This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1822. Excerpt: ... as Carolus Magnus had, among his tresures, thre large and notable tables of silver rychly enamaled, one of the syte and description of Constantynople, another of the syte and figure of the magnificent cyty of Rome, and the thyrd of the descripcion of the world; so shal your Majestie have thys your world and impery of England so set fourth in a quadrate table of sylver, yf God send me lyfe to accomplysh my begynnyng, that your Grace shal have ready knowledg, at the fyrst syght, of many right delectable, fruteful, and necessary pleasures, by contemplacion therof, as often as occasyon shal move you to the syght of it. And because that it may be more permanent and farther known, than to have it engraven in sylver or brass, I entend, by the leave of God, within the space of twelve monthes following, such a descripcion to make of your realm in wryting, that it shal be no mastery after, for the graver or painter to make the lyke by a perfect example. Yea, and to wade further in thys matter, wheras now almost no man can wel guesse at the shaddow of the auncyent names of havens, ryvers, promontories, hills, woods, cyties, townes, castels, and varyete of kynds of people, that Cesar, Livy, Strabo, Diodorus, Fabius Pictor, Pomponius Mela, Plinius, Cornelius Tacitus, Ptolomeus, Sextus Rufus, Ammianus Marcellinus, Solinus, Antoninus, and dyvers other make mencyon of; I trust to open this wyndow, that the lyght shal be seen, so long, that is to say, by the space of a whole thousand years, stopped up, and the old glory of your renoumed Britaine to reflorish through the world. This don, I have matter at plenty already prepared to this purpose, that is to say, to wryte an hystory; to the which I entend to adscribe this title, De Antiquitate Bri-332 tannica, or els, Civilis...
