Atropoïon Delion, or, The death of Delia with the teares of her funerall. A poeticall excusiue discourse of our late Eliza. T.N. G.

Atropoïon Delion, or, The death of Delia with the teares of her funerall. A poeticall excusiue discourse of our late Eliza. T.N. G.

Table of contents

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Title page

To the right Honorable my Lady Anne, Countesse of Darbie, now wife to the right Honorable Sir Thomas Fgerton Knight, Lord Keeper of the great Seale of England, and one of his Maiesties most honorable priuie Counsell.

To the right Honerable my Lady Anne Stanley, Lady St〈…〉g•.

To the right Honorable my Lady Francis.

To the right Honorable, my Lady Elizabeth.

A POETICALL EXcusiue Discourse of our late ELIZA.

In laude Authoris.

§

§

[Page]

SPERO

CEO. CHALMERS ESQ. F. R. S. S. A.

§

§

[Page]

A tropoïon Delion, OR, The death of Delia: With the Teares of her Funerall.

A Poeticall Excusiue Discourse of our late Eliza.

T. N. G.

Quis eius oblitus.

HONI · SOIT ·:QVI:·:MAL · Y · PENSE:·

Imprinted at London for W. Iohnes at the signe of the Gunne, neare Holborne Conduit, 1603.

To the right Honorable my Lady Anne, Countesse of Darbie, now wife to the right Honorable Sir Thomas Fgerton Knight, Lord Keeper of the great Seale of England, and one of his Maiesties most honorable priuie Counsell.

[Page]

[Page]

RIght Honorable, hauing no meanes at all to make knowne the humble affection I beare vnto your good Ladyship, but in putting the patronizing of this my poore paines vpon your Honour: hoping first, for the tender loue you boare to the Delia of my sorrowing, you will deigne both to looke ouer it, & fauour it: next, for the hartie loue (in no little hono. kindnesse) your La. boare to your humble Seruant my late Vncle Marm. Newton; who in the bitter paines of his death, discours'd the bountifull affection your La. boare vnto him, and what losse he had sustaind in loosing so good a La. and Mistris: which corsite inwardly so greeued him, that he grew weerie of the World, lamenting to his last gaspe, that he had not time to preferre me to your Ladiships fauour, that his former loue towards you, and your three honourable Daughters, dying in him, might liue in mee. And thus hoping that with the remembrance of both, your Ladiship will deigne to accept my paines to your fauour, in the amplest hope of my desire.

Your Ladiships deuoted in all humilitie, Tho. Newton.

To the right Honerable my Lady Anne Stanley, Lady St [...]g [...].

[Page]

A. Siluer flower from your rich orient eyes,

N. A [...]e tricking downe tho [...]e Alpe [...] where Beautie keepeth,

Would more adorne the Tombe where Delia lies;

Since that a Virgin for a Virg [...]n weepeth.

Good Lady from your Heart one thought I craue,

To th [...]ke how poore your Delia lyes in Graue:

And to weepe a teare, that will not mooue ye

Infortunate was she, so deare to loue ye:

But I dare sweare your eyes haue wept [...]ö many,

That you are not a teare behande with any.

T. N.

To the right Honorable my Lady Francis.

F. Ainting with sorrow this my youngling Muse,

R. Equires as much of you for Delias death:

A. Teare [...]: eyes, that are sorrowes [...],

N. Euer drops one, for one so deare on earth,

C. Ould all your teares at once be dry distill'd,

I. Know you would not leaue one drop vnshead,

S. O deare you lou'd your Delia, wrapt in lead.

T. N.

To the right Honorable, my Lady Elizabeth.

E. Yes that before her death, did then behold her,

L. Amentes in flood of teares to loose their seeing,

I. N yours no lesse I know, your teares infoldes her:

S. O heauie beares your heart, her losse of beeing.

A. Dde one (good Lady) more, at my desire,

B. Vt for to giue my teares a worthier shade:

E. Lse shall my hopes and paynes with griefe retire,

T. Hat for your Sisters sake and yours, were made

H. Eere with my paynes, my bounden heart I giue,

E. [...] [...]o loue a S [...]y, whiles I liue.

T. N.

A POETICALL EXcusiue Discourse of our late ELIZA.

[Page]

CASTITAS.

LAte I sad Angell in an Angels brest

Inthroned late in glory, state, and blisse,

But now displac't to mourne my throne at rest,

I see how hrittle state, and glory is:

My vertuous pride, so proude, was neuer seene,

Not so preseru'd from blot, from breath, or staines

Or euer was so rich in any Queene,

As in this Delia whom I thus complaine:

No strangers eye but weepes that neuer knew her,

What then can mine, that neuer lod'ge without her?

Or what can D [...] soules that still did view her?

Or her chast beautious traine that kept about her?

Ye Nimphs to her link't all like burnish't amber

Why let ye death approch her priuy chamber?

NYMPHAE.

MAd in dispaise (poore soules) we sainting stood,

Arm'd all with blades of hope & speares of praiers,

Pik't hanging down our haire to shed deaths blood

And drench his forces in a sea of teares.

With stormes of sighs we striu'd to weake his strength,

And fought with earnest courage on our Knee:

Yet pale-fac't Hag with creeping dart at length

Depriu'd v [...] (wretches) of our Deitie:

When we awak't, and w [...]tcht all sleepie houres,

That mid-night death eche heauie braine doth couer,

That end of all vsurping ending powers,

Rob'd her of life, and vs, who deare did loue her.

O Lord! why let yee such a one bereaue her,

That makes vs al disperst mourn, weep, & leaue her.

[Page]HEROES.

Our Wits that euer were imploy'd to keepe,

Her sacred person safe and still secure:

Our Eyes, that now vpon her Hearce do weepe,

Scarce wink't at all, since first shee seem'd vnsure.

But wandered in our wisedomes arts, and skill,

To finde a meane, by all the meanes we could,

Which meane we found, but being mortall still,

No meane immortall could we finde for gold.

Wits witlesse thus, ceas'd to proceed in paine:

Medium fuit Phisica.

Eyes, eyelesse thus, ceas'd to be blinde in seeing:

Heart, heartlesse thus, ceas'd longer to maintaine

That wrong, which had no helpe on earth a beeing.

O World! why didst thou foster such a foe,

To be chast Delias traytour, Cynthias woe.

MVNDVS.

I Mourne for Delia, for I partly knew her,

Regna propria, & Regna aliena.

And partly knew her not; yet wholly mourne,

The part that knew her well, makes tother rew her,

And both together, waile to be forlorne.

For in the spacious multitude of me,

I finde a great defect, though one be small,

The losse of Delias crown'd Virginitie:

But Delias grace and person most of all:

Terra mortaliti subiecta num erum dim inuit c [...]lum. [...] contra.

In this (poore world) I differ from the Skies,

For they inlarge and neuer breake their number,

And these they w [...], to thrones eternall rise:

And th [...]s [...] I loose, [...]'d in claye lye vnder:

O Earth, why did thy wombe beare such a brood

That thus (remorcelesse) [...] my Delias blood.

TERRA.

DELIA, subiect of the worlde lamenting,

Was such a glorious issue of my wombe,

In her aboue the rest, grew my c [...]ing,

[Page] But now the mother and her issues tombe:

Ad [...] terra. Humus hum [...]. Ci [...].

Alas too timelesse did I bring her foorth,

Since shee too timelesse is returnde againe:

More ioy I tooke to see her liuing worth

Then thus in warpping of my Delia slaine:

Her life, how rich a life was it to many.

The sight of her, how rich a comfort blistit:

How then her death, is it not griefe to any?

Yes, griefe; with crosse of hopes to them that wisht it.

Delos I wayle, and with mine eyes beweepe her,

That neither thou nor I hadst tower to keepe her.

DELOS.

IF any place of pleasure or delight,

As Garden, Mount, or Vale, by Riuers side,

Had fed her vitall spirits, with their sight:

Then would not I haue moorn'd, not Delia di'de.

The whitest seat

Whitehal.

I had, my Delia had it,

The greenest

Greenwich.

Palace of my brests support,

The richest Mount

Richmond.

(the richest hands had made it)

Washers, where she did lastly keepe her Court:

That time of last, would it had neuer beene:

Then had my late-dead Delia lasted euer.

For one poore period of Time, my Queene

And me, doth both in corporate and seuer.

In corporata mortte. Separata vita

Then woe to thee, O Time for thou dost wrong vs,

That wouldst not lend vs time for her among vs,

TEMPVS.

I Was the As [...]list that did attend her,

West to her vitall web, her breathing scope:

I was that Time, against my will, did ende her,

And he that set the passelesse point of hope,

Along my Snaylish-iourney as I went.

I led my Delia in a dextrous hand,

And hauing traueld farre ( [...] last a Saint)

My chast companion, wish, me take a stand,

[Page] Till she afresh had gotten breath and winde:

Now I that had no ioynts to rest nor bend,

Tempus tibiatum ferro in [...]umile. [...]pedatum Elephantis pedibus.

Constraind to trauell, left my Saint behind,

Els had we trauel'd to our iourneys end.

Thou fatall Clotho, to my Sacred sweet,

Wouldst not afford her Time, heart, breath, nor feet:

CLOTHO.

I Smoke the Distaffe in my bosome fast

Whereon my Delias life was wrapt in Flaxe,

And duely sate, till many yeeres were past

My Distaffe bare and threed ful length was waxt:

Which threed when first my Sisters gan to spin it

How fast they drew, so fast it rol'd and knotted,

Nodi representant mise [...]tas tempora so [...]oris. Illum aureum, auream gubernationem. Nodus accumilatus. Vita sincin.

That more their care and paine was to begin it,

Doubting too timelesse breach to it allotted.

But hauing spun a full third part and more,

The other two it turned all to gold,

And spun not halfe so harsh as't did before,

Till all at last vpon a knot it rold.

So Lachesis, thy spinning and my paine,

Was but to put on Time, and done in vaine.

LACHESIS.

ALas, had I had substance whereupon to pull,

Or where withall to adde vnto her threed,

My fingers should not wearie, nor mine eies be dull,

Nor night, nor day from worke lay downe my head:

For rich was he that might but kisse her hand,

And much esteem'd, that had her word of praise:

How proud was he, might at her doore but stand

And hold a Polax in her princely dayes?

Amongst these riches then, how rich was I?

That had both twisting, twining of the Clew,

No greater riches with my Delia die,

Then whom she lou'd, must seeke their loue anew.

Oh had I (Atropos) Flax for her life,

Morte moritur amor.

Thou shouldst not only spin, but breake thy knife.

[Page]ATROPOS.

SO Angel-like, immortall-seeming Saint,

The tract of her most chast and prosperous life,

Did make the worldings thinke that scarce constraint

Could bring her Threed once vnder yoake of knife.

I cannot chuse but mourne, her death, their griefe,

Shee did so loue them: they no lesse deseru'd it.

And held her next to Joue; on Earth for chiefe:

Her as her loue, and loue as her preseru'd it.

If Clotho's Distaffe had been still supplide,

And Lachesis small Fingers spinning longer:

My Knife should still haue hung close by my side,

And neither edge nor poynt toucht threed, nor wrongd her,

But Nature, thou art she that would't not giue

Substaunce of life, to make my Delia liue.

NATVRA.

WHen first my curious Pensill did purtraie

The pure composed limbes of Delia's forme;

Mee thought my fingers striued to assaie

A worke immortall, not terrestriall borne,

And hauing brought it to a full perfection,

The very Gods descended downe to see,

Their next celestiall shape, with such affection:

It pleas'd them so, they would haue robbed mee.

But I more glorying in my labour taken,

Grew iealous of the same, the whiles 'twas mine:

Since when, my worke it selfe had me forsaken,

Aditus eius in mundum

The Gods haue seeted her in heauen to shine:

Death was the fatall messenger that crost her,

Shee hauing spent my strength, I hauing lost her.

MORS.

I Was that fatall executioner

That gaue that fatall stroke of Delia's death:

I also was that fatall Messenger

That brought this fatall newes into the Earth.

[Page] I was that theefe which stole into her chamber;

Mors est vltimus morsus.

And first that made her saint, the Nymphes to wonder:

I was that traytour which did feare no danger

For acting treason to be rent asunder:

Yet what I did, was by the Gods agreed,

And not by me, but by the Powers aboue her;

Mors non habet essentiam & nihil aliud est nisi actio deo [...]um

They, not my dart, had made your Delia bleed;

But for to make her know how they did loue her:

A Quier of Angels did discend beneathe,

To take her vp to heauen, too good for earthe,

ANGELI.

CEase Nymphes with teares to ouercharge your eies,

For Delia, weepes not now, that she hath left ye,

Comfort your selues in earth for she in skies,

Comforted by them, which late bereft ye,

So many yeeres the Gods did let ye keepe her,

In tender loue for to support your peace,

But being gone, it naught auailes to weepe her.

Shee now enioyes a crowne of longer lease:

Let this suffice how looth she was to part,

So long as she had tongue, hand, eye or breath,

Till when our Quire of Angels tooke her heart,

Shee then bid welcome ioyes, and farwell earth.

Where once ech soule his Delias soule shall see,

Crow'd in another kinde of Maiestie.

FAMA.

BRight heauens, you that enioy our Delias soule,

And death with Death that causd our Ladies moorne

[...] est [...].

That did the wisedome of our lords controule,

And striu'd against all Synthus power in scorne,

Know this that Fame immortall is on earth,

As you in heauen, and will not loose her so:

You haue her substance: I a God beneath,

Will keepe the substance of her life to shew,

[Page] I haue her shape drawne in as liuely die,

As if my Delia were her selfe in being:

And that's her Delias selfe vnto my eye,

I need no other Delia for my seeing:

And yet me thinkes shee not in heauen essign'de,

So plaine I keepe her Trophey in my minde.

I Haue in writing Golden Pens to prayse her,

In datelesse Volumes of the siluer ayre,

The very stile so loftie high shall raise her,

That Time shall be too short to teare her haire:

Wherein shall first her Chastitie be writ

As pure in Picture as it selfe was pure:

Next her Religion, Loue, her Arte and Wit

Fuit casta. Religiosa vera. Sit viuens Fama mortua corpore viuans anima.

So faire, that Delias life may still endure,

Then Synthus thinke thou hast thy Delia euer:

The Heauens do keep her soule, thou keep'st her life,

Which life (I vow) from thee shall neuer seuer,

Nor subiect bee to Fates Atropian knife

Take this to wipe thy bleared eyes againe,

Her life is thine, though Heauen her soule containe.

CASTIT AS.

AT length to Church I brought my Delia's Hearse,

Blindfolded (for my eyes were blinde with crying)

And all a long the way in howling verse,

I sung a Dirge vnto her vtmost dying:

The Birdes aboue, while I did sing beneath,

With heartlesse yeelping fil'd the siluer ayre,

Ne with a shriller Quier then Ion earth,

For all I sob'd, I howl'd, and rent my haire:

But then to helpe my Song my Delias Singers,

(I meane her boyes new turn'd to Blacke from Red,

Like Lambs by Uthers nurs'd, with Orpheus fingers)

Mixt teares with Notes to see her buried:

[Page] And to be chang'd to clay, her Robes from gould,

Her princely Guard to Woormes, her bed to mould.

NYMPHAE.

NOw hath Attendance done the last commande,

That loue or duetie to our Delia ought:

It need not watch her call, or slender hand:

The one is mute, the other wastes to nought.

Now are our Reuels and our dauncing sport,

Turnde all to sighes, each one to priuate plaine:

Now Delia can no more remooue her Court,

The Graue's her Pallace, and the woormes her traine

Shee is arrayde in Robes, in Pearle, in Stone:

But not so rich as she was wont to bee:

For why; shee lackes vs Ladyes euery one,

The worst her selfe, shee lackes as well as wee:

Her Robes are sullen, such as Earth containe:

Her Stones vnpollish't, Pearle, Earthes sinking raine.

HEROES.

OVr eyes did now behold their last beholding

Of Delias shape, wrapt in obscuritie:

Till that the crummie Earth her corpes infoulding,

Had blinded vs with his condensitie:

Returning then our thoughtes, began to paint

Her lyuelie shape with new rememberaunce:

And comming to her face, a new Complaint

Grew, thinking on so sweete a countenaunce,

That then we thought we had a new to make

Both mourning vestmentes, teares, graue, hearse and all:

For Delia seem'd a new in life to wake,

When was but done a new her Funerall.

A griefe vnto vs all, to them most wretched,

To whom our Deliaes loue and bountie stretched.

PHISICI.

With Chastitie the Nimphes and noble Peeres,

Out ouer-weeried Wittes and drowsie Eyes,

[Page] Restles retires with droughtlesse spring of teares,

To thinke how Delia in a colde bed lyes:

We thought our Arte would haue preseru'd her euer,

But now we see his purest power and strength

Was but for to prolong, (and not deliuer)

Her life, which death did ouercome at length:

No trust we put in Phisicks Arte at all

But this; when alwayes we began to make it,

For life no more to be effectuall,

Till when her stomacks strength did faile to take it:

Which weekenesse finding in her vitall vaines,

Then ended she her life, and we our paines.

Sepulchrum CASTITATI Loquens.

HEnce from my mouth, and wast no more thy teares:

No teares preuaile to take my Delia from me:

No sighs can make my breast that thee vp-reares

Dissolue in two; with kneeling thus vpon me:

But to the greene-grasse sprouted hilles be winging,

Where pleasure doth release the time of sorrow,

And where in pleasure sorrow sits a singing,

When one sad soule anothers brest doth borrow:

There make a Chaplet of the sweetest flowers,

That prettie pinked Groue or Dale doth yeeld:

There shade thy temples in those templed bower:

That canopize the haunters of the field:

And round about thee in the Springing Meedes,

The Swaynes will finger Ditties to their reedes.

OR els, gird Bow and Quiuer to thy side,

And run with Cynthia in the Pheboone-parke,

To seeke the Hart where he his head doth hide,

With bended Bow whiles chopping Talbots barke

That after Midday-heat some Willow vnder

You may betake your selfe to bathe and wash

In some cleare spring kept coole with such an number

[Page] That none may see you nak'd to sport and dash,

Thou may'st be happie, that in Bruiuses snow,

Thy slight was not decree'd nor Delias death,

On euery twigge a thousand pleasures graue,

That now a Heauen doth scarce resemble Earth:

Leaue kneeling teares, bid farewell Court & trayne,

For them thou knowst not when to see againe.

Sepulchrum NYMPHIS, Loquens.

AS her I haue dismi'st, so must I you:

Nought can release your Queene my armes must keepe her,

No sad submission though you bend and bow,

Are ought of force to make ye more be-weepe her:

Binde vp your haire,, wipe both your cheekes and eyes,

Leaue wringing, kneeling, thumping of my brest,

Enuie not me, though in me, Delia lyes.

For shee contented, giues her selfe to rest,

For I am night, and bed, her life was day,

Wherein cours'd and recours'd her cares of minde,

Which wearied her at last: but I for aye

Am that sweete rest, wherein shee rest doth finde:

O Nymphs! for Delia, why so much complaine yee?

Doubtlesse as good a Queene will entertaine yee.

Sepulchrum HEROIBVS Loquens.

ASsemble now no more for Consultation:

(I meane, for Delias safetie, life, and state)

I take vpon me now her preseruation,

All wits extending duetie comes too late:

You haue committed her vnto my keeping,

Shee is my prisoner, I am her Gaole,

The debt's so great, that neither gold nor weeping,

Nor all the world beside, can be her baile,

Bondage is iudg'd to be her punishment,

Death officer to execute her woe:

For Time perpertuall imprisonment,

Perpetuall to earth, to Heauen not soe,

[Page] For Ioues sweete Mercurie, will from her tombe,

Release your Delia at the day of Doome.

Vermes MEDICIS Loquens.

YOu that by Art procure the ease of man

With short abridgement of continuance,

T'is short you see for not beyond a spanne,

The greatest Prince of all you can aduance:

Your ease is wasting ease, and Nature spendeth,

Perchance you'le say it addes vnto the breath;

Not so in age, for then it but besriendeth

The heart, to bring it to a pleasant death:

For now your labours vaine, you see at last,

The leafes and Rules of Gallen lies at rest,

And now when all your hope is dead and past,

No more you search to finde Probatum est.

Now what's your art in power, ne all you haue,

Cannot preserue her bodie in the Graue.

FOr whats her body now, whereon such care

Was still bestow'd in all humilitie?

Where are her robes? is not her body bare,

Respectles in the earths obscuritie?

Now where's her glory and her Maiestie?

Her triple crowne, her honour, state, and traine?

Are not her riches all in pouertie,

And all her earthly Gloryes past and vaine,

Aequalitas morta [...]itatis inter Reges & pauperes est in morte & post mortem.

Now where are all her cates, her glorious dishes,

That were by death of sundry creatures spread,

Her Fowles, her fat Quadrupidists and Fishes,

Are they not liuing, now your Delias dead?

And we in life too filthy for her tooth,

Are now in death the next vnto her mouth.

[Page]

With that the greedy wormes their heads shrunk down

The graue shut close her heauie brooken ground,

And crawling crept vnto hee liuelesse crowne

Much like to Flyes about a bleeding wound,

Then all her Mourners eyes were vailde and blinde,

They weepe not now with passion of the sight,

But with a true remembrance of the minde

They meane to mourne their Delia day and night:

Thence they returne, where Delis helplesse lyes,

Each one betakes him to a priuate place

To wipe the teares of ouer delug'd eyes,

Instead of her to welcome such a Grace;

As all the Boundes of Europe, ne the Earth,

Affords a wiser Prince of greater Birth,

FINIS.

In laude Authoris.

PASSE foorth, pure [...]em, to Subiects censuring,

And what thy vertue yeelds, let Subiects read,

Free is thy heart from false dissembling,

For which; thrice happie, in so blest a deed:

Small is thy port, yet with rich Trueth art grac't,

And zealous Trueth in highest Heauens is plac't:

VVhere she (great Empresse) euer singing liueth,

(Before his christal Thron, which al good giueth)

More white than Snow, free'd from infirmitie,

Crown'd with pure Lawrell of Eternitie;

Many haue writ sad Elegies of woe:

But these true Mourners with her Funerall goe.

I: O: St. G.

[Page]

[Page]

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Information about this book

Title statement

Atropoïon Delion, or, The death of Delia with the teares of her funerall. A poeticall excusiue discourse of our late Eliza. T.N. G.

Newton, Thomas, gent.

Edition statement

1603

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Text Creation Partnership,

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Date

2005-12 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A08177

ID [STC]

STC 18513.5

ID [STC]

ESTC S110150

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99845757

ID [PROQUEST]

99845757

ID [VID]

10678

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A08177)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 10678)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 1282:15)

Source

— Atropoïon Delion, or, The death of Delia with the teares of her funerall. A poeticall excusiue discourse of our late Eliza. T.N. G., Newton, Thomas, gent..

Extent

[16] p.

[By W. White] for W. Iohnes at the signe of the Gunne, neare Holborne Conduit,. Imprinted at London :: 1603.. (Dedication signed: Tho. Newton.) (In verse.) (Printer's name from STC.) (Running title reads: Elizas funerall.) (Identified as STC 18511 on UMI microfilm.) (Reproduction of a photostat of the original in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery.)

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Editorial practices

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.