XXH PREFACE. 



&amp;lt; be glad, as God shall give me leave, to recover it 

 &quot; with posterity.&quot; 



In the year 1627, this history was published in 

 French.* In 1629, there was a new edition in 

 English. In 1638, an edition in Latin was pub 

 lished by Dr. Rawley ; and the press has since 

 abounded with editions.f 



Such was the progress of the history of Henry the 

 Seventh. 



In the composition, Lord Bacon seems to have 

 laboured with some anxiety. 



Aubrey, in his Anecdotes, says, &quot; about his time, 

 &quot; and within his view, were borne all the wits that 

 &quot; could honour a nation or help study. He came 

 &quot; often to St. John Danvers at Chelsey. Sir John 

 &quot; told me that when his lordship had wrote the 

 &quot; history of Henry the Seventh, he sent the manu- 

 &quot; script copy to him to desire his opinion of it 

 &quot; before twas printed. Qd Sir John, your lordship 

 &quot; knows that I am no scholar. Tis no matter, said 

 &quot; my lord, I know what a scholar can say ; I would 

 &quot; know what you can say. Sir John read it, and 

 &quot; gave his opinion what he misliked (which I am 



* 8vo. Paris, Par Holman, of which there is a copy in the 

 British Museum. 



t In 1641, and in 1647, and in 1662; and in the British 

 Museum there is a MS. (Sloan s collection, 84,) entitled Notes, 

 taken out of his history of the reign of Henry Seventh : and 

 another MS. Harleian, vol. 2, of Catalogue 300, entitled Notes 

 of Henry Seventh s reign, set down in MS. by the Lord Chan 

 cellor Bacon. 



