1, but collation with the originals shows that he transcribed
that of 1607, substituting the later version where the two quartos
differed, but retaining elsewhere the spelling of the earlier one. Nor
is his list of variants complete. There have been also three editions of
the play in modernized spelling by C. W. Dilke in 1814, R. H. Shepherd
in 1874, and W. L. Phelps in 1895, particulars of which are given in the
Bibliography. The present edition is therefore the first to reproduce
the authoritative text unimpaired. The original spelling has been
retained, though capitalization has been modernized, and the use of
italics for personal names has not been preserved. But the chaotic
punctuation has been throughout revised, though, except to remove
ambiguity, I have not interfered with one distinctive feature, an
exceptionally frequent use of brackets. In a few cases of doubtful
interpretation, the old punctuation has been given in the footnotes.

Dilke, though the earliest of the annotators, contributed most to the
elucidation of allusions and obsolete phrases. While seeking to
supplement his and his successors' labours in this direction, I have
also attempted a more perilous task--the interpretation of passages
where the difficulty arises from the peculiar texture of Chapman's
thought and style. Such a critical venture seems a necessary preliminary
if we are ever to sift truth from falsehood in Dryden's
indictment--indolently accepted by many critics as conclusive--of _Bussy
D'Ambois_.

The group of quartos of 1641, 1646, and 1657, containing Chapman's
revised text, is denoted by the symbol "B"; those of 1607 and 1608 by
"A." In the footnotes all the variants contained in A are given except
in a few cases where the reading of A has been adopted in the text and
that of B recorded as a variant. I have preferred the reading of A to B,
when it gives an obviously better sense, or is metrically superior. I
have also included in the Text fifty lines at the beginning of Act II,
Scene 2, which are found only in A. Some slight conjectural emendations
have been attempted which are distinguished by "emend. ed." in the
footnotes. In these cases the reading of the quartos, if unanimous, is
denoted by "Qq."

In the quartos the play is simply divided into five Acts. These I have
subdivided into Scenes, within which the lines have been numbered to
facilitate reference. The stage directions in B are numerous and
precise, and I have made