Introduction xiv

The editorial annotation attends principally to matters of historical detail. Given that they are so highly topical in character, most poems benefit from some explanation of references to individuals, events and political debates. While many will inevitably remain somewhat opaque, and while others will doubtless benefit from further contextual research, the annotation here aims simply to make the material more accessible with the benefit of information currently available to specialists in the field. The headnotes to poems provide contextual information, identify connections with other poems, and cite relevant critical material. Footnotes are usually explanatory in nature: identifying individuals, expanding upon topical references, and glossing difficult words and phrases. Others are more strictly textual: perhaps drawing attention to variant readings, or identifying probable scribal errors.

c) electronic editorial practice

Electronic publication gives the edition a number of benefits. One central goal of the project has been to make libels as accessible as possible, thereby abolishing the monopolistic grip on their interpretation effectively claimed in the past by those with the skills and resources necessary to deal with manuscript sources. In this respect, a web-based resource, published in association with a respected free-access journal, provides an attractive alternative to conventional forms of publishing. Furthermore, when dealing with a large and disparate body of poems, electronic publication enables a high degree of navigability and flexibility. Relatively few readers will choose to read through the collection from beginning to end; others will come to the collection with particular interests, and will want tools to facilitate their research. In other words, they will want to compile their own miscellanies: and this edition encourages them to do so.