In the selection of authorities which have been consulted in the preparation of this work, and to which reference is made in the following pages, great care has been taken.

Original sources have been drawn upon in the majority of cases, and nearly all of these are the most recent attainable.

Whenever it has not been possible to cite original and recent works, the author has quoted only such as are most standard and trustworthy.

In the choice of orthography of proper names and numeral words, the forms have, in almost all cases, been written as they were found, with no attempt to reduce them to a systematic English basis.

In many instances this would have been quite impossible; and, even if possible, it would have been altogether unimportant.