PUBLISHERS' NOTE 



Professor Walter Raleigh's Essay, which forms the 

 first portion of this volume, was printed in September, 

 1904, and the delay in issuing it is due to the great 

 labour involved in the preparation of the Index. 



The Index of each of the separate volumes was com- 

 piled and checked by Madame Marie Michon, while 

 the whole has been put together into one alphabet by 

 Miss Elizabeth Carmont, who has also identified the 

 names of places. While the greater part of the labour 

 has fallen on Madame Michon and Miss Carmont, 

 the Publishers have also to express their obligations 

 for much assistance received from various sources. The 

 dates, with the exception of those giving the births and 

 deaths of the principal personages, are founded on 

 Hakluyt's text. 



Under any circumstances the preparation of an Index 

 ot such magnitude must have involved difficulties, but 

 these have been greatly increased by the variety of 

 spellings which were common in the sixteenth century, 

 by the frequent references to places under names which 

 are now obsolete, and to minor characters whom it is 

 now difficult to identify. 



The Publishers cannot hope, notwithstanding the care 

 bestowed upon it, that the Index is even now free from 



