Part 37 (1/2)

Andre, Bernard, _De Vita atque gestis Henrici Septimi_, and _Annales Henrici Septimi_ (to be found in Gairdner's _Memorials, infra_). Andre was the court historiographer, and was blind. Honest, but not altogether trustworthy, or adequate.

Fabyan, Robert, _New Chronicles of England and France_, (supplement), ed. Ellis: and _London Chronicle_: both, in their present form, probably summaries from the original record compiled by Fabyan as the events took place; upon which original it would seem that both Hall and Stow largely based their Chronicles of the reign.

Hall, Edward, _Chronicle_: compiled chiefly from Polydore Vergil, and Fabyan for this reign. For Henry VIII., he is literally a contemporary.

_Italian Relation, An_, (Author unknown: ed. Camden Society), by an Italian visitor to England.

_Letters and Papers, Richard III. and Henry VII._, ed. Gairdner.

_Letters and Papers Henry VIII._, (vols. i. and ii.) ed. Brewer.

_Letters, Despatches and State Papers_, from Simancas, ed.

Bergenroth. Spanish relations.

Lyndsay of Pitscottie, _Historie of Scotland_: picturesque but not too trustworthy.

Macchiavelli, N., _The Prince_. An interesting contrast to the political philosophy of the _Utopia_.

_Memorials of Henry VII._, ed. Gairdner: contemporary records.

More, Sir T., _Utopia_, first book (ill.u.s.trating social and economic conditions).

_Paston Letters_, ed. Gairdner; correspondence of the Paston family.

Polydore Vergil, _Historiae Anglicae Libri_. P. V. was an Italian who came to England in 1502. For the earlier years of Henry VII. he had access to good sources of information; for the latter years he was a witness, but with the inevitable limitations of a foreign observer.

INTERMEDIATE

Bacon, Francis, _History of the Reign of King Henry VII._ This has been the basis of all the popular histories, for the reign. It is often referred to as ”contemporary”. But Bacon was not born till fifty years after Henry's death, and did not write the history till he was over fifty himself. His work contains much that is merely rhetorical amplification of above named contemporary authorities, with occasional imaginative variations and misreadings: nor does he appear to have had additional sources of information.

Ware, _De Hibernia;_ a supplement to which contains annals of Irish History in the reign of Henry VII.; written in the time of Charles I.

MODERN

Busch, Wilhelm, _England under the Tudors,_ vol. i., Henry VII.

Translated by A. M. Todd. The one complete and thorough account of the reign, with an exhaustive examination of the authorities: and notes by J. Gairdner.

Gairdner, J., _Henry VII._ (Twelve English Statesmen series), an admirable study but with less detail; written before Busch's work was published.

Seebohm, F., _The Oxford Reformers,_ Colet, Erasmus and More: an illuminating study.

HENRY VIII

CONTEMPORARY: A. DOc.u.mENTARY

_Calendar of State Papers_

(1) _State Papers, Henry VIII._ A series of eleven volumes edited before the commencement of the series next named. These are referred to in this work as ”S. P.”; and the next series mentioned, as ”L. & P.”