vi PREFACE. 



contents, but for their style. Here and there illustrative 

 notes have been added. 



The text of Shakespeare referred to is that of the 

 "Globe" edition. 



The books and editions most frequently quoted are : 



Bartholomew. " Liber de proprietatibus rerum editus a 

 fratre Bartholomeo anglico ordinis fratrum minor um. Im- 

 pressus Argentine Anno domini MCCCCLXXXV. Finitus 

 in die Sancti Valentini." 



Bartholomew (Berthelef). " Bartholomeus de Proprietatibus 

 Rerum." [Translated into English by J. Trevisa.] " In 

 aedibus T. Bertheletti, Lond. 1535." So runs the de- 

 scription in the British Museum catalogue, but this version 

 does not follow Trevisa' s translation accurately ; on the 

 contrary, it quotes Trevisa for some deviations from, and 

 additions to, Bartholomew's text. 



Batman. " Batman upon Bartholome, his Booke ' De 

 Proprietatibus Rerum M ' [in the translation by J. Trevisa]. 

 " Newly corrected, enlarged and amended ; with such Ad- 

 ditions as are requisite vnto euery seuerall Booke. Taken 

 foorth of the most approued Authors, the like heretofore 

 not translated in English," etc. T. East, Lond. 1582. 

 Probably Shakespeare used not Batman's version, but the 

 Berthelet edition, which, being older, would probably be 

 cheaper in his days. All of Batman's " Additions " that 

 are of any interest are quoted in these pages, but they 

 are few and generally unimportant. His emendations con- 

 sist mostly in the substitution for an archaic word of a 

 more modern and less interesting one. 



There can be no doubt that Friar Bartholomew's book 

 was the standard authority on Natural History in Shake- 

 speare's youth ; indeed, it was the only popular authority. 

 It is true that there were some few books on Natural 



