This copy (one of two in the Spencer Library—the other belonged to Thomas Hearne) bears the bookplate of one of the original subscribers, James Bertie, Esq., of Stanwell. The library acquired it from John Bryson, librarian of Balliol College, Oxford,…
At least two printed states prior to the first edition reveal how the work was produced. As the sheets were printed, they were carefully compared to the manuscripts, which had been marked up to make proofreading as easy as possible. The states prior…