We have modified this part of the editorial apparatus for P.B. Shelley's The Devil's Walk from the way it will appear in The Complete Poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley, edited by Donald H. Reiman and Neil Fraistat and published by The Johns Hopkins University Press. In the letterpress edition we do not combine the primary and historical variants; in this electronic edition, however, we have combined the two in order to use the linking capabilities of hypertext most efficiently.

Listed here are the variants from 1812.PRO (the Public Record Office copy), 1871, 1880, 1892W, 1904, 1927, 1972, and 1989 for the broadside version of the poem. Primary variants (i.e. those from the copy-text) have been typographically emphasized and can also be browsed separately, as a subset of this list. For full citations of the historical (i.e. not primary) editions, see the bibliography.

We have omitted from our comprehensive collation all variants that seem to us purely formal features of the printers or publishers involved in these editions, such as the length of indentions, the use of full capitals, small caps, and italic or Gothic type in the titles and subtitles­a practice at one time subject to the fonts available in a print-shop or the conventions of its compositorial staff and more recently under the control of publishers, book designers, and copy-editors. In a like manner, when quotation marks have been added, we have not differentiated between single and double quotation marks. Instead, we treat both as double quotes unless evidence suggests an editorial rather than typographical explanation for the appearance of the single quotes.

These are variants from 1812.PRO, 1871, 1876, 1892W, 1904, 1927, 1972, and 1989.

In 1876, 1892W, 1904, and 1927, the stanzas are numbered with roman numerals

Title.  THE DEVIL'S WALK] II 1972

 A BALLAD. ] omitted 1972

 Title in Gothic type. Both lines of title are centered.

 Beneath title is elaborate swell rule. Text is devided into

 three columns. 1812.PRO


line 1. ONCE, ] ONCE 1871


line 2. Beelzebub ] Beëlzebuth 1871

 arose, ] arose; 1871


line 6. claw, ] claw; 1871


line 7. Bras Chapeau,] a bras chapeau; 1871

 a Bras Chapeau, 1876 1892W 1904 1927 1972


line 8. Beau, ] beau 1871

 Beau  1892W 1904 1927 1972 1989


line 9. Bond-street ] Bond Street 1871 1989

line 11. ray, ] ray 1812.PRO

 ray. 1871

 ray; 1892W 1904 1927 1972


line 12. favourite ] favorite 1892W

 chat, ] chat 1989


line 13. religion, ] religion 1871


line 15. court ] Court 1871 1904 1927 1972


line 16. in ] on 1871 1876 1892W 1904 1927 1972

 way, ] way; 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972


line 17. Saint, ] saint, 1871


line 18. Tho' ] Though 1892W 1904 1927 1972 1989

line 19. Devil ] devil 1871

 agriculturist, ] agriculturist: 1871

line 20. And ] And, 1871


line 21. wist ] wist, 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972


line 22. wouldn't ] would'nt 1812.PRO


line 24. live stock ] live-stock 1871 1876 1892W 1904 1972

 livestock 1989

 view; ] view. 1871

 view, 1812.PRO 1927 1989

line 25. shewed ] showed omnia

 claws, ] claws; 1871


line 26. sight, ] sight 1871 1989


line 27. works ] work 1871 1876 1892W 1904 1927 1972


line 28. small, ] small 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972 1989


line 30. lambkins! ] lambkins, 1972

 all, ] all 1892W 1904 1927 1972 1989


line 31. dress ] dress, 1871

 ball, ] ball; 1871


line 32. Devil ] devil 1871


line 33. Priest, ] priest, 1871

 the Devil ] he 1871

 prayer, ] prayer 1871 1892W 1904 1972 1989


line 35. Declared, ] Declared 1871 1892W 1904 1972

 that ] that, 1871 1892W 1904 1972

 tempter ] Tempter 1904 1972


line 36. abide; ] abide. 1871 1876 1892W 1904 1972


line 37. Ah! Ah! ] Ah!Ah! 1812.PRO

 "Ah! ah!" 1871

 Ah! ah! 1892W 1904 1927 1972

 that's ] "that's 1871

 trick, ] trick; 1871


line 38. Devil, ] devil, 1871

 O! ] O 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972

 favourite ] favorite 1892W

 evil, ] Evil, 1904 1972


line 39. ride. ] ride." 1871


line 40. King, ] king, 1871


line 41. as ] at 1812.PRO

 own, ] own. 1871 own; 1892W 1904 1972


line 42. imps ] Imps 1904 1972

 wing, ] wing; 1871


line 43. twisted ] twirled 1989


line 44. Throne. ] throne. 1871


line 45. Ah, ] "Ah! 1871

 Ah! 1904 1927 1972

 ha! ] ha!" 1871

 ah! 1904 1927 1972

 the ] "the 1871


line 46. Cattle ] cattle 1871

 others, ] others; 1871 1892W 1904 1972


line 49. bed; ] bed: 1871

line 50. as fat ] fat 1871 1876 1892W 1904 1927 1972

 their ] thier 1812.PRO


line 51. Fat ] "Fat 1871

 fiends ] Fiends 1904 1972


line 52. Spain, ] Spain,­1871


line 53. ruin ] Ruin 1904 1972

 way, ] way 1989


line 54. When ] Where 1871 1892W 1904 1972


line 55. Victor's ] victor's 1871


line 57. Fat­as the ] "Fat as 1871


 death birds ] death-birds 1871 1876 1892W 1927 1989

 Death-birds 1904 1972


line 60. Patriot's ] patriot's 1871

 his ] his 1871


line 61. clasp, ] claps, 1812.PRO


line 63. Fat­as ] "Fat as 1871

 reptiles ] Reptiles 1904 1972

 tomb, ] tomb 1871


line 67. Fat ] "Fat 1871

 Prince's ] prince's 1871

 brain, ] brain 1871


line 68. Which ] Which, 1871 1892W 1904 1972


line 70. humoured ] humored 1892W


line 71. For ] "For 1871

 fat, his ] fat; his 1871

 fat,­his 1892W 1904 1927 1972


line 73. paunch, ] paunch; 1892W 1904 1927 1972


line 74. half moons, ] half-moons 1871 1904 1927 1972

 moons, ] moons 1876 1892W


line 76. How ] "How 1871


line 78. twenty, ] twenty 1871 1989

line 79. pantaloon seams ] pantaloon-seam 1871

 start. ] start." 1871


line 80. Devil, ] devil 1871 Devil 1892W 1904 1927 1972 1989

 nature,) ] Nature) 1871 nature), 1892W 1927 Nature), 1904 1972 nature) 1989


line 82. change, ] change 1871 1876 1892W 1904 1927 1972

 feature, ] feature 1871

line 84. lawyer, ] lawyer 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972 1989

 slay, ] slay 1871


line 85. table, ] table; 1871


line 86. marvellously, ] marvellously 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972 1989


line 88. wanders, ] wanders 1871 1892W 1904 1972 1989


line 92. thro' ] through 1892W 1904 1972 1989


line 94. well, ] well 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972

 gore, ] gore 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972 1989


line 95. livery, ] livery; 1871


line 96. well, ] well 1871 1892W 1904 1972

 poor, ] poor 1871 1892W 1904 1972 1989


line 97. penury, ] penury. 1927


line 98. store, ] store 1871 1904 1972 1989


line 100. Bishops ] bishops 1871

 tho' ] though 1892W 1904 1972 1989

 big, ] big; 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972


line 101. tho' ] though 1892W 1904 1927 1972 1989


line 102. gown, ] gown 1871

 wig, ] wig 1871


line 105. Altho' ] Although 1871 1892W 1904 1972 1989


line 106. are ] are, 1812.PRO


line 107. Altho' ] Although 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972 1989


line 111. skips, ] skips 1871

 wing, ] wing,­ 1871


line 112. sidles, ] slides, 1871


line 113. dares, ] dares 1871

 is, ] is 1871


line 114. Statesman ] statesman 1871 1876 1892W 1904 1972

 pass'd­alone ] passed:­alone 1871

 passed­alone 1892W 1904 1972 1989

 him, ] him 1871 1989


line 115. uncover, ] uncover,­ 1871


line 119. King, ] king; 1871


line 120. fiend ] Fiend 1904 1972

 thy ] the omnia

 night, ] night 1871 1989


line 122. guilt steeled ] guilt-steeled 1871 1892W 1904 1972 1989


 brow, ] brow 1871 1989


line 123. crowned: ] crowned; 1871

line 124. hell-hounds, ] hell-hounds 1871

 Want ] Want, 1871


line 125. For ever ] Forever 1892W 1904 1927 1972

 hungering ] hungering, 1904 1927 1972


line 126. food, ] food,­ 1871


line 128. Hark, ] Hark 1812.PRO 1876

 Hark! 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972

 hear, ] hear; 1871

 hear,­ 1892W 1904 1972


line 129. Conquerors ] conquerors 1871

 start, ] start; 1871

line 132. fiends ] Fiends 1904 1972

 revelry, ] revelry 1892W 1904 1927 1972


line 133. King's ] king's 1871


line 134. sire ] Sire 1904 1972

 see, ] see 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972


line 136. But ] But, 1871

 keen, ] keen omnia


line 138. Majesty ] Majesty, 1871

 ween, ] ween 1989


line 139. joy. ] joy 1927


line 140. Reason ] reason 1871

 see, ] see 1871 1892W 1904 1927 1972 1989


line 141. That ] That, 1871 1892W 1904 1972

 Pole, ] pole, 1871


line 142. Tyrant's ] tyrant's 1871

 be, ] be 1871 1904 1972 1989