The Authorship of " King Henry VI." 187 



mentioned by Holinshed, is entirely ignored in both the other versions 

 of the play. 



In this same passage, ed. 1619 reverses the order of Edward Ill's 

 sixth and seventh sons, as given in the other versions. Both in the 

 Contention and again in the True Tragedy, the 1619 edition adds 

 a line, apparently quite genuine, which does not appear elsewhere.^ 

 It prints in the obviously correct sequence another line, clearly 

 misplaced in the edition of 1594 and entirely omitted in that of 

 1623 (Part I of Whole Contention, p. 34, fifth line from top of page) : 



"And burnes and spoiles the Country as they go." 



Moreover, it inserts for the first time one of the lines found in the 

 1623 version, but not in that of Millington, which verbal resemblance 

 to Edward II would indicate to be of Marlowe's composition (Part 

 I of Whole Contention, p. 12) : 



" She beares a Dukes whole revennewes on her backe." ^ 



The only reasonable conclusion from the state of the 1619 text 

 seems to be that Pavier, who shows no acquaintance whatever with 

 any of the characteristically Shakespearean alterations in the plays, 

 did have access to some version of the Marlovian text different in 

 a number of particulars from that printed by Millington. Since the 

 influence of this other version tends on the whole to bring Pavier's 

 edition closer than MiUington's to that of 1623, we are doubtless 

 justified in inferring that the discrepancy between Marlowe's original 

 and the version of Shakespeare was less broad than the text of the 

 Millington quartos would suggest. 



It is by no means to be supposed, I think, that all the necessary 

 corrections of the Millington text, or even all the better readings 

 accessible to Pavier in manuscript, are embodied in the 1619 edition. 

 The chief value of that edition lies merely in the fact that it furnishes 

 a rough measure of the inaccuracy of the earlier quartos, and proves 

 the existence of some other source independent of the two important 

 printed versions of 1594/5 and 1623. That Pavier made full use of 



' The new lines are those itahcized in the folloA^dng passages : Part I ot 

 Whole Contention, p. 35, 



" Vnder the title of John Mortimer, 

 (For he is like him every kinde of ivay) " and 

 Part II of Whole Contention, p. 62, 



" For I will buz abroad such Prophesies 

 Vnder pretence of outward seeming ill.'''' 

 - See p. 185. 



