Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PREFATORY NOTICE. The name of the author of the following plays, three in number, has been variously spelt and its correct pronunciation consequently rendered doubtful. On the title-page of the first play, printed in 1632, he is called "Schackerley Marmyon, Master of Arts;" next year, on the second, he is entered as " Shakerley Marmyon;" and, thirdly, in 1641, he appears as " Shackerly Mermion, Gent." Although Mr Singer, in his elegant reprint of this author's Poem of Cupid and Psyche, which emanated from the Chiswick Press in 1820, inclines to call him Shakerley Marmion, our bias, guided by the preponderance of authority, is in favour of his being designated " Shackerley Marmion." Shakerly, however, was an ancient family name in England. Francis, fifth Earl of Shrewsbury, who died on 25th September 1560, according to Collins, took as his second wife " Grace, daughter of Robert Shakerley of Little Longdon in Derbyshire, Esq., but had no issue by her.' Lodge says she was the widow of Robert Shakerley of Holme in Cheshire. The name was territorial, and the chief of the family was Sir Jeffrey Shakerly of Shakerly, in the county of Lancaster. His eldest son George married Anne, youngest daughter of Sir Walter Bagot of Bagot, who died 15th February 1704, in the sixtieth year of his age. Shackerley Marmion, it is surmized by Singer, " was descended from the ancient and noble family of the Marmions of Scrivelsby," in whom wasvested the hereditary right to appear at the coronation of the Sovereigns of England as Champion. Of Mr Singer's assertion there is no legal evidence, but it is certainly true that the Office of King's Champion was inherited by the Mannious of Scrivelsby. Collira' Peerage by Sir K Brydges, Vol. III., page 23. The Marmions, Lords of Fontney in Norma...