PEEEATOBY NOTE 



The volume which is now offered to the public was 

 undertaken in consequence of the interest which was 

 aroused by a paper read before the Boyal Historical 

 Society in May 1889. It had been previously in- 

 tended to print Walter of Henley's Husbandry in the 

 Appendix of the Growth of English Industry and 

 Commerce during the Early and Middle Ages (Camb. 

 Univ. Press, 1890) ; but the author gladly gave way 

 when it became apparent that the Council of the 

 Society would arrange for the publication of the four 

 treatises which are so intimately connected. The 

 task of selecting the best text for transcription and 

 of translating has involved much more work than 

 was apparent at first ; where difficulties are still un- 

 solved they have been stated in a manner which may 

 assist other students in the endeavour to carry the 

 investigation further. Dr. Braunholtz, Lecturer in 

 French in the University of Cambridge, has kindly 

 read the proofs and made many valuable suggestions, 

 and we take this opportunity of expressing our in- 



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