PREFACE The lettersand despatches of the Catholic exile, Richard Verstegan, have, with only a few exceptions, long remained unpublished . In view of their bearing on later Elizabethan history, particularly that concerned with the affairs of English Catholics in England and on the Continent , it has been considered desirable to edit them as a useful contribution to the publications of the Catholic Record Society, thus augmenting the volumes of letters fromthe Elizabethan and Jacobean periods previously edited by Fr. L. Hicks, S.J. , namely, those of Robert Persons and Thomas Fitzherbert, with both of whom Verstegan frequently corresponded, though none of his despatches to Fitzherbert is extant. The work of editing the letters has been extremely enjoyable and instructive, leading me along many paths and byways of Tudor history and literature, and I am grateful for the better understanding of the period have therebyacquired. am grateful also to those who have furthered this publication and have made my task easier by their help: to the Central Research Fund Committee of London University, who granted me a generous allowance to pursue the work ; to the Father General of the Society of Jesus , Very Rev. Fr. J. B. Janssens , S.J. , and the Rector of Stonyhurst College , Very Rev. Fr. F. Vavasour, for permission to publishthe originals , copies and extracts from the letterswhich are housed in their archives at Rome and Stonyhurst ; to the archivists who aided me, among whom should like to thank particularly Fr. H. Chadwick, S.J. , Librarian of Stonyhurst College, who has always responded most kindly and helpfully to my requests and enquiries, and was of every assistance on my visits to the Stonyhurst Archives . Thanks are also due to Dr. J. Cummins of the Spanish Department , Queen Mary College , London, for checking my translations of the Spanish copies , and providing emendations for the corruptions in the Spanish texts. There are a number of people who have helped me in my search for information, chief amongst whom are Fr. L. Hicks , S.J. , who gave me every encouragement in my work, made many useful suggestions , and placed photostats and books at my disposal, and Fr. B. FitzGibbon, S.J. , who also took a keen interest in the subject, and helped me to solve some of the puzzles presented by the text . Among others who readily proferred advice was Mr. A. F. Allison of the British Museum, though am happy to say that troubled him much less than did when was engaged in writing my thesis on Verstegan. Other help of this nature which received is acknowledged in the relevant places in the notes. should like to express my appreciation for the benefit have derived , chiefly in acquiring a knowledge of background , from
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