LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON FOURTH AVENUE & 30TH STREET, NEW YORK BOMBAY, CALCUTTA, AND MADRAS 1915 All rights reserved PREFACE ΤΟ THE SECOND EDITION CHARLES GROSs, Gurney Professor of History and Political Science in Harvard University, died after prolonged illness on December 3, 1909. Almost up to the last moment he had clung to the hope that he might live to prepare a second edition of his monumental work on the Sources and Literature of English History, for which, ever since the publication of the first edition in the year 1900, he had been steadily collecting material. His lamented death, everywhere recognised as an irreparable loss to historical scholarship, seemed to render impossible, or to postpone indefinitely, the realisation of his plan. His colleagues of the historical department at Harvard, however, were unwilling to allow the matter to drop, and early in 1910 appointed a committee with power to communicate with the publishers and with the family of Professor Gross in regard to the practicability of carrying out his design. The response from both sides was heartily in favour of the attempt. The family, represented by Messrs. Marks and Henry Gross of Troy, New York, accepted the financial responsibility of bringing the editorial part of the work to completion as an affectionate tribute to the memory of their distinguished brother. The publishers on their part showed every willingness to further the project. The services of Miss A. F. Rowe, of Cambridge, who had assisted in preparing the manuscript for the first edition, were secured, and the work was begun. It is |