LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO. 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON NEW YORK, BOMBAY AND CALCUTTA 1912 All rights reserved JN 216 M3 1912 154955 v.l BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE. Volume I.-First printed in 8vo, January, 1861. Second Edition, May, 1863. Volume II.-First printed in 8vo, February, 1863. Second Edition, March, 1865.. Third Edition in Three Volumes, Crown 8vo.-First printed September, 1871. New Edition in Three Volumes, 8vo.-Edited and Continued to 1911 by Francis 38 PREFACE ΤΟ VOLUMES I. AND II. OF THE NEW EDITION. In the preface, written in 1871, to the third edition of his history, Sir Erskine May wrote that he would not "disturb the original narrative, by any attempt to continue it to the present time". That attempt it has fallen to me to make; but, in making it, I have not ventured to disturb the original work. Except for the correction of a few inaccuracies-probably in most cases due to misprints which have been overlooked-and the addition of a few explanatory notes, the text of this edition is reproduced without alteration in the form in which it was left by its distinguished author. F. C. H. December, 1911. |