Autographs of royal, noble, learned, and remarkable personages conspicuous in English history, from the reign of Richard the Second to that of Charles the Second; with some illustrious foreigners; containing many passages from important letters. Engraved under the direction of Charles John Smith. Accompanied by concise biographical memoirs, and interesting extracts from the original documents / by John Gough Nichols.

  • Nichols, John Gough, 1806-1873.
Date:
1829
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Autographs of royal, noble, learned, and remarkable personages conspicuous in English history, from the reign of Richard the Second to that of Charles the Second; with some illustrious foreigners; containing many passages from important letters. Engraved under the direction of Charles John Smith. Accompanied by concise biographical memoirs, and interesting extracts from the original documents / by John Gough Nichols. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    prevented the quotation of authorities, except when, from the introduction of a fact not inserted in preceding biographies, it occasionally seemed requisite ; the authorities have been chiefly, besides the Biographical Dictionary and the Peerages, Ellis’s highly interesting Collection of Original Letters and Lodge’s Illustrious Portraits. From the elegant memoirs in the latter work many passages have been derived. By the former, it is but just to acknowledge, the primary design of our work was suggested. It has furnished many references and hints for finding the originals; and for the same reason these facsimiles are very appropriate illustrations of that work, each making the other more interesting. There remains one trifling circum¬ stance, which the Editor hopes he may be acquitted of presumption if he mentions. On com¬ paring various authorities, some errors of former writers have unavoidably presented themselves. But in such cases, from an unwillingness to employ in the correction of the statements of others that space which he found barely sufficient for containing his own, he has uniformly pre¬ ferred the silent substitution of the truth to that more circumlocutory examination and refu¬ tation which may be sometimes required in a regular and unconfined biography. He therefore considers that he may fairly deprecate precipitate condemnation on account of any of his statements differing from preceding accounts. A few Corrigenda will be found at the close of the volume. « June 1, 1829. J. G. N. AUTOGRAPH OF HIS MAJESTY GEORGE THE FOURTH.