[Sidenote: There were three editions of Chaucer before William Thynne dedicated his to Henry VIII.] The thirde matter ys, that in youre epistle dedicatorye to Sir Roberte Cecille, yo{u} saye, “This Booke whene yt was first published in printe was dedicate to kinge Henrye the eighte.” But that is not soo. for the firste dedicatione to that kinge was by my father, when diverse of Chaucers woorkes had byn thrise printed before; whereof two editions were by Will{ia}m Caxtone, the firste printer of Englande, who first printed Chaucers Tales in one columne in a ragged letter, and after in one colume in a better order; and the thirde edit{i}one was printed, as farre as I remember, by Winkin de Worde or Richarde Pynson, the seconde and thirde printers of Englande, as I take them.[11] [Sidenote: The first editions being very corrupt, William Thynne augmented and corrected them.] Whiche three edit[i]ons beinge verye unperfecte and corrupte occasioned my father (for the love he oughte to Chaucers learnynge) to seeke the augmente and correct{i}one of Chaucers Woorkes, w{hi}che he happily fynyshed; the same being, since that tyme, by often printinge much corrupted. of this matter I sholde have spooken first of all, because yt is the first imperfect{i}one of your paynfull and comendable labors: Yet because the proverb ys better late than never, I hold yt better to speake of yt here then not at all. [Footnote 11: _Caxton_, 1475-1481-2. _Wynkyn de Word_, 1495-1498.] [Sidenote: Master Speight hath omytted many auctors vouched by Chaucer.] The fourthe thinge ys, that, in the catalogue of the auctors, you haue omytted many auctors vouched by chaucer; and therefore did rightlye intitle yt, moost, and not all, of the auctors cited by Geffrye Chaucer. [Sidenote: It should be Harlottes, and not Haroldes.] The fyfte matter ys in the Romante of the Roose, fo. 144, that the worde Haroldes in this verse, My kinge of Haroltes shalte thou bee, must, by a mathesis or transpositione of the letters, be Harlotes, and not Haroltes, and the verse thus, My kinge of Harlottes shalt thou bee