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Mechanics
I have tried to tell this story in a way that would be accessible to any interested readers but which would, at the same time, be satisfactory to specialist scholars. I have modernized sixteenth-century manuscript texts in cases where I thought it would be helpful for nonspecialist readers; in other cases, I have printed them in their original form.
I also use “new-style” dating throughout, as opposed to the “old-style” dating of Shakespeare’s England, in which the New Year began on 25 March. Thus, for example, the old-style date of 1 February 1593 would be 1 February 1594 in this book.
The following frequently occurring abbreviations will be found in the notes section beginning on p. 287. The books on this list (e.g., ODNB—Oxford Dictionary of National Biography) are also included, with full reference information, in the sources section beginning on p. 319. These abbreviations refer to the following repositories and publications:
AGR/PEA—Archives Generates du Royame (Brussels)/Papiers d’Etat et Audience
APC—Acts of the Privy Council