Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ...

INTRODUCTION.XXIUgenerally means (or should mean) a revised and correctedcopy of it ; a second edition in former days commonlymeant a mere reprint of theformer one, with a good manyadditional errors. It may be as well to state exactly wherethe MSS. and first editions are to be found. The BodleianLibrary at Oxford supplied the pieces in Sections IV, VII,XII, XVI, XIX, XX, XXI, XXIV, and XXVIII ; the UniversityLibrary, Cambridge, those in Sections V, IX, X, XV,XVII, XXV, XXVI ; the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge,those in Sections I and XIII ; the British IMuseumthose in Sections II and III, and a second MS. of the'Crede' (Sect. I) ; and the Advocates' Library at Edinburghthose in Sections VI and XI. For a loan of a copy of thefirst edition of Sir Thomas Elyot's ' Gouernour '(Sect.XVIII) I was indebted to the courtesy of Mr. Arber, whoseexcellent reprints of many of our old authors are well known.Sections XXIII and XXVII are simply copied from Mr.Arber's reprints ; Sect. VIII from the reprint by SoutheySect. XIV from the edition by Dyce ; and Sect. XXII fromthe edition published for the Early English Text Society.I was much indebted to the kindness of themuch-lamentedMr. Halkett, late Librarian of the Advocates' Library, forcomparing my proof of Dunbar's ' Thrissill and Rois ' withthe Bannatyne MS. ; and his successor, Mr. Jamieson, haslikewise done me good service by comparing my proof ofHenry's ' Wallace ' with the original. For some hints containedin the Notes, my thanks are due to J.one of the editors of the Percy Folio MS.''W. Hales, Esq.,