public school; they afterwards met in Spain, and it was in the year 1804, or 1805, that my father first took me to the old book-shop then kept by his worthy, though less fortunate school-fellow. This was, in fact, my introduction to the early literature of our country; and it was, not many years afterwards, that I purchased my first old English book of any real value, Wilson's "Logic." Long subsequently I bought hundreds of other books from and through Rodd; but, as I never was rich enough to collect, and keep, what may be called a library, he sold them again, and very seldom at a loss. Readers may imagine that I have obtained much information from such works as Censura Literaria, "The British Bibliographer," or Restituta, to say nothing of smaller productions of a similar character. This is a mistake: I have never referred to them without acknowledgment; but it will be found in the twelve hundred pages that follow this preface that, excepting for the sake of illustration or for the correction of some important error, I have never criticised, or I may almost say, quoted a single volume noticed by others. It was generally enough to induce me to lay an old book aside to find that it had already passed through the hands of Brydges, Park, or Haslewood. To the taste and learning of the first I bear willing testimony: the second possessed knowledge, but without much discrimination; and the third was a man remarkable for his diligence, but remarkable also for the narrowness of his views, for his total want of judgment, and for the paucity of his information. I can assert, without the chance of contradiction, that there is no one book, the merits or peculiarities of which are discussed in these volumes, that has not passed through my own hands and been carefully read by my own eyes: there is no extract, no line, that has not been copied by my own pen; and although I cannot for an instant suppose that I have altogether avoided mistakes, I hope that I have made as few as possible in a case of this sort, where hundreds of names occur, and thousands of dates are given, errors must inevitably have crept in; but I am aware of none, whether relating to books or their authors, that I have not set right in the "Additions, Notes and Corrections," placed at the beginning of my book, as it were to solicit the indulgence of the reader in the outset. Even if this work be found to deserve reprinting, I can hardly hope to live to superintend a revised edition of it. It may be necessary to add, that I have purposely avoided Old English Dramas and Plays, because they form so distinct a subject, that they ought to be separately treated. I have by me many details regarding the plots, characters, poetry and appliances of performances of this description, from the remotest dates, some of them relating to productions hitherto unrecorded; and if time, opportunity and eyesight should unexpectedly and graciously be allowed me, it will much add to my happiness to be able hereafter to put them into shape for publication. Dum spiro spero. J. P. C. Maidenhead, 14th April, 1865. ADDITIONS, NOTES, CORRECTIONS. VOL. I. J. 2. He contributed the famous Induction.]-This "Induction," in what is called "The Seconde Parte of the Mirrour for Magistrates" (which, in the edition of 1563, was appended by W. Baldwin to the first part, originally published in 1559), precedes Sackville's "Complaynt of Heurye duke of Backingham," and in a manner prepares the way for it. The "Induction" alone fills twenty pages, viz. from sig. P iii. to R iiii. I. 4. Under the title of "the Key of Knowledge."]- Achelley's "Key of Knowledge" must have come out later than 1572, because, in the dedication of it to Lady Elizabeth Russell, he speaks of his " ragged verses whiche, about two yeares paste, I presumed to tender to your discreete judgement." It is probable that he refers to some other, and earlier, poetical production than his "Didaco and Violenta," published in 1576. I. 9. "The Massacre of Money" was not published until two years afterwards.] -Of course, some of the quotations in "England's Parnassus" might be, and probably were, derived from MS. I. 18. Alabaster may have been postponed.]-We once owned a valuable MS. which contained, at the end of it, various religious sonnets by Alabaster. Unfortunately we lent the MS. to a clergyman, and in some way, during the transit, Alabaster's sonnets accidentally escaped. If they should now be in the hands of any bibliographer, he will perhaps remember to whom they really belong: they were accompanied by some other rare unprinted poems of the time. I. 20. The many pieces of not ill-translated poetry in his Plutarch.]-We quote the following specimen from his Life of Cimon, p. 533—an inscription on a column : "The citizens which dwell in Athens stately towne Have here set up these monuments and pictures of renowne, To honour so the facts, and celebrate the fame, Their valliant chieftaines did achieve in many a marshall game; That such as after come, when they thereby perceive How men of service for their deedes did rich rewards receive, Encouraged may be such men for to resemble In valliant acts and dreadfull deedes, which make their focs to tremble." In an earlier Life, that of Alcibiades, p. 219, North thus quotes an attack by Aristophanes : "For state or common weale muche better should it be To keepe within the countrie none suche lyons lookes as he : But if they nedes will keepe a lyon to their cost, Then must they nedes obeye his will, for he will rule the roste." We have taken these specimens quite at random, as we happened to open the fine well printed volume. I. 23. He had lent a copy of " J. Don's Satyres."]-In 1614 Thomas Freeman printed a collection of Epigrams, &c. under the title of "Rubbe and a great Cast," which contains the following upon Donne (or Dunne as the name is there spelt), from which we may safely infer that, at that date, he had |