AUTHOR’S NOTE

All dates in this book are given in Old Style, according to the convention of the Julian calendar, used in England until 1752. The beginning of the year is taken to be January 1 rather than March 25, however. Wherever possible, original spellings and punctuation from primary sources remain in place. However, light editing has been necessary in some places for the sake of clarity. All information on sources can be found in the endnotes.