Salmacida spolia A masque. Presented by the King and Queenes Majesties, at White-hall, on Tuesday the 21. day of Ianuary 1639.

Salmacida spolia A masque. Presented by the King and Queenes Majesties, at White-hall, on Tuesday the 21. day of Ianuary 1639.

Table of contents

Title page

The Subject of the MASQVE.

§

The Names of the Masquers.

§

§

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SALMACIDA SPOLIA. A MASQVE.

Presented by the King and Queenes Majesties, at White-hall, On Tuesday the 21. day of January 1639.

LONDON, Printed by T. H. for Thomas Walkley, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the flying Horse neere Yorke house. 1639.

The Subject of the MASQVE.

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DIscord a malicious Fury, appeares in a storme, and by the Invocation of malignant spirits, proper to her evill use, having already put most of the world into disorder, endeavours to disturbe these parts, envying the blessings and Tranquility we have long enjoyed.

These Incantations are expressed by those spirits in an Antimasque: who on a sudden are surprised, and stopt in their motion by a secret power, whose wisedome they tremble at, and depart as foreknowing, that Wisedome will change all their malicious hope of these disorders into a sudden calme, which after their departure is prepared by a disperst Harmony of Musique.

This secret Wisdome in the Person of the King attended by his Nobles, and under the name of Philogenes or Lover of his People, hath his appearance prepared by a Chorus, representing the [Page] beloved people, and is instantly discovered, environed with those Nobles in the throne of Honour.

Then the Queene personating the chiefe Heroin, with her martiall Ladies, is sent downe from Heaven by Pallas as a Reward of his Prudence, for reducing the threatning storme into the following calme.

§

§

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IN the border that enclosed the Sceans and made a frontispice to all the worke, in a square Neech on the right hand stood two figures of women, one of them expressing much majesty in her aspect, apparelled in sky colour with a crowne of gold on her head, and a bridle in her hand, representing Reason: the other embracing her was in changeable silke with wings at her shoulders, figured for intellectuall Appetite, who while she imbraceth Reason, all the actions of men are rightly governed. Above these in a second order, were winged children, one riding on a furious Lion, which hee seemes to tame with reynes and a bit: Another bearing an Antique ensigne: the third hovering above with a branch of Palme in his hand, expressing the victory over the Perturbations. In a Neech on the other side stood two figures joyning hands, one a grave old man in a robe of purple, with a heart of gold in a chayne about his necke, figured for Counsell; the other a woman, in a garment of cloth of gold, in her hand a sword with a serpent winding about the blade, representing Resolution, both these being necessary to the good meanes of arriving to a vertuous end.

Over these and answering to the other side was a round Altar raysed high, and on it the bird of Pallas, figured for Prudence: on eyther side were children with wings, one in act of Adoration, another holding a booke, and a third flying over their heads with a lighted Torch in his hand, representing the intellectuall light accompanied with Doctrine and Discipline, and alluding to the figures below, as those on the other side.

[Page]Above these ran a large Freese, with a Cornicement: in the midst wherof was a double Compartiment rich and full of ornament: on the top of this sate Fame with spreaded wings, in act, sounding a Trumpet of gold: joyning to the Compartiment in various postures lay two Figures in their naturall colours as big as the life; one holding an Anchor representing safety; the other expressing Riches, with a Cornu-copia; and about her stood Antique vases of gold. The rest of this Freese was composed of Children, with significant signes to expresse their severall qualities; Forgetfulnesse of injuries, extinguishing a flaming torch on an Armor; Commerce, with eares of Corne; Felicity, with a basket of Lillies; Affection to the Countrey, holding a Grashopper; Prosperous successe, with the Rudder of a Ship; Innocence, with a branch of Fearne: All these expressing the severall goods, followers of peace and Concord, and fore-runners of humane felicity: so as the worke of this Front consisting of Picture qualified with morall Philosophy, temper'd delight with profit.

In the midst of the aforesaid Compartiment in an Ovall Table was written.

SALMACIDA SPOLIA.

The Ancient Adagies are these.

Salmacida Spolia sine sanguine sine sudore, potius quam.

Cadmia victoria, ubi ipsos victores pernicies opprimit.

[Page]But before I proceed in the descriptions of the Sceanes, it is not amisse briefly to set downe the Histories from whence these Proverbs tooke their originall.

For the first Melas and Arevanias of Argos, and Troezen conducted a common Colony to Habicarnassus in Asia, and there drave out the barbarous Carie and Lelegi, who fled up to the Mountaines; from whence they made many incursions, robbing and cruelly spoyling the Grecian Inhabitants, which could by no meanes be prevented.

On the top of the right horne of the hill which surrounds Halicarnassus, in forme of a Theater, is a famous Fountaine of most cleare water, and exquisite taste called Salmacis: It happened that neere to this Fountaine one of the Colony (to make gaine by the goodnesse of the water) set up a Taverne, and furnish'd it with all necessaries, to which the Barbarians resorting (entised by the delicious taste of this water, at first some few, and after many together in troops,) of fierce and cruell natures, were reduced of their owne accord to the sweetnesse of the Grecian customes.

The other Adage is thus derived.

The Citie of Thebes, anciently called Cadmia, had warre with Adrastus, the Argive King, who raised a great Army of Arcadians and Missenians, and fought a battaile with them neere Ismenia, where the Thebans were overthrowne, turned their backs, and fled into their City; the Peloponnesians (not accustomed to skale walled Townes) assaulting furiously, but [Page] without order, were repulst from the walls by the defendants, and may of the Argives slaine: at that instant the besieged making a great sally, and finding the enemy in disorder and confusion, cut them all in pieces, onely Adrastus excepted, who was saved by flight: but this victory was gotten with great damage and slaughter of the Thebans, for few of them returned alive into their City.

The allusion is, That his Majesty out of his mercy and clemency approoving the first Proverbe, seekes by all meanes to reduce tempestuous and turbulent natures into a sweet calme of Civill concord.

A Curtayne flying up, a horrid Sceane appeared of storme and tempest: no glimpse of the Sun was seene, as if darkenesse, confusion, and deformity, had possest the world, and driven light to Heaven, the trees bending, as forced by a gust of winde, their branches rent from their trunkes, and some torne up by the roots: a farre off was a darke wrought sea, with rowling billowes, breaking against the rockes, with rayne, lightning and thunder: in the midst was a globe of the Earth, which at an instant falling on fire, was turned into a Fury, her hayre upright, mixt with snakes, her body leane wrinkled and of a swarthy colour, her breasts hung bagging downe to her waste, to which with a knot of serpents was girt red bases, and under it tawny skirts downe to her feet: in her hand she brandisht a sable Torch, and looking a Scanse with hollow envious eyes came downe into the Roome.

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FVRIE.

BLow winds! untill you raise the Seas so high,

That waves may hang like Teares in the Sunnes eye,

That we (when in vast Cataracts they fall)

May thinke he weepes at Natures Funerall.

Blow winds! and from the troubled wombe of Earth

(Where you receive your undiscover'd birth)

Breake out in wild disorders, till you make

ATLAS, beneath his shaking Load to shake.

How am I griev'd, the world should every where

Be vext into a storme, save only here?

Thou over-lucky too much happy Ile!

Grow more desirous of this flatt'ring stile!

For thy long health can never alter'd be,

But by thy surfets on Felicitie:

And I to stir the humors that increase

In thy full Body (over-growne with peace)

Will call those Furies hither, who incense.

The guilty, and disorder Innocence.

Ascend! Ascend! you horrid sullen brood

Of evill spirits, and displace the good!

The great, make only wiser, to suspect

Whom they have wrong'd by falshood, or neglect;

The Rich, make full of avarice as pride,

Like Graves, or swallowing Seas, unsatisfi'd;

Busie to help the State (when needy growne)

From poore mens fortunes, never from their owne.

The Poore, ambitious make, apt to obey

The False in hope to rule whom they betray:

And make Religion to become their vice,

Nam'd, to disguise ambitious Avarice:

[Page]The speech ended, three Furies make their entry presented by

M. Charles Murrey.

M. Seymor.

M. Tartarean.

This Antimasque being past, the Sceane changed into a calme, the skie serene, a farre off Zephyrus appeared breathing a gentle gale: in the Landskip were Corne fields and pleasant Trees, sustayning Vines fraught with grapes, and in some of the furthest parts Villages, with all such things as might expresse a Country in peace, rich, and fruitfull. There came breaking out of the Heavens a silver Chariot, in which sate two persons, the one a woman in a watchet garment, her dressing of silver mixt with bulrushes, representing Concord: somewhat below her sate the good Genius of Great Britaine, a yong man in a carnation garment, embroidered all with flowers, an Anticke sword hung in a skarfe, a garland on his head, and in his hand a branch of Platan mixt with eares of corn: these in their dissent sung together.

I. Song. Good Genius of Great Britaine, Concord.

Concord.

WHy should I hasten hither, since the good

I bring to men is slowly understood?

[Page]Genius.

I know it is the Peoples vice,

To lay too meane, too cheape a price

On ev'ry blessing they possesse

Th'injoying makes them thinke it lesse.

Concord.

If then, the need of what is good,

Doth make it lov'd, or understood,

Or tis by absence better knowne

I shall be valew'd, when I'm gonne.

Genius.

Yet stay! O stay! if but to please

The great and wise Philogenes.

Concord.

Should dewes not fall, the Sunne forbeare

His course, or I my visits here;

Alike from these defects would cease

The power and hope, of all increase.

Genius.

Stay then! O stay! If but to ease

The cares of wise Philogenes.

Concord.

I will! and much I grieve, that though the best

Of Kingly science, harbours in his brest,

Yet tis his fate, to rule in adverse times,

When wisedome must awhile give place to crimes.

[Page] Being arrived at the Earth, and descended from the Chariot, they sing this short Dialogue, and then departed severall wayes to incite the beloved people to honest pleasures and recreations which have ever beene peculiar to this Nation.

Both.

O who but he, could thus endure

To live, and governe in a sulleine age,

When it is harder far to cure,

The Peoples folly than resist their rage?

After which there followed these severall Entries of Antimasques.

1. Entry.

Wolfgangus Vandergoose Spagricke, Operator to the invisible Lady stiled the Magicall sister of the Rosicrosse, with these receits following, and many other rare secrets, undertakes in short time to cure the defects of nature, and diseases of the mind:

1 Confection of Hope and feare to entertayne Lovers.

2 Essence of dissimulation to enforce Love.

3 Iulope of fruition to recreate the hot feavers of Love.

4 Water of dalliance to warme an old courage.

5 A subtle quintessence drawne from mathematicall points and lines, filtred through a melancholy brayne to make Eunuchs engender.

6 Pomado of the Barke of Comelinesse, the [Page] sweetnesse of wormewood, with the fat of gravity to anoynt those that have an ill mine.

7 Spirit of Saturus high capers, and Bacchus whirling virtigoes to make one dance well.

8 One dramme of the first matter, as much of the rust of times Sythe mixt with the juice of Medeas hearbs, this in an electuary makes all sorts of old people yong.

9 An Opiade of the spirit of Muskadine taken in good quantity to bedward, to make one forget his Creditors.

10 Powder of Menippus tree, & the Rine of Hemp to consolate those who have lost their money.

11 Treakle of the gale of Serpents, and the liver of Doves to initiate a Neophite Courtier.

12 An easie vomit of the fawning of a Spaniel' Gallobelgicus, and the last Coranto, hot from the Presse, with the powder of some leane jests, to prepare a disprovues welcome to rich mens Tables.

13 A Gargarisme of Florioes first fruits, Diana de monte Major, and the scraping of Spanish Romano' as distilled in balneo, to make a sufficient Linguist without travelling, or scarse knowing himselfe what hee sayes.

14 A Bath made of a Catalogue from the Mart' and Common places, taken in a Frankford drifat, in his diet he must refraine all reall knowledge, and only sucke in vulgar opinions, using the Fricase of confederacy, will make Ignorants in all professions to seeme and not to be.

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2. Entry.

Fowre old men richly attired, the shapes proper to the persons, presented by

M. Boroughs.

M. Skipwith.

M. Pert.

M. Ashton.

3. Entry:

Three yong souldiers in severall fashioned habits, but costly, and presented to the life, by

M. Hearne.

M. Slingsby.

M. Chumley.

4. Entry.

A nurse and three children in long Coats, with bibbes, biggins, and muckenders.

5. Entry.

An ancient Irishman, presented by M. Iay.

6. Entry.

An ancient Scotishman, presented by M. Atkins.

7. Entry.

An old fashioned Englishman, and his mistrisse presented by

M. Arpe.

M. Will. Murry.

These three Antimasques were well and naturally set out.

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8. Entry.

Doctor Tartaglia and two pedants of Francolin, presented by

M. Rimes.

M. Warder.

M. Villiers.

9. Entry.

Fowre Grotesques or drolities, in the most fantasticall shapes that could be devised.

10. Entry.

The invisible Lady magicall sister of the Rosicrosse.

11. Entry.

A shepheard, presented by M. Charles Murry.

12. Entry.

A Farmer and his wife, presented by M. Skipwith.

13. Entry.

A Country Gentleman, his Wife, and his Bailiffe, presented by

M. Boroughs.

M. Ashton.

M. Pert.

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14. Entry.

An amorous Courtier richly apparelled, presented by M. Seymor.

15. Entry.

Two Roaring boyes, their suites answering their profession.

16. Entry.

Fowre mad Lovers, and as madly clad.

17. Entry.

A jealous Dutchman, his wife and her Italian Lover, presented by

M. Arpe.

M. Rimes.

M. Tartarean.

18. Entry.

Three Swisses, one a little Swisse, who playd the wag with them as they slept, presented by

M. Cotterell.

M. Newton.

M. Ieffrey Hudson.

19. Entry.

Fowre anticke Cavaliers, imitating a manage and tilting.

M. Arpe.

M. Iay.

M. Atkins.

M. Tartarean.

20. Entry.

A Cavaleritro and two Pages.

[Page]All which Antimasques were well set out and excellently danced, and the tunes fitted to the persons.

The Antimasques being past, all the Sceane was changed into craggy rockes and inaccessible mountaynes, in the upper parts where any earth could fasten, were some trees, but of strange formes, such as only grow in remote parts of the Alpes, and in desolate places; the furthest of these was hollow in the middest, and seemed to be cut through by art, as the Pausilipo neer Naples, & so high as the top pierced the clouds, all which represented the difficult way which Heroes are to passe ere they come to the Throne of Honour.

The Chorus of the beloved people came forth (led by Concord & the good Genius of Great Britaine,) their habits being various and rich, they goe up to the State and sing.

II. Song. To the Queene Mother.

1

WHen with instructed eies, we looke upon

Our blessings that discend so fast,

From the faire Partner of our Monarchs Throne,

We grieve, they are too great to last.

2

But when those groweing comforts we survay,

By whom our hopes are longer liv'd,

[Page]Then gladly we our vows, and prayses pay

To her, from whom they are deriv'd.

3

And since (great Queene) shee is deriv'd from you;

We heere beginne our offerings,

For those who sacrific'd to Rivers, knew,

Their first rights due, unto their Springs.

4

The Streame, from whence our blessings flow, you bred;

You in whose bosome, e'ven the chife, and best

Of Moderne Victors lay'd his weary head,

when he rewarded Victorys with rest.

Your Beauty kept his vallor's flame alive;

Your Tuscane wisedome taught it how to thrive.

Inviting the Kings appearance in the Throne of Honor.

To be printed, not sung.

WHy are our joyes detain'd by this delay?

Vnlesse (as in a morning Overcast)

We finde it long, ere we can finde out day;

So whilst our hopes increase, our time doth waste.

Or are you slow 'cause th'way to Honor's Throne

(In which you travaile now) is so uneven,

Hilly, and craggy, or as much unknowne,

As that uncertaine path which leads to Heaven?

O that Philosophers (who through those mists

Low nature casts, doe upper knowledge spie)

Or those that smile at them (o're-weening Priests)

Could with such sure such an undoubted eye,

[Page]Reach distant Heaven, as you can Honors' Throne,

Then we should shift our flesh t'inhabite there,

Where we are taught, the Heroes are gone;

Though now content with Earth, 'cause you are heere.

The song ended they returne up to the Stage, and divide themselves on each side; then the further part of the Sceane disappeard, and the Kings Majesty and the rest of the Masquers were discovered, sitting in the Throne of Honour, his Majesty highest in a seat of Gold, and the rest of the Lords about him: this Throne was adorned with Palme trees, betweene which stood statues of the ancient Heroes: in the under parts on each side lay captives bound in severall postures, lying on trophees of armours, shields, and Antique weapons, all his Throne being fayned of Goldsmiths worke. The habit of his Majesty and the Masquers was of watchet, richly embroydered with silver, long stockins set up of white: Their caps silver with scrowles of gold, and plumes of white feathers.

3. Song. To the King, when he appeares, with his Lords in the Throne of Honor.

1

THose quar'ling winds (that deafned unto death

The living, and did wake men dead before)

Seeme now to pant small gusts, as out of breath,

And flie, to reconcile themselves on shore.

[Page]

2

If it be Kingly patience to out last

Those stormes the peoples giddy fury rayse,

Till like, fantastick windes themselves they waste,

The wisedome of that patience is thy prayse.

3

Murmur's a sicknesse epidemicall;

'Tis catching, and infects weake common eares;

For through those crooked, narrow Alleys, all

Invaded are, and kil'd by Whisperers.

4

This you discern'd, and by your mercy taught,

Would not (like Monarchs that severe have bin)

Invent, Imperiall Arts, to question thought;

Nor punish vulgar sicknesse as a sin.

5

Nor would your valour, (when it might subdue)

Be hinder'd of the pleasure to forgive;

Th'are worse than overcome (your wisedome knew)

That needed mercy to have leave to live.

6

Since strength of virtues, gain'd you Honours throne;

Accept our wonder, and enjoy your praise!

Hee's fit to governe there, and rule alone,

Whom inward helps, not outward force doth raise.

Whil'st the Chorus sung this Song, there came softly from the upper part of the Heavens, a huge cloud of various colours, but pleasant to the sight; which discending to the midst of the Sceane open'd, and within it was a transparent brightnes of thin exhalations, such as the Gods[Page]are feigned to descend in▪ in the most eminent place of which, her Majesty sate, representing the chiefe Heroin, environed with her martiall Ladies; and from over her head were darted lightsome Rayes that illuminated her seat, and all the Ladies about her participated more or lesse of that light, as they sate neere or further off: this brightnesse with many streakes of thin vapours about it, such as are seene in a fayre evening skie softly discended: and as it came neere to the Earth, the seat of Honour by little and little vanished, as if it gave way to these Heavenly Graces. The Queenes Majesty and her Ladies were in Amazonian habits of carnation, embroidered with silver, with plumed Helmes, Bandrickes with Antique swords hanging by their sides, all as rich as might be, but the strangenes of the Habits was most admired.

IIII. Song. When the Queene and her Ladies descended.

1

YOu that so wisely studious are,

To measure, and to trace each Starr,

How swift they travaile, and how farr,

Now number your celestiall store,

Planets, or lesser lights, and trie,

If in the face of all the skie,

You count so many as before?

[Page]

2

If you would practise how to know

The chiefe for influence, or show;

Levell your perspectives below!

For in this neather Orb they move!

Each here (when lost in's doubtfull Art)

May by his Eyes, advance his Heart,

And through his Opticke learne to love!

3

But what is she that rules the night?

That kindles Ladies with her light,

And gives to Men the power of sight?

All those who can her virtue doubt,

Her Minde, will in her face advise,

For through the Casements of her Eyes,

Her Soule is ever looking out.

4

And with its beames, she doth survay

Our growth in Virtue▪ or decay;

Still lighting us in Honours way!

All that are good, she did inspire!

Lovers are chaste, because they know

It is her will, they should be so;

The valiant take from her their Fire!

When this heavenly seat touched the Earth, the Kings Majesty tooke out the Queene, and the Lords the Ladies, and came downe into the Roome, and danc't their entry, betwixt which and the second dance was this song.

V. Song. After the First Dance.

[Page]

1

WHy stand you still, and at these Beauties gaze,

As if you were afraid,

Or they were made,

Much more for wonder than delight?

Sure those whom first their virtue did amaze,

Their feature must at last invite.

2

Time never knew, the mischiefs of his haste!

Nor can you force him stay

To keepe off day:

Make then fit use of Tiumphs heere;

It were a crime 'gainst pleasant youth, to waste

This night, in overcivill feare.

3

Move then like Time, for Love (as well as he)

Hath got a Kalender,

Where must appeare,

How evenly you these measures tred;

And when they end, we far more griev'd shall be,

Than for his Howers when they are fled.

The second Dance ended, and their Majesties being seated under the State, the Sceane was changed into magnificent buildings composed of severall selected peeces of Architecture: in the furthest part was a Bridge over a River, where many people, coaches, horses, and such like were seene to passe to and fro: beyond this on the shore were buildings in Prospective, which shooting far from the eye shewed as the suburbs of a great City.

From the highest part of the Heavens came forth [Page]a cloud far in the Sceane, in which were eight persons richly attired representing the spheares; this joyning with two other clouds which appeard at that instant full of Musicke covered all the upper part of the Sceane, and at that instant beyond all these, a Heaven opened full of Deities, which celestiall Prospect with the Chorus below filled all the whole Sceane with apparitions and harmony.

VI Song. To the King and Queene, by a Chorus of all.

SO musicall as to all Eares,

Doth seeme the musick of the Sphears,

Are you, unto each other still;

Tuning your thoughts to eithers will.

All that are harsh, all that are rude,

Are by your harmony subdu'd;

Yet so, into obedience wrought,

As if not forc'd to it, but taught.

Live still, the pleasure of our sight;

Both our examples and delight.

So long, untill you finde, the good successe

Of all your virtues, in one happinesse.

Till we so kinde, so wise, and carefull be,

In the behalfe of our Posteritie,

[Page]

That we may wish your Scepters ruling heere,

(Lov'd even by those, who should your justice feare)

When we are gone, when to our last remove

We are dispatch'd, to sing your prayse above.

After this song the Spheares past through the Ayre, and all the Deities ascended, and so concluded this Masque: which was generally approoved of, especially by all Strangers that were present, to be the noblest and most ingenuous that hath been done heere in that kinde.

The Invention, Ornament, Sceans and Apparitions, with their Descriptions, were made by INIGO IONES, Surveyor Generall of his Majesties Workes.

What was spoken or sung, by WILLIAM DAVENANT, her Majesties Servant.

The Subject was set downe by them both.

The Musicke was composed by LEVVIS RICHARD, Master of her Majesties Musicke.

FINIS.

The Names of the Masquers.

[Page]

The Kings Majesty.

Duke of Lenox.

Earle of Carlile.

Earle of Newport.

Earle of Leimricke.

Lord Russell.

Lord Herbert.

Lord Paget.

Lord Fielding.

Master Russell.

Master Thomas Howard.

The Queenes Majesty.

Dutchesse of Lenox.

Countesse of Carnarvan.

Countesse of Newport.

Countesse of Portland.

Lady Andover.

Lady Margaret Howard.

Lady Kellymekin.

Lady Francis Howard.

Mistris Cary.

Mistris Nevill.

[Page]

Information about this book

Title statement

Salmacida spolia A masque. Presented by the King and Queenes Majesties, at White-hall, on Tuesday the 21. day of Ianuary 1639.

D'Avenant, William, Sir, 1606-1668.

Edition statement

1640

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2006-06 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A19880

ID [STC]

STC 6306

ID [STC]

ESTC S122525

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99857649

ID [PROQUEST]

99857649

ID [VID]

23416

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Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A19880)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 23416)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 1348:8)

Source

— Salmacida spolia A masque. Presented by the King and Queenes Majesties, at White-hall, on Tuesday the 21. day of Ianuary 1639., D'Avenant, William, Sir, 1606-1668..

Extent

[28] p.

Printed by T[homas] H[arper] for Thomas Walkley, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the flying Horse neere Yorke house,. London :: 1639 [i.e. 1640]. (Signed on D4r: William Davenant.) (Partly in verse.) (Printer's name from STC.) (The years are given according to Lady Day dating (Greg).) (Signatures: [A]² B-D⁴.) (The first leaf is blank.) (Reproduction of the original in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery.)

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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.