Our New Heraldry (Classic Reprint) - Tapa blanda

Excerpt from Our New Heraldry

To write a preface to this first work of mine seemed in the beginning to be the least of all my labors. Indeed, I was greedy to undertake, and could scarce wait the orderly finishing of what is here following, but was pressed often to stop in its midst and do the last thing first. Yet now that the task is to my hand, I find it not easy, but of great difficulty rather, so much so, I may well say, that after two or three attempts - each a failure - I was almost persuaded to forego so old a custom, and to send this little book into the world unher alded by any word of mine. Nor was my diffi culty anything the less for remembering that of late our books and letters are more ornamented with prefaces, borders and trimmings without, than by any substance or beauty within, so that you shall any day see a book printed of some ancient master having his work set down in so small, so obscure and timid'a frame that the eye will be pained to catch the word, while that which the editor has to say (being no small part) is set in bold letters, bearing such inequality to that other and crowding it so from the very page as to put you straight to wondering whether this book were printed - not so much for love of the master - as for glory of its editor. Being so perplexed, three times I destroyed that I had written for 1 could not bring it to my liking, and at the last {contrary to what is usual with me in such sort) I thought totake the advice of a good friend on it whose coun sels often in affairs of business stayed me when I was wavering. I sought this friend and submitted to him my difficulty of a preface.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.