ABSTRACT
AN ENTR Y in the Stationers' Register on 26 November 1607, for Nathaniel Butter and John Busby, refers to 'A booke called Master William Shakespeare his historye of Kinge Lear as yt was played before the Kinges Majestie at Whitehall uppon Sainct Stephens night at Christmas Last, by his majesties servantes playing usually at the Globe on the Bancksyde.' This definite entry was probably to avoid confusion with the earlier play Leir, printed in 1605. The new piece was printed in 1608.1 Q2, dated 1608, was in fact taken from a copy of QI and printed in 16 I g. The F I text was printed from a copy of QI heavily corrected, perhaps to agree with a prompt-book, for 300 lines were omitted and 100 not in QI were inserted. QI is generally agreed to have been a memorial reconstruction. 2 The FI text is nearer to what Shakespeare probably wrote.
