never been attempted until the
issue by the "New Shakspere Society," a dozen years ago, of Dr.
Furnivall's careful condensed edition of Harrison's introduction to
_Holinshed_. Now Harrison is the genius of the whole performance.
_Holinshed_ is a hodge-podge of many men's endeavours. Remarkable as may
be the portions contributed by other men, that of Harrison can be said to
be unique. William Harrison is the only man who has ever given a detailed
description of England and the English. He had the assistance doubtless of
many special informants, directly and indirectly, some of which assistance
overloads his ancient utterances with superfluous matter. His own views
however are a running rill of delight. When it was only an amputation of
interjected details, my task was easy; and Dr. Furnivall (to whom is due
all credit of initiative in the publication of the work, and who has
kindly accorded valuable suggestions during the rather anxious and
difficult process) had already cut off the greater portion of dead issue
and dead tissue. The work of disjointing and then rejointing Harrison's
own discourse is not so agreeable. Even Harrison's interlarding of his own
book-learning in his own inimitable fashion is a rare frolic for the
mirthful mind. Badly as I may have finally wriggled through the task,
seamy as may be the patchwork, the solace remains that no scrap of
Harrison's text lacks its own individual interest. Not without reason may
an extract from _Holinshed_ be entitled a

"Morsel of dead royalty."

_Holinshed_ is one of the monarchs and monuments of literature. It filled
the channels of thought, and moulded the character of history. Harrison's
contribution to _Holinshed_ is not only the most important but the most
perfect portion of the work, and it evidently derives its perfect
character from being a labour of love, and not written to order. John
Harrison the printer doubtless got his country relative the parson to help
out the heavy enterprise which tasked such an alliance of master-printers
even to partially perfect. Not that William Harrison was a countryman by
birth. He was a Cockney of the Cockneys, born right beneath Bow Bells
themselves; but when you come to gather the threads of his connections,
you seem indeed to

"Take all England up,"

jumping at once to the heart of Westmoreland fells, and traversing every
shire in England and Wales for his cousinry. It was a stirring age, and
great human uphe