OF ENGLAND, VOL. II. FROM THE ACCESSION OF EDWARD THE FIRST, то THE DEATH OF HENRY THE FIFTH. BY SHARON TURNER, F.S.A. London: PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME AND BROWN, PATERNOSTER-ROW. PREFACE. THIS from the accession of Edward the First to the death of Henry the Fifth. The next Volume will extend it to the accession of Elizabeth, and complete the Author's design, which has been to lay before the Public the History of the English nation during the middle ages-during that period which has been the least studied and the most negligently written; but within which our political relations, our religion, literature, language, manners, laws, and constitution, have been chiefly formed. From the accession of Elizabeth, our history has been more carefully discussed, and intelligently, though variously, narrated by several writers. This reign has therefore appeared to the present Author, to be the proper boundary of his undertaking. By the time that the Third and last Volume will appear, the leisure of thirty years will have been applied to the laborious, but pleasing task. The Author must then begin to recollect the Horatian counsel, 'Solve senescentem, maturè sanus, equum.' Other duties will leave less time for literary gratification. He cannot expect to have either the industry or the capability for labour, which in the earlier parts of life are rather matter of amusement than toil. This Work, with the History of the Anglo-Saxons, will have conducted the History of his country through the space of above fifteen hundred years-a period long enough to exhaust the powers and to satisfy the ambition of any candidate for public approbation. The Author has been obliged to postpone some of his subjects to his succeeding Volume; which will contain the The History of our State of SOCIETY and MANNERS. The History of NATURAL and EXPERIMENTAL PHILOSOPHY in England. It was at first intended to have appropriated a part of the present Volume to some of these subjects; but it appeared to the Author, on reconsideration, that they might be viewed more completely, and therefore more satisfactorily, in the last part of his Work. He has now to mention, that in the 3d page, by some accident, the word 'Roman' has been printed instead of Norman ;' and in the 417th page, he has mentioned, from the authority of a Gentleman who had visited Paris, a Medal, which on further inquiry he cannot ascertain to be actually in existence. It is not improbable but that Wittichind has been mistaken for Wickliffe. |