _seruants_. | _Written by William Shakespeare._ | Imprinted at London, for _Thomas Fisher_, and are to | be soulde at his shoppe, at the Signe of the White Hart, | in _Fleetestreete_. 1600. The copy of this Quarto in the Capell collection was formerly in the possession of Theobald, and bears this note in his handwriting: “Collated with the other Old Quarto with the same Title, printed by James Roberts in 1600, L. T.” The results of the collation are recorded in the margin. We have called this Q1. In the same year another edition appeared, also in Quarto, with this title: A | Midsommer nights | dreame. | As it hath beene sundry times pub|_likely acted, by the Right Honoura_|ble, the Lord Chamberlaine his | _seruants_. | _Written by William Shakespeare._ | _Printed by Iames Roberts_, 1600. On comparing these two Quartos we find that they correspond page for page, though not line for line, except in the first five pages of sheet G. The printer’s errors in Fisher’s edition are corrected in that issued by Roberts, and from this circumstance, coupled with the facts that in the Roberts Quarto the ‘Exits’ are more frequently marked, and that it was not entered at Stationers’ Hall, as Fisher’s edition was, we infer that the Roberts Quarto was a pirated reprint of Fisher’s, probably for the use of the players. This may account for its having been followed by the First Folio. Fisher’s edition, though carelessly printed, contains on the whole the best readings, and may have been taken from the author’s manuscript. The First Folio edition was printed from Roberts’s Quarto, which we have quoted as Q2. 4. THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Two Quarto editions of this play were published in the same year; (1) that generally known as the ‘Roberts Quarto,’ our Q1, bearing the following title-page: The | excellent [History of the Mer|_chant of Venice._| With the extreme cruelty of _Shylocke_ | the Iew towards the saide Merchant, in cut|_ting a iust pound of his flesh. And the obtaining_ | of _Portia,_ by the choyse of | _three Caskets_.| Written by W. Shakespeare. | Printed by _J. Roberts_, 1600. and (2) that known as the ‘Heyes Quarto,’ which we have called Q2, whose title-page is as follows: