I have been either absent from home or unwell since your letter
arrived or I should have answered it sooner. I do not exactly
understand the sort of use you desire to make of the _Life of Edward
the Black Prince_ written by myself. Of course I can have no possible
objection to your making as long quotations from it as you like, or to
your grounding your own statements upon those which it contains which
I think you may rely upon with full confidence; but if it was your
purpose to make the projected Work a mere sort of Abridgement of mine,
I am sorry to say I cannot give you the permission you desire, however
much I might personally wish to do so, as Messrs. Longman published a
Second Edition of it not long ago, a part of which remains unsold and
I could not venture, of course to interfere with their sale. They
could not of course object to any quotations you might think fit to
make or any reasonable use of the facts stated, as I cannot but think
that each historian has a full right to employ the information
collected by all his predecessors.
I have the honor to be,
Sir
Your most obedt. Servant
G. P. R. JAMES