THE Preface

Summary

Shakespeare's King John was printed for the first time in the Folio of 1623. The poet adopted most of the characters, the general plot, and occasional lines, or fragments of lines, from an earlier play, in two parts, published in 1591, with the following title-page:

The | Troublesome Raigne | of Iohn King of England, with the dis-|couerie of King Richard Cordelions | Base sonne (vulgarly named, The Ba-|stard Fawconbridge): also the | death of King Iohn at Swinstead | Abbey. | As it was (sundry times) publikely acted by the | Queenes Maiesties Players, in the ho-|nourable Citie of | London. | Imprinted at London for Sampson Clarke, | and are to be solde at his shop, on the backe-|side of the Royall Exchange| 1591 |.

This play was reprinted for a different bookseller in 1611, with the words ‘ W. Sh.’ added to the title; and a third edition in 1622, again issued by a different bookseller, has ‘W. Shakespeare’.

There can be little doubt that the booksellers attributed the play to Shakespeare in the hope that so popular a name might help the sale, for although the earlier play is by no means devoid of merit, the evidence of its style conclusively proves that Shakespeare had no part in the authorship. We have therefore not reprinted it, but contented ourselves with indicating the passages borrowed verbally from it.