other late writers touching this subject. Some perchance will
challenge me of indiscretion, that I have not translated Peter
Mathew onely, being reputed so eloquent and learned a Writer.
To them I answere first, that I found many things written by
him that were not fit to be inserted, and some things
belonging unto the Historie, related by others, whereof he
makes no mention. Secondly his style is so full and his
discourse so copious, as the worke would have held no
proportion, for that this last addition of seven years must
have exceeded halfe Serres Historie. Which considerations have
made me to draw forth what I thought most materiall for the
subject, and to leave the rest as unnecessarie."

From this we learn that Grimeston followed Jean de Serres till 1598, and
that from then till 1604 (his time-limit in his first edition) his
principal source was P. Matthieu's _Histoire de France_, rigorously
condensed, and, at the same time, supplemented from other authorities. A
collation of Grimeston's text with that of the "Byron" plays and _The
Revenge_ proves that every passage in which the dramatist draws upon
historical materials is to be found within the four corners of the folio
of 1607. The most striking illustrations of this are to be found in the
"Byron" plays, and I have shown elsewhere (_Athenaeum_, _loc. cit._) that
though Chapman in handling the career of the ill-fated Marshal of France
is apparently exploiting Pierre Matthieu, Jean de Serres, and Cayet in
turn, he is really taking advantage of the labours of Grimeston, who had
rifled their stores for his skilful historical mosaic. Grimeston must
thus henceforward be recognized as holding something of the same
relation to Chapman as Sir T. North does to Shakespeare, with the
distinction that he not only provides the raw material of historical
tragedy, but goes some way in the refining process.

_The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois_ follows historical lines less closely
than the "Byron" plays, but here, too, Grimeston's volume was Chapman's
inspiring source, and the perusal of its closing pages gives a clue to
the origin of this most singular of the dramatist's serious plays. The
final episode included in the folio of 1607 was the plot by which the
Count d'Auvergne, who had been one of Byron's fellow conspirators, and
who had fallen under suspicion for a second time in 1604, was
treacherously arrested by agent