_The First Edition of the Second Book of Homilies, by Queen Elizabeth in_
1563.--In the edition of the _Homilies_ at the Oxford University press in
1822, and which from inspection, in the portion concerned, appear to be the
same in the last, I find in the Advertisement, page iv. note d., that there
exist _four editions_ of the date 1563. Of these, I presume, are two in my
possession, and I conclude one of them to be the _first edition_ on the
following grounds:--_That_ one, printed by Richard Jugge and John Cawood,
1563, has in the last page and a half, "Faultes escaped in the printyng,"
which appear to have been _corrected_ in all the subsequent editions, and
are as they stand in the subsequent and modern editions, I presume, up to
the present time. But the principal proof arises from a cancelled leaf in
the Homily, "Of Common Prayer and Sacraments," as it stands in the Oxford
edition of 1822, p. 329-331. The passage in question, as it there stands,
and stands likewise in another edition of 1563, which I have, begins within
three lines of the end of the paragraph, p. 329.,--"eth, that common or
public prayer," &c., and ends at p. 331. line 13.,--"ment of baptism and
the Lord's supper," &c. In my presumed first edition the original passage
has been dismissed, and the substituted passage, being one leaf, _in a
smaller type_, in order plainly to contain more matter, and it is that
which appears, as I suppose, in all subsequent and the present copies. It
would have been a matter of some curiosity, and perhaps of some importance,
to have the original cancelled passage. But every intelligent reader will
perceive that the subject was one which required both delicacy and
judgment. Is any copy existing which has the original passage? My copy
unfortunately is imperfect, wanting three leaves; and I apprehend this is
an additional instance in which the first edition of an important work has
been in a manner thrown aside for its imperfection; as was the case with
the real first edition of the _Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent_,
and the _Execution of Justice_ given to Burghley. As the Oxford editor
wished for information upon this subject, it is hoped that the present
communication may not be unacceptable to him.