FOXE'S ACTS AND MONUMENTS.

NOTICE.

THE Proprietors have now, after a considerable and much-regretted delay, completed their original undertaking. No pains or expense have been spared by them to make the present, according to their promise, the standard edition of John Foxe.

In announcing, therefore, their intention of publishing, in a few months, a SUPPLEMENTARY VOLUME, it is evidently necessary that they should state, as explicitly as possible, the reasons for such an addition.

It formed no part of their original plan, or of the proposals placed before the public, to attempt any improvement of their author. Fully aware, as they could not but be, that a voluminous work of the sixteenth century, involving a great mass of historical details, must inevitably be open to multitudinous corrections by the greater light and accuracy of modern times, they still purposed nothing more than a correct and wellprinted edition of the ACTS AND MONUMENTS, as John Foxe left them. The reason of this was obvious: They undertook the work at the instance of various friends, who all desired an immediate republication of the great work of the Martyrologist. A thorough reediting, after the modern style, correcting every error and removing every blemish, it was seen, must be a work of years. The end desired was not literary fame, or minute and critical accuracy, but general utility. To meet this wish, the Proprietors made their arrangements for immediate publication. Between their resolving on the publication, and the

actual commencement of the printing, very few weeks elapsed. The only thing then aimed at, was, to give FoxE'S HISTORY, as correctly as possible, in the state in which he left it.

On the appearance, however, of Volumes II. and III., printed on this system, an attack was made upon them, grounded on the assumption, that no new edition of Foxe ought to have been produced without a full correction of all his errors. Without admitting the entire justice of this assumption, the Editor and the Proprietors so far endeavoured to meet this new demand as to bring the later volumes under a different system of revision from that which had been adopted in the earlier. In the last four or five volumes, they believe they may assume, that not only has Foxe been printed faithfully, but most of his errors corrected by reference to original sources.

What remains, therefore, is to bring the earlier volumes into the same state of general accuracy. To effect this, they have been carefully revised, and it is found that between 200 and 300 cancel leaves will be necessary; to remove errors which had crept into Foxe's history; from various causes, misinformation, mistranslation, &c. &c.

To present these to their subscribers would be to add a large sum to the very considerable loss which the Proprietors have already incurred. Although every copy of an edition of 2,000 has been subscribed for, they have not been able to cover their expenditure. In what has been already done, they have performed more than they originally promised. They have given Foxe, not corrected, which they never purposed to do, but correctly printed from his own copy. They have given volumes of 750, 800, and now of nearly 1,000 pages, when they originally promised only 650 pages in each. In bringing the work, therefore, to a higher state of perfection than they originally contemplated, and in adding certain documents which ought to be appended; and a new and copious Index, a supplementary volume will be formed, the cost of which, they trust, it will not be desired to throw upon them.

The contents of this supplementary volume will be, 1. Cancel leaves, intended to remove every considerable blemish, not by taking any liberties with the author, but by referring to the sources used by himself, and thence drawing the means of correcting obvious and manifest errors. 2. Appendices of sundry documents, referred to in the work itself, but

which could only be given in this form. 3. A new and complete Index, extending to about one hundred pages, the utility of which to the student will be easily perceptible. 4. A fac-simile of Foxe's letter to Magdalen College, with a few other et cætera.

They

They consider that these emendations and additions are absolutely necessary to the completion of the work. Yet, on the other hand, they do not feel called upon to add this to their other sacrifices. purpose, therefore, to deliver this further volume to their subscribers, as early as practicable in the coming year;-trusting that any persons not wishing to receive it will signify their dissent by letter addressed to the Publishers, as soon as may be convenient.