Soth. 10-13-24 116721-1 sccp. PREFACE THE present edition contains the whole series of extracts— chiefly from contemporary writers-which were included in the five volumes published in the course of 1921 and 1922. In these extracts the editor's aim has been to give a true picture of Britain and its inhabitants throughout the centuries: their mode of life; their food and clothing; their games and recreations; their feastings and their burials; their methods of fighting on land and sea; their laws and customs; their education; their instinct for trade; their pageants and their music; their joys and their sorrows; in fact, all that goes to make what we call "life." In order to tempt his readers to explore for themselves the sources from which the extracts are taken, the editor has, where possible, chosen his selections from such editions of authorities as can be found in any modern reference library, and to that end, the source of each extract is defined in detail. In this connection the editor is under a debt of gratitude to Mr G. Berwick Sayers, the chief librarian of Croydon's splendidly equipped public library, for his expert advice and assistance; and to him and his staff sincere thanks are due. To Mr Walter Blackie, at whose suggestion the work was, in the first place, undertaken, the editor offers his thanks; he also makes sincere acknowledgment to Mr S. C. Roberts, of Pembroke College, Cambridge, who, in addition to being |