Elizabethan spelling being far from fixed, we find a variety of forms for innumerable words, as day, daie—dew, deawe—four, fower—hour, houre, hower—follow, followe—answere, answer—know, knowe—weight, waight, etc. Most of these do not concern us, since they do not affect the metre, but the following are of importance for our present inquiry.

1. Hour, though usually a monosyllable, is occasionally a disyllable, whatever its spelling, as is also our, which is always so spelt. Powre (powrefull) frequently occurs in the Folio, and less often flowre and towre. In the Quartos these spellings are comparatively rare. We may therefore suspect the Folio, knowing its idiosyncrasies as we now do, of desiring to avoid a resolution or double ending by such spellings. On the other hand, the difference in pronunciation is slight, and it is possible that we have a variation employed without any special intention. Nevertheless, the two following cases are decidedly suspicious. Quarto and Folio give in I Henry IV 3. 1. 210,

and in Twelfth Night 1. 1. 41 the Folio has

In the other six places where the word occurs we have bowers, both in the Quarto and Folio.