Some Hints I have the Honour to owe to the Informations of Dr. _Mead_, and the late Dr. _Friend_: Others to the Kindness of the ingenious _Martin Folkes_, Esq; who likewise furnish’d me with the first _folio_ Edition of _Shakespeare_, at a Time when I could not meet with it among the Booksellers; as my obliging Friend _Thomas Coxeter_, Esq; did with several of the old 4to single Plays, which I then had not in my own Collection. Some few Observations I likewise owe to _F. Plumptree_, Esq; Others to the Favour of anonymous Persons: for all which I most gladly render my Acknowledgments. [Sidenote: The Editor’s particular Pains taken.] As to what regards my self singly, if the Edition do not speak for the Pains I have taken about it, it will be very vain to plead my own Labour and Diligence. Besides a faithful Collation of all the printed Copies, which I have exhibited in my _Catalogue_ of _Editions_ at the End of this Work; let it suffice to say, that, to clear up several Errors in the Historical Plays, I purposely read over _Hall_ and _Holingshead_’s Chronicles in the Reigns concern’d; all the Novels in _Italian_, from which our Author had borrow’d any of his Plots; such Parts of _Plutarch_, from which he had deriv’d any Parts of his _Greek_ or _Roman_ Story: _Chaucer_ and _Spenser_’s Works; all the Plays of _B. Jonson_, _Beaumont_ and _Fletcher_, and above 800 old _English_ Plays, to ascertain the obsolete and uncommon Phrases in him: Not to mention some Labour and Pains unpleasantly spent in the dry Task of consulting Etymological _Glossaries_. But as no Labour of Mine can be equivalent to the dear and ardent Love I bear for _Shakespeare_, so, if the Publick shall be pleas’d to allow that He owes any Thing to my Willingness and Endeavours of restoring Him; I shall reckon the Part of my Life so engag’d, to have been very happily employ’d: and put Myself, with great Submission, to be try’d by my Country in the Affair. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY are pleased to announce that THE WILLIAM ANDREWS CLARK MEMORIAL LIBRARY of The University of California, Los Angeles will become the publisher of the Augustan Reprints in May, 1949. The editorial policy of the Society will continue unchanged. As in the past, the editors will strive to furnish members inexpensive reprints of rare seventeenth and eighteenth century works. Publications for the fourth year (1949-1950) [Transcriber’s Note: Many of the listed titles are or will be available from Project Gutenberg. Where possible, the e-text number is given in brackets.] (_At least six items will be printed in the main from the following list_) SERIES IV: MEN, MANNERS, AND CRITICS